To Find a Pasqueflower: A Story of the Tallgrass Prairie (Bur Oak Book)

The tallgrass prairie once stretched from Indiana to Kansas to Minnesota. Most of this land is now growing corn and soybeans. In To Find a Pasqueflower , Greg Hoch shows us that the tallgrass prairie is the most endangered ecosystem on the continent, but it’s also an ecosystem that people can play an active role in restoring. Hoch blends history, culture, and science into a unified narrative of the tallgrass prairie, with an emphasis on humans’ participation in its development and destruction. Hoch also demonstrates how variable and dynamic the prairie is, creating both challenges and opportunities for those who manage and restore and appreciate it. "Description: The tallgrass prairie once stretched from Indiana to Kansas to Minnesota. Most of this land is now growing corn and soybeans. In To Find a Pasqueflower, Greg Hoch shows us that the tallgrass prairie is the most endangered ecosystem on the continent, but it's also an ecosystem that people can play an active role in and help restore. This book is written in the same style and voice as Hoch's three previous books on bird species. He blends history, culture, and science into a unified narrative of the tallgrass prairie, with an emphasis on humans' participation in its development and destruction. Over the last century and a half, people have driven the tallgrass prairie toward extinction. However, for millennia before that, the tallgrass prairie was largely maintained and expanded by people, primarily through their use of fire. Without fire and people, the tallgrass prairie would be forest. Indeed, because the ecosystem is so young, there never was a time when people weren't playing a strong role in managing both the vegetation and wildlife. There is no such thing as a "presettlement" prairie, Hoch reminds us. Tomorrow's prairies, both restorations and native remnants, will depend on the care and nurturing of conservationists and laypeople. The audience for this book is anyone who is interested in prairies, prairie restoration, or the history of science and ecology in the context of the tallgrass prairie. Hoch's is the book you read on winter evenings to get some perspective on and historical/scientific context for plans for the upcoming growing season. It gives the reader background and philosophical principles to think about before they decide on their next land management actions. Between each chapter is a short vignette that gives a more personal account of Hoch's experiences with the prairie and prairie conservation efforts. He reminds us that people and the prairie have always been intertwined, and helps us reimagine the role humans play in the natural world"-- Provided by publisher Contents Acknowledgments Disclaimer Introduction Chapter 1. Prairie, People, and Perceptions A Prairie Education Chapter 2. Where the Prairie Begins The Next Prairie Visit Chapter 3. Where the Prairie Ends Personal Geographies Chapter 4. Historic Prairie Fires Prairie Wilderness Chapter 5. A Stable, Balanced, Cooperative Equilibrium Conversing with the Dead Chapter 6. Prairie Flora What We Know Chapter 7. Modern Fires, Plant Community, and Productivity Ashes to Ashes Chapter 8. Prairie Remnants Prairies I’ve Known Chapter 9. Prairie Belowground Only Gravel Ridges Are Poor Enough Chapter 10. Prairie Beasts An Acceptable Substitute Chapter 11. Prairie Feathers Counting Chickens Chapter 12. Prairie Insects Two Worlds Chapter 13. Patches, Mosaics, and Management Through a Lens Chapter 14. Prairie Trees Lawns of God Chapter 15. Prairie Restoration Keeping the Cogs and Wheels Chapter 16. New Advocates for Prairie Conservation Prairie Spring Conclusion Bibliography Index