Tall Grass Prairie Wildflowers

New England Asters

source url New England Asters © 2008

enter site The last show of wildflowers in the prairies are in bloom. The prairies are full and thick, now beginning to yellow a bit. The go site New England Asters are easily cultivated, and found in many gardens, but they are especially handsome in the thickets of grasses on the prairie.

http://www.mscnantes.org/rdr1tz4 What a name for one of the most perfect prairie wildflowers I’ve seen in a long time! source url Rosin Weed is an excellent flower for the prairie, and used extensively in prairie restorations as it is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds.  Its sap contains resin which was once used as a chewing gum. (Ick – I’d rather have peppermint myself.)

Blue Vervain

Tramadol Visa Overnight Blue Vervain © 2008

https://www.elevators.com/467hw4n3tez This would be an easy flower to miss, except it grows so tall the flowers tend to stick out over many of the shorter grasses. The Tramadol Mastercard Overnight Blue Vervain flowers themselves are tiny – less than 1/4″ wide – but the plant stands up to 6 feet tall.

Tramadol 50Mg To Buy Vervain was a popular plant, well-known for its many medicinal uses – made into a brew and used as a tonic, an aphrodisiac, and a sedative. Centuries ago it was hung on European peasants’ doorways to ward off the devil and other evildoers, and it was worn as an amulet to bring good luck.

Grasshoppers on A Cattail (X-Rated)

Grasshoppers on Cattails

https://alldayelectrician.com/7ovk9ecj5qw Differential Grasshoppers on Cattail © 2008

source While hiking in the prairie just north of Madison, I noticed a cattail that had exploded with seeds. Upon further examination, I discovered two grasshoppers partially hiding in all the fluff. They seemed quite preoccupied and didn’t appear to mind my camera lens pointing within inches of them.

enter I think this may be my first ‘insect’ shot. I usually am too impatient to wait for insects, but this was a ready to take photo.

Cheap Tramadol Online Overnight When I went to do some research on these complicated looking creatures, I found hundreds of pages of information on grasshoppers. I had no idea there were so many different grasshoppers.  I concluded that these were a pair of Differential Grasshoppers – what an odd name! – by the unmistakable black chevron pattern on their hind legs. Pretty cool pattern.

Wonders in the Tall Grass Prairie

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https://www.mbtn.net/?p=y7r1nmf2yh Path through a Tall Grass Prairie © 2008

follow site A path leads through a small segment of a tall grass prairie. Oak savannas are spreading into the prairie in the background. This prairie will have a prescribed burn next year.

https://mocicc.org/agricultura/rpunwhc Fire plays an important role in managing prairies, just as it has been a natural and frequent occurrence on the grasslands for thousands of years. The prairie flowers, grasses and animals all rely on the burning, which prevents invasion by larger shrubs and trees, and removes most of the accumulation of mulch that typically smothers the growth of the small prairie plants, some nearly microbial in size.

Gayfeathers

source link Marsh Gay-feather, A.K.A. Marsh Blazing Star © 2008

This late season prairie wildflower, Liatris spicata, blooms from the top down, instead of the more common bottom to top growing pattern. It is a favorite of many species of butterflies. It is a rather spectacular plant, ranging in height from 2 to 4 feet tall.  In fall, the deep brown seed head attracts dozens of yellow finches for a dramatic show. It is more common the further east you travel, though it was once abundant in southern Wisconsin.

Native Americans and early settlers considered the plant an important commodity due to its medicinal properties as well as its nutritional use. The Lakotas ground its roots to make an appetite stimulant, and also ate the entire plant to treat heart ailments. it was said to strengthen the “bound muscle with poor rhythm.” The plants’ corms were also used the Lakotas, as well as by other tribes and early settlers, as winter food.

Big Bluestem Grasses

Big Bluestem Grasses © 2008

The big bluestem is the tallest of the grasses, waving upwards of 8 to 10 feet tall. It is also referred to as turkey-foot grass, as the grass often splits into threes near its top.

There are five very well adapted perennial grasses which predominate the tall grass prairie or grassland biome: big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass, switch grass, and prairie dropseed. This woven masterpiece of fibers, which thread themselves together in a protective matting, allows the prairie and its smaller plants and animals to survive threatening winds, fires, drought, and prolonged, harsh winters.

I think there is nothing lovelier than walking through a tall grass prairie at this time of year, the winds gently pushing the tall stems above my head, and searching in the yellow-brown for purple asters, sunflowers and other late wildflowers – the harbingers of autumn.

Sunny Yellow Prairie Flower

Sweet Coneflower © 2008

This is a close cousin of the black-eyed Susan, the foliage is firmer and the plant tends to grow taller, up to 4 1/2 feet in height.  The name comes from the plant’s perfumery – rather a sweet anise- or vanilla-scent lingers when the leaves are crushed.

Simply Marigolds

Marigolds

Garden Marigolds © 2008

…sweet and snappy. And filled with pure beauty. And in autumn’s brighter colors, too.

“Biscuit” Amaranth

Biscut Amaranth

“Biscuit” Amaranth © 2008

This ‘Biscuit’ Amaranth was just one of thousands of plants on display at the University of Wisconsin – West Madison Agricultural Research Station as they held their Annual Field Day. Trial fields of annuals, perennials, native grasses, vegetables and fruits were on display. Gardening tips and problem shooting were provided by the Master Gardeners of Dane County.

The gardens are open to the public every day from dawn to dusk. What a wonderful resource for area gardeners!