Life In The Grasslands North America (1955)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this is the grassland a vast expanse of lonely meadow a place for a poet to dream a place of open sky endless wide view but as he looked a poet would soon see that the grassland is really a community he would notice a red tailed hawk wheeling in the sunlit sky and he might wonder how it feels to fly so smoothly or he might wonder if what the sharp eyes of the hawk see on the ground or a baby rabbit small and helpless in the grass or a family of striped skunks [Music] [Applause] [Music] and perhaps the poet would notice that life in the grasslands is very often a fight even our rival tries to chase the hawk from the sky [Music] a satyr butterfly and a bee fly vital nectar of the vervain flower [Music] perhaps to the poet would notice that creatures which live here are adapted very well to life in the grasslands this Brewers Blackbird for instance finds every necessity of life her nest well hidden from enemy eyes is filled to the brim with squalling hungry young who eat the insects the parents find all around them young birds like these Brewers blackbirds always seem hungry plenty of food helps them grow rapidly soon they'll leave home and find their own food fine mix and have young ones of their own this snug nest with its grass roof is the home of a Meadowlark the Meadowlark lays from three to seven eggs but five is a good average the lovely call of the Meadowlark is unmistakable and it's gaily colored yellow breast crossed by a black V makes it easy to identify but the color helps to conceal it as it searches through the grasses for food the pretty eggs soon become gaping mouths meadowlarks like other birds eat many insects and are valuable aid to man in helping to control insect pests from here if you could guess that the meadowlarks nest is close by bright and colorful spring flowers grow among the grasses scarlet globe mellow carpets the Prairie floor [Music] the prickly pear cactus thrives in the warm sunshine but the delegates spider work which opens early withers quickly in the mid morning heat the stately yucca stands tall upon the hillsides not far away animals have dug up some of the grasses and flowers these are prairie dogs living together in a colony or prairie dog village prairie dogs make underground homes and dig many underground runways with their sharp claws and strong legs they can quickly dig up the ground prairie dogs are active little creatures always busy eating digging or playing but sometimes they seem to just sit around and gossiped and run for the safety of their underground burrows when there's any sign of danger just now a fat sleek skunk passes by but the skunk doesn't seem interested in prairie dogs it's off on business of its own although the prairie dogs are taking no chances here's an odd little fellow and the shelter of one of the burrows who doesn't seem to be frightened it's a burrowing owl these owls often make their homes in abandoned prairie dog burrows after the skunk is on its way the prairie dog soon come outside again and begin their barking and eating and gossiping once more [Music] food is a problem for all living creatures some of these ants going along different pathways from their nest are searching for food while others are returning to their nest carrying the bits of food they have found often the food an ad carries is larger than the ad itself and often the cooperation of a number of the colony is needed to bring home a large insect such as this caterpillar nearby is a nest of wild bees they constantly buzz in and out carrying loads of food to the nest from flowers like this purple veg which produced the pollen and nectar that the bees eat and feed the bee larvae in the nest grasses make good eating for many animals the prairie hair or Jackrabbit thrives on vegetation and derives the energy necessary to outrun its enemies but the grasses and flowers need food too much of their food material comes from the rich Prairie soil the decayed remains of last season's flowers and grasses add to the richness of the soil and in turn to the beauty of the Prairie from year to year droppings and dead bodies of animal life also add richness but it is well that some grassland animals feed on insects or without control insects might soon destroy all vegetation some animals feed upon other animals the meadow mouths which the skunk finds to its liking has met the fate of many small animals the larger creatures have enemies too but the skunk is enjoying her mouths too well to notice the approach of a coyote on the prowl for its dinner when she sees the coyote she heads for her den always coyote will recognize the markings of the skunk especially if it has recently encountered one sure enough this coyote showing good sense as it heads for better hunting where things are not likely to be so difficult better game for a coyote might be one of these well fattened pronghorn antelope coyotes occasionally kill and eat young antelope but the Antelope seems to be on the alert they have a special accosted to guard the herd against surprise they can spot an enemy far away no coyote can catch them now of the huge herds of Buffalo which once roamed the grasslands only a few remain they are protected within wildlife refuges these shaggy creatures also known as the 'messin are the largest prairie s they feed their bulky bodies on the grass of the prairie while cow birds eat ticks and insects that hide in the shaggy coats of the big animals this is a good example of the interdependence of grassland life buffalo eat grass while the cupboards eat insects which in turn feed on the buffalo the buffalo has other Prairie enemies besides insects the wolf for prowler in the night is powerful enough to kill a young buffalo usually it hunts with others of its kind in a group or pack yes the grassland is a community a balanced pattern of life based on the grass but it is by no means a land where only grasses grow flowers of many kinds can be found there birds of many species find livings there [Music] insects are abundant [Music] and moves large and small find the grasslands sit to their knees some eat grasses and animals are each a part of the bigger picture a community of living things which on each other [Music] yes this is life in the grasslands [Music]