America’s Prairie - Where the Sky Began Film

1. Originally there were @ 400 million acres of grassland on the North American continent. Large weather systems produce massive thunder storms and lightening strikes set grass fires. Grasslands depend upon fires to keep them free of shrubs and trees. Most grassland species of both grasses and wildflowers are perennial. As fires take place the above ground temperature can be as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be as close as three inches above the ground. Under ground however temperatures are only a few degrees warmer than normal allowing for surface animals (13 Lined Ground Squirrels, Box Turtles, etc.) to seek shelter in burrows. Fire serves as a renewing force in most ecosystems.

2. @ 65 million years ago there were no grasslands in North America. The entire land mass was forested. The land was flat due to it having been sea floor. As the Rocky Mountains rose they blocked western weather fronts causing a drying on the eastern slopes. This is often termed a “rain shadow” effect. This drying effect caused the existing forests to die out and grasses to replace the trees. The grasses produced were: in the shadow of the Rockies - short grass, Central region - mixed grasses, and in the east - tall grass prairie. In addition @ 18 thousand years ago glaciers also helped to shape the land stabilizing the grasslands.

3. Grass root systems mat the soil preventing erosion and as they decompose they provide rich fertilizer for plants.150 major species of grasses are common and @ 300 species of wildflowers dominate the land. Example grasses are: Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Switch Grass, Indian Grass, and Prairie Cord Grass. Big Blue Stem can be has tall as 12 feet. Prairies are living ecosystems made up of communities and populations of both plants and animals.

4. Spring rains in April, as much as 30 inches in the tall grass prairies, enrich the land loosening the soil and activating earthworms. Per acre there are as many as 150 pounds of earthworms. Earthworms consume and recycle the soil at the same time aerating it.

5. In the spring Greater Prairie Chickens do courtship dances and mate.The male courtship dances are spectacular They are the signature birds of the Tall Grass Prairie. In the summer it is much warmer and tall grass species are most common along with taller wild flowers. Prairie Voles are active burrowing mammals. In the fall, the cooler season, wet land areas serve migratory water foul such as: Mallards, Teal, Cranes, and Snow Geese. During the winter grasses stop growing. They store energy in their roots and wait for spring. Wild flowers are insect pollinated and grasses are wind pollinated.

6. The major large mammal of the prairies was the Bison. At one time there was a single large herd of between 30 to 60 million individuals. A cow can live for as much as 20 years giving birth each year of its mature life. In the past wolves culled the herds taking out the weak and diseased purifying the gene pool. The herds followed grass fires feeding on new grass shoots. In addition their droppings provided fertilizer for prairie plants. Today @ 150,000 Bison remain due to hunting during the latter part of the 19th century.

7. Grasshoppers are among the most numerous of the prairie insects. There are known to be @ 108 species in Kansas alone. They migrate into grass areas causing devastation as their numbers increase. Many species are host specific on certain grass species. Orb Spiders feed on the grasshoppers and Ladybugs feed on aphids. Prairie insects can number as many as 10 million per acre of grassland. They are not always destructive as they are pollinators, recyclers, and food for other animals particularly birds. Monarch Butterflies are abundant. They mate in the spring time and their larvae feed on Milkweed. On the average a female Monarch can lay as many as 100 eggs singly at a time. The Milkweed toxins accumulate in the brightly colored butterflies. Potential predators are warned that they are poisonous to eat by their bright orange, yellow, black, and white colors. This is termed “warning coloration”. In the fall they migrate annually into either Mexico or California. Most got to Mexico.

8. Prairie birds are specialized for feeding on plant seeds and insects. They have excellent vision. Because of few large plants many species nest on the ground where their eggs and young are often fed on by Prairie King Snakes. The Logger Head Shrike also called the “Butcher Bird” feed on not only insects but also small snakes and mammals. They impale their prey on Honey Locust thorns storing them there until used for food. The Prairie Skink is a common lizard species which lays @ 21soft shelled eggs at a time. They generally hatch after @ three weeks. Collared Lizards are also common. When in danger they run on their hind legs. At night owls and rattlesnakes hunt warm blooded prey, particularly mice and other small mammals.

9. In the 19th Century President Thomas Jefferson encouraged settlement of the west. Free land was offered as incentive. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was sent to find grasslands suitable for framing and possible trade routes for crops and other produce. Immigrants practiced “Cultural Replication.” That is they tried to create a life style that they were use to rather than trying to adapt to the new surroundings. This caused great habitat destruction. In addition they fought fire, not realizing that it was a natural and very necessary part of the ecosystem. They also changed the prairies by bringing in non-native plants and animals. It has been said that they came with a vision of former places rather than seeing where they were. To begin with they tried to plant by using wooden plows. In 1837 John Deer invented the self cleaning steel plow in Illinois. Prior to this wooden plows were used and the rich prairie soil stuck to the plows. This forever changed the scene in agricultural activities in the United States. During the 1870’s and 80’s after the Civil War railroads brought in settlers not only from the east but also from Europe. Barbed Wire was introduced in the 1870’s forever changing the freedom of movement on the grasslands. The buffalo were killed off nearly driving them to extinction. It took 65 million years to create the grasslands and less than 100 years to totally alter the ecosystem.

10. Several agencies are working to improve the situation: the Konza Prairie Reserve Research Center in Kansas, the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma, the Land Institute of Kansas, and the Walnut Creek Wildlife Refuge and Learning Area in Iowa are a few. Now native prairie seeds are harvested as a cash crop to be planted to reestablish native grasslands. Most grassland plants are perennials.

11. Famed American poet Walt Whitman said “The Prairies are the fundamental American landscape”.