Prairie Blooms

Doggo and I ran the trail camera trap line yesterday and discovered a date/time hiccup that we returned to fix today.

 

It was also a good opportunity to checkout the seasonal changes occurring in our prairie habitat. 

 

Prairie isn’t universally native to Door County. Prior to European settlement the landscape was mostly boreal forest. 

 

Cleared for agriculture nowadays you can find previously-farmed acreage repurposed as native prairie. Technically, non-native it’s terrific pollinator and ground nesting bird habitat.

 

For us the autumn species are beginning to come online. 

 

Click on images for a closer look.... 

 

 

Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)

  

 

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

 

 

Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum).  At seven feet it’s as ‘high as an elephant’s eye'

 

 

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans).  It’s flowering this time of year as part of its reproductive cycle.  Yes, grass flowers for pollination.  Four to five feet tall.

 

 

Big Blue stem (Andropogon gerardii).  Commonly known as known as turkeyfoot.  The tiny yellow structures visible dangling from the spikes are its anthers shedding pollen.  

 

 

More turkeyfoot.   The King of the Prairie around here generally grows four to eight feet tall.

 

Check-in periodically for updates as the seasons progress.  

Wildflower Blooms

From our morning walk the other day there were these showy, native flowers.

Bee Balm

Black-Eyed Susan

Blue Vervain

Compass Plant

Gray-Headed Coneflower

Joe Pye Weed

Obedient Plant

Prairie Blazing Star

Purple Coneflower 

Purple Prairie Clover

Wildflower Walk

From our walk yesterday we were greeted with cooler temps and a nice breeze.

And the flowers in the pollinator patch have exploded in both variety and numbers.  In order of appearance are, Ox Eye. Bee Balm, Boneset, Compass Plant, Milkweed, Yellow Coneflower, Showy Tick-Trefoil, Black-Eyed Susan along with a dog.

 

Wild Flower Walk

From our walk yesterday we note changes occurring daily in the pollinator habitat.

There are a few Black-eyed  Susans emerging among acres of Penstemon.

Talked the dog into posing with some False Sunflower (Ox-Eye). 

And there was the first bloom on a Compass Plant.

 

Show-offs

More native plants...

Bee Balm

Big Bluestem

Prairie Blazingstar and Ox-Eye Sunflower

Blue Vervain

Joe-Pye Weed

Compass Plant

Yellow Coneflower

 

Wild Flower

Monday was 68 days from our prescribed burn and beginning Sunday this was blooming.

Silphium laciniatum - the Compass plant - is a member of the aster family and a perennial native.

It's the tallest of plants found in the North American prairie and also happen to have the longest of tap roots - essentially making it impossible to transplant.

The  name of this flowering plant derives from the leaves which - upon close examination - line-up north south in order to maximize exposure to available sunlight.

The finches love the seeds produced by the flowers and if you collect the sap you can make a suitable chewing gum from it. 

During the recent drought conditions our seven acres of pollinator habitat has thrived.  Warm season native plants with deep root systems are singularly adapted to this.  If it is possible to have a forest of compass plant that would be us.

Wildflower Walk

From our walk the other day the flowers of late summer and early autumn were showing-off.

Bergamot (bee balm)

Stiff goldenrod

Big bluestem (turkey foot)

And compass plant (as high as an elephant's eye)

Black-Eyed Susans

 

Wildflower Walk

In the past week I brushed-out some additional trails to make it easier to get around.  From our walk the other day there was this...

A big patch of Prairie Blazing Star - Liatris

Blue Vervain

Compass Plant - as high as an elephant's eye!

Cardinal Flower

Native Plant

 From our walk the other day there was this seven-foot tall plant.

 

 Silphium laciniatum - the Compass plant - is a member of the aster family and a perennial native.

It's the tallest of plants found in the North American prairie and also happen to have the longest of tap roots - essentially making it impossible to transplant.

The  name of this flowering plant derives from the leaves which - upon close examination - line-up north south in order to maximize exposure to available sunlight.

The finches love the seeds produced by the flowers and if you collect the sap you can make a suitable chewing gum from it. 

 

More Native Blooms

Yesterday I posted some photos of the green-up ten weeks following our prescribed burn.  From our walk recently are some additional native prairies species that are blooming.....

Compass Plant

Foxglove Beardtongue

False Sunflower

Purple Prairie Clover

Pale Purple Coneflower