Two volunteers from Grand Island spent the 2009 field season conducting an inventory of the insect species found in remnant native prairies and adjacent restored prairies along the Platte River. Read about what they found here: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/28/an-early-attempt-to-evaluate-prairie-restoration-success-by-looking-at-insect-use/
A beautiful evening with no wind… Grab the camera and go! http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/24/photo-of-the-week-march-24-2011/
Smoke contains carbon. Fires make smoke, which rises into the atmosphere. Yet prescribed fires don’t contribute to elevated carbon levels in the atmosphere. How is that possible? Find out here: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/21/why-prescribed-fires-in-grasslands-dont-contribute-to-global-warming/
Why do prairie dogs get all the attention? Pocket gophers are just as interesting (and probably just as ecological important) but they’re always underground. Read more at http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/18/photo-of-the-week-march-18-2011/
At first blush, grazing or mowing prairies might seem counterproductive if your goal is to increase plant diversity. Read more about how it works here: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/15/using-defoliation-of-dominant-grasses-to-increase-prairie-plant-diversity/
Smell that smoke? More and more people are starting to embrace prescribed fire as a tool for grassland management. See more at http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/10/photo-of-the-week-march-10-2011/
It’s spring! (Ignore the snow) The cranes are here! See more photos at: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/06/sandhill-cranes-on-the-platte-river/
Admit it – you’ve always wondered how to tell a grasshopper from a katydid. Stop wondering. Click here to find out. http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/03/photo-of-the-week-march-3-2011/
Despite extensive (and expensive) experience with fighting invasive species, we still keep introducing new ones. Even worse, we keep planting some on purpose! Find out more about why we keep planting species like Russian olive, Siberian elm, and others – and what we can do to stop: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/03/01/aiding-and-abetting-invasive-species/
Sometimes it feels like you hit one weed here, only to see another pop up over there… read more at: http://prairieecologist.com/2011/02/22/invasive-species-control-strategies-avoiding-the-whac-a-mole-approach/
