Our community of prairie enthusiasts is just as resilient as the prairies and savannas. However, there’s no doubt about it – as grassroots volunteers and leaders, we’re likely all asking ourselves “What’s next?” What’s next for those of us who want to share these special places with others? How do we show-n-tell about the exciting […]
Beginning in late May of this year, our collective attention has been forcibly drawn by the enormous and continuing demonstrations across the country protesting the long unsolved issues of racial injustice and police brutality. This challenge has been with us as a society for a very long time, but something seems quite different about it […]
TPE has set in place new guidelines to enable us to begin holding our important field trips and work parties going forward while protecting our safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. May 2020 field trip at the oak barrens near TPE’s Rattlesnake Ridge preserve in Arena, WI. Photo by Scott Fulton Like all of us, we […]
Hello Prairie Enthusiasts! We are Dan, Diane, Jerry, and Joe, and we are the people working for you and TPE as the Chapter Support staff. As you may have heard, we are taking a big leap forward in 2020, adding significantly to our capacity to address the mission of educating, protecting, and restoring the native […]
Are you, or do you know someone who is interested in restoring or managing native prairie and savanna communities on private land? Would you like to hear the bumblebees busily spreading pollen from flower to flower and see more butterflies dancing among the grasses? Coulee Region Chapter members John and Rita Hoffmann at their property […]
This week the savanna’s purple lupines (Lupinus perennis) and pink wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum) are being replaced by spiderworts (Tradescantia ohiensis). According to past years’ local records, spiderworts are blooming later than normal this year. The cool spring, together with the lack of burning, make this year’s blooming plants on the hillsides appear to be […]
Spring is quickly growing into summer. Here are a few photos that captured our attention this past month. So fun to see what is happening in and around the prairie. One way of looking at these images is called Phenology which is the study of reoccurring life cycles that are driven by the environment. The […]
Please enjoy these beautiful Spring photos contributed by our members! Let go of the last bits of winter and take a virtual walk through Nature and witness the new beginnings of growth on the Prairie. Welcome back sunshine to our land and our lives! Photo by Joe Rising Photo by Christine Larson Photo by […]
Happy May Day 2020! This may be one of the the most important days of the year. Symbolically, this day represents the return of life and fertility to the world. Astrologically, today marks the midpoint of Spring, half way between the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. Traditionally, children gather flowers and make May Baskets to […]
The main theme of this series of posts is the sense of nature that gives us strength and healing. The poetry of Wendell Berry often does that. He was in touch with the earth, though often from a more agricultural standpoint. He once wrote a poem about stones, from a farmer’s point of view. They […]
