[To see photos and stories of this prairie in other years, go to the links on the main Sumac Prairie page.]

1/17/2005   Sometimes these south facing slopes lose their snow very early.

 

1/17/2005

 

1/17/2005    Looking down from the prairie

 

1/23/2005 – A week later, it was covered with snow again.

 

2/20/2005 – more snow

 

3/27/2005

 

4/11/2005 – Finally the snow is really gone.

 

4/11/2005 – The sandy spot has a large animal den this year.  We never figure out what kind of animal used it.  It was only used this one year.

 

4/18/2005  A closer look at the animal den

 

4/18/2005 – The lower part of the prairie is covered with violets – these are Bird’s Foot Violets – Viola pedata.

 

4/18/2005 – There are several clumps of these violets on the western edge of the prairie.  They’re called Early Blue Violet – not a very distinctive name.  Their scientific name shows that they’re more interesting – Viola x palmata.  They’re either considered a separate species (V. subsinuata), or a naturally occurring cross between two species: Viola pedatifida and V. sororia.  See this reference for more information.

 

4/18/2005 – This is one of the earliest flowering plants on our land, and it always blooms on Sumac Prairie earlier that anywhere else.  Sand Cress – Arabis lyrata.

 

4/18/2005 – Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) in the aspen woods below Sumac Corner Prairie

 

5/15/2005 – Mowing the savanna above the prairie

 

5/22/2005  I girdled a clump of small aspens at the top of Sumac Corner Prairie.

 

10/16/2005  Thick birch/aspen woods below Sumac Corner Prairie.

 

10/16/2005 – Savanna area along the top of the bluff – looking more savanna like