Photographer(s)
Series
Season
Subject(s)


June grass at sunset, Indian grass at sunrise, hawk moths and monarch butterflies nectaring on purple fringed orchids and rough blazing star, little bluestem and saw-tooth sunflowers and butterfly milkweed in hill prairies and sand prairies, and blue skies and one bright rainbow arching over them all. Bill Witt has been photographing Iowa鈥檚 wild places for more than thirty years, and the result is this collection of splendid images that reveal the glorious beauty and diversity of the state鈥檚 prairie remnants.

Witt gives us close-ups of pasque flower shoots covered with ice in spring, coneflowers dancing in a summer breeze, and prairie dropseed in its autumn colors as well as such prairie companions as sandhill cranes, northern harriers, and bison. His panoramic visions of prairie landscapes in all seasons focus on the personal pleasure and spiritual sustenance that connecting with prairies, even small and neglected ones, can bring us. Osha Davidson鈥檚 essay compares today鈥檚 prairie remnants with yesterday鈥檚 expanses and calls for us to restore balance to this damaged landscape. Altogether, Enchanted by Prairie celebrates today鈥檚 prairie landscape and encourages us, in Davidson鈥檚 words, to restore its 鈥渂eauty and scents and textures and sounds.鈥

"Iowa鈥檚 tallgrass prairie was gone before we were born. Bill Witt鈥檚 marvelous photos of Iowa鈥檚 tallgrass prairie remnants and prose by Osha Davidson and Bill Witt give us a vision of what the prairie was and what it can do for us today. We did not save the prairie, but perhaps it can save us."鈥擟arl Kurtz

Enchanted by Prairie deftly interweaves meditation and celebration. The thoughtful text and luminous photography evoke prairies past and present and point us toward the potential of a brighter prairie future. To newcomers, this book will introduce a landscape full of marvels. For those of us already enchanted by prairies, this is a book to savor often and share with others.鈥濃擟indy Hildebrand

Hawkeye鈥檚 Whistle, Osha Gray Davidson鈥1
The Photographs鈥9
Enchantment by Prairie, Bill Witt鈥79

Hardcover

ISBN-13
9781587298035
Retail price
$29.95

Publication Details

Publication Details

Publication Date
04/25/2009
Pages, art, trim size
96 pages, 64 color photos, 10 x 9 inches
Edition
1st