Paul Gruchow | The prairie, although plain, inspires awe.  It teaches us that grandeur can be wide as well as tall.
Young prairie plants put down deep roots first; only when these have been established do the plants invest much energy in growth above ground.  They teach us that the work that matters doesn’t always show.
Diversity makes the prairie resilient.  One hundred acres of prairie may support three thousand species of insects alone, each of them poised to exploit – often beneficially – certain plants, microclimates, soils, weather conditions, and seasons.  This exuberance equips the prairie to make the most of every opportunity, to meet every natural contingency.  The prairie teaches us to see our own living arrangements as stingy and to understand that this miserliness is why they so frequently fall short of our expectations… More from Healthy Land Ethic