Rains sweeps across the Southern Great Plains prairie. Summer precipitation tends to come in torrential thunderstorms. Add even a little water and prairie dust transforms into slippery mud paste. The prairie comes alive.
Emerald carpets of snakeweed punctuate terra cotta earth tones. Ground beetle larva activity just below the soil surface creates elaborate terra glyphs upon the softened shell of the hardpan. The raised tubes provide cover from elements and predators. Black-tailed prairie dogs, a Llano Estacado keystone species, also take advantage of the loose soil to repair and shore up their burrow mounds. A flower spider emerges from its shelter to set up an ambush. Rain drops sparkle and flirt with sunlight emerging from storm clouds. The prairie breathes a sigh of relief.
Cooper takes time out from his grassland forays and visits with his prairie dog friends to ensure they weathered the onslaught of the heavy rains.
© Ilija Lukić 2011
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