Looks like a night-sky photograph. Each one of the "stars" is really a prairie dog burrow. I'm not sure why their burrow complex patterns are so visible from altitude, but I guess the visual signal pattern REALLY carries well! ; ) They bring up rocks and buried soils, creating low mounds, and crop the surrounding prairie to short grass, allowing themselves secure clearings where they can see predators that might otherwise pounce from tall grass. I've tried searching for other burrows and or landscar-marks, already knowing exactly where they are, and I generally can't see any hint of single marks, from sat or geo-eye photos. Too small to be distinguished.
I'm wondering if perhaps there is a slight UV enhancement factor in aerial imaging? I know that mammals like mice and chipmunks tend to urinate on well-traveled trails, for example, leaving their pathways marked with ultraviolet urine! Birds like hawks, which eat rodents, can actually see in the UV range of light, so they scan these trails to look for their next meal.
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