Ma and I love wildflowers. I convinced her to come with me for the "Prairie Walk", a ranger-led hike to discover the native plants that make up the Badlands' ecosystem. The ranger, Ellen, was wonderful. We had also enjoyed her "Fossil Talk" earlier that day.
Ranger Ellen talked about how fire is essential for controlling non-native species. It was hard to believe that the area where we were walking had been burned recently. She also talked about why the park needs more large predators like coyote to control the population of mammals that eat the plants to the point of failure. It's all a matter of balance.
Ranger Ellen talked about how fire is essential for controlling non-native species. It was hard to believe that the area where we were walking had been burned recently. She also talked about why the park needs more large predators like coyote to control the population of mammals that eat the plants to the point of failure. It's all a matter of balance.
Not all of these pictures were taken during the Prairie Walk, but I wanted to show you the beautiful wildflowers we encountered throughout the Badlands National Park.
Prairie Coneflower, also known as Mexican Hat (Ratibita Columnifera)
I'm not sure what the purple stuff is. We showed Ellen some other purple stuff and she said it was an invasive: alfalfa!
The yellow flower is a sunflower.
Speaking of sunflowers, there were areas of the park that were absolutely teeming with them. They're an excellent food source for the wildlife, and they look spectacular!
This photo was taken at the Prairie Winds overlook.
Does a cactus fit with your idea of "prairie wildflowers"? Well, it should. These cacti were ubiquitous.
Even Ellen herself was astonished by how many cacti were revealed after the rangers finished their controlled burn of this area.
This plant is called "Snow on the Mountain" or "Smoke on the Prairie" (Euphorbia Marginata). If left uneaten, it would grow into a small shrub. Alas, the wildlife get at it before it can grow that big. It's lucky just to reach maturity and reproduce.
This plant is some form of wild millet. When viewed en masse, the ground appears charred.
This sunset wasn't quite the end of Day 2. We attended the Night Sky program again. They talked about different topics and pointed the telescopes at different stars.