Palo Duro Canyon.

Well it might not look like much…but this is the second largest canyon system in the U.S. – Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas panhandle.

.

The Grand Canyon is the largest (277 miles long)…Hell’s Canyon is the deepest…and Black Canyon of the Gunnison is WAY steeper and more dramatic…but Palo Duro (@ 120 miles long) has its charm. I was enticed out onto the short grass prairie after my recent Denver area classes wrapped up. Given that I grew up out east I’ve got a soft spot for prairies dogs, blue jays, and cicadas It’s rare that I make it this far east in my travels…hell, my Western U.S. teaching territory is big enough!

.

The short grass prairie is also a fascinating transition zone for a number of Eastern & Western U.S. plants…many of which have their eastern/western distributional limits here. For example: the more westerly Pinus edulis (Colorado piñon pine) & Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain juniper) drop out in the Oklahoma/Texas panhandles…while the more easterly Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw plum) drops out in the same general area.

.

Sadly, much of the native plant life of the historic short grass prairie has been destroyed by agribusiness, sustained overgrazing, and other development. VERY few places to hike and camp here too…which is why I seldom visit. That said, I’ve been on a Texas kick for the past decade and have made it my mission to get a solid grasp on the edible/medicinal/toxic flora as well as all the major ecoregions.

.

Palo Duro Canyon sits ​at the ecotone between the higher elevation “High Plains” and the lower elevation “Rolling Plains”. A good portion of the High Plains of Texas is formed by the Llano Estacado…one of the largest mesas in North America (elevation from 3000′-5000′). Palo Duro is the large canyon seen at the bottom right of the panhandle in the relief image. The nearly flat High Plains/Llano Estacado ecoregion can be clearly seen further west of this precipitous drop off (known as the Capstone Escarpment) in the relief image. The Canadian River forms the northern boundary of the Llano Estacado in the upper panhandle…transecting the panhandle and separating the Llano Estacado from the greater High Plains bioregion which extends into New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and beyond. -Tellur Fenner Blue Wind School of Botanical Studies is at Palo Duro Canyon.