03/31/2026
Azure Bluets are the cutest little spring flower. I found these growing on the edge of an ephemeral stream that runs through our utility easement. They love moisture and disturbance, so places like this are perfect habitat. I've spent a lot of time wishing we didn't have power lines crossing the back of our property. With so little fire and grazing to keep the modern landscape from going to forest, these easements are valuable niche habitats for grassland species because they must be kept disturbed for operation and maintenance. In conservation biology these are called linear habitats or biological corridors. Imagine the positive ecological impact landowners and utility providers could have if they committed to preserving these as prairie refugia instead of blanket spraying and seeding turf grass.
