Plant Travels and Excursions

Description

share comments/pictures about your travels to interesting floral areas

Schaefer Prairie - Minnesota

Submitted by RickR on Tue, 08/28/2012 - 13:07

The 165 acres of Schaefer Prairie is in south central Minnesota, and was bought by the Nature Conservancy in 1967 to preserve its natural resources.  Although it was mowed for hay yearly in the first half of the century, it has never been plowed. It contains both wet and mesic habitat, making it a gem of diversity.  I visited on 15 August, although this is a prairie with great treasures throughout the season.  This area has been heavily drought stricken, as evidenced by the unusually low water table.

My summer in the USA

Submitted by Steve Newall on Thu, 08/23/2012 - 02:56

Arrived back in New Zealand last week after escaping our winter and enjoying a summer in the States . Actually , when I arrived in Oregon in early June it was hard to tell the difference as I was greeted by cool , cloudy and often rainy days . My first foray into the Siskiyous was almost entirely in the rain but the sun came out a month later for my second visit .
My trusty camera had a meltdown on day 1 . I hadn't budgeted on replacing a camera so I bought the best Walmart had to offer . I could not afford to go to a real camera shop .

Mount Rainier

Submitted by Sellars on Sun, 08/12/2012 - 22:43

Here's a video of some of our explorations last week. It starts with a hike up Burroughs Mountain and concludes with thousands of Erythronium montanum waving in the breeze.

A hike through Aurlandsdalen (the Aurland Valley)

Submitted by Hoy on Sat, 07/28/2012 - 02:29

This 40 km long valley once had 10 farms! No there are none although some of the houses still are used as cabins and lodges. The valley is from old the shortest road from east to west Norway and used in thousands of years. Even livestock was brought on their own legs down the valley - before 1930 though they had to take another route at the ridges due to the vertical cliffs with only ladders of rope and wood for people. Highest up (1200m) it is a rather flat valley but farther down it is formed by ice and running water to a canyon.