PLANTING THE SEED - Chicago State University

Prairie and meadow are two distinct ecologicalcommunities; however, many of the techniques forplanning and undertaking a planting project apply toboth. This guide describes prairie and meadowseparately and then provides information common toboth. While shrubs and trees may be found in prairieand meadow, the focus here is on herbaceous plants,which make up the bulk of the vegetation in thesecommunities.Meadow and Prairie: Which Is Which?Similarities They are open communities of grasses andwildflowers, with few trees. Some plant and animal species, such as black-eyedSusans and goldfinches, are common to both. They support a rich variety of animal life.With few exceptions, common names mentioned inthis guide are consistent with the Ontario Plant List(Newmaster et al. 1998). The corresponding botanicalnames are listed in Appendix D. The term “prairie,” asused throughout the guide, refers to the eastern tallgrassprairie. Words defined in the glossary are italicized onfirst use.Differences A prairie is maintained primarily by fire, whereas ameadow is often maintained by processes other thanfire, such as flooding and drought, or arises fromabandoned agricultural lands. Some plant and animal species are found or are morelikely to be found only in one or the other – forexample, Indian grass and wild indigo duskywingbutterfly in prairies, and common evening-primroseand common sootywing butterfly in meadows.PrairieWhat Is a Prairie?A prairie is an ecological community made up of nativegrasses and wildflowers. Mature trees (predominantlyoaks) are a minor component on some sites, providingless than 10 percent canopy cover. Grasses such as bigbluestem, Indian grass and prairie cord grass can growhigher than 2 metres, their tops swaying overhead asthey move with the breeze. Tall sunflower, VirginiaCulver’s-root and dense blazing star are examples of themore than 200 prairie wildflowers, or forbs, foundinterspersed among the grasses in Ontario’s prairies.Stepping into the lush landscape of an Ontario prairiewill make you feel as though you are stepping back intime. In some places, grasses and wildflowers stretch asfar as the eye can see, with barely a tree in sight. Fromseason to season, there is acontinuous and ever-changingshow of blooms, from thebrilliant orange of butterflymilkweed and bright yellowof gray-headed coneflower tothe showy purple and whiteof fall-blooming asters.Prairie scene at Ojibway Nature Reserve near Windsor.P. Allen Woodliffe2Planting the SeedGarden spider (Argiope aurantia),one of the many small wildlife speciesfound in Ontario’s grasslandcommunities. P. Allen Woodliffe

Prairie is, however, not simply a mix of flowers andgrasses. Stand in a prairie, close your eyes, listen, andyou’ll know why some people call it “symphony grass.”A healthy prairie is full of the humming, buzzing andsinging of the many animals who call it home. Mostmammals are of the smaller variety, and include meadowvole, common shrew, long-tailed weasel, Americanbadger, red fox, coyote and eastern cottontail rabbit.Birds such as bobolink, eastern meadowlark andsavannah sparrow depend on these open grasslands forfood and shelter. By far the most numerous prairieanimal species are invertebrates, including butterflies,grasshoppers, dragonflies, ants, beetles and spiders.Closely related to prairie is savanna, which is also firedependent but with more tree cover – in between openprairie and closed forests. Savanna usually has less grasscover, with a correspondingly greater density ofwildflowers and ferns. Many of the remnant prairie-typecommunities of Ontario are more like savanna.Ontario Prairie: Endangered Spaces,Endangered SpeciesTallgrass prairie and related savanna communitiesare some of the most endangered ecosystems on thecontinent. Today, less than 1 percent of Canada’s originaltallgrass prairie remains. With the loss of prairie comesthe loss of wildlifethat depends onit. Many animalspecies require largeexpanses of prairie,and loss of habitathas contributed totheir decline. BothHenslow’s sparrowand northernHenslow’s sparrow (Ammodramusbobwhite arehenslowii) is just one of the manycurrently consideredendangered species found inendangered, and theSouthern Ontario prairies.greater prairieParks Canadachicken has not beenseen in Ontario for decades. More than 150 plant speciesoccurring in Ontario prairie are considered provinciallyor nationally rare – for example, the prairie whitefringed orchid. The beautiful Karner blue butterfly,whose larvae depend on wild lupine for food, has notbeen seen in Ontario for almost a decade.Prairie EcologyPrairie is largely the result of a climate that favouredgrasslands, not forest. Different types of prairie developedacross North America. The west receives less precipitationand has shortgrass prairie; thewetter east, including SouthernOntario, has tallgrass prairie.Between these two regions occursmixed grass prairie, which is ofintermediate height. Each type ofprairie has a distinct mix of grassesand wildflowers that changegradually from one to the other.The root systems of prairie plantsare extensive, sometimes growing3 to 4 metres deep. This deep rootsystem helps the plants survivedrought and prevents shallowlyrooted non-prairie species fromgaining a foothold. As these rootsystems break down, they add largequantities of organic matter to thesoil. Many prairie plants are longliving perennials and are able towithstand poor growing conditionsand periodic grazing.Sixty-five percent ofprairie plant biomassis actually foundunderground in the formof massive root systems.Judie ShoreFrom the time Europeans arrived in North America untilfairly recently, they thought of fire only as a destructiveforce. Historically, fires were set both by lightning strikesand by Aboriginal peoples who recognized their benefits.The First Peoples intentionally started grassland fires asa technique to drive game while hunting or to clear landfor various reasons – for example, to attract additionalgame to the tender grass shoots that appeared after afire. It is now widely known that fire is a natural processnecessary for maintaining tallgrass prairie. Firemaintains prairie by suppressing non-prairie plants,clearing dead plant material and adjusting the nutrientbalance in the soil in favour of prairie vegetation. After aburn, the blackened soil absorbs sunlight, which warmsthe soil and favours theregrowth of heat-lovingprairie plants. When fireis suppressed, nonprairie species gain acompetitive edge. Thelack of fire is one of themain reasons why manyof Ontario’s remainingprairies are overrun withnon-prairie plants suchas woody shrubs andtrees, which willeventually shade and killthe prairie grasslandbeneath them.Visit a lush Ontario prairie and youcan imagine early explorersgetting lost on horseback in thetall grass. Lindsay RodgerIt is recognized that inwestern prairie regions,grazing bison had anPrairie3

important role in maintaining prairies. While bisonherds did not occur in Southern Ontario, elk werehistorically found here. Today, a variety of browsersand grazers, from white-tailed deer to grasshoppers,are still found in Ontario prairies, but their importancein keeping prairies healthy is not well understood.Unlike many non-native pasture grasses, the sturdystems of prairie grasses remain standing throughoutwinter, despite heavy snowfall accumulation. Thesestems provide cover in early spring, when waterfowland ground nesting birds need it most.Do you know how this Southern Ontario town got its name? Paul PrattHistorical and Current RangeWhen Europeans first arrived, there were an estimated1 million square kilometres of tallgrass prairie in NorthAmerica. The prairie reached such heights that earlyexplorers reportedly got lost on horseback in the tallgrass. The rich soils under the prairie grasses werequickly converted to agriculture and became some of themost productive agricultural areas on the continent. It isestimated that Ontario may have had more than athousand square kilometres of tallgrass prairie and relatedcommunities; today, however, only a few scattered butimportant remnants remain (see Figure 1 below).Why Plant a Prairie?Tallgrass prairie is one of the most endangered ecologicalcommunities in North America and is an important partof Ontario’s natural heritage. A vast number of wildlifespecies depend on prairies for food and shelter, and whenthe prairies disappear, so does the wildlife. Many prairierelated plants and animals are at risk. You can be part ofthe solution. Help protect and expand remnant prairies inyour community. Plant a demonstration prairie at a localschool, community centre or park. Spread the word andlead by example. Replacing petunias in your garden withshowy prairie wildflowers can spark interest amongfriends and neighbours.Figure 1: Range of Tallgrass Prairieand Savanna in Southern Ontario Existing remnantsHistorically, tallgrass prairie and savannaoccurred in patches throughout thisshaded region. Prairie creation projectsmay be considered within this region.Source: Modified from Bakowsky 19934Planting the SeedEnvironment Canada

MeadowWhat Is a Meadow?A meadow is a warm,sunny spot, brimmingwith a variety of life.Wildflowers such asspotted Joe-pye-weed,boneset, blue vervain andswamp milkweed, as wellas a number of wetlandsedges and grasses, can befound in wetter areas.Butterflies such as this greatBlack-eyed Susan, wildspangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele)are attracted to the nectar-producing strawberry and grayplants in meadows. Ross Browngoldenrod may occupydrier spots. As most meadow wildflowers are nectarsources, they attract a variety of butterflies such asswallowtails, admirals, checkerspots and skippers.Meadows provide feeding and nesting areas for songbirdssuch as bobolinks and meadowlarks. They may alsoprovide shelter for frogsand small mammals, whichin turn attract hawks, owlsand snakes.A typical meadow, dominated by aster and goldenrod species, which hasbeen left intact after the construction of a new

projects supported by Environment Canada through the Great Lakes 2000 Cleanup Fundand the EcoAction 2000 Community Funding Program, and by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Stewardship. Technology and information transfer is a priority of the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.