Prairie

Prairie refers to an area of land in North America of low topographic relief that principally supports grasses and herbs, with few trees, and is generally of a mesic (moderate or temperate) climate. Most of the Great Plains, most of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and much of Missouri and Minnesota is considered prairie. French explorers called these areas "prairie", from the French word for "meadow". Almost all of this area has been converted into farmland in the last two hundred years. Sometimes in the USA a distinction is made between the short-grass vegetation of the High Plains west of the 100th meridian and the long-grass vegetation to the east. When this distinction is made, it is common to limit the word "prairie" to the long-grass area.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In Canada, the terms prairie provinces and the prairies refer to the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. See also Canadian prairies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fire is an important part of prairie ecology; natural and human induced fires were common in historic prairie areas. Grazing by animals such as the American Bison and Prairie dogs also helped maintain the original prairie ecology. Small areas of prairies also exist in eastern North America, and it is possible that these were created by Native Americans by periodic burning. One such area was along the southeastern shore of Lake Erie in what is now Pennsylvania and New York; another was between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in present New York.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Other temperate grasslands regions include the Pampas of Argentina, and the steppes of Russia and Ukraine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Significant preserved areas of prairie include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Bong Recreational Area, in Kenosha County, Wisconsin
• Nine-Mile Prairie, Nebraska
• Konza Prairie, Manhattan, Kansas
• Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, Iowa

Virgin prairie refers to prairie land that has never been plowed. Small virgin prairies exist in the American Midwestern states and in Canada. Restored prairie has been reseeded after plowing or other disturbance.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Prairie: See also ►



 

North America: North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific Ocean. It covers an area of 9,355,000 square miles (24,230,000 square kilometers). In 2...

Great Plains: :For the accounting software by the same name, see Great Plains (accounting)....

Ohio: Ohio is a Midwestern state in the northeastern corner of the United States. It was the first and eastern-most state in the Midwest admitted to the Union under the Northwest Ordinance. Its U.S. postal abbreviation is OH; its old-style abbreviation is O. Ohio is an Iroquois word meaning "great water....




Prairie related Images and Photos (experimental)

Prairie c.2007	Prairie Primrose	Prairie Dog Snacking	Prairie Home Companion, A (DVD)
Prairie of St. Isidro	Prairie Pocket Workbooks	Neil Young: Prairie Wind	Neil Young: Prairie Wind
Prairie Sky 2012 Wall Calendar	Prairie Dogs 2012 Wall Calendar	Prairie Light 2011 Wall Calendar	Prairie Light 2012 Wall Calendar