Beyond Your Backyard: For the prairie, woods, wetlands, and sloughs

A work friend reminded me it’s national gratitude month. And while it goes without saying that this year has changed so many things, it has not changed the fact that I have much to be thankful for.

Last night in the second snow of the year, I seeded native wildflowers and sedges into my tiny patch of habitat in my neighborhood. Last fall I began converting anything that remotely resembled a hill in my yard into a bee meadow. The snow stung my eyes and numbed my fingers as I tucked the seeds underneath the freshly fallen sparkling blanket. And I know every frozen finger and toe is worth it. Right now it doesn’t look like much, but come spring/summer I imagine it will look like this:

Photo: meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis) blooming in a prairie reconstruction at Jeffers Petroglyphs in Cottonwood County, MN

Ok it might be a little smaller, but still.

And I am thankful. Thankful for a moment of quiet peace between me, the night sky and a handful of seeds.

For the prairies, woods, wetlands, and sloughs. There is much to be thankful for, I hope you feel it too.

#discovertheprairie