May 2020 • Nebraskaland 27
Far left: Beetle
(Coleothorpa
dominicana)
Middle: Butterfly
milkweed seeds
(Asclepias tuberosa)
Left: Big bluestem
flowers/anthers
(Andropogon gerardii)
Smoky haze from western North America wildfires diffuses the
morning sun through stiff sunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus).
before, despite more than 20 years of
frequent trips to that same prairie.
In addition, I became invested in the
stories of individual organisms. I felt
bad for the sunfl ower blossoms being
ravaged by leaf beetles and for the
vigorously blooming milkweed plant
that only managed to produce a single
seed pod. I rooted for both predators
and prey, sitting spellbound as chase
scenes played out. I learned the favorite
perches and trails of individual insects
and was disappointed when they didn't
appear during my visits.
Repeatedly staring at a square
meter of prairie over an entire year is
an eccentric venture, to say the least,
and I don't expect others to follow
my example. However, I do earnestly
hope that the diversity and beauty I
documented within one tiny portion of
one small prairie will inspire others to
think about prairies a little diff erently.
I think it's fair to say that most people
envision prairies as fl at, boring grassy
places that stand between them and
the forests, lakes or mountains they
want to visit. While they are certainly
grassy, and often (relatively) fl at,
prairies are only boring to those who
are unfamiliar with them. If you take
a closer look, there is an incredible
abundance of life hiding among the
grasses.
N
Chris Helzer is the director of
science for The Nature Conservancy in
Nebraska. He has been a contributor to
Nebraskaland since 1994. Chris blogs at
prairieecologist.com.
The Book
This project has been
captured in a new book
coming out this spring called
Hidden Prairie: Photographing
Life in One Square Meter.
It contains more than 100
photos from the project,
along with a dozen essays
and stories on the species
Helzer observed during the
year he spent photographing
a square meter of prairie.
The book is
available for
pre-order
from the
University
of Iowa
Press
(uipress.
uiowa.edu).
r
