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Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Topeka, Kansas
Teacher: Vicki Seeger
When the 4th grade at Pleasant Hill Elementary School went to the Konza Prairie in the Flint Hills near Manhattan, Kansas, we saw the magnificent home of native animals, grasses, trees, and two creeks. The Konza Prairie was covered by water millions of years ago. Hundreds of years ago, the Kansa Indians used to live on the Konza Prairie. In the 1800s, a Swedish man built a barn and a springhouse on the property. Later, from 1872 – 1926, the Konza was part of the 10,000 acre Dewey Ranch. The Nature Conservancy now owns it, and Kansas State University takes care of it.
If you were to travel to the Konza Prairie, you would see native Kansas grasses, the rocky Flint Hills, and you might see bison and wild turkeys roaming around. Let us describe what you’ll see. The Kansas hills are giant tepees. When we went up the hill there was Indian grass, big blue stem grass, and little blue grass at the side of the trail. On the narrow path there were many small bushes called rose hips. As we crossed King’s Creek it glistened like diamonds. The big squares of limestone near the top of the hill poked out of the ground, and we almost tripped over them. From the top of the ridge, we saw valleys of limestone with patterns like a quilt. The grasshoppers were camouflaged in the grass so when we walked by they jumped out at us. We also saw deer prints that could fit into the palm of your hands.
As we were walking on the trail, we saw the exquisite colors of the Konza. King’s Creek shimmered crystal clear. The leaves everywhere were like an ocean of colors ranging from reds and greens, to golden yellows. When we were at the top of the hills, the golden prairie wasn’t so golden anymore. We looked out at the prairie with two kinds of rocks that were speckled with blue and green. The flint looked just like marble, and we saw limestone as gray as smoke. The purple aster was rich blue violet. Big blue stem, which was thin and soft like a cloud, was golden with a blue tint. The rose hips were deep, cherry red. The valley was a rainbow of color. Throughout the trail there were brown acorns with little hats on top.
When we were on the Konza, we hiked along the trail. Some rocks were smooth, but the cool limestone underneath us was rough and holy like an old, torn up sock. We felt fossils in a rock where we sat. We saw some dried up sunflowers dancing through the tallgrass prairie. There was buffalo grass like matted hair. The leaves sparkled in the sun like crushed velvet. The valley looked like a painting of bright textures. Most all the textures of the Konza were amazing; we loved it.
On our journey we heard many different sounds. When we went over the bridge to King’s Creek we could hear the water flowing over the rocks. The grasshoppers made clicking noises like a typewriter. About halfway along the trail, our tour guide let us rest and told us to listen to the sounds around us. We heard the wind blowing like whistles and the calls of the geese in the sky. Sometimes the grass was as silent as a hibernating bear, and other times the grass crumpled under our feet. There were trees clattering together. As we climbed the hillside, we heard the sliding sounds of rocks as we walked. Then, we heard something rustling. It was the bison in their pens grunting like crazy and stomping their feet.
On the Konza we noticed the scent of leaves decaying in the sun. Along our journey, we smelled the Christmasy aroma of fresh cedars. The fresh air made us feel so free; we felt like we were flying, but the earthy smell of dust kept us on the trail. Ragweed, blue asters, sumac, and dry Indian grass perfumed the air around us.
The Konza Prairie is the heart of the Flint Hills. On our hike along the nature trail, we were welcomed by the magnificent acres of land with rich colors, peaceful sounds, earthy textures, and exotic smells. It seemed that we could see the whole world from the hills of the Konza!
4th Grade Class
Pleasant Hill Elementary School
Topeka, KS
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