Thinking about meadows
They're a construct in our human imaginations of them.
They're ephemeral landscapes in the Eastern U.S.--maintained by grazing or burning, or disturbance of some other sort. In the Upstate of South Carolina, we talked about Piedmont Prairies, referencing both the soil-limited landscapes that are protected as Heritage Preserves, but also the fire-maintained ones of the past, which still exist as remnants and restored places throughout the Piedmont of North and South Carolina.
There's a bit of longing, I think, for the fire-maintained landscapes of the native people who first lived here (Cherokee, largely) who burned patches of woods and meadows to create open areas for strawberries and to open the woods for easier hunting.
Thinking about the two pocket meadow programs that I'm doing this week has me thinking about this.
I grew up with a camping family, so my love of wildflowers (and meadows) was forged early on, in the summer-wildflower-rich landscapes in the sub-alpine and alpine zones of the Rockies in Colorado. Teenage years had me spending a summer on the slopes of Mt. Hood, where I loved visiting again just a few years back.
I just switched my Google profile photo back to this image for good reason. It was a magical place, and a great one to return to.
They're ephemeral landscapes in the Eastern U.S.--maintained by grazing or burning, or disturbance of some other sort. In the Upstate of South Carolina, we talked about Piedmont Prairies, referencing both the soil-limited landscapes that are protected as Heritage Preserves, but also the fire-maintained ones of the past, which still exist as remnants and restored places throughout the Piedmont of North and South Carolina.
There's a bit of longing, I think, for the fire-maintained landscapes of the native people who first lived here (Cherokee, largely) who burned patches of woods and meadows to create open areas for strawberries and to open the woods for easier hunting.
Thinking about the two pocket meadow programs that I'm doing this week has me thinking about this.
I grew up with a camping family, so my love of wildflowers (and meadows) was forged early on, in the summer-wildflower-rich landscapes in the sub-alpine and alpine zones of the Rockies in Colorado. Teenage years had me spending a summer on the slopes of Mt. Hood, where I loved visiting again just a few years back.
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| On the slope of Mt. Hood |
I just switched my Google profile photo back to this image for good reason. It was a magical place, and a great one to return to.
Have you read 1491 by Charles Mann? It's a fascinating account of how indigenous people shaped the landscape, forests and prairies, by the use of fire and other means.
ReplyDeleteI need to read that book — I haven’t , as of yet, although I’ve read about the book. Thanks for the reminder!
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