{"id":87758,"date":"2024-08-05T13:47:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T20:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=87758"},"modified":"2024-08-05T13:47:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T20:47:59","slug":"peril-on-the-prairie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.clminternship.org\/?p=87758","title":{"rendered":"Peril on the Prairie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A sedge meadow at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Oh, the prairie, what a thing to behold! Grass swaying in the breeze, bees buzzing, birds chirping, maybe a nearby summer storm rolling in over the horizon. What do you feel looking at this photo? Tranquility, serenity, a sense of times gone by? Unfortunately, this peaceful facade conceals something more sinister. The seldom spoken truth is that the prairie is a place of unimaginable danger. As someone from the Sonoran desert, I thought we had it bad with all the spiny plants and rattlesnakes but at least our threats make themselves obvious. Needless to say, I was not prepared for the inconspicuous terrors that awaited me at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOP 3 PRAIRIE PERILS <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1) TICKS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disgusting. Terrible. Evil. Awful. There are no good adjectives to describe ticks. I have yet to find a tick on my person, but I know that eventually my luck has to run out and I rue the day that it does. They take the #1 spot because I really do not want Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever! It\u2019s pretty straightforward, they\u2019re just plain gross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2) WILD PARSNIP (Pastinaca sativa<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This could be a very cool plant if you don\u2019t think about how annoying it is. If your skin brushes up against wild parsnip it causes a reaction called phytophotodermatitis, which means that the affected area will develop blisters and burns when exposed to sunlight. I unfortunately experienced this first-hand, but I have to admit that I was a little impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#3) HEMLOCK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Midewin has 2 varieties of hemlock; the very same poison hemlock (Conium maculatum<\/em>) that did Socrates in way back when, and water hemlock (Cicuta maculata<\/em>). According to the USDA, \u201cwater hemlock is the most violently toxic plant that grows in North America.\u201d However, it only comes in at #3 because you actually have to ingest it for it to kill you. The point is, you probably shouldn’t put any random Apiaceae in your mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course I\u2019m kidding! So far my time at Midewin has been fun and informative, it is so different from Arizona but I\u2019m enjoying the experience of being somewhere entirely new. Here are some things I\u2019ve especially appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOP 3 PLEASANT PRAIRIE THINGS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1) FALL-OFF-THE-BONE SEDGES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know that Carex<\/em> are ready for seed collection when you can run the inflorescence through your fingers and the perigynia fall out like tender barbecue falls off the bone. It is so satisfying but maybe less tasty than actual barbecue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n