Prairies Over Time 360°

The Prairie in July

You are standing in the middle of a green prairie. There is a sea of yellow, purple and white flowers like waves in front of you and all around you. When we zoom in on the flowers, we see that the purple flowers have individual petals like the individual cloth strands that make up the hair of a homemade rag doll. These petals fall in a circle around the outside of a dark, black center. When we look closer at the yellow flowers, the center and the petals together look like a birdie for a badminton game. The sea of green and flowers are surrounded on the outside by trees and bushes like the prairie is sitting at the bottom of a big bowl and the trees are the bow’s rim.

Question A

• This prairie is in the height of its blooming season. There are beautiful purple, white and yellow flowers.
• How do you think the amount of flowers compares from year to year?

Question B

• Prairies are typically areas dominated by grasses, wildflowers and are without trees.
• Can you see the edge of the prairie here?

The Prairie in August

The purple flowers with rag top petals are gone. If we look to our left, we can see a small grouping of light purple flowers that are hanging on. We can see more of the yellow birdie like flowers, but their petals are drooping in the sun like a sad puppy with long ears dragging on the ground who just got in trouble. 

Question A

• This is a photosphere of the same prairie after a month.
• What do you notice that has changed?
• Does it look like some grasses or flowers have gone away?
• Do you see anything new?

The Prairie in September

The yellow flowers that were drooping in July are mostly all gone. If we look to our right, close to where we are standing, we can see a small grouping of yellow flowers that are hanging on. If we look out and away from us, we see a sea of light green grass with red tops like the red top of a firecracker popsicle.

• This is a photosphere of the same prairie after a month.
• What do you notice that has changed? 
• Does it look like some grasses or flowers have gone away?
• Do you see anything new?

The Prairie in October

The sun is a bright light on the left side of the picture like we are trying to stare into flashlight to see what is behind the light.  The trees that make up our bowl’s rim have lost their leaves and the tree trunks are standing like guards around the edge.  The prairie grass droops like wilted leaves on a dying house plant. The grass is now yellow, brown with patches of green.

Question A

• This prairie has experienced change in temperature, humidity and sunlight since the last photosphere.
• How do you think the weather has impacted the growth and death of some of the prairie grasses and flowers?
• This is a photosphere of the same prairie after a month.
• What do you notice that has changed?
• Does it look like some grasses or flowers have gone away?
• Do you see anything new?