I’ve written many times about the 2012 wildfire that impacted our Niobrara Valley Preserve, and the continuing recovery of the plant and animal communities there. When I was up at the Preserve a few weeks ago, it was really interesting to explore the north side of the river where the fire wiped out the pine and eastern redcedar trees. I know I’ve posted a number of times about the way that area is recovering. If you feel like you’ve seen plenty of photographs of vibrant green vegetation beneath stark blackened tree trunks, this is your chance to click to another site and catch up on the box score of a recent baseball game or catch up on celebrity gossip.
(Are they gone? Ok, good. The rest of you can enjoy these photos.)
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The vegetation beneath the tree skeletons still has a lot of annual plants, but perennial grasses, sedges, and forbs are becoming more abundant.
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Shrub patches are also increasing in size (there is a big one on the right side of the photo).
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I’m pretty sure this is loco weed (Oxytropis lambertii). It is one of many wildflowers that have begun to reassert themselves in the plant community and fill in the bare patches.
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Hairy puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense) might be the showiest of the flowers I saw on my last trip. Its yellow-orange blossoms contrasted wonderfully with the green vegetation and black trees.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
