|
Sioux Central School Sioux Rapids, Iowa
Teacher: Karen Stacy
Our prairie is unusual because it is next to a lake that has a pair of trumpeter swans living there. They are an endangered species so there are huge fines if anyone hurts them. Flying above the pond were seagulls and tiny sandpipers. We looked up to see them because we first heard them. We also heard a killdeer overhead.
On the prairie, there were lots of kinds of grasses such as Indian Grass and Big Bluestem which is called Turkey-foot. The grass was very dry when we visited and it smelled dry. The tall, stiff stems swayed in the wind.
We saw many different kinds of plants. The purple coneflowers had big dark centers with purple petals. The black-eyed Susanąs had little black centers with yellow petals. Daisy fleabane with little white petals was along the edge of the prairie. The prairie itself had no dandelions or thistles. We looked at tall sunflowers and short coreopsis flowers.
We saw lots of butterflies near the pond. In the long grass, we saw garden spiders and moths. This made us cautious so we wouldnąt run into a spider on a web. We heard but did not see crickets and locusts. We saw a ladybug on a stem. On the milkweed and goldenrod plants, we saw galls. We opened one gall to see the larva but it was gone already.
There was lots of sunshine which felt warm on our skin. It was also very windy. With no windbreaks, the gusts nearly blew us over. The wind made the grass whistle.
When we hiked on the prairie, we tripped over plants that were arching over. The
colors of the prairie were muted, not bright, but we thought it was pretty. The
whole trip there made us feel at peace.
Return to the Participating Schools page
Return to the Essays page
