Lone Pine Sunset – Colorado

Lone Pine Sunset – Eastern Prairie, Colorado

A lone pine tree graces the horizon below a big sky painted by the setting sun. Colorado, best known for its mountains, is also home to vast stretches of shortgrass prairie. The eastern third of the state is dominated by The Great Plains, rising from 4000 feet at the eastern border to 6000 feet at the foot of the mountains. Colorado’s eastern plains were once predominately carpeted in short grasses and home to bison, elk, deer, pronghorn, wolves and grizzly bears. Today, roughly half of the land has been converted to development and agriculture, with the dominate animals being cattle. Even so, vast stretches of shortgrass prairie are still in good condition, much of which is under private stewardship.