About once a year I manage to convince my wife and dogs that it's time to hit the road and immerse ourselves in everything that nature has to offer. Ranging from three to twenty-one days, these trips are mostly about wildlife, landscapes and long hikes rather than sleep and good eating. Having recently purchased a new micro travel-trailer, I was Jonesing for endless roads, primitive camping and wide-open spaces. With only five days of summer vacation to burn, we decided to visit our neighbor to the west and explore South Dakota's Badlands National Park and Custer State Park. Typically a biannual retreat for us, It's been nearly five years since my last visit. After driving for nearly twelve hours we arrived at our campground near Interior, SD and I immediately recalled why I love this place so much. Rather than bore you with trivial words of praise, I'll let the photos do talking.

The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a rodent classified within the squirrel family Sciuridae. Considered a pest to ranchers throughout the Great Plains, they are also an iconic favorite to visitors of western national parks.

Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) surveying the landscape - Wind Cave NP, SDNikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Prairie Dog (*Cynomys ludovicianus*) surveying the landscape - Wind Cave NP, SD
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

This ground squirrel species lives in connecting subterranean burrows called towns. The burrows consist of multi-generational groups and are used for breeding and predator avoidance. Interestingly, female prairie dogs enter reproductive Estrus between February and April for only one day each year. Despite this apparent barrier to reproduction, the species was once the most abundant mammal in the United States.

Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) prepping to retreat into a burrow - Badlands NP, SDNikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR — Prairie Dog (*Cynomys ludovicianus*) prepping to retreat into a burrow - Badlands NP, SD
Nikon D7200 + Nikon 200-400mm f4.0 VR

The habit of grooming the entrance to burrows and dispersing both horizontally and vertically throughout the landscape plays an important role in engineering the physical and biological characteristics of the prairie habitat they occupy. Hundreds of vertebrate and invertebrate species are linked to the actions of prairie dogs and their towns. Prairie dog specialists like black-footed ferrets declined to near extinction wherever the rodents were extirpated by ranchers, while species like mountain plover and burrowing owl are dependent on the town's tunnels for nesting habitat. Even bison and pronghorns depend on prairie dogs since these mega-fauna species feed on the young nutrient rich vegetation that is meticulously maintained in a growing state by the rodent's selective foraging habits.

Some Love For Western South Dakota

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