Outdoor
A Prairie in Pieces- Part 2
By Russell Graves
Across the continent the Great Plains is a huge swath of land that incises mid-America from northeastern Mexico to the southern Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Western Great Plains runs through arid landscapes where sediments from the Rocky Mountains have flowed for eons. With scant rainfall, the prairie grows short there.
On the eastern side of the Great Plains — where rainfall measures up to 40 inches per year — the grass grows tall. “Of all America’s vanished wilderness, no part has suffered and declined as much as the prairie,” the Boston Globe lamented in a 1970 editorial.
When the early settlers arrived, there were 140 million acres of tallgrass prairie nationwide. The ecosystems of Texas and Oklahoma (Cross Timbers and Southern Tallgrass Prairie) included 49 million acres of that total. Today, nearly 99 percent of the original prairies are gone. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (spanning both states) is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left in the world. The elements that make the grass grow so tall — the rich soil, abundant rainfall, ample sunshine, temperate climate and moderately sloping topography — also make it attractive for development. Now, nearly all the prairie is gone.
To read more pick up the May 2015 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
By: Jelly Cocanougher
Delicate microbes buried just beneath the surface. We walk by them, unbeknownst to us. Spores, spawn, and sclerotia, each with distinct characteristics. It is said that these fungi are all connected, speaking to one another as they populate the earth. The interconnectedness of all living things and the decaying world, such beauty lies within these otherworldly alien organisms.
By: Landon Moore
Landon Moore is the Wise County 4-H President and a member of the Wise County 4-H County Council. He is involved in beekeeping, as well as raising rabbits and poultry.
This essay was one that he wrote, and it was named the champion for both the Texas and National chapters of the Foundation For The Preservation of Honey Bees.
Varietal honey is honey that comes from a single source.
This honey has a flavor derived from the source flower and can even have a similar scent. In general, lighter colored honeys have a more subtle taste and dark honeys are more intense. Varietal honey has been compared to wine, in that honeys produced in different years can be distinguished, even if they come from the same flower and location.
This phenomenon is called terroir and is responsible for the individual taste of each honey harvest.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
Early in the summer, I was sent a press release that caused one of those holy wow moments. The headline said it all, “Proven Winners ColorChoice Expands Catalog with the Addition of Hollywood Hibiscus.”
I had already become familiar with the Hollywood Hibiscus series and was thrilled that the Proven Winners was adding this to their lineup.
This flower is nothing short of beautiful and exhibits prolific flower production. The flowers show three distinct colors, deep red in the very center, then the majority which is a rich rose pink with lighter pink to white along the margins.
To read more, pick up a copy of the October edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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