{"id":373,"date":"2014-11-02T22:48:09","date_gmt":"2014-11-03T04:48:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecogardenok.com\/ecolandscaping\/?p=373"},"modified":"2014-11-02T22:53:30","modified_gmt":"2014-11-03T04:53:30","slug":"bio-blitz-2014-black-kettle-national-grassland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecogardenok.com\/ecolandscaping\/bio-blitz-2014-black-kettle-national-grassland\/","title":{"rendered":"Bio Blitz 2014 Black Kettle National Grassland"},"content":{"rendered":"

A small Eco Landscaping delegation attended this year’s Oklahoma Bioblitz<\/a> (rapid biodiversity inventory) which was held at the Black Kettle National Grassland in Roger Mills County. \u00a0I really enjoyed spending some time in this region. \u00a0Ever since my first childhood trip to New Mexico I have always had a special affinity for the West. \u00a0This particular part of Oklahoma is an interesting interstitial area where the Tallgrass prairie gives way to the Shortgrass prairie and High Deserts of the West. \u00a0The level IV ecoregion for the area is referred to as the Rolling Red Hills, a sub region of the Central Great Plains. \u00a0The area we camped in was roughly 1000 feet higher than our home base in Cleveland County but much of the vegetation was similar with some notable exceptions. \u00a0Our main area of exploration was the red rocky, gravelly arid hills above Dead Warrior Lake. \u00a0My favorite finds were the more arid loving species like Echinocereus reichenbachii, Melampodium leucanthum, Artemisia filifolia, various Penstemons, \u00a0Aster fendleri and Scuttelaria drummondi. \u00a0 \u00a0Side Oats Grama, Little Bluestem, Hairy Grama, Opuntias and Yucca glauca dominated with the aforementioned forbs accenting and dotting the landscape. \u00a0Would like to have had more time to explore and hence will have to make a return trip. \u00a0The information in the county history museum on the folk artist and pioneer farmer Joseph Muhlbacher<\/a> was really intriguing. \u00a0Looking forward to next year in Osage co.<\/p>\n\n\t\t