Clay Marcusen, “Stalwart Tree,” photograph
A fall trip to the prairie land in Linn County, Kansas, was nice and cool, cloudy with a light breeze and very peaceful.
The land is 60 acres and is a rolling type of terrain with excellent views in all directions. I have been working for 25 years on prairie conversion of this land with the assistance of the Conservation Department.
A good friend joined me, as she was very interested in viewing and learning more about prairie life and management of it.
Prairies are on the decline in North America and globally, whereas historically prairies covered most of North America.
The majority of prairie land remaining is in the Midwest, and the Flint Hills in Kansas have the majority of the country’s last remaining tallgrass prairie.
As we arrived and drove down a mowed path, I was very impressed with the controlled burn on the middle 20 acres that had just been performed; we also saw several deer scampering about and shouting out, “Where have you been?”
All the forbs and grasses were of course in their dormant stage, and we harvested some seed in our hands and let it fly in the cool breeze.
Spring, of course, is a joyous time for new growth, but fall and winter provide rest for the spurt of energy needed.
Native or prairie perennial grasses and forbs have deep roots and therefore can withstand more dry weather than annuals. We discussed this along with many other reasons to inform the public of the benefits of supporting and participating in the growth of native perennial plants in local yards, gardens, roadsides and commercial properties.
The pond’s water level remained very low, and even though recent rains had come through, it probably soaked into the ground before any runoff reached the pond.
There were no insects that day, but we did see a large hawk perched in a nearby tree giving a bit of a head turn toward us as a greeting.
We took a look at the back side of the land, with great views from the elevation, and then we headed toward the gate at the gravel road. As we departed, we said, “So, until next time, rest well one and all.”
all images courtesy of Clay Marcusen; poems by Clay Marcusen
The Stalwart Tree
It’s erect
It’s tall
Sturdy
Majestic
A team player
Look for it
in your yard
Or your neighbors
Yard
Or in the park
Look for it
Standing on
The prairie
Near a pond
It is waiting
To speak with
You
In all seasons
It has
Open arms
Welcoming you
It is alive
With wonder
Go over to it
Have a sit
Look up
And see it’s
Grace
It’s splendor
It’s listening
If you listen
It will tell you
Many stories
But you have
To listen
You have to take time
To listen
And then
Share your stories
With it
And give thanks to
The Stalwart Tree
Make a date with it
To return
And as you depart
You two will
Exchange
Signs of
Acknowledgement
And respect
Compass Plant
Beautiful
Native
Perennial and
Thrives on
The Prairie
Deep roots
Helps the soil
And Helps the plant
In times of drought
It has
Wide fan shaped leaves
In the Spring
The face of the leaves
Turn
Towards the sun
In the light of
Day
Thus the name
For this plant,
Compass Plant
After a couple of
Years of maturity
The plants send up a tall
6 foot stem
And forms large
Buds which
Then flower
Much like a sunflower.
A remarkable plant
And, of course,
In the winter
It goes dormant
Dormancy is a time
Of rest
The plants loose their
Color
The leaves dry up
And the heads of
The flowers have
Turned to seed
To blow away
And scatter
So that more
Will grow
The dry leaves
Will fall and become
Mulch for
The soil
The roots and
The base are still
Living and
In the Spring
New growth appears
And the leaves start
Sprouting
And turning to
The sun
And most likely
Giving thanks
Hedge Tree Rows
Hedge
Trees
Rows
Posts
Balls
Also known as
Osage Orange trees
Very important
Their history
Not sure but
I don’t think
They are native
To North America
But in fact
The South Central
United States
But however they
Got here
They were useful
As they grew
And grew some more
They were primarily
Confined to rows
To use as fencing
Also used as
Firewood
And furniture
Making
Very hard
Sturdy
And the inside
Has a yellowish
Tinge
Hedge balls
Or hedge apples
Are large
Round light green
Their outer covering
Is not smooth
But variegated and
Flexible
The inside contains
A milky sticky substance
Hedge balls are only
Produced by the
Female, I assume,
As not all trees
Have them
The tree growth is
Free form
In that they do
What they want
To do
They can grow very tall and wide
Their limbs go
Every which way
and have large
thorns protruding
making it
Difficult to
Climb
Hedge posts
Made from
The trees
last forever
If working to
Saw down a row
Of hedge
In a short period
Of time
I wish you
the best
of luck
