Monday, June 25, 2012 was a short travel day (181 miles) which allowed us time to drive the
32 mile Loop into Badlands National Park. We stopped at the Visitors Center for an excellent video about the Park. I purchased WILDFLOWERS - GRASSES AND OTHER Plants of the NORTHERN PLAINS and BLACK HILLS which already has helped me to identify many of the grasses and flowers I have photographed. It is authored by Theodore Van Bruggen, Biology Department of the University of South Dakota.
I took 185 pictures today, and must limit myself in sharing them with you because of the time of night, and I really don't want to bore you. It was all so unbelievably beautiful. We started with the rock and sand formations, then the beauty of a Meadowlark, and the excitement of seeing our first Big Horn Sheep when we stopped at a Scenic overlook.
Water droplets on Redtop grass.
Meadowlark
Big Horn Sheep in Badlands Nat'l Park
T. Van Bruggen was in a class with me in Pierre many years ago or in one I taught on performance appraisal there...time has faded those memories. Now that your post reminded me, I will have to start digging through our book piles. Somewhere, I have an autographed copy of his book that a friend gave to me. I had forgotten about that. His photography is good and his book is much easier to use for identification than the line illustrated versions the Agriculture Dept or SDSU can provide.
ReplyDeleteVan Bruggen must have dutch ancestors, i think. Beautiful photos Rita
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