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Driving southwest from Ellsworth, Kansas, on highway K-156, I encountered these wind-blown cottonwoods standing like green islands amid the gold sea of almost-ripe wheat. The thunderheads in the distance were the perfect visual accent. Ellsworth County, Kansas. June 12, 2004.
This illustrates the high-risk nature of the summer wheat harvest on the Great Plains. In Kansas, wheat is planted in September or October and is harvested in June, which is also the peak of thunderstorm season. A rainstorm (or hailstorm) can beat the heavily loaded wheat stalks down to the ground. At best, the rain makes the fields too wet for the heavy combines and the harvest is delayed while weeds grow and the quality of the wheat declines. On highway K-140 east of Ellsworth, Ellsworth County, Kansas. June 12, 2004.
Looking west, just before dawn, at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas. Stafford County, Kansas. February 21, 2003.
