Looking South
Barton County
Southwest Missouri
"We were soon free of the woods and bushes, and fairly upon the broad prairie." Francis Parkman
Spider Web
Prairie State Park
Barton County Missouri
Sunflowers
Barton County
Prairie State Park
Just north of a small very sleepy town in Southwest Missouri lies a wonderful secret. The Prairie survives here. Bison and Elk, Coyotes, White Tail Deer are all found in this area managed by grazing and fire.
According to the Missouri Dept. Of Conservation; "Prairie State Park was created to recapture this lost heritage through visitor experience and interpretation, and to preserve forever a unique and rare diversity of life. The park, which totals more than 3,700 acres, is Missouri's largest remaining tallgrass prairie landscape.
More than 13 million acres of original prairie once covered Missouri. By the late 1960's, this had dwindled to 250,000 acres; today only 65,000 acres of Missouri's tallgrass prairie remain, and most of this is in small bits and pieces.
Conversion of Missouri's once vast prairie has left few natural places as refuges for the unique plants and animals that make up a prairie. A prairie is an amazingly diverse and complex ecosystem containing more than 350 different species of grasses and wildflowers.
More than 150 bird species are recorded at Prairie State Park. Certain other animals, including the southern plains skink and numerous insect species are found nowhere else in the state. At least 25 park plant and animal species are listed as rare or endangered."
More information and directions can be found here:
http://www.bartoncounty.com/prairestatepark.htm
Just north of a small very sleepy town in Southwest Missouri lies a wonderful secret. The Prairie survives here. Bison and Elk, Coyotes, White Tail Deer are all found in this area managed by grazing and fire.
According to the Missouri Dept. Of Conservation; "Prairie State Park was created to recapture this lost heritage through visitor experience and interpretation, and to preserve forever a unique and rare diversity of life. The park, which totals more than 3,700 acres, is Missouri's largest remaining tallgrass prairie landscape.
More than 13 million acres of original prairie once covered Missouri. By the late 1960's, this had dwindled to 250,000 acres; today only 65,000 acres of Missouri's tallgrass prairie remain, and most of this is in small bits and pieces.
Conversion of Missouri's once vast prairie has left few natural places as refuges for the unique plants and animals that make up a prairie. A prairie is an amazingly diverse and complex ecosystem containing more than 350 different species of grasses and wildflowers.
More than 150 bird species are recorded at Prairie State Park. Certain other animals, including the southern plains skink and numerous insect species are found nowhere else in the state. At least 25 park plant and animal species are listed as rare or endangered."
More information and directions can be found here:
http://www.bartoncounty.com/prairestatepark.htm
Blog Action Day; The Environment
2 comments:
I'm happy to have come across your blog. I'm always looking for more walkers and wanderers to add to my favorite list.
Great photos!
Walking Fort Bragg
http://blabberon.blogspot.com/
I'm so happy to see there is protected prairie. Its wonderful that so many wild creatures find a home there.
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