DAVE HIGGINS PHOTOGRAPHY

After arriving in Texas recently for a visit, my sister (a master naturalist) took me to Stella Rowan Prairie. SRP is a rare, tiny remnant of the original grassland prairies that once covered the Great Plains – before much of them were wiped out by development and agriculture. It ironically resides in the middle of some of that development, between Fort Worth and Dallas. While the area just looks like boring grass from the distance, once you get closer you find there’s a wonderful array of diverse grasses and flowers – many of which are in bloom this time of year.

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(Clicking on any image will open a slide show.)

From a distance the area just looks like grass. (The lines of live oaks are a human addition. Many of the other trees probably wouldn’t be here either, prevented by either fires or grazing buffalo.)

When you get closer you start to find all kinds of grasses and flowers.

The red and yellow flowers are gaillardia – one of the few species I remember.

Some cool flowers are hidden at the base of other plants.

While not as dramatic as sights like the Grand Canyon, grassland prairies offer their own beauty.

Imagine what it must have looked like when an area like this spread for hundreds of miles.

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All photographs are © Dave Higgins and “Dave Higgins Photography,” 2017; all rights reserved.