Grassland Ecosystem

In class, it really hit hard when said that students today think that food comes from the grocery store. Students don't see the where things that they use everyday come from. It's sad that kids today are raised in an environment, that is to say...lacking environment. They see only what's presented to them and never dive deeper into where things come from. A bigger picture must be presented to them so they can stand back and take in the details.

On this outing, we looked not at only the big picture of our grassland ecosystem, but looked inwards, towards the small, the detail, the interactions between the fundamental being of this ecological niche. The first thing that struck me about the grassland ecosystem is the vast variety of organisms. It was literally "alive" with plants, insects, birds, and other animals, all interacting with the abiotic factors around them.

Standing back, looking at this from a whole, I could see the layers of plantlife that would make up the high-rise apartment complex of life. From the treeline in the background, hosting a niche to edge species, to the many levels of shrubs, bushes and flowers that loomed underneath, I could see this truly was a special place. What I focused on mostly was a smaller edge, between the mid-line shrubs and the grasses and other underbrush below.

I could see galls on the goldenrod, a host and home for many insects to survive the harsh Michigan winters. This was paired with vine upon vine of wild, thorned blackberry, gleaming above the low-level grasses with vivid white flowers. From branch to branch, flower to flower, an array of insects danced by, from anthills residing on the side of the trail to the red, white and black butterflies that fed on the nectar of the backberry plants.

But lastly, the plants here, were what truly sparked my interest. Wild strawberries and wild beans were found sprinkled among our plants. It truly was, at least for the wildlife, a grad buffet, giving them constant nourishment and a means to live deeply within the grasslands. So do we get our food from the grocery store? Well, we may buy it there, but kids today need to see this grand picture. How are they, and the bird outside both eating their beans, fruit and veggies? Maybe they need to realize, a link has been made.