MEADOW COMMUNITY
The waters of Fountain Creek have drained across these plains
for thousands of years, slowly excavating a broad, floodplain valley.
Normal flows gradually carve new channels in the basin's sandy bed.
Storm surges, however, may reshape in moments the etchings of decades.
Receding flood waters drop the sediments they have scoured from the land,
leaving layered deposits scrubbed of the life they once held.
Grasses and plants adapted to colonize these barren settings gradually create
habitats for grasshoppers, toads, mice, lizards and snakes. These species
in turn attract hungry foxes, hawks and owls. Sterile at first glance, the
meadow community stirs with life when viewed with patience.
Compared to the shaded, protective ramparts of cottonwoods and willows,
neighboring stretches of
meadow grasses bow to passing winds and bake in the midday heat. This century,
flood waters have filled the Fountain Creek basin on six occasions. As they
receded, new contours appeared. Most plants cannot colonize these barren,
sandy stretches. Grasses, however, with their extensive root systems and
reduced leaf surfaces successfully cope with the stressful conditions.
They in turn provide habitat and food for insects. Mice, voles, and gophers
also feed on the grasses, but avoid the day's heat by living in underground
burrows. Bullsnakes, lizards, and toads find food and shelter in the meadow.
These species attract hungry foxes, owls, and hawks.
The grasses provide nesting sites for sparrows and food for goldfinches.
During the summer months, kingbirds, swallows, and bats catch airborne insects
over the meadow.
