Prairie primer

Discusses the prairie, a unique ecological system characterized by a plant cover of grasses and wildflowers, rather than trees or shrubs. It comprises an open, grass-covered, treeless landscape. Prairie animals have specially adapted to thrive on "grasslands" rather than in forests or wetlands. The prairie has largely disappeared, but there is a growing interest in preserving and restoring it. Chapters: fire preserves the prairie; distinctive animal life; a parade of plants; reading the prairie landscape; grasses and shrubs; prairie remnants; the prairie landscaper, managing a prairie planting; and prairie bibliography. Drawings and maps.