Restoring the Tallgrass Prairie: An Illustrated Manual for Iowa and the Upper Midwest

Preface

Preface IOWA WAS AT one time in the midst of the tallgrass prairie, but today few Iowans know what a prairie looks like. They are not aware of which species of plants are native and which are alien or cultivated. That is because less than 1 percent of the prairie remains, mostly in obscure places along rivers, steep banks, railroads, and cemeteries. As the sites have diminished, so have all the species that depended upon the prairie for existence. Friends ask, "Was that a prairie that I played in when I was little?" and "How do I know if the seeds I am collecting are native?" Little knowledge has been passed down on how to recognize plants of our native heritage. We are often not aware of our losses and their va~ue until they are gone. Elderly people describe the flowers that used to grow thick in our area, attracting butterflies and birds, but these flowers are no longer found. Crested irises, lady slippers, snow trilliums, wild lilies, showy orchis, and cardinal flowers were commonplace only fifty years ago but now are virtually impossible to find. Native plants such as these are especially susceptible to herbicides and changes in the environment. The chemical contact weakens the flowers that do survive, so the seedpods may be mutated and unable to produce a normal offspring. Many have been lost through cultivation and construction. Prairie restoration is more than saving our native wildflowers and grasses. It is a matter of saving all forms of life associated with the prairie biome. It represents the foundation and stability of our very life. Native plants are appearing in small garden borders and large restorations. Small areas are important in creating new interest in the prairie world. However, the greater the diversity of plants we restore, the greater the return of all forms of life associated with the prairie. The academic world is shOwing ix increased interest in the prairie, and scientific studies are being done to understand the complexity of our native plants. I have written and illustrated this book with the hope that Iowans and others living in what was once the tallgrass prairie will be able to identify a prairie remnant and propagate native species. My recent discovery of the tallgrass prairie has been enlightening and enjoyable. I have always enjoyed woodland wildflowers and nature in general and could not believe the tallgrass prairie had eluded me for half a century. It all began with the seeds. I volunteered to help Doug Sheeley, Hardin County roadside manager, collect native prairie seeds and later helped catalog eighty-six prairie remnants in this county. My interest grew, and there was no turning back. Studying the writings of Willa Cather, David Costello, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, John Madson, and Robert Waller , I gained a deeper insight into the history of the native tallgrass prairie and the need to preserve it. Iowa is located in the center of the tallgrass prairie, which extended to all the states touching Iowa's border, on into Ohio, and all the way from Texas north through the Dakotas and into Canada. Many of the plants, therefore, extend into the tallgrass prairie beyond Iowa where conditions are similar. The prairie restoration methods I propose are not the only or the best ways, as this information is in constant change. Compare the information that I have learned with your own research and experience to better undertake restoration of the tallgrass prairie. Prairie restoration is relatively new, and knowledge is changing as we learn. Roger Tory Peterson states, 'This is a time of enormous change in people's thinking. People have begun to see that life itselfis important-not just ourselves, but all life. We have a new awareness of the sanctity and fragility of nature. The older I get the more I feel the interconnectedness of things all over the world. The healing of the land has begun. We are learning from our mistakes of the past, but we have so much more to learn. This involves not only methods but a way of life. Humans can become more responsible members of the natural communities by recognizing they are only one part of a complex system. When that is accomplished, we will enjoy our place in the natural ecosystem. The legacy is ours. We are the caretakers." I hope this book will help others find the joy of the majestic prairie that once covered our state of Iowa and much of the Midwest...