For a guy who lives at the edge of the Boreal Forest, I love the grasslands! My own yard is a naturescape with wildflowers and tall grasses that reach over 6 feet in height by late August. The walk up to my house is bordered by a perennial garden. We are now entering the magical time of year where a potpourri of color, birds and animals are always present.
Thus, even though the temperatures stayed in the high 80’s with dreadful humidity, it should not be surprising that I spent the weekend camping at Minnesota’s Great River Bluffs State Park. This gem on the Mississippi combines the beauty of the “Father of Waters”, vistas out over the river and backwaters, and prairies. A few years back Molly and I biked 450+ miles on a self-supported bike tour along the upper Mississippi River.
This blog post spans the golden hours of sunset to sunrise on the Mississippi River bluffs prairie. It was a magical time where my solitude was only interrupted once by a lone runner who came along the dirt road upon which I was hiking / birding. That runner was my wife. The Prairie is now in full bloom. If you have the opportunity, take a walk along a country road at sunrise or sunset. You will understand and then acquire a “Passion for the Prairie”.
Evening Golden Hour: The grasses were deep gold in the late daylight, and only a few Red-Winged blackbirds were still foraging for food. (male and female pictured)
Morning Golden Hour: Sunrise was actually Fogrise! The high humidity meant morning fog, which eventually burned off, but provided a blueish tinge to the background light. I found a pair of Common Yellow Throats which were interested in love, and thereby willing to ignore me! I watched this pair for over 45 minutes … often from a distance of only ten feet.
