When I was back living in Chicago, I always dreamed of having my own prairie.

As I’ve said before, there’s something about walking in the middle of an eco-system so vibrant with life, it actually produces heat itself. Roots entangle themselves with microbes and specialized fungi called mycorrhizae, giving them a boost to generate stimulation within the plant to grow. The rigidness of the pollinators as they move focused from one plant to the next. Always working.

When I drove a tractor on a 1,000 prairie, 19.5 miles SE of Chicago, a three-legged coyote would follow close behind and wait for rodents or hares to run out from the vegetation. The opens lanes left by the mower proved invaluable for the hunt.

Problem was, he only had three legs. Wasn’t fast at all. There were other coyotes on the prairie too. But this 3-legged one needed the tractor more than the others.

But I told myself I would one day, have one own prairie sitting right outside my front door.

And today, I do.

One of the surprises I had last year, was when I came across this monkey flower.

Another surprise was the amount of birds last fall visiting in search of food. The maximillian sunflowers I had planted had gone to seed.

38 species in all have been planted. 5 different habitats throughout my yard. I’m hoping I see more of them, this year.