Grasses in nature are probably the most difficult subject I attempt, and because of that I don't put in the same degree of effort that I do with other subjects. Usually I just stare at them, dumbfounded. How do I do this? Where to start?
They're spindly, in constant motion, and definitely not sexy, not one of the glamour subjects. Still, living on the edge of Grasslands National Park, they are always in the back of my mind.
One morning last month I stopped along a park road, intending to follow the edge of a gully to a river overview with landscape photo potential. Well... the grass was tall, and wet, and the dawn light was already flattening into morning light. It wasn't really working. But, hiking back, surrounded by tall Quack Grass, I took a few moments to consider, and came up with this. I thought the sun star and the Banded Garden Spider in its web near the bottom left would add interest.
Quack Grass is an invasive species that arrived in North America as a seed contaminant. Like many introduced plants, it chokes out native species. The other two species identifiable here are also invasive: Crested Wheat Grass (lower left and right) and Yellow Sweet-clover. Park managers have been working for more than three decades to restore this prairie to its healthiest possible state, knowing that they can never return it to its original condition (bringing back the extinct plains grizzly, for example, is not an option; although bison have been reintroduced, they are not migratory, and so their impact is different). In parts of today's park that historically were lightly used - ie. for open range grazing, far from corrals and buildings - plant communities are mostly natural, native, and healthy. In spots like this... not so much.
It's a wonderful park, the largest protected piece of prairie land in Canada. And it's in good shape overall. I know park managers would love to eradicate these invasive species, but so far this is proving to be easier said than done.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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