Submitted by older_dutch t3_zwv3ck in EarthPorn
Comments
older_dutch OP t1_j1xf3u9 wrote
It's a cool park. Not huge but great natural features
Rectal_Custard t1_j1xgrrq wrote
Are there bison?
Mistyslate t1_j207u50 wrote
And snakes. I saw some on my hike there.
Rectal_Custard t1_j20a6iu wrote
Ooo like prairie rattle snakes? I went to south dakota I never saw snakes I want to see them so bad
Real_Jackraps t1_j1xj7d1 wrote
Prairie just hits different
Fantastic_Love_9451 t1_j1xykyr wrote
Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote the Little House on the Prairie book series based on her life experiences, writes about the Kansas plains in the most descriptive way I’ve ever read. The endlessness of the grass, the flatness, the way it messes with your eyes and your mind. Super interesting!
BuffaloOk7264 t1_j1zldgj wrote
A few years ago when I went through my midlife crises I went on several “therapy drives” . I would drive far and as fast in a couple of days then slowly make my way home stopping at Mound building sites, native prairies , bison preserves, and obscure local museums and points of interest. There are so few native prairies they should be designated holy sites.
older_dutch OP t1_j1zo0w9 wrote
Cool!
TreeTwig0 t1_j1zwm1m wrote
I camped there decades ago and loved it. It's also an easy drive to Pipestone National Monument.
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NeverPostsGold t1_j1xnva2 wrote
They don't look really blue..
NolanTheSkull t1_j1yxz19 wrote
Now show us what it looks like in the winter
tygerprints t1_j1zvhv7 wrote
Nature is weird, in' it?
They could have just as well have called it "big Clumpy rocks State park." Or, "every so often, there aren't weeds state park."
Mistyslate t1_j207xfa wrote
They have some mounds and cliffs in a different part of the park.
macsparkay t1_j1y0h0r wrote
I'm sorry. I do my best to practice self restraint when I see things like this on this sub. But I can't hold back for this one. This is objectively boring and completely devoid of any unique or interesting feature. I could find something like this in my neighborhood park. All this post has done is convince me to never go to this place.
Kapai72 t1_j1z6q7o wrote
Perhaps look a little closer (metaphorically). This is a picture of a remnant patch of prairie, I.e. prairie that was spared from the plowing and tilling that cultivated over 90% of grasslands across the US. https://www.nps.gov/tapr/learn/nature/a-complex-prairie-ecosystem.htm
Prairie ecology requires a little knowledge to fully appreciate, and lack the curb appeal of places like the Tetons, or other charismatic landscapes. With a little understanding however, prairies hit above their weight. Prairie grasses are deep rooted, sending roots and rhizomes to depths reaching 10-15 feet for some species. In the ~10,000 years since the retreat of glaciers, these grasses had built some of the deepest and most fertile soils in the US, hence the productivity of the “breadbasket”.
Thanks OP for sharing a bit of prairie magic, Blue Mounds is a very special place.
Mistyslate t1_j20aq3n wrote
There are also cliffs and mounds and bisons and whatever else.
Rectal_Custard t1_j1x16v1 wrote
I always wanted to go here and camp