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Landscape
Change Natural landscapes are always changing, though the process is not always clear at any given time. We have initiated a long-term project using digital photography to document the condition of our land from the beginning. From a set of standard points, we take a series of photos at known compass points that can be replicated over time to document changes over seasons and years. The full collection of these images is too large for this web site, but we will soon feature some of the more interesting locations here. |
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Geology Our bedrock falls right on the transition between the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian eras, and so contains the limestone typical of the former, and the shale, sandstone, and coal typical of the latter. Fossils are common, especially crinoids, gastropods, and brachiopods. Isolated pieces of unusual rocks such as granite and basalt are scattered around, remnants of glacial activity in the area. In the future this link will lead to more detailed information about our geology. |
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Ecology Much of Missouri was once covered by lush prairies. Farming and settlement have replaced most of the prairie, but some of our open areas still support native grasses. We hope to restore more of this unique ecosystem on our land. Cedar, oak, maple, and hickory dominate our forest, much of which has grown up in the last 30+ years since the abandonment of older fields and pastures. In the future this link will lead to more detailed information about our ecology. |
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Wildlife We hope to gain a better understanding of the wildlife here over the years. So far we've run across all the usuals: deer, turkeys, raccoons, possums, squirrells, turtles, frogs, lizards, snakes, and so on. We have a large and diverse bird population as well, and will be keeping yearly sighting lists and posting them here. We have barely scratched the surface of the insect world yet, but will work on that too. Follow this link to browse an initial collection of photographs documenting our wildlife here. |
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Human history We have much more to learn about the human history of this landscape, but it is clear that people have used this land for thousands of years. Worked flint chips are abundant in our upper pasture, and the previous owner of the land found many arrowheads. The photo at left is an unfinished point turned up by our plow. This land was a farm once before, and we hope to reconstruct that period as well. In the future this link will lead to more detailed information about our local history |
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