Prairie in Mid-June

 Over the years, I've posted many times about the prairie which runs through our development (just search "prairie" on my blog for more pictures). I'm so glad that the folks designing this area decided not to fill the space with even more houses. I enjoy walking through the prairie from spring until fall and noticing how the seasons change. that's been especially important to me as I've gone through some rough times in the past few years. Walks through the prairie allow me to clear my head, like hitting a "re-set" button.

Here are a few shots from my recent walk through the prairie. As you can see, not much is blooming...YET!
 

These tall grasses (little blue stem, I believe) will develop purplish tips as the summer pushes into fall. The lavender haze is beautiful from a distance.

 

Here's a view from one side of the path. I should find out exactly how many acres are devoted to this prairie. But trust me, it's very large!

 
Here's the view as you start down the path. It's a perfect spot for walking or biking. They mow the grass near the path for better visibility.

 

 The clover is in full bloom right now! The scent is amazing.

In order to rid the prairie of weeds, it has to be burned now and then. It's amazing how quickly the plants come back after a complete burn. You can really see a difference in the restored prairie!

I like to walk in the early evening, just as the sun is sinking low in the sky. The light creates colors which are truly beautiful.

 

Ahhh, milkweed...This is NOT a weed! It's monarch butterfly food!

 

I'm so thankful to be able to walk through the prairie and take in the beauty of nature!
Janet

Prairie in late September

  I've said it before: The BEST thing about living in our neighborhood is the large expanse of prairie that runs through it. I know that not everybody appreciates the prairie landscape and it would have been far more profitable to fill it with houses than native plants, so I feel very fortunate to have such a beautiful place almost right in our back yard. A walk through the prairie almost always clears my mind.

This summer's drought really took a toll on many of the blooming flowers. But prairie plants are tough by definition and regardless of the conditions, there's always sometime beautiful to see. With fall upon us, the grasses are starting to turn a warm, rosy color.

 Most of the flowers have gone to seed, but a few dots of gold black-eyed susan punctuate the landscape.

  There are remnants of yellow compass plants standing tall throughout the prairie.

 Of course, this is the season for goldenrod. The feathery flowers seem to glow with the late afternoon sun.

And the seed pods of milkweed plants are bursting! Monarch butterflies need milkweed to survive. I recently read that the drought seriously affected milkweed in Iowa, causing our annual monarch butterfly migration to relocate elsewhere to find food and shelter.

I'm looking forward to more prairie walks in the next month, as fall ignites the landscape with color!
jp

Prairie in late May

 

One of the absolute treats of living in our development is being able to enjoy the prairie which runs through it. 

This promises to be an especially beautiful summer on the prairie, as the entire prairie was burned back in late March. The controlled burning process kills off the weeds and allows the native plants to thrive. Within just a couple of days of the burn, new growth was starting to emerge. Now, just a few weeks later, the prairie is ready to burst into color!

  

Prairie in July

Believe it or not, before the agricultural revolution, Iowa used to be mainly tall grass prairie. Over time, our state has lost over 99% of its prairies. This makes me sad.

Thankfully, there are a few prairie restoration projects underway throughout Iowa. I feel fortunate that one of them (although not an "official" project) runs through the middle of our community. It's always relaxing and interesting to walk through our small prairie. At different times of the summer, the landscape may look gold, purple, or white, depending on which flowers are in bloom.

This week, Queen Anne's Lace is the star. These dainty white flowers dot the prairie landscape, punctuated by milkweed, yellow coneflower, and the very stately compass plant.

I'm looking forward to my next prairie walk. What a treasure, right in our back yard!

Prairie Walk

I took advantage of the lovely weather we've been having to take a walk through the prairie that runs through our development. It's always interesting to see which native prairie plants are in bloom. On today's visit, I saw Queen Anne's lace, monarda, and grey headed coneflower, to name just a few.

As we head into autumn, a new group of prairie flowers will begin to bloom. The white, yellow, and purple flowers I saw today soon will be replaced with a lush carpet of gold.

Prairie in early July

In my opinion, the very best thing about living in our neighborhood is that we have a real prairie running right through the middle of it. This is really unusual, because many, many houses could be built in the space devoted to prairie. The prairie is planted with native flowers and grasses, and it changes throughout the season as various flowers come into bloom.

Not everyone likes the prairie. Not everyone appreciates the untamed look of the native plants. But I think they're a treasure. I love walking or biking through the prairie at different times of day, watching the light play off the blooms.

And if you go just as the sun is setting, fireflies hover over the prairie, illuminating it like tiny jewels. It's magical.

This evening, I took a quick stroll through the prairie to see what was in bloom and captured a few photos. I want to remember how the prairie looks in early July.

Our Tall Grass Prairie

Note: It is Feline Friday, and you can read Lily's post below. I had planned to save this one for the weekend, but the prairie looked so beautiful last night that I just had to share it this morning. I'm not trying to steal attention from Lily's Feline Friday post. I swear!

Edited to add: If you click on this collage, it will enlarge and you can see more detail.

How fortunate I am that every day, I can walk or bike through a prairie restoration area, right in my own neighborhood. Over the years, I have learned how important areas like this really are. Historically, there were over 30 million acres of tall grass prairie in Iowa. In fact, 150 years ago, 85% of the state was prairie. But today, as a result of agricultural development and urban sprawl, only .1% of this prairie remains. The prairie in Iowa is on the verge of extinction.

In our neighborhood, several large areas have been devoted to prairie restoration. Experts planned and seeded these areas with native plants, flowers, and trees. Over the years, the prairies have matured and become a haven for many different kinds of wildlife. A bike and walking path gives neighbors ready access to all of this beauty.

Last evening, I walked through the prairies and snapped a few photos. Right now, only a handful of flowers are in bloom. But wait a few weeks and the prairie will be a blaze of color. A few evenings ago, I walked through it as the sun set. Fireflies began to emerge, covering the entire prairie with tiny golden jewels. An amazing sight, truly.

Every day I am thankful to have access to this unique beauty. I have great appreciation for the work that is being done across our state to restore areas like this. What a treat it is to be able to visit this ever-changing landscape every day.