JULY 2018 • NEBRASKAland 33
ABOVE: A prairie rose (Rosa
arkansana) flowers near a
lichen-encrusted bison skull in
the bison pasture on The Nature
Conservancy's Niobrara Valley
Preserve in Brown County. This rose
graces prairies statewide.
RIGHT: The sun sets on a patch
of plains sunflower (Helianthus
petiolaris) on the Niobrara Valley
Preserve. This sand-loving annual
can be prolific on dunes recently
disturbed by fire or heavy grazing.
Sharp-tailed grouse, rodents and
other wildlife cherish its seeds.
H
aving suffered little from farming,
judiciously grazed, and growing on
droughty soils resistant to non-native plants,
the region's flora has remained near pristine.
The Sandhills is home to nearly 700 native
plant species. This includes wildflowers
whose blooms dapple the grassy dunes in
varied colors from mid-April into October,
but summer is the peak of floral display.
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