The High Plains

I've written a little bit before about how Tortola seems to have microclimates, and nowhere is that more evident to me than in the small area that HB and I have taken to calling "The High Plains of Tortola".

Just past the Sky Bar along the Ridge Road, about two miles from our house, is about 10 acres of grassland. We call them the "high" plains because at around 1200 feet in altitude, it doesn't get much higher in the BVI.

Where the rest of the island is covered in tangled, jumbled bush and forest, this small section of Tortola is naturally barren and grassy. I believe the severe winds that seem to hit this area make it too difficult for anything more than grass and the slightest bit of shrubbery to grow. It's not exactly the midwestern prairie, but it does kind of make me feel more at home sometimes.

The open area is a popular place for cows to browse, although I find that the ones I see in this more "typical" setting don't excite me nearly as much as roadcows or beach cows. Still, I couldn't resist photographing this calm, willing subject, as long as I was there anyway taking photos of the high plains.