EXPERIENCE LIFE ON A PRAIRIE

Recently I had the opportunity to attend a bio blitz on Linden Prairie in Missouri.  A prairie bio blitz is a coming together of like-minded people with the intent to learn more about a natural area.  Learning more about prairies gives us reasons to help conserve and preserve them.

Linden Prairie is owned by Missouri Prairie Foundation and this year is the 50^th anniversary of MPF’s presence in Missouri.   This prairie and others in Missouri are the last of their kind.  Prairies once covered 15 million acres in Missouri.  Today, there are less than 90 thousand acres of prairie left, most of it in small parcels.

So what happens when native prairies disappear?  One very important issue is that pollinators also disappear.  For us, that means crops may not be pollinated, and that means less food.  For this reason alone, we need to protect lands like this. 

But to me it is so much more.  Walking the prairie at day is like nothing else you can do.  The grasses, wildflowers, and wildlife seem to crowd around you.  Walking the prairie at night you have opportunities to see and hear wildlife that only can be found at night.  These experiences speak of times long ago when bison roamed without fences, and they remind us of our country’s first people who walked on this same land. 

There is a heartiness on the prairie.  Maybe it is because we can imagine how difficult life must have been back then, for native species and for mankind who dared to attempt to live there. 

WILDERNESS AND SOLITUDE

  

Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization. –Aldo Leopold

I spent some time in a workshop this week, the Leopold Education Project.  As a naturalist, it would be difficult not to love Leopold, and I have since the first time I read A Sand County Almanac.  But I came away with a different understanding in this workshop.  In being reminded of my love for wilderness, which I relate to solitude, I saw a side of Leopold I had not considered before.  His efforts to encompass all of nature into one community, and treat all natural things with the same respect, are reminders of how and why we seek wilderness and solitude.

When Leopold speaks of wilderness, he agrees it is an “adversary to be conquered.” Pioneers traveled dangerously across our adversary continent seeking favorable grounds to set up a home.  Outdoor enthusiasts seek to conquer wilderness by traveling through it and living to tell about it.  Mankind today seeks to conquer outer space as our next frontier.  We have conquered our wilderness areas, trampling on the raw materials we found in order to set up cities and communities. We have traversed the land single handedly using up all resources, and lived to tell about it.  And we have populated the wilderness of space with our satellites and space ships. But in Leopold’s words, “that same raw stuff is something to be loved and cherished, because it gives definition and meaning to life.”

That is what I found in this recent study of Leopold; definition and meaning to life. I always agreed that ethical use of land could only come from love and admiration for land.  In this study, I heard Leopold’s definition of land ethics as it relates to philosophical values, and I discovered that this is why I seek wilderness and solitude.  It had not occurred to me before to define why I loved to seek out and protect wild places, but I think this yearning is in all of us.  There is a certain peace found in the study of nature and therefore the study of our origins as Leopold puts it.

“We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in.”  Aldo Leopold

Reading again some of Leopold’s wonderful descriptions of wilderness moments he experienced, reminded me of my own moments of wildness. Here is one of my favorite quotes of his:  “A dawn wind stirs on the great marsh.  With almost imperceptible slowness it rolls a bank of fog across the wide morass.  Like the white ghost of a glacier the mists advance, riding over phalanxes of tamarack, sliding across bog-meadows heavy with dew.  A single silence hangs from horizon to horizon.”   His writing is inspirational to me because I have experienced sitting in a place just like this, feeling, tasting, and breathing in the mists, and being thankful for the silence of the moment. 

But my recent revelation is in the why.  Why have I sought out wild places and solitude?  I discovered that it is, and has always been for me, giving meaning to my life.  When I sit quietly alone among the tall grass of a prairie and use my senses to listen, smell and see the sights all around me, I live.  When I walk a forest trail, absorbing the freedom to wander at my own pace, I live.  When I sit on a beach and ponder where the waves go when they hit the shore, I live.

Wilderness and solitude are to me a way to live life to its fullest.  Only by living among the wild-ness of nature can I survive living in the modern world.  Everything I learn from studying natural communities, gives me methods to deal with human influences on my world.  Most importantly, taking time to find wilderness and solitude renews my spirit, increases my faith, and energizes my psyche.

I come away from my nature encounters full and satisfied.  I have a deeper understanding of why I should play a role in preserving each piece of the natural communities God has given us.  Leopold says finding the cultural value of wilderness boils down to a question of intellectual humility, “It is only the scholar who understands why the raw wilderness gives definition and meaning to the human enterprise.”

I know I will never be called a scholar.  But I also know that, regardless, I will continue to seek out wilderness and solitude as a way to keep increasing my love of nature.  From this love of nature will come enough knowledge to at least be counted among the naturalists of this world.

ARE YOU READY FOR A WALK?

I love the word “saunter.”  Saunter.  It rolls out of the mouth slow and mellow.  In his essay, Walking, Henry David Thoreau suggested there is an art to taking a walk; that is learning to saunter.  To saunter may feel to some to indicate the activity of a vagabond – a homeless person roaming from place to place. Thoreau suggested that to saunter, or “go forth on the shortest walk” should be an adventure and a crusade.  In his eyes, those who sit in their houses all the time are the vagrants.

 “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station [in] which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”  George Washington Carver

Many people have never thought much about tuning in to nature, but learning to do this is not difficult.  Our lives are so busy with obligations and fast - paced social networking activities, it is easy to sit inside and ignore nature.  Forcing yourself to take time for a walk outside is how you tune into nature. 

In spring and summer the world is full of green things.  The color green is said to be gentle on the eyes.  Is it a coincidence that God made so much green at a time of year that encompasses the newness of the earth?  In fall and winter, the colors are much different.  Fall yellows, oranges and reds are inspiring and comforting.  Winter whites and blues may seem drab, but these colors in nature evoke calmness.

You don’t have to find a solitary location or official hiking trail to enjoy the peace of nature.  It can be found in your backyard, on a street corner, or in a local park.  The trick, as Thoreau puts it, is to free ourselves from all worldly engagements.  He points out that legs are not made to sit upon, but to walk upon.

When I walk or hike, I am on a crusade; a crusade to find the best part of nature, the ultimate spot in the wild, and peace.  When I find it, I suck it into my heart so I will never forget it. 

Walking for me is direct contact with God, and this contact leads me to answers and solutions in my life. I agree with Anne Frank when she said, “The best remedy for those who are afraid or unhappy is to go outside.  Somewhere where they can be quiet and alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature.”

According to Thoreau, to become a walker requires a “direct dispensation from heaven,” and he challenges those he feels are not fit to take a walk.  I don’t know if he was serious when he said this, “If you are ready to leave father and mother, and brother and sister, and wife and child and friends, and never see them again – if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man – then you are ready for a walk.”  It  sounds like he was challenging us, saying not everyone could become a walker.

So, are you ready to go for a walk?  I hope so. Get out there and enjoy your natural surroundings, find peace, and defy Mr. Henry David Thoreau!

A MILLION YEARS OF MILKWEED

I’ve planted my share of milkweed over the years, but not like you would think.  As an outdoor-loving child that liked to explore and touch and investigate, the milkweed plant was one of my favorites.  I don’t remember the first time I actually knew the name of the tall plant with milk in its veins and those wonderful pods that would explode with white silky threads.  My small hands routinely rubbed that white sticky substance between my fingers (and yes, I am sure I tasted it!), and pulled open those green pods excited to touch what was inside. 

The seeds with wings were intriguing to me, but I am not sure I was aware that when I blew them into the wind, I was actually “planting” them.  How sad today, that it is difficult for a child explorer like me to even find a milkweed plant, much less experience the fun of blowing the seeds into the wind.  How very sad too that the loss of this plant could mean the loss of another of nature’s marvels, the monarch butterfly. 

The milkweed plant is the only plant where monarchs lay eggs.  Monarch caterpillars feed on the toxic leaves and become “toxic” themselves to protect from predators.  This same toxin also prevents monarch butterflies from most predators.  Nature has a way of protecting them, but our own thoughtlessness, unless we make some changes, can destroy them.

The wings of a monarch remind me of a map.  Each black line describes a road that leads to the trip of a lifetime!  Most of us will never travel 3000 miles from home, but some monarchs do.  Maybe that was nature’s intention in the design of the wings; to show us a road map that reminds us of how this amazing insect flies thousands of miles in migration from Canada and the United States to Mexico.  How can we not want to protect something that is so delicate yet strong enough to survive this trip?

Homero Aridjis, a Mexican poet and environmentalist describes his home town during the migration:

“In Contepec that morning, thousands of monarch butterflies were crossing the village.The air, like a river, bore currents of butterflies through the streets, above the houses, between the trees and people as they made their way south.”

His description is truly a picture of what it must be like to experience this.  Two decades ago, over a billion monarchs could be found in the forests of Mexico in winter.  Today those only number about 33 million.  All of us need to be alarmed at the 90% loss of such a wonderful and important insect.

It doesn’t take much to observe that the loss of habitat in Mexico, and loss of the host plant for monarch caterpillars in our country is the cause of the decline.  Our country’s role is in the destruction of milkweed for farming interests.  There may not be a place for milkweed where crops are grown, but there are many places where it can be planted to help save the monarchs; along roadways, prairies, and backyards. All of us can be a part of bringing back the milkweed plant.

So why should we care?  A teacher in Minnesota asked her ninth grade class this question when studying the decline of monarchs.  Here is one answer from a student that says it all.

“Monarchs show me what it is like to be prosperous and having abundance, something that I want personally.  When everything is good, there are plenty of milkweeds, and plenty of habitat in Mexico.  When I witness things going bad, with the logging of their habitat in Mexico, and loss of habitat in our country, then I move from a sense of prosperity to one of loss.  Like the poet John Dunn said – No man is an island. Every man’s death diminishes me -   And every factor that threatens the monarch, affects me and diminishes me.”

I don’t want my children and grandchildren to experience a diminished life from the loss of a species or any part of nature in their lifetimes.  I don’t want anyone to experience that.  Each of us should feel the responsibility of preserving something that has been on this earth for millions of years. No one wants milkweed and monarch destruction to occur on “our watch.”  One simple solution is to make an effort to restore the critical milkweed plant.  If you don’t have a backyard to plant it in, find a place where you can have permission to grow it.  Promote it in your own area through highway departments and public places.

Then, don’t forget to take some time to enjoy the milkweed you planted.  Open up and explore one of those ripened green pods and feel the silky white membranes with a brown seed attached that float in the wind when you release them.  Be satisfied that you dispatched some milkweed seeds on their way to grow into a plant that will save the monarch butterfly.

TO DO LIST:

·       Study and research the type of milkweed that should be planted in your own area.
·       Post your thoughts on this blog, and other social media to share with others what you are doing to help monarchs. 
·       Find websites with more information like Monarch Watch, and this one in Missouri.  http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/wildlife-your-property/backyard-wildlife/backyard-habitat-monarch-butterflies
·       For fun!  Solve this puzzle and be the first to reply in this blog if you find the answer!

                Where on earth can you find “white” monarchs?

A NATURALIST'S EYE

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.”

― Albert Einstein

Anyone that has routinely studied our natural surroundings by “getting out there,” has a Naturalist’s Eye.  Naturalists love to spend time observing and recording natural events; an endangered flower on the prairie, an eagle “watching us” in a park, and a flock of thousands of snow geese landing on a lake.  Yes, we’ve done all that and much more as Missouri Master Naturalists. 

While Master Naturalists have available considerable training opportunities from many experts, it is with our eyes that we become Naturalists.  Our eyes lead us out to prairies, woods and lakes filling our minds with mysterious experiences that become education.    Our eyes are open to conservation needs, and that spurs our hands to actively pursue projects to protect nature. Our eyes are the windows through which our hearts receive love and devotion to nature, so we can share it each in our own particular way.

The person who said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” regarding art must have had a Naturalist’s eye.  Many famous painters worked outdoors to capture natural forms.  John James Audubon could not have created his famous watercolors of birds without spending so much time observing them in their natural habitats.  Claude Monet’s outdoor paintings hang in many famous museums worldwide.  He attributed his eye for nature to be his most important accomplishment when he said of himself; “My only merit lies in having painted directly in front of nature, seeking to render my impressions of the most fleeting effects.” Monet was known for dragging his contemporaries, Renior, Sisley and Brazille, also famous artists, on his outdoor excursions. Such famous artists, all with the eye of a naturalist, brought nature to others.  Who would challenge that these famous artists were not “naturalists?” 

Who is better to become an advocate for conservation of natural resources than those who love and study nature than a Master Naturalist?  Each of us has particular interests and talents, along with the drive to preserve and protect our natural surroundings.  Each of us finds a way to share our knowledge by unobtrusive measures to those whose minds are open to learning along with us.   Each of us has our eyes open waiting for the beauty of nature to inspire us.  After all, anyone who does not “stand in rapt awe” at the sight of a tiny bug, a delicate flower, or a red sunset, must be those who truly have their eyes closed. 

Master Naturalist chapters are available in most states.  Check in your own area to see if you can find a local chapter.  It is a great way to add your voice to conservation and preservation of your natural surroundings.

SUMMER SOLSTICE AT DIAMOND GROVE PRAIRIE

Diamond Grove Prairie

 “I was raised on country sunshine, green grass beneath my feet.  

Running through fields of daisies, wading through the creek.”

--Country Sunshine by Dottie West 

I was not raised in the country, I grew up in suburban St. Louis.  But that did not stop me from seeking out any tiny patch of green grass, fields of flowers, or a creek to wade in when I was young.  Summer was an endless time of staying outdoors hours at a time, exploring natural places, and searching for anything wild; turtles, snakes, bugs, and lots of dirt. Not yet coming into my “naturalist mentality” yet, I brought home handfuls of wildflowers to grace our home. So it was fitting that I spent the summer solstice at a prairie.  

black eyed susan

golden winged skimmer

Diamond Grove dressed itself in my favorite color, yellow, for the first day of summer.  Purple headed sneeze-weed,  crownbeard, black eyed susans, and coreopsis created a yellow carpet wonderland for butterflies, dragonflies, and birds. 

sensitive brier

Contrasting colors came from bright red-orange indian paint brush, blue spider-wort, and pink sensitive brier. Hard to find milkwort, wild petunia, and deptford pinks shyly hid in the under story of the tall grasses.  It was a morning of prize after prize!

wild petunia

The longest day of the year is a great time to visit a prairie.  You can avoid the hot mid-day heat, and still have a lot of daylight in the cooler morning and evening.  Don't worry if you missed the opportunity today, tomorrow is the second longest day of the year!  

false dragonhead and purple headed sneezeweed

natural thoughts: NATURAL ORDER

natural thoughts: NATURAL ORDER: It took a long time for me to write this next blog. I had to take a hiatus’ from blogging because of so much destruction and sadnes...