May 31, 2010 - 4:49 PM

Healthcare Art Image Spotlight

Title:

"Niawathe Prairie"

Location:

Niawathe Prairie Natural Area, Dade County, MO

  Nature images that are well received in the healthcare setting are often characterized by bright sunlight, open views with depth, and where the color green is prominent.  This time of year I often think of the tallgrass prairie for those types of images. The flower bloom is particularly intense this time of year.  Below is the caption for this location.  For additional information, you can visit the Missouri Department of Conservation's website.

Caption:

Southwestern Missouri is an area that transitions from Ozark Plateau to the east and to Tallgrass Prairie to the west. There are still a very few excellent examples of tallgrass prairie in this region, and Niawathe Prairie is one of the showiest. 

Although there is almost always something blooming on the tallgrass prairie during the growing season, the second week of June could be described as the glory days on the prairie. Black-eyed Susans and Pale Purple Coneflower are at their peak and Niawathe Prairie has an abundance of both. 

There are certain times that come up as favorites for me when doing my field work. Watching the sun rise on a showy prairie in June is one of them. There is usually a mist or light fog in the pre-dawn air, taking the edge off the brightness of the rising sun, yet its warm light glistens off the copious dew drops on vegetation. 

The sounds of Meadowlarks, Henslow’s & Grasshopper Sparrows, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and the occasional screech of a Red Tailed Hawk all interact with the light and flowers & mist to create a bucolic scene that arrests & pacifies your mind.