Someone asked me the other day if our prairie was affected by the drought we had this year. I answered that prairies are built to withstand drought. That being said, it was a very strange year out there...
That was the last post I started last year. And also where I'll pick back up.
The year thus far has been going quite well for a prairie manager. The aggressive growing cool season grass reed canary has come up, but it's been cool enough early to keep all other plants from emerging as fast. This certainly allows the crew to move a lot faster with a non-selective herbicide to take this grass out, and be more productive.
Three factors stick out when comparing the last spring and this year's spring out at Orland Grasslands:
The first being we burned the fall of 2011. One of the responses a prairie will have to a burn is emerge earlier the following spring than if we hadn't burned. After a burn, the ash from plants will drop, snow will fall, and the soil will be exposed to the spring sun. This prevents reflecting, and warms the soil. We did not burn in the fall or spring of 2012/2013.
The second factor is quite a simple one. We had eight 80 degree days in March! The average last year in March was 63, compared to just 41 degrees this year.
The leisure this provides for a prairie manager is immense. As previously stated with the cooler temps holding back the native plants, we are able to move a lot faster, and not have to worry about damaging the natives. Last year seemed like a bomb went off to kick off the growing season, and everything came up at once.
This week has been the first week of noticeable growth across the site.
Blue eyed grass (which is actually not a grass at all, but a part of the Iris family) had just bloomed last week:
Same with Wood Betany this week:
Penstemon and Monardas are shooting up, and the ticks...ohhh the ticks are out in full force as well...
The third factor is also an obvious one. We recorded the wettest April to date, and it shows. Carex sp are out in full force feeling great right now. As evident by this picture (the lime green plants are all sedges):
That was the last post I started last year. And also where I'll pick back up.
The year thus far has been going quite well for a prairie manager. The aggressive growing cool season grass reed canary has come up, but it's been cool enough early to keep all other plants from emerging as fast. This certainly allows the crew to move a lot faster with a non-selective herbicide to take this grass out, and be more productive.
Three factors stick out when comparing the last spring and this year's spring out at Orland Grasslands:
The first being we burned the fall of 2011. One of the responses a prairie will have to a burn is emerge earlier the following spring than if we hadn't burned. After a burn, the ash from plants will drop, snow will fall, and the soil will be exposed to the spring sun. This prevents reflecting, and warms the soil. We did not burn in the fall or spring of 2012/2013.
The second factor is quite a simple one. We had eight 80 degree days in March! The average last year in March was 63, compared to just 41 degrees this year.
The leisure this provides for a prairie manager is immense. As previously stated with the cooler temps holding back the native plants, we are able to move a lot faster, and not have to worry about damaging the natives. Last year seemed like a bomb went off to kick off the growing season, and everything came up at once.
This week has been the first week of noticeable growth across the site.
Blue eyed grass (which is actually not a grass at all, but a part of the Iris family) had just bloomed last week:
Same with Wood Betany this week:
Penstemon and Monardas are shooting up, and the ticks...ohhh the ticks are out in full force as well...
The third factor is also an obvious one. We recorded the wettest April to date, and it shows. Carex sp are out in full force feeling great right now. As evident by this picture (the lime green plants are all sedges):
As to whether or not the prairie was affected by drought or not last year, indeed it was. The drier areas of the prairie (Mesic) did so-so. A lot of the plants strained to flower and seed out. However the wetter areas suffered the most. Our Marsh and Wet Prairie regions showed poor results. The wetlands we have dried up, and was replaced by a lot of barnyard grass. It's just a guessing game on what's in the soil in an area that's been under water for most of its existence!
And so we begin using our more selective herbicides to combat invasives, and promote growth for the natives. Happy growing season!
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