Blog Archives
Pipestone
Friends, Pipestone National Monument protects the pipestone site that has been a quarry for Native Americans to mine pipestone. For many generations, the Native Americans have journeyed here to mine the pipestone and take it home to their people. The red rock is soft like soapstone and can be carved into amulets and pipes easily with primitive tools. The site is open to Natives to mine the red rock, but closed to others of non-native heritage. The pipe was a sacred ceremony among the Natives and an important object in the preservation of their culture. The ribbons attached to the tree are prayer bundles left to thank the Great Spirit. We visited this green oasis and wandered the paths to the falls and quarries on our way west. My friend and I wrote a story about Pipestone earlier til Tomorrow MJ
Blue Flowers
Friends, some blue flowers from the Black Hills of South Dakota. these blue bells also grow in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They are universal, do they grow where you are? the purple flower is larkspur?? found it along French Creek til Tomorrow MJ
Rock Flowers
Friends, these rock lichens are very colorful and were found along French Creek in Custer State Park that is part of the Black Hills of South Dakota. They are blooming anytime of year, lying in the grass just waiting to be discovered. Lichens are an organism that is composed of fungus and alga in a symbiotic relationship, a marriage where both benefit from the presence of the other. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge:Fleeting
Friends, moments in nature are fleeting, this coyote who was hunting in prairie dog town briefly stalked across the green of the prairie and looked up at us for a moment in time. til Tomorrow MJ
Mountain Bluebirds
Friends, these mountain bluebirds are much bluer than our eastern bluebird and such a vibrant blue it is. The male was close to the house, but the female was sticking very close to her nest box. The barbed wire is a convenient perch. til Tomrrow MJ
Bison
Friends, Custer State Park in South Dakota is a mecca for bison lovers, and my husband is at home among the big ones. This post is for him, enjoy JIm. The first is an image of mother and child, the child is nuzzling his mother and we human interpret that as affection, but really i think he was trying to brush off the flies, or trying to get her to rise to her feet, so he could have some milk.
This bison calf is not very old, they are born bright orange with a hump in their back.
This calf may someday be as big as this full-grown bull.
Weekly Photo Challenge:The Sign Says
Friends, this little Eastern Kingbird knows where he is safe from humans, within the borders of Crex Meadows he is protected by the state of Wisconsin. Too bad the fox, coyote, skunks, badgers,eagles, hawks, and other predators can’t read. til Tomorrow MJ
Along French Creek
Friends, today we are in Custer State Park and walking along the trail at French Creek. The star lilies greeted us at the trailhead then the red rock high above our heads. Enjoy your walk this morning. til Tomorrow MJ
Lack of Grass, No
Friends, i know that these badlands look pretty stark and void of vegetation, but on the flat prairie, the grass grows green and lush in the spring when there is plenty of rain. These pronghorn girls are hanging out together and grazing in the rich areas. The boys are separate and in their own bachelor bunches. til Tomorrow MJ
On the Prairie
Friends, out on the prairie, the beautiful clouds and blue skies are really a part of the landscape. These photos were taken just hours of each other, the first early in the afternoon and the second when the thunderheads started to build before a prairie storm. I call the second, the road to rain. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 