So many places on this great planet of ours hold stunning beauty, pure nature at it’s finest. An abundance of attention is always given (and rightly so) to the majestic mountains, the vistas of our canyon lands and rolling tides of our oceans. These are places one should always get to witness in person.
Being from the midwest and Kansas my feelings may be slightly swayed. Our national parks and great lands will forever be on my places to go list. One of these places seemed to get overshadowed when it comes to nature at it’s purest, the prairies. An absolutely vital ecosystem of our world the planet would not even be close to the life sustaining hunk of orbiting rock it is now without them. Civilizations have grown and thrived due to the grasslands of this planet. Without them man may never had made it this far.
The Flint Hills of Kansas is one of these magical places. Formed from million of years of layering limestone and chert ledges and the inability of breaking ground by plows and modern cultivation, portions of these great grasslands remain nearly untouched by man. Sprawling views of tall grasses rich in Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Indian Grass, Switch Grass are just a few of the dozens of naive grasses that thrive on these lands. Spring and summer provide breathtaking scenes with hundreds of varieties of wildflowers showing their colorful blooms throughout the seasons.
Nature at it’s best awaits for all to enjoy in the Flint Hills and our native grasslands. They are definitely worthy of being placed along side the other wonders of our world.
Hi Brad, I too have a keen interest in nature photography. What camera do you have, or should I say cameras? I loved your last statement about appreciating your subject. I have a fine arts degree with absolutely no experience in photography other than my passion for my subject. I am about to replace a very small digital camera with an updated one that can,hopefully, help me capture a better image. I loved looking at your web site and share your love of the prairie. I just drove to Arizona through Kansas, and then straight west to Denver on another trip. The beauty of the grasses, wildflowers,etc. inspire me beyond words! We are not hurting for subject matter right here in Kansas!!!!!