Dry Prairie - Men’s Floridian Shirt

In a word association game, few people hearing the word “prairie” would respond with “Florida,” but the state is home to vast, treeless areas with a unique set of species including one found nowhere else in Florida. Okihasi’s cool and comfortable Dry Prairie men’s shirt features the Florida grasshopper sparrow, a bird whose survival has depended on the intervention of caring conservationists.      

As famous as it is for Salt Life® and Swamp Life®, Florida is also home to environments that have more in common with deserts than wetlands or water bodies. Okihasi’s Dry Prairie men’s shirt features an ecosystem that is prevalent at the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in South Florida. Characterized by flat, treeless open areas of stubby vegetation, this area of inland Florida is frequently visited by fires that actually renew wildlife habitat. It is home to one of the Sunshine State’s most critically endangered species, the Florida grasshopper sparrow, a small bird that subsists on seeds and as its name implies, grasshoppers. Its perilously low numbers currently stand at about 200 individuals. The chief threat to its survival is the destruction, degradation and fragmentation of habitat lost to agricultural interests. Captive breeding programs and the use of controlled burns that keep grasshopper sparrow nesting areas from becoming overgrown have brought the bird back from the very brink of extinction. The bird shares the prairie with scrub lizards, sand skinks, swallowtail butterflies and the Eastern lubber, a grasshopper so big that a sparrow need not even think about it. - Steve Bornhoft

Please see below for more about the shirt, care, and sizing.

More on Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and Dry Prairie ecosystem of the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in Southern Florida.

The dry prairie ecosystem in South Florida is a unique and biodiverse habitat characterized by flat, open expanses of low-growing vegetation, and very few or no trees. It is found mainly in the interior of the peninsula, in places like the Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, and is shaped by wet and dry seasons with frequent fires that are essential for this habitat. This ecosystem is home to one of Florida's critically endangered birds, the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. In recent times, this sparrow has had a positive come-back story, because of a successful captive-breeding program. Other fauna that call this prairie home include the Florida scrub lizard, Florida sand skink, eastern lubber, eastern tiger-swallowtail, halloween pennant, imperial moth, pipevine swallowtail, painted-lady butterfly, and many more. Predominately filled with wiregrass and saw palmettos, the dry prairie is also filled with numerous unique flowering plants including the Bartram's rosegentian, Chapman's blazing star, common blue violet, Florida paintbrush, Leavenworth's tickseed, Multiflowered grass-pink orchid, Osceola's plume, pale meadow beauty, tarflower, and more. Unfortunately, this beautiful ecosystem is under constant threat due to agriculture, development, and fire suppression. This pattern was made in collaboration with photographer and naturalist, Roger Hammer. 

MATERIAL DETAILS

1. Light-weight 100% Viscose material made from bamboo - excellent to wear on those hot days.

2. Machine wash cold  on gentle - Mild detergents - Dry Cleaning Recommended

3. Line dry

4. Iron on a medium setting - take caution when ironing

Sizing

Do not use generic sizing (S, M, L, etc). Take exact measurements of your body to get the correct size. See the sizing chart below.

Chest Size

Small - 40-43”

Medium - 43-45”

Large - 45-47”

XL - 47-51”

XXL - 52-55”

XXXL - 56-59”

Length

Small - 28.5-29.5”

Medium - 29.5-31.5”

Large - 31.5-32.5”

XL - 32.5-33.5”

XXL - 33.5”

XXXL - 33.5”

Shoulder

Small - 17-18.25”

Medium - 18-19”

Large - 19-19.75”

XL - 20.75”

XXL - 21.75”

XXXL - 22-22.5”