May 7, 2008
This area was burned on May 5th. In the self seeded area the fire advanced slowly and looks to have done a good job at setting back the cool season grass which was greening up faster than anything else. One of the best reasons for a late burn is to set back invasive exotic plants such as Quackgrass or Reed Canary.
I burned a larger area than last year, adding another 40 to 50 feet of the main prairie's southwest corner. Beyond this area is a firebreak of about 40 feet which I mowed last fall with the rotary brush mower, and beyond this is unmowed prairie. This mowed area has been marked with flags which will make it easy to see what difference there is this year between a burned area, an area mowed while dormant and an unburned, unmowed area.
Below is a photo of the interseeded area from July 2007.
December 31, 2007
The interseeded area was burned on April 8th. The self seeded section of this was loaded with prairie flowers this growing season, with Little Bluestem and Sideoats Grama predominant among the prairie grasses in the southernmost region. Indian Grass is dominant further north. The cool season grasses are still evident in the extreme south of the area, but many prairie species are becoming numerous, especially Lupines, Butterfly Milkweed, Purple Coneflower and Prairie Phlox. This self-interseeded area is a huge success and is the showiest section of the prairie.
December 31, 2006
This area was burned on March 29th. Several new prairie pioneer plants showed up this year, including a Butterfly Milkweed. Several Indian Grass plants are established and there are scattered Yellow Coneflowers and a few other isolated plants. The dense turf grass continues to dominate the area.
January 1, 2006
The lawn grass in the strip area was very heavy. I should have mowed it in mid-season. Despite the neglect a few pioneer prairie plants established themselves. Species noted were Indiangrass, Yellow Coneflower and Stiff Goldenrod. Most of the area continues to be dominated by heavy lawn grass.
The adjacent lawn west of the southern tip of this area was mowed regularly through 2004. It comprises part of the south border of the large prairie restoration. It appeared to contain nothing but lawn grass, a little Quackgrass and Dandelions. In 2005 we left this area unmowed to the south end of the interseeding strip creating an even south border for this corner of the prairie. We were pleasantly surprised to see lots of forbs and grasses emerge from the newly unmowed area this year. Among other species we found Little Bluestem, Sideoats Grama, Wild Lupines, Butterfly Milkweed, Purple Coneflower, Prairie Onion, Black Eyed Susan and Prairie Aster.
November 16, 2003
We interseeded a 90' x 9' strip which was composed of lawn grass and weeds--primarily foxtail and dandelion. The area is between the large prairie planting and the Nanking Cherry hedge. We will be using techniques described by Stephen Packard in the book, The Tallgrass Restoration Handbook. Stay tuned!
The area was previously mowed very short. We broadcast the seed and then raked with a garden rake to establish better seed-soil contact. NOTE: About 10% of the seed mixture was sown into small bare areas in the prairie immediately adjacent to the interseeding area.
| Species | Name | Amount | Seed Source | Allium cernuum | Nodding Onion | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asclepias tuberosa | Butterfly Weed | 1/3 ounce | Prairie Moon Nursery, Gustavus Adolphus Prairie Area, Traverse des Sioux Prairie Area |
| Aster prenanthoides | Crooked-stemmed Aster | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Callirhoe involucrata | Purple Poppy Mallow | 1 tablespoon | Our Prairie |
| Cassia fasciculata | Partridge Pea | 1 ounce | Prairie Moon Nursery, Red Jacket Trail Prairie Area |
| Coreopsis palmata | Prairie Coreopsis | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower | 1 tablespoon | Red Jacket Trail area, Our Prairie |
| Eryngium yuccifolium | Rattlesnake Master | 1/10 ounce packet | Our Prairie, Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Galium boreale | Northern Bedstraw | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Liatris punctata? | Dotted Blazing Star | 1 ounce | Kasota Prairie |
| Liatris pycnostachya? | Prairie Blazing Star | 1/10 oz | Our Prairie |
| Parthenium integrifolium | Wild Quinine | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Petalostemum candidum | White Prairie Clover | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Petalostemum purpureum | Purple Prairie Clover | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Penstemon grandiflorus | Large-flowered Beardtongue | 1/4 ounce | Our Prairie |
| Ruellia humilis | Wild Petunia | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Tradescantia ohiensis | Ohio Spiderwort | 1/2 packet | Prairie Moon Nursery |
NOTE:The combined weight of the forbs from the Prairie Moon packets was about 1 ounce. The total weight of all forbs was about 3.6 ounces.
| Species | Name | Amount | Seed Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andropogon scoparius | Little Bluestem | 2 ounces | Prairie Moon Nursery, Kasota Prairie |
| Bouteloua curtipendula | Side-oats Grama | 1/2 ounce | Our Prairie, Kasota Prairie, LeHillier Prairie Area |
| Bouteloua gracilis | Blue Grama | 3/4 ounce | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Bromus kalmii | Prairie Brome | 3/4 ounce | Prairie Moon Nursery |
| Bromus kalmii | Prairie Dropseed | 1 teaspoon | Kasota Prairie |
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