We Are Planting the Prairie Soon!

On a Saturday morning a few weeks ago, Melinda and I drove to the Kirchoff Family Farm, about twenty minutes from our place, to join others in a prairie workday. We met Brenda, one of the Kirchoff landowners, and Jeffrey, a reporter for the Wilson County News. The four of us worked in a spot on the prairie harvesting Switchgrass seed that will be used to seed areas of their property that need additional tall grass. Brenda was not much of a taskmaster. She called a halt to the work after an hour and a half and took us on a tour of the place in her John Deere Gator.

One of the plants the Kirchoffs are trying to establish is Zizoetes Milkweed, a native milkweed used by Monarch butterflies as a host for their eggs. We got back to the farm the next weekend and discovered that we have a couple of dozen of them growing in our front yard!

Meanwhile, the work on the Creech prairie restoration project proceeds. We have done three applications of the herbicide to eliminate invasive species and give the prairie grasses, wildflowers, and forbs the best chance of establishing themselves.

This week we received an email from the TPW wildlife biologist working with us, indicating the mix of seeds she was about to order for our planting during the week of September 17.  It’s a long list, but includes: LittleBluestem, Sideoats Grama, Lovegrass, Switchgrass, Indiangrass, Purple PrairieClover, Big Bluestem, Green Sprangletop, Eastern Gama Grass, Canadian Wildrye, Englemann Daisy, Plains Coreopsis, Maximillian Sunflower, Partridge Pea, AnnualSunflower, Illinois Bundleflower, Blackeyed Susan, Mexican Hat, AmericanBasketflower, White Prairie Clover, Texas Bluebonnet, Indian Blanket, LanceleafCoreopsis, Lemon Mint, Annual Winecup, Golden-Wave, Greenthread, Purple Coneflower, Tahoka Daisy, Winecup, Prairie Verbena, Bush Sunflower, LazyDaisy, Rose Milkweed, Butterflyweed, Frostweed, Foxglove, Rattlesnake Master, Golden Dalea, Gayfeather, and Blue Mistflower.

I know some of those, but many are strangers at this point. Praying for good winter rains and abundant germination next spring!