I have absolutely no idea what I am doing here; but what better way to explore and start something than jump in with two feet first?
andropogon gerardii--turkey foot--big bluestem
About Me
- Andropogon_Gerardii
- Killdeer, North Dakota, United States minor outlying islands
4 comments:
I just wanted to test a post....this will be a really interesting blog. I hope you keep going with this.
LIving on the prairie is certainly better than living in the prairie. My Grandfather (Grampa Tom Tubestalker), lived in a Sod House on the South Dakota Prairie. There were worms in the walls! My father remembers the delicious worm pasta his dad cooked. Here is the recipe: Carefully prepare 400 large angle worms by filletting them down the middle, stripping out all undigested dirt. (People who don't like worms didn't properly clean them!). Marinate for 4 hours in a cheap red wine and vinegar sauce. Saute in olive oil under low heat until crisp. Melt cheese on top and serve like spaghetti. Mmm..crunchy!
I live near Fort Worth, Texas. The largest remaining area of the Fort Worth Prairie, about 40,000 acres west and southwest of the city, is being developed for housing subdivisions at an alarming rate. I have written my state senator, Jane Nelson, to ask her to support a Fort Worth Prairie State Park. Dallas has a 1,800 acre state park with several tiny Blackland Prairie remnants, but Fort Worth has no state park. I think it is politically and economically feasible for 2,000 or 3,000 acres of the remaining virgin Fort Worth Prairie to be preserved in a State Park. If you live in Texas, you can help by writing your state senator and state representative to ask for support for a Fort Worth Prairie State Park.
The Fort Worth Prairie once contained 1.3 million acres of tall grass and mixed grass prairie dominated by little bluestem, tall dropseed, side oats grama, Indian grass, big bluestem, and switch grass. Only about 60,000 acres remains, and more than 17,000 acres of this is already beginning development for housing subdivisions. This area once supported large populations of greater prairie chickens and black-tailed prairie dogs. Black-footed ferrets lived here as late as the 1960's. A few bison, elk, and pronghorns also inhabited the area. All of these species are long gone except for a handful of small, widely scattered prairie dog towns. In Fort Worth, two city parks and one county park contain small Fort Worth Prairie remnants, but only one of these is being properly managed to prevent invasion by brush and exotic plants.
Property owners understandably want to make a profit by developing their property, but it sickens me to see the prospect of virtually the remaining Fort Worth Prairie succumbing to the bulldozer hundreds of acres at a time. Texas prairie lovers, please help preserve some of the species rich, beautiful rolling hills of the Fort Worth Prairie.
How sad about the Fort Worth Prairie! You might try to get help from the Native Prairies Association of Texas, the Texas Nature Conservancy, or the Great Plains Restoration Council. Good luck.
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