See photos from:
2004 Establishment Year: Prairie plants
are rather slow to establish and initially progress was painfully slow.
Canada wildrye was the first seed to germinate in about 14 days, followed
by black-eyed susan. Other seedlings were present but except for the most
common agricultural weeds, it was difficult to tell if they were desirable
species or weeds. If you want to track seedling establishment, I would
recommend germinating a few of each prairie species separately in flats,
in order to learn what each seedling looks like so you can recognize them
in the field.
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| On June 28, 2004, 23 days after seeding, Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis) seedlings are 2-3 inches tall. |
On July 5, 2004, 30 days after seeding, Canada wildrye (Elymus canadensis), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta) and evening primrose (Oenotheria biennis) seedlings are present. |
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| By August 28, 2004, plants had re-grown to 16-24” following
the first mowing, with black-eyed susan, evening primrose, blue vervain,
indian tobacco, tall sunflower, and false sunflower in bloom. In the wet
area bordering the prairie, swamp aster and joepye weed were blooming (see
site prepartion page). Annual agricultural weeds were also becoming apparent
including giant foxtail (foreground below). |
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| Tall sunflower (Helianthus giganteaus) planted from plugs, August 28, 2004. |
Showy tick trefoil (Desmodium canadense),
August 28, 2004. |
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Evening primrose (Oenotheria biennis), August 28, 2004. |
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata), August 28, 2004. |
After the September mowing, much of the black-eyed susan
and some evening primrose bloomed again. In addition, Canada wildrye,
indian grass, little bluestem and New England aster also bloomed and set
seed. Many other prairie plants established but did not bloom this first
year including: switchgrass, gray coneflower, wild bergamot, Juncus
spp. showy tick trefoil, hoary vervain, lanceleaf coreopsis, swamp milkweed,
common milkweed, and stiff goldenrod. |
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Prairie Dog, October 28, 2004. |
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| New England aster (Aster novae-angliae), October 28, 2004. |
Indian grass seed head (Sorghastrum nutans), October
28, 2004. |
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| Little bluestem seedling (Andropogon scoparius), October 28, 2004. |
Evening primrose rosette (Oenothera biennis)
(bottom) and black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), October 28,
2004. |
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