Yesterday we had our annual prairie fire. The back field is usually a slow burn. I do enjoy watching the swirling flames.
I find it fascinating to watch the fire crawl across the field. We try to burn into the wind so it stays more in control and burns more thoroughly.
The lower field has taller and thicker grass so the fire here is usually bigger.
It is exciting to watch the fire get to the thickest parts of the dry grass.
The flames can get quite high,
and also very hot.
The fire stops when it gets to the mowed path next to the field. We do have buckets of water and wet towels ready just in case. It was a great day to be outside together.
We are careful not to burn all of our native plant areas in one year. That way we don't kill all of the butterfly eggs and other natural things living there. Now we watch the native prairie grasses and wild flowers grow.
As I uploaded the pictures this morning I was thinking about having the fires every year. D and M have been a part of this their whole lives, as has P but not so long. I think as the boys have grown they have gotten something different out of the experience each year. They have learned a lot about a wide variety of things. Not just how to help with a controlled fire and taking wind and air currents into account but also a lot about why we planted the native plants. They have learned about invasive species, butterflies and ants, pheasants, rabbits, groundhogs and other burrowing animals, hard work and how to work together, how to make work more fun, gathering our own firewood, being responsible, working together, seeds, how things grow, where "amber waves of grain" came from, and lots of other things I haven't thought about.
And to think, we just wanted to grow native grasses and wild flowers. Who knew at the time that we would nurture all that other stuff too?
