Blackland Prairie: Part One

A patch of Blackland Prairie about three months later.

The Blackland Prairie is one of the most endangered, if not the most endangered, ecosystems of North America. While it was occasionally used for grazing, settlers did not arrive to farm the lands until just over 100 years ago. Within that short timeframe, over 99% has been destroyed by agriculture, overgrazing, growth of cities, and prevention of fires. Of an ecosystem that once covered 50,201 km² (19,498 mi²), the largest undisturbed and unfragmented section left today encompasses only 4.85 km² (1.875 mi²).

A patch of unburned Blackland Prairie next to the burned patch.

The Blackland Prairie was home to Native Americans for thousands of years. While they hunted and set fires, evidence agrees that no lasting damage was done. The beginning started with the slaughter of the bison. While elk and pronghorns were once present, it was the vast herds of bison that contributed most to the ecology of the tallgrass prairies. They provided as food for wolves, grizzly bears, mountain lions, jaguars, and other predators, but they also helped keep trees in check. Small trees were often trampled and killed by bison herds, preventing them from growing, shading, and therefore killing grasses and wildflowers; however, as with other species that congregate in large groups, settlers quickly reduced their population from tens of millions to a few hundred.

Slightly less than a month after the patch of prairie was burned.

The heavy, black clay soil that is characteristic of the Blackland Prairie is also one of the richest soils west of the Mississippi and once the bane of settlers. The clay was not friendly to wagon wheels and the soil with dense grass root networks hard to plow. The arrival of the railroad and advancements in plow technology ushered in the cotton industry. Fertile soil was ruined and was never given a chance to recover. Soil was plowed for different crops, cattle were allowed to overgraze, human populations exploded, and the importance of fire was not understood.


This week is simple two related posts that were taken and adapted from my Sunday post on Google+. The follow the introduction of the Blackland Prairie as well as a personally chronicling of a patch that was burned and comparing it to an unburned patch over the course of a few months. You can read it here in full as well as see additional pictures not on the blog. The next post on Thursday (available to read here) will focus on fires and prairie restoration. It will also include a timelapse photo of the burned patch to show the progression of recovery.