“…mere open space, a lack of trees, and vegetation that doesn’t rise above the height of a man’s head do not make a prairie…prairie refers to a natural community which, like a giant organism, is composed of a multitude, a sum total of its parts. It is a complex ecosystem of grasses, flowering annual and perennial plants, shrubs, a few trees, and a variety of wildlife, from the macro-vertebrate to the microcosmic.” From Mary Taylor Young, Land of Grass and Sky: A Naturalist’s Prairie Journey (2002), page 101
This was taken about 15 miles east of my apartment. Of course where my apartment is used to be 15 miles east of town. Large raindrops were falling, wind was blowing and temperatures were dropping as the storm clouds moved across the prairie.
6 Comments
Anita Jesse
You have captured so much more than a beautiful picture of the prairie. The light, the clouds, the framing with all the expanse touches the heart of a lover of wide open western spaces. The tones and detail in the sky are amazing. Bravo.
Monte Stevens
It’s nice know we’re lovers of our open spaces. scenes like this I did not fond near my apartment in Ohio. Yet those wooded forests offered their own beauty. Enjoy your weekend.
Earl
It’s often the simplistic images that can say so much…as is certainly the case here. Beautiful and powerful.
Monte Stevens
Thanks, Earl, and hope you an Bonnie are enjoying your weekend.
Mark
I have been attempting to catch up on my blog reading… just wanted to say I really like this image. It really speaks volumes about the open prairie.
Monte Stevens
Thanks, Mark, for stopping by, it is much appreciated.