Flower Mound and the Tallgrass Prairie
by Mike Cochran
Flower Mound and the Tallgrass Prairie
by Mike Cochran
From The Pioneer, a publication of the Mound Corporation
"The primary form of food is grass. Grass feeds the ox: the ox nourishes man: man dies and goes to grass again: and so the tide of life, with everlasting repetition, in continuous circles, moves endlessly on and upward, and in more senses than one all flesh is grass."
John James Ingalls (1833-1900)
When Europeans discovered America the vast central region of the continent
was covered by a unique ecosystem, the Great Plains. From Illinois to the
Rocky Mountains, and from central Texas to Saskatchewan a virtual "sea
of grass" covered the land. There it developed in harmony with the
elements of nature for almost one million years.
The rainfall on the prairie, the temperature, the lightening-sparked
prairie fires, all worked together to make this miracle possible. Fossil
evidence indicates that most of the modern native prairie plant forms were
in existance in the Pleistocene period. At the center of this band of vegetation
lay the Tallgrass Prairie where early travellers report riding through grass
as high as a man on horseback. The king of these grasses was Big Bluestem
whose seed stalks can reach up to eight feet in height. Prized as a forage
plant, this native perennial held the prairie soil in place with its thick
root structure and provided nourishment for the grazing plains animals.
As impressive as this prairie was in its magnitude, many never understood
the significance or the great value of these grasslands. The German explorer
F.A. Wislizenus, on his way west in 1839 crossed the tall-grass prairie
without naming a single one of its grasses. The land simply had no value
before the development of the iron plow and the wind mill. With the coming
of settlers the fate of the prairie was changed forever. Overgrazing livestock
and "sod-busting" with the new iron plows made it difficult for
these native plants to survive. Once their root structure was disturbed
they rapidly declined. Yet, though the vast majority of this wild region
has been cultivated, there are pockets, here and there, that have never
known a plow, that have never been abused by overgrazing, and that provide
a haven for a relic eco-system, the native prairie.
We are fortunate to have within our midst, one such "haven"
for native prairie, Flower Mound. Protected in perpetuity and there for
all to enjoy. May we suggest that in the coming months you make a trip to
The Mound to see the Bluestem as it changes colors for the fall. From the
reddish-brown colors of summer to the almost purple and copper tints in
the autumn.
If you would like to help the Mound Corporation please send your contributions
to the Mound Corporation P.O. Box 29-2242 Flower Mound, Texas 75029 to become
a member and receive our quarterly newsletter.
Back