Prairie in Late October

Fall is by far my favorite season. We've enjoyed several warm days recently, but unfortunately I've been trapped inside working on projects and pretty much missed them.

So over the weekend, I decided to set work aside and take a long walk through the prairie to enjoy the lovely fall afternoon. The neighborhood trees are past their peak, but I still saw a few with beautiful fall colors.

 

 

In the fall, the prairie is usually ablaze with golds and reds but yesterday it was mostly dried up and brown. The drought really affected the plants this year, and the hard freeze we had a few days back finished them off. But I always enjoy seeing the interesting textures of the prairie plants -- plus it's good exercise!

 The grasses were still looking pretty, with fluffy plumes blowing in the breeze. They glowed in the afternoon sun.

Our milkweed crop is down this year as a result of the drought. The few milkweed plants I saw had burst, scattering silky fluff and seeds to the wind.

The prairie was dotted with fluffy flowers, I assume scattering seeds like milkweed. They certainly didn't look like this the last time I walked the prairie.

The blue sky provided a beautiful contrast to the plants. I've always liked blue and brown. :)

There are a few scrub trees in and around the perimeter of the prairie. This one looked particularly colorful.

Compass plants are still standing, although dry and prickly.

Normally at this time of year, the plants glow with fall color. As you can see in these photos, there's not a lot color left to see.

 

 But when the sun hits just right, you can still catch glimpses of the rosy glow.

 Color or no color, I always enjoy walking through the prairie and consider myself very fortunate to have this beautiful ecosystem almost right in our own backyard.
jp