To be honest, there's a melancholy feeling to the end of this 9 week expedition. And it all ended in the beautifully cold desert of Denver. Here, they're referred to as prairies, which gives me an overwhelming desire to read Little House on the Prairie again. The winters are uncharacteristically frigid, although not nearly as harsh as the tundra. In the winter, dry conditions often spark fires that can burn as much as 25,000 acres.
The plant life consists of grasses in addition to flowering plants that have adapted to the frequent wildfires of the area. And with the pretty heavy rain each year, tallgrass prairies grow substantially taller than typical grass. These grasses become sturdy enough from the precipitation to manage any wildfires as well.
