The Flint Hills are Calling

I can’t tell you how many times visitors to our gallery point to the picture of the lush, green hills and ask, “Which part of Ireland is that?”

With great patience (and infinite relish!) I then proceed to point out that what they are looking at is not Ireland, it is Kansas. Every bit as lush and green in the Spring as anything you’ll encounter in Ireland (and I’ve seen a bit of Ireland.)  

So right now, with the Flint Hills bursting into bloom, as the wildflowers make their stunning, delirious sprint to bloom and reproduce, I’m making my own pitch to anyone who hasn’t yet discovered it, that the hills are absolutely alive. We have come to expect this of other places.  We expect to be stunned in Texas Hill country, we expect to be blown away by the Sonoran Desert, and, yes, we know that Ireland will take our breath away.  They’re all beautiful (and maybe they’ve gotten good press over the years.)

So forgive me for getting up on my soapbox. It’s time for us Kansans to stop downplaying the wonders in our backyard.  So let me just say this: The time I had photographing the wildflowers of the Flint Hills matched anything I have encountered around the world.  And I’ve seen a bit of the world.  

But the wildflowers of the Flint Hills can’t afford to dally.  They’ve got real work to do and not much time.  Their business is the life and death to them and they’ll not linger waiting around for you to get out there in your own sweet time.

Good luck!

Comments

[Bill Smith]

Great story... Flint Hills and Ireland green...

Positive mention of the Flint Hills always gets my attention! Thanks!
So happy it brought me to your site, again. Hope you and your readers visit the Flint Hills regularly.

Our 22 county Flint Hills Tourism Coalition, Inc. promotes visits to the Kansas Flint Hills – the website is: http://www.kansasflinthills.travel/

Best wishes!
Dr. Bill ;-)
Personal Blog: http://flinthillsofkansas.blogspot.com/

[Jim Richardson]

Hey, any chance to the blow the horn for the Flint Hills. Just had a group of women into the gallery today who were on a religious retreat. (I think this was their day off.) Anyway, they were from NY and other locations. It was good time to give them the Flint Hills ecosystem talk as they looked at the pictures of burning in the Spring. I think they had a good time, if I didn't brow beat them too much.

Thanks, Jim