I am so lucky to live in “fly over country”. (To the hordes from the coasts: Please keep flying over and not stopping. We’re just fine here, really.) I live in an area of southwestern Wisconsin called “The Driftless Area,“ so called because the last glaciers avoided us and left lots of beautiful hills, valleys and rocky outcrops. But it is also full of many gorgeous prairies. If you haven’t had the luxury of enjoying a walk through a healthy prairie, then I hope you do sometime in your life. Many of our country’s prairie have been destroyed, but remnants remain, and they are jewels.
Here are some photos from a walk Jim and I took recently on a nearby prairie: The plant in the foreground is Prairie Smoke, the gold flowers in the back have my absolute favorite name for a flower: Hoary Pacoon. Who could not love a flower called Hoary Pacoon?
Here it is close up:
Also blooming were Birdsfoot Violets, a relatively rare violet that is threatened in many areas. We are so lucky to find it in abundance close by.
If you’d like to see more images of prairie plants, this is a great site. Jim and I had one more adventure on this outing. As we drove to the prairie, I saw a man stooped over the ground, a bag full of something by his side. Given the time of year, the continual rainfall we’ve had and his intent searching, I guessed he was after the elusive morel mushroom. I limped down the hill to find that yes, he had a bag full of them. I quickly emphasized that I wouldn’t return to harvest my own–an important piece of information to convey to a man holding a knife and standing over a hot spot of invaluable fungi. Morels are hard to find, highly seasonal, and cherished by many for their flavor after sauteed with garlic and butter. People pay a lot of money for them. Luckily, he was gracious and actually downright thrilled to have me take some pictures of his harvest. He insisted that I take a lot of pictures of the morels beside his knife. Apparently size matters. I won’t say a word about his placement of an erect knife beside his erect mushroom. Not a word.
Ever had morels? I’m actually not a huge fan, although I do love mushrooms in general. Maybe it’s because they are sponges for garlic and butter? What could go wrong there? And please, if you haven’t had the good fortune to enjoy what’s left of the treasure of American prairies, please find a way to enjoy them. And help us preserve them.
Christine Collins says
Wow those mushrooms look exactly like a sea sponge and all those holes to fill with yummy butter and garlic, isn’t it wonderful to live in Nature’s Wonderland so much to learn and enjoy. I totally agree keep the hoards away a lot of them would never see the beauty anyway. Cheers from Christine via Melbourne Australia
Erin James says
So lovely. Thank you for sharing. I was born and raised and still live in a part of Florida that has become so over populated and over built that finding a quiet spot, such as an open field, has become nearly impossible. I long for such loveliness as your prairie.
Helena James says
I love prairies….thank you!
lee says
Thank you for sharing your adventures and all the loveliness you experience!
lee
Irma Vazquez says
I live about an hour away from Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie, and it is lovely. It is also home to growing herd of bison. I’d like to see your Prairie someday. Thanks for the lovely pics.
Anne says
I found some growing along the road last year by our house (also Wisconsin). I don’t like them, or any mushrooms, but I took them all home for my husband. He was very happy.
Shiela Lund-Wild says
Wonderful article & gorgeous pictures….I felt my stress level decrease as I enjoyed it…..Thank you for sharing Patricia!
ddemos says
What a crappy way to start off a post…and then we wonder why this country is so divided. Well… guess what? We coastal “elites” really hate that you were uninformed enough to vote for a know nothing con man who will take us all down. Believe me…none of us will forget you all did that either and don’t want to spend time with people who don’t need any income from tourism. Thanks so much.
I will be unfollowing your posts now.
Trisha says
Dear ddemos: Oh my. Even though I’m on vacation, I still read comments every day and find myself unable to resist responding to you. First, may I repeat myself: Oh my. Second, in case anyone else interpreted my “fly over” comment to be about politics–it wasn’t. What I meant by “fly over” was a perception here in the Midwest that events (sports, weather, business, anything really) occurring on the coasts are often deemed to be more important than similar events in the Midwest. I stand by that perception, having lived on both coasts (Boston & LA, as well as Wisconsin, Arizona, California & Alaska). Perhaps this perception is supported by the use of phrase “coastal ‘elite'”. As a liberal feminist and environmentalist with a PhD, I suspect most would classify me as an “elite”, even though, yup, I live in the Midwest.
That said, I can see how the beginning of my post sounded a bit, uh, unwelcoming. Let me clarify that: Come visit! From anywhere. But, having lived in LA and Boston and Phoenix, let me just say that it’s a joy to live in a place in which it doesn’t take hours to drive to the edge of town, and where you can buy land within 30 minutes of downtown without being wealthy. So it’s okay with me that fewer people live here in southern Wisconsin than live in big coastal cities. So please come visit. But if you decide to stay, help us preserve the amazing nature that we are privileged to live within.
kristen says
[Wince] I didn’t get past the second line here I was gritting my teeth. PhD notwithstanding and autocorrect laughing at you, you are looking for “horde” not “hoard”.
We are all familiar one way or another with people who hoard food, animals, garden gnomes (it’s a *collection*).
A horde means something like a large invading force a la college students upon Padre Island. Or city people invading the Midwest like locusts.
No worries there, BTW, city people get very nervous without Starbucks, more than one visible star in the sky and bugs. ????
Crandellpop says
Ddemos,
Thanks for the reminder to keep my emails mellow and friendly or people might think I’m unhappy and a bit nutty. Hope your life improves. I will gladly go anywhere where the countryside is beautiful, the humans are tolerant, and dogs are allowed. Currently my job keeps me grounded in the great state of Washington.
Chris from Boise says
Shifting back to the topic at hand: love the photos! It’s surprising to me that many of your prairie plants are similar to our high desert plants: prairie smoke and puccoon also live out here (with 10-12″ of annual precipitation). We’re planning a road-trip-with-dogs across the midwest this summer, and look forward to exploring tallgrass and shortgrass prairies.
Hope your knee is healing and that Maggie is enjoying fewer restrictions!
Trisha says
kristen: Argh, I stand corrected. And a tad abashed… You are, of course, right. Looks to me like I really do need a vacation. (I’m taking any excuse I can find.)
Chris from Boise: Love that you have puccoon and prairie smoke. We have it in this prairie because it’s a sandy area… quite a bit of that around the outskirts of the Wisconsin River. Hope you have a great visit to the prairies! (And Maggie is doing well, really well, and I can walk up hill now! Yay!!!)
LisaW says
Geez, tough crowd sometimes. But you handle it with your usual aplomb.
It’s funny (and often necessary) what our bodies do to give us a signal we can’t ignore that it’s time to stop and shift and slow down. I’m glad your knee is feeling better (I remember the admiring comment a youngster gave you after you ran a virtual obstacle course at a sheep dog trial, but I can’t remember why you had to run 🙁 and I am glad Maggie is feeling better, too.
The prairie is such a foreign concept to us northern New Englanders. We have the forest flowers all summer and some rare alpine tundra on top of a mountain but nothing that even resembles your flowers. Same growing zone but totally different ecosystems. Kind of like the country as a whole (I couldn’t resist).
Enjoy your time.
Uli says
Trish, I absolutely loved the photos. Your blog reminded me of the importance of living life and reconnecting with nature. I have seen my adopted hometown of Atlanta develop into a sprawling metropolitan area with all the ups and downs that come with rapid development. I spend hours stuck in traffic each day and my dog and I usually spend at least a couple of hours in the car on weekends trying to find a quiet trail (no prairies here I’m afraid!). I look forward to visiting your part of the country very soon! Enjoy your time off and keep the occasional post & pictures coming, we love hearing from you!
gail lilly says
Love your blog. Had been receiving it on a regular basis and then it stopped??
Am delighted to find it again and hope your e-mails will again grace my mailbox.
HeidiL says
Loved your talk/reading at Powell’s in Beaverton several months ago and so very happy I had the chance to chat with you afterwards.
That said, I too love prairies! If you ever return to Oregon in Spring, be sure to build in a few days to visit Zumwalt Prairie in the northeastern part of the State.
I took no offense to your “fly-over” remark. After all, many an Oregonian has said, Come visit, but don’t move here!” … and it’s not meant as a tongue-in-cheek quip either.
Victoria Stewart-Moore says
Trisha, I was introduced to animal behavior late in life after a career in the govt. running a farm where I trained horses and raised cows and after 13 years of being totally spoiled by my dear Meg( who could round up cows with no fuss and no help from me). Meg died of liver cancer in 2015 and I’m starting over with a BC pup, Kandy. Now I understand the work that goes into building a solid helper like Meg. Kandy is 13 mos, full of enthusiasm for sheep and definitely NOT ready for cows but she is teaching me along the way how to understand better what’s going on at her end of the leash. I thank you for this. Our family farm is in Oostburg on Lake Michigan but the real work goes on in Md where, like you, I remain grounded with a 30 acre farm, my Gt Pyranees, Troy, horses, cows, chickens and cats. I’ve been training with Polly Matzinger a NIH immunologist who raises Gotham sheep and who introduced me to the world of animal behavior. Every summer we come to Wisco. It would be an honor and a privilege to meet you during one of these trips. Meanwhile, thank you for your great insights, guidance and for sharing your stories and literary talent.
Marilyn Kircus says
Thanks for sharing your lovely prairie. I am at Red Rock Lakes NWR in southwestern Montana and we have prairie smoke also. Seeing the flowers always gives me a chuckle. I call them teletubies. But the seed pods are outstandingly beautiful and are what the plants are named for.