Vestal Grove is a pint-size wilderness coming back to life. It's part of Somme Prairie Grove: rare orchids, birds, butterflies - and rare people. This blog tells their stories.
The three Somme preserves support more than 500 native plant species, most of them uncommon or rare, along with rare fungi, soil microorganisms, and thousands of (mostly small) animals. They eat each other and depend on each other. That's what makes for beautiful and inspiring diversity. It's not romantic; it's blood and guts and nectar and pollen and fire and ice.
The people of the Somme preserves and the larger volunteer and staff stewardship network have been celebrated in books, TV and even song. But the existing stories just scratch the surface. Here we post news and tidbits of the ecology, restoration and conservation.
The savannas, woodlands, prairies and marshes of the tallgrass region are under the care of hundreds of wonderful people who study, plan, burn, cut brush, plant seeds, and otherwise work to restore health to the natural ecosystem.
A somewhat broader and more technical sibling blog is called Strategies for Stewards. Consider contributing your ideas to both. Find more basics about the Somme preserves at www.sommepreserve.org. The future of the ecosystem depends on our thinking and doing. (Thanks for your interest.)
