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
What an extraordinary end to the Wise County Youth Fair – a fantastic opportunity for the Heart of a Champion participants to show. From rabbits to lambs, to pigs to dogs – we’ve seen it all. Through this unique event, the Heart of a Champion Livestock show aimed to promote confidence, friendship, and a sense of accomplishment within our amazing community. Everyone worked tirelessly to create an environment that fosters growth, camaraderie, and a shared passion for agriculture. Until next year!
By Tony Dean, [email protected]
If moisture is adequate, there are several winter annual grasses that dominate the landscape during early spring in Texas. One of the most common is Rescuegrass.
This winter annual is native to South America but grows over much of the United States and can be found in all ecoregions of Texas. Rescuegrass is easily recognized by its flat seed head.
Numerous seed heads produce seed that is transported by animals and can quickly spread to other areas.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
The National Garden Bureau has designated 2024 as the ‘Year of the Angelonia’ and I am in full celebration mode. As I was preparing for my contribution to the celebration, I was, however, sent into taxonomic trauma.
For the last 26 years of deep love for the Angelonia, or summer snapdragon, I have told everyone via newspaper, radio and television that they were in the Scrophulariaceae family. Since most gardeners don’t like those words, I modified or simplified the snapdragon family, but somebody has tinkered with green industry happiness and moved Angelonia to the Plantaginaceae or plantain family. I immediately reached out to my friend Dr. Allen Ownings, Horticulture Professor Emeritus with the Louisiana State University AgCenter. I said, “Did you know this, or better yet, did you do it?” He said, as I expected, that the Taxonomist group had done it. This reminded me that someone once said taxonomists have to eat, too.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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