a guide to prairie and wetland restoration in eastern nebraska€¦ · a joint publication of...

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A JOINT PUBLICATION OF

PRAIRIE PLAINS RESOURCE INSTITUTE AND NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION

A JOINT PUBLICATION OF

PRAIRIE PLAINS RESOURCE INSTITUTE AND NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION

1307 L STREET AURORA NE 68818-2126Phone: (402) 694-5535 cellular (402) 694-9847

[email protected] prairieplains.org

Prairie Plains Resource Institute (PPRI), is an educational landtrust incorporated in 1980 as a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) tax-exemptmembership organization. The mission of PPRI is being carried outthrough four major efforts: Ecological Restoration, Prairie Preserves,Education and the Platte River Corridor Initiative.

PPRI MPPRI MPPRI MPPRI MPPRI MISSIONISSIONISSIONISSIONISSION

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The mission of the Nebraska Game andParks Commission is stewardship of the state’sfish, wildlife, park, and outdoor recreationresources in the best long-term interests of thepeople and those resources.

by

Gerry Steinauer NEBRASKA GAME AND PARKS COMMISSION

1307 L StreetAurora, Nebraska 68818

[email protected]

with assistance from

Bill Whitney, Krista Adams and Mike BullermanPRAIRIE PLAINS RESOURCE INSTITUTE

1307 L StreetAurora, NE 68818

[email protected]

Chris HelzerTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY

P. O. Box 4381228 L Street, Suite 1

Aurora, Nebraska 68818402-694-4191

[email protected]

Photos by Gerry Steinauer and PPRI staff unless otherwise acknowledged.Editorial Assistance: Tom White, NEBRASKAland Magazine

Layout: Bill Whitney

Cover Photo: Krista Adams collecting porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea) seeds in aSandhills prairie near Pierce, Nebraska.

© 2003Prairie Plains Resource Institute and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Reproduction and transmittal of this publication will be allowed with permissionfrom the authors and Prairie Plains Resource Institute

A GA GA GA GA GUIDEUIDEUIDEUIDEUIDE TOTOTOTOTO PPPPPRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE ANDANDANDANDAND WWWWWETLANDETLANDETLANDETLANDETLAND

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A GA GA GA GA GUIDEUIDEUIDEUIDEUIDE TOTOTOTOTO P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE ANDANDANDANDAND W W W W WETLETLETLETLETLANDANDANDANDAND R R R R RESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORATIONTIONTIONTIONTION INININININ E E E E EASTERNASTERNASTERNASTERNASTERN N N N N NEBRASKEBRASKEBRASKEBRASKEBRASKAAAAA

AAAAACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCKNOWLEDGEMENTSCKNOWLEDGEMENTSCKNOWLEDGEMENTSCKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to thank Pauline Drobney, Tom Koerner and Brad Krohnof the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kent Pfeiffer of the Platte River WhoopingCrane Habitat Maintenance Trust and Scott Wessel of the Nebraska Gameand Parks Commission for their review of this document. We also thank TomWhite of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for editorial assistance.

There are several excellent publications on prairie and wetlandrestoration (Appendix A). These provided valuable information for thispublication, particularly Going native – a prairie restoration handbook forMinnesota landowners, The tallgrass restoration handbook and A practicalguide to prairie reconstruction.

We also wish to thank the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture for additionalfunds to cover binding costs.

This publication has been producedwith major support from the

Nebraska Environmental Trust Fundand the Nebraska Lottery

TTTTTABLEABLEABLEABLEABLE OFOFOFOFOF C C C C CONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Chapter 2 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Chapter 3 Seed Collecting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Chapter 4 Seed Processing and Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Chapter 5 Seed Mixing and Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Chapter 6 Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Chapter 7 Post-Planting Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Appendix A Reference Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Appendix B Plant List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

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HHHHHISTORYISTORYISTORYISTORYISTORY OFOFOFOFOF P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE R R R R RESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

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Inspired by a trip to restored prairies inIllinois and Wisconsin in 1978, Bill Whitney ofAurora, Nebraska began harvesting prairie seedand studying the prairies of central Nebraska. Inthe spring of 1979, he conducted his first prairierestoration, a garden-sized plot on a friend’sfarm. The mixed seed, a big coffee can full,included about 35 native grasses andwildflowers collected from local prairies androadsides.

In 1980 Bill and his wife, Jan, foundedPrairie Plains Resource Institute (PPRI), anonprofit organization based in Aurora anddedicated to prairie restoration, preservation

and environmental education. During the1980s Whitney conducted several additionalsmall restorations around Aurora and managedthree remnant prairies owned by PPRI. At thattime, few people in the Midwest were restoringprairies containing large numbers of species, andrestoration methods were not well documented.Much of Bill’s knowledge of prairie restorationwas gained through practical experience.

Beginning in 1991, PPRI was contractedto restore wet meadows on cropland in thecentral Platte River valley owned by the PlatteRiver Whooping Crane Habitat MaintenanceTrust (PRCT) and The Nature Conservancy(TNC). Between 1991 and 1996, Whitney anda host of volunteers hand planted nearly 400acres of wet meadow in the valley. Usingmethods Whitney developed, the Crane Trust

Young seed collector on the Platte River bluffs ofHamilton County, Nebraska in 1980.

CCCCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER 1 - I 1 - I 1 - I 1 - I 1 - INTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTIONNTRODUCTION

Bill Whitney, in 1978, standing amidst theMorton Arboretum prairie restoration inLisle, Illinois.


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and Conservancy continue to do prairierestorations in the Platte River valley.

With a grant from the NebraskaEnvironmental Trust in 2000, PPRI establishedthe Prairie Restoration Cooperative inpartnership with the Nebraska Game and ParksCommission (NGPC), TNC, U.S. Fish andWildlife Service (USFWS), Pheasants Forever(PF) and Natural Resource Conservation Service(NRCS). Together they are working to expandhigh-diversity prairie restoration to new areasand habitats within the state, to increase their

capability to do restorations, and to increase theavailability of local-ecotype native seed forrestorations, wildlife plantings and horticulturaluse. Since 2000 the Cooperative has plantedmore than 1,500 acres of prairie and wetland inthe eastern half of Nebraska, mostly on landsowned by conservation agencies or protectedthrough conservation easements.

AAAAABOUTBOUTBOUTBOUTBOUT T T T T THISHISHISHISHIS P P P P PUBLICUBLICUBLICUBLICUBLICAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

This publication documents therestoration methods originally developed by BillWhitney and later refined by himself and otherecologists from TNC, PRCT, NGPC and USFWSworking in eastern Nebraska. Restoration of thefollowing plant community types is covered inthis document: tallgrass prairie, mixed-grassprairie, sand prairie, freshwater wet meadowand marsh, Rainwater Basin wet meadow andmarsh, and saline wet meadow and marsh.

The methods we use are generallyaffordable and not complicated. To quicklysummarize, we handpick and machine harvestseed, do little seed cleaning and broadcast plantwith a fertilizer spreader. We do not mowannual weeds during the initial years afterplanting and manage established restorationswith prescribed fire and grazing. ManyMidwestern restorationists use other methods.For example, some plant highly-cleaned seedwith a seed drill, pack the soil after planting andmow annual weeds in the first year afterplanting. We will touch on these methodswithin this publication.

Our methods have proven successful andpractical for restorations in eastern Nebraska.We do not wish to imply that our restorationmethods work better or are more successfulthan the methods of others. Other restorationmethods might be more appropriate for areaswith different climates, soils and vegetation.Innovations in our restoration methodology overthe years have resulted from our experimentationA seed sower lineup on a Platte River valley

restoration.

PPRI’s custom fabricated seed harvester usedduring the early 1990s.

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and by learning from the restoration efforts ofothers. Our methods will likely be refined incoming years as we gain more experience andknowledge about prairie and wetlandrestoration and ecology.

TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE P P P P PLLLLLANTANTANTANTANT C C C C COMMUNITIESOMMUNITIESOMMUNITIESOMMUNITIESOMMUNITIES

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Early French explorers traversing centralNorth America had no term for the vastgrasslands they encountered, so they called itprairie – literally, meadow. Then, prairiecovered more than 95 percent of theNebraska landscape. The prairies wereof three basic types: tallgrass, mixed-grass and Sandhills prairie – each ofwhich developed in response tovariations in climate and soils. Trees ineastern Nebraska were restricted towell-watered and somewhat fire-protected stream valleys by wildfire,drought and competition with prairiegrasses. Woodlands occupied onlyabout 2 percent of eastern Nebraska’spresettlement landscape.

Tallgrass prairie covered therolling hills of the eastern third ofNebraska where annual precipitation

averaged more than 25 inches. It also extendedwestward into the drier plains in stream valleys,such as those of the Platte, Republican, Elkhorn,Niobrara and Loup rivers. Tall grasses – bigbluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indiangrass(Sorghastrum nutans) and switchgrass (Panicumvirgatum) – were the dominant plants of thetallgrass prairie. In the rich soils of wet valleysthese grasses often grew 6 feet or taller.

Tallgrass prairie soils, which developedover thousands of years, commonly had topsoilsover 18 inches thick and rich in organic matterand nutrients. Hundreds of species ofwildflowers, grasses and sedges added color anddiversity to the tallgrass landscape. The largemajority of prairie plants are perennials, whichresprout each spring from roots, bulbs or corms.Annuals and biennials are a minor componentof the prairie flora.

The tallgrass prairie region was the first inNebraska to be settled by Europeans.Immigrants, who first arrived in large numbersafter the passage of the Homestead Act in 1862,found the fertile soils and ample rainfall in thetallgrass region well suited for growing corn andother crops. By 1900, most of the tallgrassprairie had been plowed. Today less than two

Tallgrass

Sowers taking a break after a 1993 planting.


Tallgrass prairie.

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percent of Nebraska’s original tallgrass prairieremains.

The majority of remnant tallgrass prairiesare usually less than 80 acres and have survivedas hay meadows and grazed pastures. They areliterally islands of prairie in a sea of cropland. Afew larger tracts exceedinga square mile are foundon land too steep, rockyor infertile to plow.Hayed prairies aregenerally in bettercondition and have ahigher diversity of nativeplants than pasturedprairies. Many pastureshave been overgrazed andsprayed with herbicidesleading to loss of nativeplant diversity.Encroachment of shrubs,trees and exotic plants hasreduced the value of mostremnant prairies as nativeplant and wildlifehabitats.

West of the tallgrass prairieregion, but excluding the Sandhills,mixed-grass prairie cloaked the drierloess covered plains and hills. Theword “mixed” represents thecombination of short, mid and tallgrasses that dominated this prairietype. Mid and short grasses, primarilylittle bluestem (Schizachriumscoparium), needle-and-thread(Hesperostipa comata), side-oats grama(Bouteloua curtipendula), blue grama(B. gracilis) and buffalograss (Buchloedactyloides) grew on the upper slopesand hilltops. Tall grasses grew on lowerslopes and bottoms.

Roughly a third of easternNebraska’s mixed-grass prairie has

survived, primarily in areas too steep, rocky, dryor infertile to farm. The largest expanses remainon the steep loess hills of central Nebraska andon the breaks and bluffs of the Platte,Republican and Niobrara rivers.

An eastern extension of mixed-grass prairie occurs on Pierre Shale-derived soils near the Missouri River in northeast Nebraska.

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Mixed-grass prairie on the loess bluffs of the Platte Rivereast of Grand Island, Nebraska.

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Settlement and farming in the mixed-grass prairie region started slightly later andproceeded at a slower pace than in the tallgrassprairie region. Initial plowing of the mixed-grassprairie continued until the 1920s, when nearlyall land capable of supporting dryland farmingwas under cultivation. Some mixed-grass prairienot suitable for dryland farming went under theplow when well irrigation was developed in the1950s. This conversion was further spurredwith the advent of center-pivot irrigation in theearly 1970s. Since the early 1980s, theconversion of prairie to irrigated cropland hasslowed.

The Nebraska Sandhills, North America’slargest dune field, covers much of north-centralNebraska. The dune soils support Sandhillsprairie dominated by a variety of tall, mid andshort grasses including sand bluestem

(Andropogon hallii), prairie sandreed(Calamovilfa longifolia), sand dropseed(Sporobolus cryptandrus), little bluestem,needle-and-thread and hairy grama (Boutelouahirsuta). Valleys between dunes support a morelush growth of vegetation and many scatteredwetlands.

Attracted by the free and open range,cattlemen in the 1870s were the first to settle inthe Sandhills. Passage of the Kincaid Act in 1904attracted farmers to the region. However, asuccession of dry years and crop failures soonforced most to sell out to ranchers. Ranchinghas remained the predominant land use in theSandhills. Today only about 5 percent of theSandhills is cultivated.

Sandhills prairie, like all of Nebraska’sprairie types, developed under the influence ofwildfire and grazing by large ungulates, such as


Figure 1. Presettlement distribution of the major plant community typesof Nebraska (modified from Native vegetation map of Nebraska., Kauland Rolfsmeier 1993).

TTTTTal lgrassa l lgrassa l lgrassa l lgrassa l lgrassPra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i e

Sandhills Sandhills Sandhills Sandhills SandhillsP r a i r i eP r a i r i eP r a i r i eP r a i r i eP r a i r i e

Loess HillsLoess HillsLoess HillsLoess HillsLoess HillsMixed -g ras sMixed -g ras sMixed -g ras sMixed -g ras sMixed -g ras s

Pra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i e

Shor tg ra s sShor tg ra s sShor tg ra s sShor tg ra s sShor tg ra s sPra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i ePra i r i e

Rainwater BasinRainwater BasinRainwater BasinRainwater BasinRainwater BasinWWWWWe t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d s

S a l i n eS a l i n eS a l i n eS a l i n eS a l i n eWWWWWe t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d se t l a n d s

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bison, pronghorns, elk and deer. Fires kept treesand shrubs from encroaching upon the prairies,reduced litter buildup, enhanced nutrientavailability and, in general, stimulated thegrowth of prairie plants. Like fire, grazingreduced litter buildup and recycled nutrients.Random grazing patterns alsoproduced areas of varyingvegetation height and density,which in turn, provided habitatfor a diversity of prairie animals.

With settlement thenatural disturbance patterns ofNebraska’s prairies changed.Wildfires were suppressed andgrazing patterns changed as thefree-roaming ungulates werereplaced by fenced herds ofcattle. Since settlement manynative prairies have beenovergrazed, which has reducednative plant diversity andpromoted invasion by aggressiveexotic plants, such as Kentucky

bluegrass (Poa pratensis), smoothbrome (Bromus inermis),cheatgrass (Bromus spp.) andthistles.

Many of Nebraska’s prairieremnants have lost ecologicalvalue because of their small sizeand fragmented distribution withina cropland-dominated landscape.Small prairies provide few nestingopportunities for grassland nestingbirds, such as bobolinks andprairie chickens, which requirelarger blocks of nesting habitat.These small prairies surrounded bycroplands and roads are alsosusceptible to invasion by exoticplants, herbicide drift, erosion andloss of native species. Though

small and highly vulnerable, small prairies areimportant seed collecting sites and habitat formany species of plants, wildlife and insects.

Before settlement, wetlands werecommonly interspersed among Nebraska’sprairies, primarily in the Rainwater Basin region

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A drained and partially farmed Rainwater Basin wetland insouth-central Nebraska.

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The Sandhills contain Nebraska’s largest concentration anddiversity of wetland types.

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of south-central Nebraska, in the Sandhills andin stream and river valleys. Wetlands, shallowbodies of water or areas with water-saturatedsoils, are among Nebraska’s most productivehabitats and home to a diversity of aquaticplants and animals.

Rainwater Basin wetlands formed overthousands of years as wind-excavateddepressions in the south-central Nebraska loessplain. The rainwater- and snowmelt-filledbasins are a key spring staging area for millionsof ducks, geese and shorebirds, which feed andrest there before continuing their northwardmigration.

By the early 1900s, most good soils inthe loess plains of south-central Nebraska werealready farmed. Farmers then began drainingthe basins, which were considered wastelands,to increase their acres of cropland. By 1920, 20to 35 percent of the basins in Fillmore Countyhad been drained and converted to cropland.Today less than 10 percent of the original basinsremain.

Valuable bird habitat,as well as habitat for otheraquatic species, was lostwhen the basins were filledor drained. Migratingwaterfowl have been forcedto concentrate in largenumbers on the remainingbasins. Numbers sometimesapproach a million ducks andgeese per basin. Crowdinghas made birds susceptible tooutbreaks of fowl cholera, adisease that claims thousandsof birds some years.

The Sandhills containNebraska’s largestconcentration and diversity ofwetland types. They includewet meadows (lowlands withwater-saturated soilsdominated by sedges and

grasses), marshes (deeper water areas withemergent vegetation such as rushes andspikerushes), lakes and fens (spring-fed wetlandswith peat or muck soils). Sandhills wetlandshave not undergone the intense conversion tocropland that occurred in other regions ofNebraska, but many have been ditched anddrained to facilitate haying.

Before Euroamerican settlement,Nebraska’s river floodplains were a mosaic ofoxbow lakes, backwater marshes, wet meadowsand woodlands. Annual spring and earlysummer floods were vital to the ecologicalhealth of these floodplain ecosystems. Thefloods cut new channels, leaving the oldchannels to form backwater wetlands, andsaturated the floodplain soils. The majority ofNebraska’s floodplain wetlands have beenditched, drained and converted to cropland. Inaddition, stream channelization, damconstruction and reduced stream flows havegreatly altered the hydrology of remainingfloodplain wetlands beyond the Sandhills.


A natural floodplain in the Nebraska’s Sandhills with an unchannelizedmeandering stream. In some highly disturbed floodplains in easternNebraska restoration practices could include modification of channelsand wetlands and reseeding of native vegetation.

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Saline wetlands occur in the floodplainof Salt Creek and its tributaries in Lancaster andsouthern Saunders counties. Groundwaterseepage over thousands of years from deeplyburied saline aquifers has accumulated salts inthe floodplain soils, allowing this uniquewetland type to form. The wetlands’ vegetationis composed of salt-adapted plants such assaltgrass (Distichlis spicata) and seablite (Suaedacalceoliformis). Salt-encrusted mudflats are acommon feature of saline wetlands. Thesemudflats are rich in invertebrate life and areheavily used by migrating shorebirds.

The channelization of Salt Creek,initiated in 1917 as a flood-protection measurefor the city of Lincoln, greatly affected the salinewetlands. Completed in 1942, thechannelization encouraged tributary streams tohead-cut, carving deeper into their beds toadjust to the gradients. The loweredstreambeds eventually cut into saline wetlands,draining them and diluting their saltconcentrations. Many saline wetlands were

filled and developed as Lincolnexpanded over the years.Others were drained, filled andfarmed.

Today, only about 5percent of Nebraska’s originalsaline wetlands remain.Wetlands with representativesalt-adapted vegetation arescarce and shorebird use of thewetlands has dwindledsubstantially over the years.

WWWWWHAHAHAHAHATTTTT ISISISISIS RESTORARESTORARESTORARESTORARESTORATIONTIONTIONTIONTION?????Restoration is the

process of recreating a plantcommunity (i.e. prairie orwetland) where one onceexisted but is now gone. Mostof our restorations are sown onland that has been farmed for

many years. In some cases, overgrazing,indiscriminant herbicide spraying or exotic plantinvasion have degraded remnant prairies andwetlands to a point where few native plantsremain, though the natural soil profile remainsintact. Such sites are often interseeded withnative plants after exotic species are controlled.We also consider this process restoration.Ecologists sometimes use the term“reconstruction” in a context similar to the termrestoration – creating a prairie or wetland fromscratch where none currently exists.

Native plant composition and diversity,and wildlife habitat values of many prairies andwetlands can be improved through use ofprescribed fire, controlled grazing, tree clearing,selective herbicide spraying and other practiceswithout the need for interseeding. We definethese activities as management or enhancement.

Restoration stresses ecological accuracywith strong emphasis on plant communitycomposition and structure. We seed only thosespecies that are natural components of the plant

Salt-adapted vegetation of a saline wetland nearLincoln, Nebraska.

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community. We also use local ecotype seed (seedefinition below) with genetics similar to theplants native to the region of interest. Ecologicalaccuracy is what distinguishes restoration fromplantings that include exotic species, only a fewnative species or native plant cultivars (plantswhose genetics have been modified throughselective breeding). For example, ConservationReserve Program (CRP) plantings sometimescontain five or fewer native grass cultivars andare not considered prairie restorations.

Restorationists recognize that simplyseeding native plants is not sufficient to bringback the bacteria, fungi, invertebrates andwildlife that inhabited presettlement native

plant communities. However, the plantcommunity provides the basic structuralenvironment for these other life forms and manyof these species may colonize the restoration ontheir own.

Before planting, restoration ofteninvolves earthmoving to reshape the naturallandscape topography or restore wetlandhydrology. For example, farm terraces are oftenleveled in crop fields before seeding prairie.Sediment is often excavated and ditches filledprior to seeding wetlands.

For the sake of the reader, we feel it isimportant to define a few terms frequently usedin this publication.

Biodiversity Biodiversity Biodiversity Biodiversity Biodiversity – is the diversity of all livingthings: plants, animals and microorganisms, aswell as the genetic material that makes up thoseorganisms. At a higher level, biodiversityincludes plant communities, ecosystems andlandscapes of which the species are a part. Theconcept of biodiversity includes both the varietyof living things and the genetic variability foundwithin and among them.

Cool-season grass Cool-season grass Cool-season grass Cool-season grass Cool-season grass – A grass that generallymakes the major portion of its growth during thefall and early spring. These plants usuallypossess the C-3 photosynthetic pathway.Nebraska has many native cool-season grasses,however, most of the exotic grasses that invaderemnant prairies and wetlands are also cool-season species.

CultivarCultivarCultivarCultivarCultivar – A plant developed and improved byvarious horticultural techniques such asselection and hybridization. Common cultivarsof native grasses planted in Nebraska includeOmaha Wildrye, Pawnee Big Bluestem andCave-In-Rock Switchgrass. Cultivar grasses havegenerally been selected for aggressive growthcharacteristics for grazing use. Cultivars of nativewildflowers are commonly sold as ornamental


A smooth brome dominated native pasture innortheast Nebraska contains few native plantssuch as purple coneflower in the foreground.

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plants in Nebraska. These generally are largerplants and have larger flowers than nativevarieties.

Exotic plant Exotic plant Exotic plant Exotic plant Exotic plant – A plant introduced from othercontinents or other regions of North America; anon-native plant. This generally refers to plantsnot found in Nebraska at the time ofEuroamerican settlement (CA 1850).

ForbForbForbForbForb – Any herbaceous (non-woody) plant thatis not a grass or sedge. The term forb iscommonly used to describe the broad-leavedplants known as wildflowers.

High-diversity restorationHigh-diversity restorationHigh-diversity restorationHigh-diversity restorationHigh-diversity restoration – The termdiversity refers to the number of plant speciesseeded in a restoration. We define high-diversity restoration as one in which >75 plantspecies are seeded. A moderate-diversitymoderate-diversitymoderate-diversitymoderate-diversitymoderate-diversityrestorationrestorationrestorationrestorationrestoration is one in which 25-75 species areseeded. A low-diversity restoration ow-diversity restoration ow-diversity restoration ow-diversity restoration ow-diversity restoration is onein which < 25 species are seeded. These termsand values are for general use and can vary fordifferent plant community types. BeforeEuroamerican settlement, local prairies wereoften home to several hundred species of nativeplants. Saline wetlands, because of difficultgrowing conditions resulting from high saltconcentrations in the soil, naturally containedfewer than 25 plant species.

Local ecotype seedLocal ecotype seedLocal ecotype seedLocal ecotype seedLocal ecotype seed – This term refers to seedcollected from native plants that grow near arestoration site. Local ecotype seed is preferredby many restorationists because the plantsgrown from this seed will likely have geneticssimilar to plants growing on the site prior tosettlement. Local ecotype seed ensures the useof plants well-adapted to the climate and soilsof a restoration site. Use of local ecotype seedalso prevents potential contamination of thelocal native plant gene pools that can occur ifplants are brought from beyond the region.

Restorationists vary in their opinion as towhat constitutes local ecotype seed. Somesuggest that to maintain local gene pools seedsshould be collected within 100 miles north orsouth of a restoration site and 200 miles east orwest of a site. Others suggest that seed shouldbe collected within 25 miles of a restorationsite. As a rule of thumb, we try to use seedcollected within a 100-mile radius of arestoration site.

Native plantNative plantNative plantNative plantNative plant – A plant native to Nebraska, aplant species that occurred here at the time ofEuroamerican settlement (CA 1850).

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A high-diversity, wet-mesic prairie restorationin the central Platte River valley.

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Remnant prairiesRemnant prairiesRemnant prairiesRemnant prairiesRemnant prairies – Those prairies that havenever been plowed, retain their natural soilprofile and support native vegetation though itmay be altered from its presettlement condition.Remnant prairies are often referred to as nativeprairies. Ecologists often use the term nativenativenativenativenativeprairieprairieprairieprairieprairie to describe restorations planted withlocal-ecotype seed. This may be somewhatmisleading because a prairie’s natural soil profileor exact presettlement plant and animalcomposition cannot be replicated.

Plant community Plant community Plant community Plant community Plant community – An assemblage of plantsgrowing under similar environmental conditions(i.e. soils and climate). Examples of plantcommunity types include tallgrass prairie,mixed-grass prairie and Rainwater Basin marsh.

WWWWWarm-season grassarm-season grassarm-season grassarm-season grassarm-season grass – A grass that makesmost or all of its growth during the late spring toearly fall period and is usually dormant othertimes of the year. These plants usually possessthe C-4 photosynthetic pathway. Most of thegrasses that dominated Nebraska’s prairies, suchas big bluestem and Indiangrass, are warm-season grasses.


Musk thistle, an invasive exotic or non-nativeplant originally from Eurasia, is a troublesomeweed in some native grasslands.

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Restorations can vary from less than anacre to several thousand acres. The NatureConservancy is restoring a 5,000-acre sandprairie and wet meadow complex on theirKankakee Sands Preserve in Indiana. Backyardand school restorations are often less than a fewthousand square feet.

In general, the larger the restoration, thegreater the diversity and abundance of nativeplants and wildlife it can support. And the moregenetically diverse the plant populations, themore resilient the restoration is to climaticchange, diseases and other environmentalfactors. However, even small prairie andwetland restorations provide habitat for nativeplants, small mammals, birds and a diversity ofinsects. Prairie restorations can be a relativelylow-maintenance native landscaping option.Prairie landscaping is not only dynamic andattractive, but also environmentally friendly,greatly reducing the need for water, fertilizer andlawn chemicals. Backyard and school prairies

are excellent places to teach about nature andto foster greater appreciation of the prairie.

Restoration is fun and interesting andcan be a great family, school or volunteer activity.However, restoration is a slow process with mostprairie and wetland plantings taking 3-5 years tobecome well established. Restoration requirespatience and commitment.

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Some city and county governments havecodes or ordinances restricting the height ofplants in residential lawns. These restrictionsmight preclude planting of a prairie in someresidential areas. City or county clerks can beconsulted to see if such restrictions exist. Localfire departments should be contacted ifprescribed burning is planned for restorationmanagement to determine local restrictions andneeded permits. State and federal permits areoften required for earthmoving in wetlands (i.e.ditch filling or excavation of fill material).

School prairie restorations are usually small butcreate opportunities for educational activities,such as this prescribed burning demonstration.

Creating a school prairie is agreat way to involve youth inconservation.

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Consulting the Nebraska Game and ParksCommission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service orArmy Corp of Engineers is recommended priorto such activities.

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Most prairie plants grow poorly inshaded environments because they need aminimum of 6 to 10 hours of sunlight per day tosurvive. In addition, cool-season exotic plantssuch as smooth brome often invade shadedareas of prairie. Prairie restorations should beplaced in the sunniest sites available, andremoving shelterbelts or other non-nativewoodlands adjacent to restoration sites shouldbe considered before planting.

If possible, avoid planting restorationsadjacent to stands of smooth brome, reedcanary grass (Phalaris arundinaceae), tallwheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponticum) or otheraggressive and difficult to eradicate exoticplants. Unless controlled through herbicideapplication, mechanical means or prescribed firebefore planting (see Chapter 6) these specieswill probably invade a restoration.

Caution must be taken when planting aprairie or wetland downslope of cropland

because they may receive runoff and siltation.Cropland terraces and native grass buffer stripsupslope of the restorations help prevent runoffand silt from reaching the restorations.Restorations are susceptible to herbicide andpesticide drift and attention must be paid towind direction and speed when applyingherbicides and pesticides to crops or pastureadjacent to a restoration.

Soil texture, drainage and chemistry willinfluence which species to plant in a prairie orwetland restoration. Many prairie plants willgrow on a wide variety of soil textures. Forexample, in eastern Nebraska, little bluestemgrows on sandy, silty and clayey soils. Otherprairie plants will grow only on specific soiltypes. For example, in eastern Nebraska, sandbluestem will grow only on sandy soils. Chapter5 and Appendix B provide guidance as to whatspecies to seed on various soil types. County

soil surveys, available at local Natural ResourceConservation Service offices, can be consultedto determine soil characteristics of a restorationsite.


Prairie landscaping is not only attractive, butalso environmentally friendly, reducing theneed for water, fertilizer and lawn chemicals.

A basic knowledge of soil types and site hydrol-ogy (e.g. sand, silt and clay) and their moisturecharacteristics is helpful in planning the appro-priate mix of species for a restoration.

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Most prairie and wetlandplants have fairly specificmoisture requirements andshould be seeded on sites withappropriate soil moistureregimes (see Chapter 5 andAppendix B). For example,restorations on low-lying siteswith standing water for most ofthe growing season (seasonallyand semi-permanently floodedwetlands) should be sown withmarsh plants. Low-lying sitesflooded only in spring or afterheavy rains and withgroundwater always within afew feet of the soil surface(temporary wetlands) should besown with wet-mesic prairieplants. Upland prairie plants

are appropriate for seeding on sites notinfluenced by groundwater or flooding.

Wetland restorations are complicatedbecause the natural hydrology of sites haveoften been altered through ditching, tiling orfilling and must be restored before seeding.Restoration of wetland hydrology often requirescomplex engineering, extensive earthmovingand state and federal permits. Consulting with abiologist from the Nebraska Game and ParksCommission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,Ducks Unlimited or other conservationorganizations is recommended beforeundertaking a wetland restoration.

We believe that past herbicide use at arestoration site usually has little influence onestablishing seeded species. Atrazine, abroadleaf and grass herbicide commonlyapplied to cornfields in eastern Nebraska, is theexception. We have found that Atrazine mightlimit seeding growth of native plants for one orpossibly more years after its last application. Werecommend not applying Atrazine to arestoration site for 2-3 years before seeding.Hand collecting is necessary for obtaining

seed of most prairie and wetland species.

Low-lying sites with standing water for most of the growingseason should be sown with marsh plants.

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Figure 1 (page 9) shows the presettlementdistribution of major prairie and wetland typesin Nebraska and can be consulted to helpdetermine which plant community type isappropriate for planting on a restoration site.Though this map shows distinct boundariesbetween community types (e.g. tallgrass prairieand mixed-grass prairie), in reality thesetransitions are often gradual and sometimesshifting over time in response to climate.

OOOOOTHERTHERTHERTHERTHER P P P P PLLLLL ANNINGANNINGANNINGANNINGANNING C C C C CONSIDERAONSIDERAONSIDERAONSIDERAONSIDERATIONSTIONSTIONSTIONSTIONS

Obtaining seed, whether by collection orpurchase, is usually the most time-consuming orcostly part of the restoration process. Seed costvaries depending on the following factors: 1)size of the restoration, 2) number of speciesincluded in the seed mix, 3) seeding rate and 4)whether seed is collected and processed byoneself or purchased. The seed of commonprairie species, such as big bluestem or rigidsunflower (Helianthus pauciflorus), can usually

be collected in large quantities or purchased atreasonable prices. Seed collecting time or costincrease when hard-to-collect or less commonspecies, such as or blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchiumspp.) or downy gentian (Gentiana puberulenta),are included in the seed mix. We foundcollecting and processing seed ourselves is morecost efficient than to buy it from a dealer.However, we have made a considerableinvestment in equipment and staff training,which increases the efficiency of seedharvesting.

There are presently few individuals orcompanies in Nebraska that collect, grow andsell local ecotype seed. However, severalMidwestern seed dealers do sell prairie andwetland seed that may be appropriate foreastern Nebraska. Buying seed mixes is usually


Seed collecting time or cost increasewhen hard-to-collect or less commonspecies such as this blue-eyed grass areincluded in the seed mix.

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Downy gentian, a rare tallgrass prairiespecies, is a beautiful fall-bloomingwildflower. Its seed is not harvestableuntil October.

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less expensive than purchasing seed ofindividual species and making one’s own mix.Another point to consider is that manycommercial prairie and wetland seed mixescontain seed of horticultural and agronomicnative plant cultivars or seed that is not localecotype seed for eastern Nebraska.

There are several conservation programsincluding the Nebraska Game and ParkCommission’s Wild Nebraska Program, the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners For WildlifeProgram and the Natural ResourceConservations Service’s Conservation ReserveProgram and Wetland Reserve Program that canprovide landowners financial assistance forprairie and wetland restorations. Contactinformation for these agencies is included inAppendix A.

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Becoming familiar with prairie orwetland plants before beginning a restorationwill prove valuable and increase your enjoymentof the restoration process. Several books onprairie and wetland plants are listed inAppendix A. Visiting a local native prairie orwetland will assist with learning native plants,their growth characteristics and locations on thelandscape.

Adequate time must be scheduled forseed collecting and processing, site preparationand planting, which are discussed in Chapters3-6. For most prairie and wetland restorationsseed is collected over an entire growing season,mid-May to late October. Before collectingseed, collecting sites must be located and accesspermission obtained. Seed is usually processedin late fall and planted in late fall throughspring.

For those with little restorationexperience, collecting seed for and planting onlya small part of a site the first year will allow oneto learn the tricks of the trade before jumpingheadlong into unfamiliar territory. For

schoolyard restorations, conducting a partialrestoration each year allows subsequent classesto be involved in each aspect of the restorationprocess. Keeping a written record of each phaseof the restoration process, such as seedcollection dates and amounts, and plantingmethods and rates, is a valuable learningprocess and may increase one’s enjoyment ofthe restoration process.

Becoming familiar with prairie or wetland plantsbefore beginning a restoration will prove valuable.

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SSSSSEEDEEDEEDEEDEED C C C C COLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTING T T T T TIPSIPSIPSIPSIPS

The seeds of most species planted inrestorations in eastern Nebraska can becollected from remnant prairies and wetlands,and occasionally from road right-of-ways. Seedcollecting requires a comprehensive knowledgeof the plants beyond learning their names andhow to identify them. It also requires learningtheir habitats, locations and seasonal cycles of

growth, flowering and seed production.Learning these facts for 100 or so species in aplanting is not as an intimidating as it mightseem and can be an enjoyable part of therestoration process. Several plant guides for theregion are listed in Appendix A.

In eastern Nebraska, the seed-collectingseason begins in mid-May when the seeds ofearly blooming plants such as prairie ragwort(Senecio plattensis), pussytoes (Antennaria spp.)

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A high-diversity mix can include seed of more than 100 species.


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and sedges (Carex spp.) ripen. Harvestcontinues through October and into earlyNovember when the seeds of the late-bloomingwildflowers, such as asters (Symphyotrichumspp.) and goldenrods (Solidago spp.) ripen. Seedof the dominant warm-season prairie grasses,such as big bluestem and Indiangrass, needed inlarge quantities for prairie restorations, beginripening in mid-September.

The seeds of most prairie and wetlandplants mature over a 1-2 week period that isfairly consistent from year to year (see AppendixB). For some species, such as spiderworts(Tradescantia spp.) and blazing stars (Liatrisspp.), seeds mature over several weeks.

Ripening seed should be checked often andharvested when the highest percentage of seedis ripe because the seed of many species beginsto fall from the plant soon after ripening. Theseeds of New Jersey tea (Ceanothus spp.), violets(Viola spp.), prairie phlox (Phlox pilosa) and afew other prairie species burst from capsuleswhen mature and must be collectedimmediately upon ripening. Members of themilkweed (Asclepiadaceae) and aster(Asteraceae) families have wind-blown,dandelion-like seeds that must be collectedbefore they blow away.

Some restorationists recommendcollecting only 50 percent of the seed of a givenspecies from a site and less for rare species.Leaving seed at a collection site provides foodfor wildlife and provides plants an opportunityto reproduce. As a general rule, we collect asmuch seed as possible for each species neededin a restoration, though limiting the amount wetake from each site. Excess seed is used to planta heavier seed mix. Seed of aggressive native

For some species, such as this blazing star, seedsripen over several weeks. First to ripen are seedslower on the stem.

Milkweed seeds bursting from their pods inSeptember.

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species (listed in Appendix B), such asMaximillian sunflower (Helianthus maximilianii),sawtooth sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)and Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis),

that spread rapidly in a restoration can becollected in limited quantities.

Care must be taken to avoid collectingseed of agronomic and horticultural cultivarsthat have been planted in many areas of thestate. This is generally not a problem whencollecting from remnant prairies and wetlands.However, many road right-of-ways have beenseeded with horticultural and agronomiccultivars of native wildflowers, such as purpleconeflower (Echinacea spp.) and blanket flower(Gaillardia pulchella), and native grasses, such aseastern gamma grass (Tripsacum dactyloides)and big bluestem. Most Conservation ReserveProgram (CRP) fields also have been planted

with agronomic and horticultural cultivars ofnative grasses and wildflowers.

It is necessary that seed collectors knowwhen seeds are ripe for harvest and thedifference between seed capable of germinationand seed that won’t germinate. Prairie cordgrass(Spartina pectinata), side-oats grama (Boutelouacurtipendula) and sedges (Carex spp.) areexamples of species that often produce normalhealthy looking seed heads that are empty ofseed. Significant time and effort can be lostcollecting sterile seeds or empty seed heads.

Restorationists use the followingindicators to judge when seeds are ripe (not allof these conditions must be presentsimultaneously in all species to indicateripeness):

! Ripe seeds are plump and hard,unripe seed is generally soft or milky.

! Earliest formed seeds are starting todrop from the plant.

! Seedpods and seed coats arechanging colors – usually from greento a darker hue.

! Seedpods or capsules are starting toopen.


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Seed of aggressive native species,such as this sawtooth sunflower, thatspread rapidly in a restoration can becollected in limited quantities.

Ripe Canada milkvetch pods containing seeds. Ifthe pods have not been attacked by insects theseeds may be visible or make a rattle sound whenshaken.

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! Stems are dry and no longernourished by the roots and leaves.

Two general stages of seed developmentwith which collectors should be familiar are themilky stage and the dough stage. If whensqueezed between the fingers the seed consistsof a milky pulp, the seed is not yet ripe and willnot mature into a viable seed if picked at thisstage. If the seed is doughy, mealy or hard whensqueezed between the fingers, it will generallymature into a viable seed if picked at this stage.In general, the longer the seed is allowed tomature or harden the greater the chance of itbeing viable. The seeds of many species, suchas prairie clovers (Dalea spp.) and grasses, arewell hidden by bracts and chaff and not easilyfound. Bracts and chaff are often papery andlight in these species while seeds are more solidand have smooth hard surfaces.

A shriveled flower head or seed head/fruit or the presence of a small entry hole in theseed head might indicate insect damage to the

SSSSSEEDEEDEEDEEDEED T T T T TESTINGESTINGESTINGESTINGESTING

Seed of native plants can be tested for viability and purity at seed laboratories such asthe Nebraska Department of Agriculture Seed Testing Lab in Lincoln. Tests are conducted on anindividual species basis. The Pure Live Seed (PLS) can be calculated by multiplying the bulk seedweight by its purity percentage and germination percentage (viability). PLS values must beprovided for any native seed sold in Nebraska. Seed testing is fairly expensive, around $80 pertest, but it is the only way to closely estimate the amount of live seed being planted in arestoration.

We believe it unnecessary to know the approximate amount of live seed being planted ina restoration and, therefore, we have done little seed testing. Testing all the seed we collect andplant would be cost prohibitive. We reason that if seeds are plump and ripe when collected,most will be viable and that having some bad seed in a mix will not affect our restoration results.Following are viability tests results from seed that we collected from central Platte River valleyprairies during the severe drought summer of 2002: rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium) 93%,common evening primrose (Oenothera villosa) 88%, stiff sunflower 86%, Illinois bundleflower(Desmanthus illinoensis) 78%, wild licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota) 75%, Maximillian sunflower72%, big bluestem 86% and Indiangrass 91%. These test results, though from a severe droughtperiod, are not to imply that native plants always produce a high percentage of viable seed.Many native species may not have good seed production in a given year.

Including as little as a handfull of leafy spurge orother aggressive weed seed in a seed mix couldspell trouble for a restoration.

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seeds. Insect infested seed heads generallyproduce little viable seed. Infestations oftenaffect entire populations. The seed heads ofprairie cordgrass and the seed pods of Canadamilkvetch (Astragalus canadensis) and wildindigo (Baptisia spp.) are often infested byinsects, turning a promising looking seed harvestto bust. Drought can also drastically affect theseed yield of many prairie and wetland species.Many species, such as Indiangrass and bigbluestem, might still flower during dry years, butproduce little viable seed. Late rains inpreviously dry summers may cause many plantsto flower later than normal and produce viableseed.

For all methods of seed collecting,thoroughly scouting an area for troublesomeweed species is important. Including as little asa handful of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) orother aggressive weed seed in a seed mix couldspell trouble for a restoration. This is especiallytrue when machine-harvesting seed, which doesnot allow for the kind of close inspection ofvegetation that is possible with hand collecting.

Seed collectors should always obtainpermission from landowners when collectingseed on private property and from roadsdepartments when collecting from road right-of-ways. It is also important to inform adjacentprivate landowners when collecting from roadright-of-ways because many will be curious as towhat is going on. Seed collecting is not allowedon most public lands, such as state parks andwildlife management areas, without permissionof the managing agency.

HHHHHANDANDANDANDAND C C C C COLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTINGOLLECTING

For prairie and wetland restorations ofless than a few acres, the seed of all species canbe collected in sufficient quantities by hand.Even for larger restorations we collect themajority of the forb, sedge and non-dominantgrass seed by hand. We machine-harvest seedof the dominant prairie warm-season grasses

and seed of several other prairie and wetlandspecies.

When hand collecting, the seed heads,capsules or fruits of most grasses, sedges andwildflowers can be grasped and easily pulled

A necessary step in collecting porcupinegrass and needle-and-thread is cuttingthe long awns from the seeds. If notdone, the awns twist while drying andtangle the seeds together.


Taping fingers protects them from cuts andabrasions while seed collecting.

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from the stems. Taping fingers protects themfrom cuts and abrasions. We prefer veterinarytape, available at most farm stores, because itadheres well yet allows flexible fingermovement. Prickly seed heads and heads thatdon’t detach easily from thestem can be clipped withpruning shears or knives.Short, serrated-edged knifeblades work well for this. Theseed heads of many grasses,such as prairie cordgrass andslender wheatgrass (Elymustrachycaulus), can be swepttogether by the handful andclipped.

We belt plasticdetergent and milk jugs withthe tops cut off to our waistfor seed storage, freeing bothhands for collecting. Two- tofive-gallon plastic bucketswork well for larger quantitiesof seed. We keep the seed ofmost species separate whilecollecting.

MMMMMECHANICALECHANICALECHANICALECHANICALECHANICAL SEEDSEEDSEEDSEEDSEED STRIPPERSSTRIPPERSSTRIPPERSSTRIPPERSSTRIPPERS

Mechanical seed strippers are aneffective method for collecting large quantities ofseed for many species. The stripper consists of anylon-bristled brush about 5 feet in lengthpowered by a gasoline engine. Both brush andengine are mounted on a chassis with roadworthy tires. The spinning brush dislodgesseeds and seed heads and deposits them in ahopper located behind. Seed strippers aresomewhat inefficient in that some seed isthrown forward by the brush and misses the bin.Some restorationists view inefficiency as positivein that it ensures that some seed remains on thecollection site. We pull our seed strippers with4-wheel all-terrain vehicles (ATV), but pickuptrucks or tractors can also be used.

The strippers are useful only whenrelatively large patches of target plants areavailable and free of unwanted weed seed, suchas that of smooth brome. In prairies we usethem for collecting seed of warm-season grasses,Virginia wildrye (Elymus virginicus), Canadawildrye, western wheatgrass (E. smithii), sedges,

Collecting the seed of warm-season grasses using a seed stripperdesigned by Prairie Habitats, Inc.

PPRI’s 2000 seed collecting crew with plasticmilk jugs. From left to right, Kristy Lee, MikeBullerman, Jason Johnson and Jon Soper.

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prairie clovers, leadplant and other species. Inwetlands we use them for collecting seeds ofbulrushes (Schoenoplectus spp.), spikerushes(Eleocharis spp.), rushes (Juncus spp.), plainscoreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria) and otherspecies. Frequently, seed of several species canbe harvested at one time with a stripper. Brushstrippers are not effective for harvesting speciessuch as prairie cordgrass, whose seed or seedheads do not readily detach from the plant.

We use two models of pull-behind seedstrippers, one sold by Prairie Habitats Inc. ofArgyle, Manitoba, (204 467-9371) the otherdeveloped by Ned Groelz of Arvada, Colorado,(303 424-3162). Both models can bepurchased for $7,000 to $8,000. The brushheight and direction of spin can be changed onboth models. On Prairie Habitat’s model thebrush is raised or lowered by a hand-operatedhydraulic pump operated when the machine isstopped. The Groelz model has an automatichydraulic system that raises and lowers thebrush. This machine has chassis-mountedcontrols, easily reachable from the ATV, whichturns the brush on or off and adjusts brushheight and direction of spin. When using theGroelz machine, patches of weeds can beavoided by stopping or raising the brush. Thebrush height can be easily adjusted whenpatches of desirable seed heads of differentheights are encountered. The Groelz machinealso has a durable, road-worthy suspension andtires and can be pulled with a pickup tocollecting sites at normal road speeds.

We use a counterclockwise brush spindirection for collecting seeds of middle height totall species and a clockwise spin direction forshorter species. We recommend experimentingwith brush height, spin direction and spin speedto see which works best for target species.

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Combines are more efficient at harvestingseed than seed strippers. For example, for

every acre of warm-season grass seed harvestedby stripper, we can plant 4-5 acres of prairie.Whereas, for every acre of grass seed harvestedby combine, we can plant about 10 acres ofprairie. The efficiency of combines must beweighed against their cost, high maintenanceand transportation concerns.

New combines can cost over $100,000and are unaffordable for most restorationists.Older, used combines can be purchased for aslittle as $1,000. Older combines commonlyhave mechanical breakdowns while harvesting.

When combining, having a good mechanichandy can save time and headaches. Combinescan be driven on back roads to nearby collectingsites, but they must be trailered for longer trips.

Combines designed for grain harvestingcan be easily modified for harvesting prairie andwetland plant seed. We use two combine types -a 1974 Massey Ferguson 510 and a 1975 AllisChalmers Gleaner K, both with grainheads.Grainheads consist of a cutting sickle and reel tocut seed heads. Combines use a combination ofa hammermill (the cylinder), air and screens toclean the seed once harvested by the cutting orstripper head. Generally, when harvesting grass


The Nature Conservancy’s 1974 Massey Ferguson510 combine with a grain head harvesting warm-season grasses.

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seed, the cylinder should be set relatively tightwith a small space between the rasp bars andthe concave, and the air kept to a minimum toprevent seed from blowing out the back. Whenusing a grainhead the screens should beadjusted to allow the most seed to pass throughwhile keeping the most stems and leaves out.

The USFWS in Kearney, Nebraska,harvests native seed with a 1993 MasseyFerguson 8560 combine and a rice head. Riceheads are more efficient at harvesting nativeseed than grainheads, but they are also moreexpensive, costing around $15,000 new. Usedrice heads can likely be purchased for less. Riceheads were designed to harvest wild rice, whichmatures over several weeks. Rotating cylinder-mounted teeth catch the seed heads and stripmature seed. It’s similar to catching seed headsbetween the fingers, squeezing and pulling tofree seeds. Rice heads leave most of the stemsand leaves unstripped providing nesting coverfor birds or fuel for prescribed burning thefollowing spring. When using a rice head, mostof the screens can be removed because very fewstems are harvested and the seed requires littleor no cleaning.

Augering grass seed out of the combine isoften difficult when using either grainheads or

rice heads. The fluffy seed often “bridges” in thebin and will not feed into the auger located atthe bottom of the bin. Building a plywood floorin the bin and simply shoveling the seed out isone way to avoid this problem. Anothermethod is to place a 12-inch or larger diameterPVC pipe vertically into the bin. As grass seedcomes into the bin it fills in around the pipe. Toauger seed out of the bin the pipe is removedand seed pushed down the resulting hole to theauger below.

We can combine 20-30 acres of prairiegrass on days with only minor breakdowns,producing 80-150 barrels (32 gallon capacity) ofseed. When combining a vegetatively diverseprairie in mid-September for grass seed, we canharvest seed of up to 40 additional nativespecies. We also combine seed of wildryes,wheatgrasses, sedges, leadplant and otherprairie plants as well as wetland sedges,bulrushes, spikerushes and large-fruit bur-reed(Sparganium eurycarpum). As with seedstrippers, caution must be taken whencombining to avoid harvesting weed seeds suchas those of smooth brome or musk thistle.

WWWWWOODWOODWOODWOODWOODWARDARDARDARDARD F F F F FLLLLLAILAILAILAILAIL-----VVVVVACACACACAC S S S S SEEDEEDEEDEEDEED S S S S STRIPPERTRIPPERTRIPPERTRIPPERTRIPPER

The Woodward Flail-vac Seed Strippermade by Ag-renewal, Inc. of Weatherford,Oklahoma, (800 658-1446) is a popular seed-harvesting machine among many restorationists.

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Massey Ferguson 8560 combine with a rice headharvesting Canada wildrye seed.

Drying seeds of prairie plants.

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It consists of a 6- or 12-foot hydraulic stripperbrush and hopper that mounts on a tractor’sfront-end loader. A 4-foot brush model is alsodesigned for mounting on the front of a 4-wheeler. The fast spinning brush creates avacuum pulling the seed heads into the bristles,dislodging seeds and depositing them into thehopper.

SSSSSEEDEEDEEDEEDEED D D D D DRYINGRYINGRYINGRYINGRYING

Seed of prairie and wetland plants mustbe dried shortly after collecting to preventmolding and to prepare it for storage. Packard(1997) writes that seed should be dried to a 5-15 percent moisture content. If seeds are notdried to this extent they are susceptible tomolding and loss to microorganisms. The cellwalls of seeds will break down and theirenzymes will become inactive if dried below 5percent moisture content.

We spread seed of most species on tarps,plastic barrel lids or cardboard laid on shed orgarage floors to dry. Elevated wire mesh-bottomed trays also work well and allow forbetter air movement around seed. Drying areasshould be well ventilated. Doors and windowsshould be open and fans used if needed toincrease air movement. Turning most seed every

day or two will facilitate even drying. The seedof most species will be adequately dried in 1-2weeks. Seeds enclosed in fleshy fruits, such asthose of roses (Rosa spp.) and false Solomon’sseal (Smilacina stellata), will require longerdrying time.

Larger quantities of stripper- or combine-harvested grass seed can be spread on plasticsheeting or tarps to a depth of about eightinches for drying. Large well-ventilated barns orsheds work well for this, or the seed can bedried outdoors as long as it is covered withplastic sheeting before rain. This seed needs tobe turned daily with scoop shovels to facilitatedrying. Seed that is damp or has green stems orleaves in it needs turning more frequently.Damp conditions could cause decompositionand subsequent heating, which can kill seed orcause combustion.

We also dry grass seed in 4x4x8-footplywood boxes with 1-foot diameter perforatedpipe in the bottom connected to a grain-dryingfan. Up to 40 barrels of grass seed can be driedin a day using the boxes. The drying boxes canbe mounted on a trailer and transported to theharvesting site and loaded directly from thecombine or stripper. Once seed is dry, one sideof the box, held in place by clamps, is droppedfor easy unloading.


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Plywood seed drying box connected to a graindrying fan.

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Native grasses, sedgesand wildflowers grown usingagricultural methods in singlespecies production plots, wherethey have sufficient water andno competition, produce farmore seed than wild grownplants. Seed grown inproduction plots can be used inrestorations or wildlifeplantings. Unlike conventionalcrops that are mostly annuals,most native plants grown inproduction plots are perennialsthat do not require replantingeach year.

Larger-scale native seedproduction operations requireirrigation systems, farmequipment and much labor. The NatureConservancy, on its Kankakee Sands Preserve inIndiana, grows 110 wildflower species in single-species production plots on 123 acres and fivewarm-season grass specieson 65 acres. Wetlandplants are grown in shallowponds. They use a centerpivot to irrigate, herbicidesand manual labor tocontrol weeds. Theyproduce far more seed eachyear than is required toplant 500 restoration acres.

In 2002-03, theNebraska Game and ParksCommission planted 1.5acres of prairie cordgrassand 0.5 acres of slender wheatgrass (Elymustrachycaulus) production plots using 8,000greenhouse grown seedlings and 0.5 acres of

native legume production plotsfrom seed on the CornhuskerWildlife Management Area westof Grand Island. We usegravity-flow to irrigate the plotsfrom a well that pumps nearly1,000 gallons per minute. Wecontrol weeds on the site usingpre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides and somemanual weeding. The plotsshould produce some seed inthe fall of 2003 and be in fullproduction by 2004.

The Nature Conservancyhas planted 30 native wildflowerand grass species in productionplots on 2 acres on its PlatteRiver Preserve in Hall County. A

traveling sprinkler system with a 100-foot sprayradius attached to a typical outdoor spigot isused to irrigate plots. Weeds are controlledthrough rototilling, mowing, hoeing and pre-

emergent herbicidespraying. Some seedproducers place plasticweed barriers betweenplant rows used incombination withunderground drip-irrigationsystems. This methodgreatly reduces the amountof hand weeding andherbicide spraying needed.

It is important toconsider the seed sourcewhen first plantingproduction plots. Many

restorationists prefer local ecotype seed and willnot purchase seed that originates outside theregion.

PPPPPRODUCTIONRODUCTIONRODUCTIONRODUCTIONRODUCTION P P P P PLOTSLOTSLOTSLOTSLOTS

Gayfeather production plot at The NatureConservancy’s Kankakee Sands Preservein Indiana.

Foxglove penstemon seedproduction plot at the NatureConservancy’s Platte RiverPreserve.

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Most hand-collected species requiresome threshing to dislodge and separate seedsfrom capsules or seed heads. Most stripper- andcombined-harvested seed requires noprocessing before planting. When broadcastplanting, this seed requires only minor cleaningafter threshing to remove larger pieces of stemand chaff. When drill-planting, seed needs tobe fairly clean to pass through the drill.

Small quantities of seed can be threshedby hand. One method is to place seed heads orcapsules on newspapers and use a rolling pin orsteel pipe to break them open. Rubbing seedheads against 1/8- to 1/2-inch mesh hardwarescreen also works. The threshed seeds can then

be sifted over the screens to remove largerpieces of chaff and stem.

Larger quantities of seed can be threshedwith hammermills that use spinning fan bladesor small, finger-like paddles to separate seedfrom pods or heads. One of our hammermills isa modified heavy-duty Grasshopper lawnmowerconveyor fan run by a gas engine. Seed heads

Homemade hammermill consisting of a modifiedheavy-duty Grasshopper lawn mower conveyor fanrun by a gas engine.

Speed King Hammermill model 615.Threshed seeds can be sifted over screen toremove large pieces of chaff and stem.

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CCCCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER 4 - S 4 - S 4 - S 4 - S 4 - SEEDEEDEEDEEDEED P P P P PROCESSINGROCESSINGROCESSINGROCESSINGROCESSING ANDANDANDANDAND S S S S STORAGETORAGETORAGETORAGETORAGE

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are vacuumed through flexible plastic tubinginto the spinning fan blades, dislodging theseeds and depositing seed and chaff into ahopper.

We also use another homemadehammermill similar to the Speed KingHammermill, model 615, sold by the WinonaAttrition Mill Company of Winona, Minnesota,(507 452-2716). With this machine, seed headsare fed down through a metal throat into

spinning, plastic, finger-like hammers thatdislodge the seed from the head. Screenslocated below the hammers keep the plantmaterial from leaving the threshing area untilreduced in size. A variety of screen sizes can beused with this machine. Smaller mesh sizeswork best for smaller seed and larger mesh sizesfor larger seeds. Smaller mesh sizes will keepthe seed in the threshing area longer producingcleaner seed. Seed heads sometimes must behammermilled several times before most seed isdislodged.

We do little seed cleaning afterhammermilling (threshing) because mostmedium-sized chaff will pass through broadcastplanters. After hammermilling, we screen theseed of some species, such as prairie cordgrassand leadplant, to remove the larger pieces ofstem and chaff. A small amount of seed andchaff is placed on the screens and shakenvigorously. The seed falls through the screen

into a barrel or bucket located below. The chaffis taken off the screen and the process repeated.We vary mesh size in accordance with seed sizewhen cleaning seed. We use old fanning millscreens, but hardware cloth screen secured towooden frames also works well.

Many restorationists and seed dealersclean seed using fanning mills, which use

vibration, gravity, pressure and moving air toseparate the heavier seed from the lighter chaff.Fanning mills are commercially available inmany sizes and models. The least expensivemodels sell for about $500. Older fanning mills

sometimes can be purchased inexpensively atfarm auctions.

After processing, seed must be storeduntil planted. We usually complete seedprocessing in late November and plant fromDecember through April. After drying, we store

Seed heads of purple coneflower.

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Seed pods of ground-plum.

Seed capsules of shell-leaf penstemon.

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stripper- or combine-harvested warm-seasongrass seed in piles in a shed until planted. Seedof other species is stored in paper sacks orplastic buckets and barrels. The USFWS inKearney mixes their forb and grass seed in thefall and bags it for storage.

It is essential that stored seed is kept in adry, unheated space, such as a garage or shed.We have experienced little damage to stored

seed from rodents or insects, but seed should bechecked occasionally to prevent this fromhappening. Mice often reside in our grass seedpiles, and occasionally chew holes in seedstorage bags. We have also had problems withcats defecating in our grass seed. Rodent andcat proof seed cages built with 2x4s and wiremesh can be used to store seed piles andcontainers.

As a rule of thumb, when storing seed forthe short-term, the sum of the storagetemperature and relative humidity should bekept below 100. For example, if the storagetemp is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the relativehumidity should be less than 30 percent. Also,the relatively humidity should never exceed 75percent, and the lower the better. We have hadgood restoration results using seed that hasbeen stored for more than a year.

Processing, screening and mixing seed isdusty work. The fine dust can cause allergicreactions and irritate the soft tissues of the eyes,


nose and mouth. If mice are present in theseed, the feces can carry diseases – most notablyHanta virus. We strongly advise using high-quality facial dust masks or respirator masks andgoggles when working with seed.

SSSSSEEDEEDEEDEEDEED T T T T TREAREAREAREAREATMENTTMENTTMENTTMENTTMENT

In the wild, native plant seeds germinatesporadically over time, an adaptation thatincreases the species’ chances of survival. Theseed germination rates of most prairie andwetland species will be enhanced byundergoing moist-cold stratification - exposureto moist conditions and cold temperatures (<40degrees Fahrenheit) for a period of 10-120 days.Other treatments often recommended toenhance seed germination of native plantspecies include the following: 1) sowing freshseed, 2) warm-moist stratification, 3) cold-drystratification, 4) scarification, 5) inoculation oflegumes, and 6) light treatment (Beimborn andLasca 1999 and Packard 1997). We believespecial seed treatment is generally not neededfor successful restorations. Several of our moresuccessful restorations were planted in late fallor early winter. This exposes the seed to rain,snow, cold temperatures and freeze/thaw cyclesproviding for cold-moist stratification. Ingreenhouse tests we found that the seed of mostprairie plants over-wintered in an unheatedshed successfully germinates the following spring.

Hard-coated seeds, such as those oflegumes and roses, require physical breaking ofthe seed coat prior to germination. This

Seed heads of longbeard hawkweed.

Hard-coated seeds of Illinois bundleflower.

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GGGGGREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSE P P P P PROPROPROPROPROPAGAAGAAGAAGAAGATIONTIONTIONTIONTION OFOFOFOFOF P P P P PLANTSLANTSLANTSLANTSLANTS

Seedlings of prairie and wetland plantsgrown under greenhouse conditions withoutcompetition from other plants develop quicklyand some species (e.g. prairie clovers) mayflower the first year when transplanted into thewild. Growing greenhouse plants is laborintensive. Local ecotype seedlings of someprairie and wetland plants may be availablefrom native plant nurseries, selling for about $2to $4 apiece.

Small backyard or schoolyardrestorations can be planted entirely withgreenhouse grown or purchased seedlings.Planting larger restorations entirely withgreenhouse grown seedlings is generally notpractical or recommended. Seedlings can beused to supplement highly visible areas of sownprairie restorations, such as near trails, whererapid plant establishment is desired. For speciesthat are difficult to establish from seed, seedlingscan be used as supplements in restorations. Wehave used greenhouse-grown seedlings toreintroduce porcupine grass (Hesperostipa

process, known as scarification, allows theembryo to imbibe water. We believe thathammermilling seed causes some scratching ofthe seed coat and we do no furtherscarification. In greenhouse tests we found thatsandpapered (scarified) purple prairie-clover

(Dalea purpurea) and white prairie-clover (D.candida) seeds germinated at similar rates toour hammermilled seeds. If seeds are nothammermilled, scarification may increasegermination rates for some species with hard-coated seeds. Commercial scarifying machinesare available. A homemade model can be builtby lining the bottom of an old furniture drawerwith number 40 grit, adhesive-backedsandpaper. Place a small amount of seed in thedrawer and sand for a minute or two withmoderate pressure using a hand sander withnumber 60-grit sandpaper.

Some restorationists recommend earlysummer seeding, immediately after collecting,of spring-flowering plants such as prairie dog-toothed violet (Erythronium mesochoreum),cool-season grasses and sedges to increasegermination rates. We have not tried thismethod. Many of our restoration sites arefarmed the year before planting, makingsummer seeding impractical. The seed of earlyflowering species could be collected thesummer following the initial seeding and thenoverseeded.

Hand scarifying legume seeds.

Our 8x24-foot solar greenhouse requiredabout $1,500 in materials.

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spartea) into a remnant prairie and a prairierestoration in central Nebraska. At both sites,the relatively few plantedindividuals successfullyreproduced, forming largerpopulations. Many wetlandplants spread prolifically fromseed and vegetatively. Plantingrelatively few greenhouse grownseedlings of these species mayenhance wetland restorations.

Using recycled Filonpanels, our 8x24-foot solargreenhouse required about$1,500 in additional materials. Ithas a cobble floor, and insulated plywood wallsand roof.

We begin planting seeds in plastic flats or5 ½-inch or 8 ¼-inch deep plastic Cone-tainersin late January. A Cone-tainer catalog is

available from Stuewe and Sons, Inc., 1-800-553-5331 or www. Steuwe.com. At 100 cellsper square foot, the 5 ½-inch Cone-tainersmake efficient use of greenhouse space. We fillCone-tainers to within an inch of the top withVaughan’s BP25 bedding mix and then slightlycompress the mix. We then place 4-5 seeds ineach Cone-tainer and cover them with about 1/8

GGGGGREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSEREENHOUSE P P P P PROPROPROPROPROPAGAAGAAGAAGAAGATIONTIONTIONTIONTION OFOFOFOFOF P P P P PLANTSLANTSLANTSLANTSLANTS

inch of bedding mix. The seeds and youngplants will require watering every few days for

several weeks. Whentemperatures warm and seedlinggrowth rates increase dailywatering will be required. Plantsstarted in plastic flats can betransplanted to Cone-tainers aftera few weeks growth.

We use a propane heaterin winter months to maintain agreenhouse temperature abovefreezing. On warm days, thegreenhouse needs adequateventilation to prevent

overheating. When seedlings reach a fewinches in height and appear “strong” we movethem outdoors for sun and wind hardening.

Seedlings are transplanted intoproduction plots or restorations beginning inmid-May. Plants can be over-wintered in Cone-tainers or flats and transplanted outside duringtheir second year of growth.

When transplanting into sandy or softsoils, we use a large knife blade or trowel formaking the planting holes. In harder soils, wehave useddibble bars orelectric drillswith bulbplanting bitsfor makingholes.Various drillbit diametersare availableto match thediameter ofCone-tainers.Where possible, water transplanted seedlingsevery few days for the first few weeks afterplanting and then occasionally thereafter.

Cone-tainers with grassseedlings.

Candle anemone seedling freshlypulled from a Cone-tainer.

Planting production plots with greenhousegrown seedlings.

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Designing the seed mix is a key step inall prairie and wetland restorations. We designseparate seed mixes for each plant communitytype at a restoration site. For example, forRainwater Basin restorations we design atallgrass prairie mix for uplands borderingwetlands, a wet-mesic prairie mix for moistlowlands and a marsh mix for deep-wateredareas. For river valley restorations we sow levelbottoms with a wet-mesic prairie mix, swaleswith a marsh mix and sand ridges with a sand-prairie mix.

Soil type at a restoration site must beconsidered when designing seed mixes. Thespecies composition of specific plant communitytypes often varies depending on soil type. Forexample, tallgrass prairies in areas of JeffersonCounty along the Little Blue River have loamysand soils formed from underlying DakotaSandstone. On these sites grow many plantsalso found on tallgrass prairies with clay andloam soils, but also sand-adapted species, suchas small-flowered fameflower (Talinumparviflorum). Including sand-adapted species inseed mixes for tallgrass prairie restorations onloam and clay soils would not be appropriate.

The geographic range of native plantspecies must also be considered when designingseed mixes for restorations as the distribution ofmany species is limited in the state. Forexample, many tallgrass prairie plants, such aswhite wild indigo (Baptisia alba) and prairiecoreopsis (Coreopsis palmata), naturally occuronly in the wetter regions of southeasternNebraska. Planting these species in a tallgrassprairie restoration in northeastern Nebraskawould not be appropriate.

We develop our seed mixes in late fallafter seed processing and before planting. Areasare marked on a shed floor for each neededseed mix (e.g. Rainwater Basin marsh mix,Rainwater Basin wet-mesic mix or northeasternNebraska tallgrass prairie mix). We pour seed ofwildflowers, sedges and non-dominant grassesinto each pile in the amount needed for eachrestoration. We call this our “forb mix.” Ringscan also be built of scrap lumber to corral theseed. When all the seed is poured into piles, itis thoroughly mixed with grain shovels and thenstored in barrels or bags. Mixing the seed ofabout 200 species for several hundred acres ofrestoration takes about a day.

For prairie restorations we mix thestripper- or combine-harvested warm-seasongrass with the forb mix just prior to planting.Our upland prairie (e.g. tallgrass prairie, sandprairie and mixed-grass prairie) and wet-mesicprairie seed mixes contain 10-15 gallons of

Seed mix for a restoration.

CCCCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER 5 - S 5 - S 5 - S 5 - S 5 - SEEDEEDEEDEEDEED M M M M MIXINGIXINGIXINGIXINGIXING ANDANDANDANDAND M M M M MIXESIXESIXESIXESIXES

37

warm-season grass seed (depending on qualityand availability of the seed in a given year) to 1-3 gallons of forb mix. We prefer to plant at thehigher rate of 2-3 gallons of forb seed per acrewhen it is available. Lack of collecting time andsites or seed costs usually limit the amount offorb seed included in a seed mix.

We measure seed by volume (gallons)not by weight (pounds) as do manyrestorationists. About 40-45 percent by weightof our rough-cleaned prairie mixes is pure seed,the remainder is chaff, broken stems and otherplant parts. Fifteen gallons of our prairie seedmix (grasses and forbs), a standard seeding ratefor one acre, weighs about 10 pounds of whichabout 4 to 4 ½ pounds is seed, most warm-season grass seed.

Packard (1997) wrote “when planting adiverse mix of forbs and grasses, mostrestorationists use a seeding rate of ten poundsper acre with pure, clean seed and as high asthirty to forty pounds per acre with rough-cleaned, wild-collected seed.” He alsorecommends a grass to forb seed ratio of 40:60for tallgrass prairie restorations. We use muchless grass and forb seed and a higher grass toforb ratio than recommended by Packard andother restorationists.

WWWWWHYHYHYHYHY AAAAA HIGHHIGHHIGHHIGHHIGH DIVERSITYDIVERSITYDIVERSITYDIVERSITYDIVERSITY

PRAIRIEPRAIRIEPRAIRIEPRAIRIEPRAIRIE RESTORARESTORARESTORARESTORARESTORATIONTIONTIONTIONTION?????Before Euroamerican settlement,

hundreds of species of native plants grewin eastern Nebraska’s prairies.Restorationists trying to recreate theseplant communities should plant as manyappropriate species as possible becausethe greater the plant diversity the greaterthe ecological benefits. These includegreater habitat and animal diversity.

Vegetatively diverse prairierestorations containing plants with varyingseasons of growth, seed type andstructural characteristics will providehabitat benefits to many wildlife species,including songbirds, game birds, smallmammals and insects. Restorations with adiversity of cool- and warm-season grassesand other nutritious plants will providehigh-quality livestock forage throughoutthe growing season. Diverse restorationswill have plants with a variety of roottypes and rooting depths. This vegetationcan utilize soil moisture and nutrientsmore efficiently than the vegetation oflow-diversity grasslands. Diversegrasslands are also more tolerant ofdrought and resistant to invasion by exoticplants, disease problems and overgrazingthan are low-diversity grasslands.

From an aesthetic viewpoint,restorations rich in wildflowers and otherplants are more appealing than those withfew species. Diverse prairie restorationshave a procession of wildflowers thatbegin blooming in late April and continueblooming through October. High-diversityrestorations are also valuable educationaland research sites, where students canstudy the dynamics, function andresilience of native plant communities.


Seed mixes for different restorations.

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Establishing warm-season grasses in ourprairie restorations has never been a problem.They are usually well-established 3 to 5 yearsafter planting on sandy, loamy and clayey soilsespecially when managed with prescribed fire.They might develop faster if we used higherseeding rates and drill planting. We perceivethat an advantage of slower developing grassstands is that plantings stay open longer,providing less competition and more time forwildflowers and other plants to establish.Maintaining restorations in an open weedycondition also prolongs ideal habitat conditionsfor gamebirds such as ring-necked pheasantsand northern bobwhites and many nongamebirds.

Though we plant less forb seed in ourprairie restorations than Packard and otherrestorationists recommend, we are generallysatisfied with the forb abundance in ourrestorations. Tallgrass prairies in Nebraska mightnaturally be more grass-dominated than those instates to the east. However, we do believe that

for most wildflowers, sedges and non-dominantgrasses the more seed planted the better.Aggressive forbs, such as Maximillian sunflower,sawtooth sunflower and Canada goldenrod, areexceptions. If seeded too heavily in arestoration, these species may limitestablishment of less aggressive species.

Appendix B lists all plant species wehave seeded in eastern Nebraska restorations,the plant community types for which they areappropriate, seed collecting dates and generalcomments on their use in restorations. Below,listed by community type are basic seed mixessuitable for planting in eastern Nebraska. Seedmixes for butterfly gardens and grassland wildlifehabitat are also included. We recommendplanting the prairie (i.e. tallgrass, mixed-grass,sand and wet-mesic prairie) mixes at a rate of10-15 gallons of stripper- or combine-harvestedwarm-season grass seed to 1-3 gallons of rough-cleaned forb seed. Planting rates for the othercommunity types are included in the followingtext.

Woolly Yarrow Achillea millefoliumLeadplant Amorpha canescensBig Bluestem Andropogon gerardiiCanada Milkvetch Astragalus canadensisSide-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendulaShort-beak Sedge Carex breviorPartridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata (Cassia chamaecrista)White Prairie-clover Dalea candidaPurple Prairie-clover Dalea purpurea

Illinois Tick-clover Desmodium illinoensePurple Coneflower Echinacea angustifoliaCanada Wildrye Elymus canadensisSmall-flowered Gaura Gaura mollis

(G. parviflora)Maximillian Sunflower Helianthus maximilianiiStiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus

(H. rigidus)Round-head Bush-Clover Lespedeza capitataDotted Gayfeather Liatris punctata

TTTTTALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE

The species listed below are suitable for planting in moderate- and high-diversity prairierestorations on upland sites throughout the tallgrass prairie region of eastern Nebraska (see Figure1, page 9). If financial or seed-collecting resources preclude planting a high-diversity restoration amoderate-diversity planting will still provide excellent floral displays and wildlife habitat.

MMMMMODERAODERAODERAODERAODERATETETETETE-D-D-D-D-DIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITY T T T T TALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species


Common Name Species

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Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosaCommon Evening Primrose Oenothera villosaSwitchgrass Panicum virgatumUpright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columniferaDwarf Prairie Rose Rosa arkansanaBlack-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta

Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutansPrairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepisWestern Ironweed Vernonia baldwinii

ADD THE FOLLOWING SPECIES FOR A HIGH-DIVERSITY

TALLGRASS PRAIRIE SEED MIX.

Wild Garlic Allium canadenseMeadow Anemone Anemone canadensisCandle Anemone Anemone cylindricaField Pussytoes Antennaria neglectaHemp Dogbane Apocynum cannabinumWhite Sage Artemisia ludovicianaNarrowleaf Milkweed Asclepias stenophyllaButterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interiorWhorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillataShort Green Milkweed Asclepias viridifloraSpider Milkweed Asclepias viridisGround-plum Astragalus crassicarpusPlains Wild Indigo Baptisia bracteataFalse Boneset Brickellia eupatorioidesPale Poppy Mallow Callirhoe alcaeoidesPlains Yellow-primrose Calylophus serrulatusBicknell’s Sedge Carex bicknelliiRedroot New Jersey Tea Ceanothus herbaceus

Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scopariumPrairie Ragwort Senecio plattensisCompass-plant Silphium laciniatumRosinweed Silphium integrifoliumCanada Goldenrod Solidago canadensisMissouri Goldenrod Solidago missouriensisStiff Goldenrod Solidago rigida


Common Name Species


Common Name Species

Pale poppy mallow.


Compass-plant.

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Bastard Toadflax Comandra umbellataPrairie Larkspur Delphinium carolinianum

(D. virescens)Canada Tick-clover Desmodium canadenseFlowering Spurge Euphorbia corollataDowny Gentian Gentiana puberulentaWild Licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidotaFalse Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoidesPorcupine Grass Hesperostipa spartea (Stipa s.)Longbeard Hawkweed Hieracium longipilumInland Rush Juncus interiorJunegrass Koeleria macrantha (K. pyramidata)Rough Gayfeather Liatris asperaGrooved Yellow Flax Linum sulcatumPrairie Trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus)Wild Four-o’clock Mirabilis nyctagineaFalse Gromwell Onosmodium molleViolet Wood Sorrel Oxalis violacea

Scribner’s Spring Panicum Panicum oligosanthesSilver-leaf Scurf Pea Pediomelum argophyllum

(Psoralea a.)Prairie Turnip Pediomelum esculentum

(Psoralea e.)

Shell-leaf Penstemon Penstemon grandiflorusPrairie Phlox Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgidaPrairie Cinquefoil Potentilla argutaSlender-flower Scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Psoralea tenuiflora)Prairie Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium campestreLate Goldenrod Solidago giganteaPrairie Wedgegrass Sphenopholis obtusataTall Dropseed Sporobolus compositus (S. asper)Heath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides

(Aster e.)Smooth Blue Aster Symphyotrichum laeve

(Aster laevis)American Germander Teucrium canadensePurple Meadow Rue Thalictrum dasycarpumLong-bracted Spiderwort Tradescantia bracteataPrairie Violet Viola pedatifidaGolden Alexander Zizia aurea

HHHHHIGHIGHIGHIGHIGH-D-D-D-D-DIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITY T T T T TALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

HHHHHIGHIGHIGHIGHIGH-D-D-D-D-DIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITYIVERSITY T T T T TALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASSALLGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

Purple coneflower.

Dwarf prairie rose.

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Woolly Yarrow Achillea millefoliumLeadplant Amorpha canescensBig Bluestem Andropogon gerardiiCandle Anemone Anemone cylindricaField Pussytoes Antennaria neglectaPurple Three-awn Aristida purpureaWhite Sage Artemisia ludovicianaNarrowleaf Milkweed Asclepias stenophyllaWhorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillataShort Green Milkweed Asclepias viridifloraSpider Milkweed Asclepias viridisGround-plum Astragalus crassicarpus

Missouri Milkvetch Astragalus missouriensisSide-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendulaBlue Grama Bouteloua gracilis

False Boneset Brickellia eupatorioidesPlains Yellow-primrose Calylophus serrulatusShort-beak Sedge Carex breviorSun Sedge Carex heliophilaWavy-leaved Thistle Cirsium undulatumBastard Toadflax Comandra umbellataWhite Prairie-clover Dalea candidaPurple Prairie-clover Dalea purpureaPurple Coneflower Echinacea angustifoliaWestern Wheatgrass Elymus smithii (Agropyron s.)Six-weeks Fescue Festuca octofloraScarlet Gaura Gaura coccineaSmall-flowered Gaura Gaura mollis (G. parviflora)Maximillian Sunflower Helianthus maximilianiiStiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus (H. rigidus)Needle-and-thread Hesperostipa comata (Stipa c.)Inland Rush Juncus interiorJunegrass Koeleria macrantha (K. pyramidata)Showy Vetchling Lathyrus polymorphusRound-head Bush-clover Lespedeza capitataDotted Gayfeather Liatris punctataPrairie Trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus)Skeleton Plant Lygodesmia junceaCutleaf Ironplant Machaeranthera pinnatifida (Haplopappus spinulosus)Sensitive Briar Mimosa quadrivalvis (Schrankia nuttallii)Wild Four-o’clock Mirabilis nyctagineaPlains Muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidataFalse Gromwell Onosmodium mollePurple Locoweed Oxytropis lambertiiScribner’s Spring Panicum Panicum oligosanthesSilver-leaf Scurf Pea Pediomelum argophyllum (Psoralea a.)

MMMMMIXEDIXEDIXEDIXEDIXED-----GRASSGRASSGRASSGRASSGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE

The species listed below are suitable for planting a moderate-diversity prairie restorationon upland sites with clay, loam or fine sandy loam soils within the mixed-grass prairie region ofcentral Nebraska (see Figure 1).

MMMMMIXEDIXEDIXEDIXEDIXED-----GRASSGRASSGRASSGRASSGRASS P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species


Common Name Species

Purple locoweed.


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SSSSSANDANDANDANDAND P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species


Common Name Species


Common Name Species


Common Name Species

Shell-leaf Penstemon Penstemon grandiflorusPrairie Cinquefoil Potentilla argutaSlender-flower Scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Psoralea t.)Upright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columniferaDwarf Prairie Rose Rosa arkansanaLittle Bluestem Schizachyrium scopariumPrairie Ragwort Senecio plattensisMissouri Goldenrod Solidago missouriensisSoft Goldenrod Solidago mollisStiff Goldenrod Solidago rigidaIndiangrass Sorghastrum nutansTall Dropseed Sporobolus compositus (S. asper)Heath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides (Aster e.)Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aster o.)Long-bracted Spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata

SSSSSANDANDANDANDAND P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE

The species listed below are suitable for planting a moderate-diversity prairie on sandyupland soils and dry, sandy river bottom soils in eastern Nebraska and on sand dunes in theeastern portion of the Nebraska Sandhills.

Leadplant Amorpha canescensBig Bluestem Andropogon gerardiiSand Bluestem Andropogon halliiWestern Sagewort Artemisia campestrisWhite Sage Artemisia ludovicianaWooly Milkweed Asclepias lanuginosaNarrowleaf Milkweed Asclepias stenophyllaShort Green Milkweed Asclepias viridifloraSide-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendulaHairy Grama Bouteloua hirsuta

False Boneset Brickellia eupatorioidesPrairie Sand Reed Calamovilfa longifoliaSun Sedge Carex heliophilaRedroot New Jersey Tea Ceanothus herbaceusPlatte Thistle Cirsium canescensRocky Mountain Bee Plant Cleome serrulataBastard Toadflax Comandra umbellataTexas Croton Croton texensisGreat Plains Flatsedge Cyperus lupulinusSand Flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii

Sensitive briar.

Prairie Turnip Pediomelum esculentum (Psoralea e.)White Beardtongue Penstemon albidus

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Purple Prairie-clover Dalea purpureaSilky Prairie-clover Dalea villosaPurple Lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilisSand Lovegrass Eragrostis trichodesAnnual Wild Buckwheat Eriogonum annuumLarge Cottonweed Froelichia floridana

Stiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus (H. rigidus)Petioled Sunflower Helianthus petiolarisNeedle-and-thread Hesperostipa comata (Stipa c.)Hairy Golden-aster Heterotheca villosa (Chrysopsis villosa)Junegrass Koeleria macrantha (K. pyramidata)Showy Vetchling Lathyrus polymorphusRound-head Bush-clover Lespedeza capitataPlains Gayfeather Liatris squarrosa var. hirsutaHairy Puccoon Lithospermum carolinienseFringed Puccoon Lithospermum incisumPrairie Trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus)Skeleton Plant Lygodesmia junceaCutleaf Ironplant Machaeranthera pinnatifida (Haplopappus spinulosus)Pale Four-o’clock Mirabilis albida (including M. hirsuta)Sand Muhly Muhlenbergia pungens

Fourpoint Evening-primrose Oenothera rhombipetalaFalse Gromwell Onosmodium molleScribner’s Spring Panicum Panicum oligosanthesSwitchgrass Panicum virgatumSlender Paspalum Paspalum setaceumWhite Beardtongue Penstemon albidusNarrow Beardtongue Penstemon angustifoliusSlender Beardtongue Penstemon gracilisShell-leaf Penstemon Penstemon grandiflorusLemon Scurf Pea Psoralidium lanceolatum (Psoralea l.)Dwarf Prairie Rose Rosa arkansanaWild Begonia Rumex venosusLittle Bluestem Schizachyrium scopariumPrairie Ragwort Senecio plattensisMissouri Goldenrod Solidago missouriensisSoft Goldenrod Solidago mollisStiff Goldenrod Solidago rigidaSand Dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrusAromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aster o.)Prairie Spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalisSoapweed Yucca glauca


Common Name Species


Common Name Species

Prairie spiderwort.

Showy vetchling.


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Wild Garlic Allium canadenseBig Bluestem Andropogon gerardiiMeadow Anemone Anemone canadensisSwamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnataShowy Milkweed Asclepias speciosaPrairie Milkweed Asclepias sullivantiiBlue Joint Calamagrostis canadensisNorthern Reedgrass Calamagrostis strictaShort-beak Sedge Carex breviorWoolly Sedge Carex pellita (C. lanuginosa)

Sawbeak Sedge Carex stipataFox Sedge Carex vulpinoideaCommon Water-hemlock Cicuta maculatallinois Bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis

WWWWWETETETETET-M-M-M-M-MESICESICESICESICESIC P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE

The species listed below are suitable for planting a moderate-diversity wet-mesic prairierestoration on moist lowlands (temporarily flooded wetlands) on stream and river terraces andfloodplains in eastern Nebraska. The water table at these sites should remain within a few feetof the soil surface for most of the growing season. Surface water can be present at the sitesduring late winter and spring and after heavy rains. This list contains species that can be plantedon loamy sand to somewhat clayey soils. River valleys such as those of the Platte and Louprivers often contain low wet swales and dry sand ridges. If swales contain standing water formuch of the growing season they should be seeded with marsh plants. Dry sand ridges shouldbe seeded with the sand prairie mix.

WWWWWETETETETET-----MESICMESICMESICMESICMESIC P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species


Common Name Species

Canada Tick-clover Desmodium canadenseBald Spikerush Eleocharis erythropodaCommon Spikerush Eleocharis palustris (E.macrostachya)

Canada Wildrye Elymus canadensisWestern Wheatgrass Elymus smithii (Agropyron s.)Slender Wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus (Agropyron caninum)Virginia Wildrye Elymus virginicusCinnamon Willow Herb Epilobium coloratumSpotted Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatumCommon Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum

Wild garlic.

Meadow anemone.

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Hairy Fimbry Fimbristylis puberulaYellow Avens Geum aleppicumWild Licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidotaSneezeweed Helenium autumnaleSawtooth Sunflower Helianthus grosseserratusMaximillian Sunflower Helianthus maximilianii

Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosusFalse Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoidesYellow Star Grass Hypoxis hirsutaDudley’s Rush Juncus dudleyiTorrey’s Rush Juncus torreyiLanceleaf Gayfeather Liatris lancifoliaGreat Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphiliticaPale Spiked Lobelia Lobelia spicataCommon Water Horehound Lycopus americanusWestern Water Horehound Lycopus asperFringed Yellow-loosestrife Lysimachia ciliataTufted Yellow-loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsifloraWinged Loosestrife Lythrum alatumField Mint Mentha arvensisSwitchgrass Panicum virgatumFoxglove Penstemon Penstemon digitalisSelf-heal Prunella vulgarisVirginia Mountain-mint Pycnanthemum virginianumBlack-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta

Golden-glow Rudbeckia laciniataLittle Bluestem Schizachyrium scopariumThree-square Bulrush Schoenoplectus pungens (Scirpus p.)Marsh Skullcap Scutellaria galericulataRosinweed Silphium integrifoliumCup Plant Silphium perfoliatumCompass-plant Silphium laciniatumCanada Goldenrod Solidago canadensisLate Goldenrod Solidago giganteaIndiangrass Sorghastrum nutansPrairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinataPrairie Wedgegrass Sphenopholis obtusataSand Dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus

Common Hedge Nettle Stachys pilosa (S. palustris)Panicled Aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Aster simplex)New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Aster n.)Willowleaf Aster Symphyotrichum praealtum (Aster praealtus)American Germander Teucrium canadensePurple Meadow Rue Thalictrum dasycarpumBlue Vervain Verbena hastata


Common Name Species


Common Name Species


Lanceleaf gayfeather in a Platte River meadow.

New England aster.

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RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN W W W W WETETETETET-----MESICMESICMESICMESICMESIC P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE

The species listed below are suitable for planting a low-diversity wet-mesic prairierestoration on moist lowlands (temporarily flooded wetlands) within the Rainwater Basin regionof south-central Nebraska. These wetlands often occur as zones bordering deeper-wateredmarshes (seasonally and semi-permanently flooded wetlands) and as isolated wetlands. The listcontains mostly perennial species. Most annuals found in Rainwater Basin wetlands will likelyappear in restorations from seeds in the soil and will not require seeding.

Sedge and grass seed make up the bulk of the seed mix we use to restore this communitytype. We stripper-harvest the seeds of many species on this list. We broadcast plant the seedmix for this community type at a rate of 5-7 gallons per acre.

Species included on the list are also appropriate for planting other playa-like wetlandsin eastern Nebraska such as those found in the Todd Valley of Saunders County. Uplandsbordering Rainwater Basin wetlands should be planted with an appropriate tallgrass prairie ormixed-grass prairie seed mix.

Woolly Yarrow Achillea millefoliumSwamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnataWhite Boltonia Boltonia asteroidesShort-beak Sedge Carex brevior

Heavy Sedge Carex gravidaSmooth-cone Sedge Carex laeviconicaWoolly Sedge Carex pellita (C. lanuginosa)Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoideaGolden Coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoriaCommon Spikerush Eleocharis palustris (E.macrostachya)Western Wheatgrass Elymus smithii (Agropyron s.)Virginia Wildrye Elymus virginicusFoxtail Barley Hordeum jubatumRice Cutgrass Leersia oryzoidesSwitchgrass Panicum virgatumWedgeleaf fog-fruit Phyla cuneifolia (Lippia c.)Plains Bluegrass Poa aridaNorwegian Cinquefoil Potentilla norvegicaPrairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinataHeath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides (Aster e.)Panicled Aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Aster simplex)American Germander Teucrium canadenseWestern Ironweed Vernonia fasciculata

RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN W W W W WETETETETET-----MESICMESICMESICMESICMESIC P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN W W W W WETETETETET-----MESICMESICMESICMESICMESIC P P P P PRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

Prairie cordgrass (tall), sedges, rice cutgrass andwestern ironweed in a Rainwater Basin wet-mesicprairie.

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Common Water Plantain Alisma subcordatum (including A. triviale)Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnataNodding Bur-marigold Bidens cernuaCommon Beggar-tick Bidens frondosaFalse Nettle Boehmeria cylindricaEmory’s Sedge Carex emoryiBottlebrush Sedge Carex hystericinaBald Spikerush Eleocharis erythropodaCommon Spikerush Eleocharis palustris (E.macrostachya)Spotted Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatumCommon Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatumTall Manna Grass Glyceria grandis

FFFFFRESHWRESHWRESHWRESHWRESHWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER M M M M MARSHARSHARSHARSHARSH M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

FFFFFRESHWRESHWRESHWRESHWRESHWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER M M M M MARSHARSHARSHARSHARSH M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

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The species listed below are suitable for planting in deeper-watered marshes (seasonaland semi-permanently flooded wetlands) within stream and river floodplains in easternNebraska. The list contains mostly perennial species. Most annuals found in these marsheswill likely appear from seeds in the soil and will not require planting. Most species on the listare heavy seed producers that will be utilized as a food source by waterfowl.

We stripper-harvest and hand collect seeds of species used in restoration of thiscommunity type. The seed mix is dense, containing mostly seed with little chaff. Thesewetlands are usually too wet for machine planting so we usually hand broadcast the seeds,often from ATVs, at a rate of about 1-2 gallons per acre.

Orange Jewelweed Impatiens capensisRice Cutgrass Leersia oryzoidesShort-beak Arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostraThick-stalk Arrowhead Sagittaria calycinaCommon Arrowhead Sagittaria latifoliaHard-stem Bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus (Scirpus a.)Three-square Bulrush Schoenoplectus pungens (Scirpus p.)Soft-stem Bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

(Scirpus validus)Pale Bulrush Scirpus pallidusLarge-fruit Bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum


Arrowhead.

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Common Water Plantain Alisma subcordatum (including A. triviale)Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnataSmooth-cone Sedge Carex laeviconicaGolden Coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoriaCommon Spikerush Eleocharis palustris (E.macrostachya)Rice Cutgrass Leersia oryzoides

RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN M M M M MARSHARSHARSHARSHARSH M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN M M M M MARSHARSHARSHARSHARSH M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

RRRRRAINWAINWAINWAINWAINWAAAAATERTERTERTERTER B B B B BASINASINASINASINASIN M M M M MARSHARSHARSHARSHARSH

The species listed below are suitable for planting in deepwater zones (seasonal andsemi-permanently flooded wetlands) of Rainwater Basin wetlands. The list contains mostlyperennial species. Most annuals found in these marshes will likely appear from seeds in the soiland will not require planting. Most species on the list are heavy seed producers that will beutilized as a food source by waterfowl.

We stripper-harvest and hand collect seeds of species used in restoration of thiscommunity type. The seed mix is dense, containing mostly seed with little chaff. Thesewetlands are usually too wet for machine planting so we usually hand broadcast the seeds,often from ATVs, at a rate of about 1-2 gallons per acre. Species included on the list are alsoappropriate for planting other playa-like wetlands in eastern Nebraska such as those found inthe Todd Valley of Saunders County.

Short-beak Arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostraThick-stalk Arrowhead Sagittaria calycinaGrassleaf Arrowhead Sagittaria gramineaCommon Arrowhead Sagittaria latifoliaStiff Arrowhead Sagittaria rigidaSlender Bulrush Schoenoplectus heterochaetus (Scirpus h.)Large-fruit Bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum

Swamp milkweed.

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Silver Orach Atriplex argenteaSaltmarsh Spearscale Atriplex dioica

(A. subspicata)Saltmarsh Bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus (Scirpus m.)Short-beak Sedge Carex breviorInland Salt Grass Distichlis spicata var. strictaWestern Wheatgrass Elymus smithii

(Agropyron s.)Foxtail Barley Hordeum jubatumAnnual Marsh-elder Iva annuaPlains Bluegrass Poa aridaSaltwort Salicornia rubraPrairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinataSea Blite Suaeda calceoliformis (S. depressa)Saltmarsh Aster Symphyotrichum subulatum (Aster subulatus)

SSSSSALINEALINEALINEALINEALINE W W W W WETLETLETLETLETLANDANDANDANDAND M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

SSSSSALINEALINEALINEALINEALINE W W W W WETLETLETLETLETL ANDANDANDANDAND

The species listed below are suitable for planting in saline wetlands within thefloodplains of Salt Creek and its tributaries in Lancaster and southern Saunders counties. Fewplant species can grow on the highly saline, clay soils of these wetlands and therefore a low-diversity seed mix is appropriate. This mix includes both perennial and annual species.

Salt flats, areas with standing water in spring that dry in summer leaving surface salt crusts,are extremely harsh growing environments for most species. Only the most salt-tolerant species– saltwort (Salicornia rubra), seablite (Suaeda calceoliformis), saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), silverorach (Atriplex argentea) and saline saltbush (A. dioica) – should be planted on salt flats. Forwetlands artificially deepened by dikes or dams that contain standing water through most thegrowing season we recommend seeding only saltmarsh bulrush (Bolboschoenus maritimus).

The seed of most species on the list can be stripper-harvested in abundance. Theexception is prairie cordgrass whose seed heads cannot be dislodged by the stripper brush.However, prairie cordgrass seed can be hand collected or combined in large quantities. Seed forsaltwort and seablite, low-growing annuals, can be hand collected by pulling the entire plantwhen the stems are dry in late summer and early fall. The plants can then be hammermilled todislodge the seed. Saltwort is an endangered plant in Nebraska and a permit from the NebraskaGame and Parks Commission is required prior to collecting its seed. Saltgrass, a dominant plantin most saline wetlands, rarely produces viable seed in the wild. We machine broadcast theseed mix for this community type at a rate of about 7 gallons per acre.


Saltwort, foreground, and inland salt grass.

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Woolly Yarrow Achillea millefoliumLeadplant Amorpha canescensSwamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnataShowy Milkweed Asclepias speciosaPrairie Milkweed Asclepias sullivantiiCommon Milkweed Asclepias syriacaButterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa ssp. InteriorWhorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillataPlains Yellow-primrose Calylophus serrulatusRocky Mountain Bee Plant Cleome serrulataWhite Prairie-clover Dalea candidaPurple Prairie-clover Dalea purpureaPurple Coneflower Echinacea angustifoliaTall Boneset Eupatorium altissimumStiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus (H. rigidus)

BBBBBUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLYYYYY G G G G GARDENARDENARDENARDENARDEN M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

BBBBBUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLYYYYY G G G G GARDENARDENARDENARDENARDEN M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

BBBBBUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLUTTERFLYYYYY G G G G GARDENARDENARDENARDENARDEN

The species listed below are easy-to-grow wildflowers, which are good nectar producersand suitable for planting in a backyard or schoolyard butterfly garden. The list contains acombination of species that will provide blooms throughout the growing season. Thewildflowers will also attract other insects, such as bees, wasps, flies and beetles.

Round-head Bush-clover Lespedeza capitataRough Gayfeather Liatris asperaDotted Gayfeather Liatris punctataThickspike Gayfeather Liatris pycnostachyaCardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalisGreat Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphiliticaWild Bergamot Monarda fistulosaCommon Evening Primrose Oenothera villosaFoxglove Penstemon Penstemon digitalisShell-leaf Penstemon Penstemon grandiflorusPrairie Phlox Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgidaObedient Plant Physostegia virginianaPrairie Cinquefoil Potentilla argutaUpright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columniferaBlack-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirtaPitcher’s Sage Salvia azureaPrairie Ragwort Senecio plattensisRosinweed Silphium integrifoliumCompass-plant Silphium laciniatumMissouri Goldenrod Solidago missouriensisStiff Goldenrod Solidago rigidaHeath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides (Aster e.)Smooth Blue Aster Symphyotrichum laeve (Aster laevis)Panicled Aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum (Aster simplex)New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae (Aster n.)Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium (Aster o.)Purple Meadow Rue Thalictrum dasycarpumHoary Vervain Verbena strictaCommon Ironweed Vernonia baldwiniiRegal fritillary butterfly on showy milkweed.

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Leadplant Amorpha canescensCanada Milkvetch Astragalus canadensisSide-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendulaShort-beak Sedge Carex breviorPartridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata (Cassia chamaecrista)White Prairie-clover Dalea candidaPurple Prairie-clover Dalea purpureaIllinois Bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensisCanada Tick-clover Desmodium canadensellinois Tick-clover Desmodium illinoenseCanada Wildrye Elymus canadensisWestern Wheatgrass Elymus smithii (Agropyron s.)Slender Wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus (Agropyron caninum)Virginia Wildrye Elymus virginicusSmall-flowered Gaura Gaura mollis (G. parviflora)Wild Licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidotaSawtooth Sunflower Helianthus grosseserratusMaximillian Sunflower Helianthus maximilianiiStiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus (H. rigidus)Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosusPorcupine Grass Hesperostipa spartea (Stipa s.)Junegrass Koeleria macrantha (K. pyramidata)Round-head Bush-clover Lespedeza capitata

WWWWWILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFE H H H H HABITABITABITABITABITAAAAATTTTT M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

WWWWWILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFE H H H H HABITABITABITABITABITAAAAATTTTT M M M M MIXIXIXIXIX

Common Name Species

WWWWWILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFEILDLIFE H H H H HABITABITABITABITABITAAAAATTTTT

The seed mix listed below is designed to provide year-round habitat for game birds and avariety of other wildlife. The mix includes cool-season grasses and sedges and legumes toprovide nesting and brood-rearing habitat for game birds. Annual and perennial legumes,sunflowers and a variety of cool- and warm-season grasses will provide forage for deer and otherwildlife. Heavy seed-bearing plants, especially sunflowers and legumes, will provide a fall andwinter food source for game birds, songbirds and small mammals. Warm-season grasses and tall-stemmed wildflowers, such as common evening primrose and Canada milkvetch, will providewinter roosting and loafing cover for game birds.

We recommend seeding no more than one gallon per acre of rough-cleaned Canadawildrye and Virginia wildrye seed and no more than 10 gallons per acre of rough-cleaned warm-season grass seed. Using lower grass seeding rates will reduce competition for forbs andmaintain plantings in an early successional, weedy state, preferred by game birds, for a longerperiod.

Prairie Trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus)Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosaCommon Evening Primrose Oenothera villosaSwitchgrass Panicum virgatumSlender-flower Scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Psoralea t.)Dwarf Prairie Rose Rosa arkansanaLittle Bluestem Schizachyrium scopariumRosinweed Silphium integrifoliumCompass-plant Silphium laciniatumCup-plant Silphium perfoliatumIndiangrass Sorghastrum nutans


Canada milkvetch.

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Hand sowing into corn stubble.

SSSSSEEDEEDEEDEEDEED B B B B BEDEDEDEDED P P P P PREPREPREPREPREPARAARAARAARAARATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

Most of our restorations are sown oncropland, primarily soybean fields and cornfields.Crop fields provide good seedbeds requiringlittle site preparation prior to planting. Packard(1997) expressed concern about the residualeffects of cropland herbicides on seedgermination and seedling establishment ofplanted species. Atrazine, commonly applied toeastern Nebraska cornfields, is the onlyherbicide in our region likely to have residualeffects on restoration plantings. These effectsshould last no more than a few years. Werecommend not applying Atrazine to a field for2-3 years before it is seeded as a restoration.

We believe residual stubble in crop fieldsprotects the soil and planted seed from erosion.If corn stubble is over a foot high it may interferewith planting and require shredding or disking.In ridge-tilled fields, the ridges need to be diskedbefore planting. If not leveled, these ridges willpersist for years, making walking or driving in therestored field difficult. If planting in late spring orearly summer and weeds have becomeprominent in a field a light disking may berequired prior to planting to set weeds back.Disking depth should be less than two inches toprevent additional weed seeds from beingbrought to the soil surface.

When seeding into noncroplandsituations, such as old fields and pastures,aggressive perennial weeds, such as smoothbrome (Bromus inermis), tall wheatgrass(Thinopyrum poticum), reed canary grass(Phalaris arundiancea), leafy spurge (Euphorbiaesula), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), muskthistle (Carduus nutans) and purple loosestrife(Lythrum salicaria), if present, will require control

prior to planting. If not controlled, theseperennial weeds will compete with seededplants and could jeopardize a restoration’ssuccess. Consult with someone knowledgeableabout weed control, such as a county weed

agent, if you have questions about the bestmethod of weed control.

If aggressive perennial weeds occupy onlysmall areas in a restoration site, spot sprayingwith an appropriate herbicide may be sufficientfor control. If these weeds populate large areascontrol might take several years and requireextensive herbicide application. Often smoothbrome, tall wheatgrass or reed canary grassdominate entire fields. If these sites have beenpreviously farmed, cropping them for a few years

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may be the most effective means of weedcontrol.

Herbicide application is most effectivewhen plants are actively transportingcarbohydrates into their root system. This is thetime herbicides will also be most efficientlytransported into the roots. Mid-fall applicationof Glyphosate (Roundup), when temperaturesare warmer than 60 degrees Fahrenheit, is oftenan effective method of killing many exotic cool-season grasses. One herbicide applicationsometimes will not be sufficient to kill aggressiveweeds. After spraying in the fall, fields shouldbe checked in the spring to see if the treatmentwas effective in killing weeds. If not, anadditional spring herbicide application might berequired before planting. Resprouts from seedsin the soil is a persistent problem after herbicidecontrol of certain perennial weeds, especiallytall wheatgrass, leafy spurge and reed canarygrass. Follow-up spot spraying is often requiredto control resprouts.

Reed canary grass is a pervasive, difficultto eradicate, exotic plant in eastern Nebraskawetlands. Though top-killed by herbicides, itoften resprouts from its extensive rhizomes(underground lateral stems) or re-emerges fromseed. Before seeding reed canary grass-infestedwetlands, we frequently excavate 4-6 inches oftopsoil to remove the species’ rhizomes andseed bank. Though extremely expensive, thisprocess is not a guarantee that reed canary grasswill not reappear in a few years.

Restoration sites with excess plant litter,such as idled fields, may require prescribedburning or shallow disking or harrowing prior toplanting to reduce litter and expose soil topromote good seed-to-soil contact, especiallywhen broadcast seeding. Some restorationistspack the soil with cultipackers or corrugatedcast-iron field rollers before drill planting andafter broadcast planting. Packard (1997) wrote“Next to adequate perennial weed control, soilpacking is the most important factor in arestoration seeding. A well-packed soil

eliminates air passages that can dry out and killa newly emerging seedling before it ever appearsabove ground. By creating a crust at the soilsurface, it prevents moisture that lies deeper inthe soil from evaporating, keeping it just belowthe surface, where it is most needed by theseeds. It also ensures good seed-to-soil contact,

which is vital to the germination of nativespecies.” We have done very little soil packingat our restoration sites. We believe that mostfarmed soils have been well packed by the tiresof farm machinery and do not require furtherpacking. This might not be true for sites recentlydeeply disked or plowed.

RRRRRESTORINGESTORINGESTORINGESTORINGESTORING W W W W WETLETLETLETLETL ANDANDANDANDAND H H H H HYDROLYDROLYDROLYDROLYDROLOGYOGYOGYOGYOGY

Restoring hydrology is a critical first stepin many wetland restorations. Sufficient watermust be present to maintain wetland soils andplant communities and provide for the needs ofwildlife. Hydrologic restoration design mustallow for natural seasonal and yearlyfluctuations in water levels.

Restoring wetland hydrology on cropfields often requires filling ditches and water

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An effective seedbed preparation for small-scale plantings is scraping and removal ofexisting sod, which creates a firm relativelyweed-free seedbed. However, this methodmay make it more difficult to incorporateseed into the soil.

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storage pits, removing underground drain tile,excavating fill material, removing dikes to re-establish water flow or building dikes and watercontrol structures to store water or to keepwater off neighboring lands. A creativeindividual with a tractor and earthmover canaccomplish some small-scale projects.Professional engineers and contractors will likelybe needed for larger projects. Contacting theNGPC, USFWS, NRCS or Army Corps ofEngineers (Appendix A) is recommended prior tobeginning any earthmoving in or near a wetlandto see if technical and financial assistance maybe available and to obtain necessary permits.

On our Platte River valley restorations wecommonly excavate off-channel swalespreviously filled to facilitate farming. Theseshallow, meandering swales are excavated tovarying depths with gentle side slopes. Someareas hold water only when river levels andconnected groundwater levels are high; otherareas hold water most of the year. Thesewetlands provide habitat for many aquaticplants, as well as shorebirds, waterfowl andsandhill cranes in the central Platte River valley.

We often use excavated spoil to createsand ridges similar to high sandbars and lowsand dunes that occurred at the sites before theywere farmed. These shallow-sloped ridges, one

to six feet high, are located near the excavatedwetlands to limit earthmoving costs, but farenough away so they will not interrupt surfacewater flow into the wetlands. The ridges areseeded with sand-adapted species, increasingthe site’s overall plant diversity.

Prior to seeding Rainwater Basinwetlands, we commonly excavate silt washedinto the basins from adjacent cropland. This siltis frequently up to 18 inches thick and overliesthe original topsoil (A horizon). The topsoil inRainwater Basin wetlands is about 6 inchesthick and overlays the water-holding clay lens (Bhorizon). When present, a thick silt layer, lyingabove the water-holding clay, remains saturatedthroughout the growing season, never allowingthe wetlands to dry completely. Theseconstantly saturated conditions promote thegrowth of cattails (Typha spp.), river bulrush(Bolboschoenus fluviatilis), reed canary grass andother aggressive plants that dominate manybasins at the expense of other wetland plantsmore beneficial to wildlife. Prescribed fire,grazing, disking and herbicide spraying,sometimes used in combination, can be used toreduce the abundance of these species and theorganic matter buildup they cause prior toplanting.

In lowland areas, such as the Platte River valley, excavating fill material can create a shallow waterwetland that can be seeded to a marsh or wet-mesic prairie community.

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PPPPPLLLLL ANTINGANTINGANTINGANTINGANTING

We have had success planting prairie andwetland restorations from October through lateMay. However, we believe fall (late October) tomidwinter (late January) planting provides seedsthe greatest chance to germinate and grow.Exposure to winter elements fulfills the cold,moist-seed stratification needs of most species.Early planting also allows young seedlings tobenefit from spring and early summer rainfall.

Plantings in drought years often developat a slower rate. To overcome the potentialshortfalls in one growing season, Kurtz (2001)sometimes seeds over two growing seasons,planting half the seed the first fall, andoverseeding the other half, without tillage, thefollowing fall.

Restorationists use two primary methodsof planting: drilling and broadcasting. We handbroadcast small restorations of less than a fewacres, and when volunteers are available, we

hand broadcast restorations up to 50 acres. Wemachine broadcast all other restorations.

Organization is key to using volunteersfor planting. We divide restorations into one-acre blocks, marking the corners of each acrewith pin flags. An acre is approximately 64yards (or long paces) on a side. Volunteers aredivided into two-person teams with each teamassigned several acres to plant. For prairierestorations, one volunteer is responsible forplanting forb seed, and the other person plantswarm-season grass seed. The seed needed foreach acre is distributed to volunteers in five-gallon buckets.

We instruct volunteers to mark transectswith flags on opposite sides of each acre(transects should run perpendicular to winddirection). The distance between transectsdepends on wind speed and distance they canthrow seed on that day, usually 3 to 10 yards.Planting on days with moderate to high windswill reduce planting time. The volunteer teamswalk the transect lines sowing seed as they go.Once a transect has been walked, thevolunteers pull the flags marking that transectand use them to mark the next transect.Volunteers must learn to ration seed so they cancomplete a full acre of planting.

Hand broadcast seeding from an ATV ismuch faster than broadcasting while walkingand works well for seeding wetlands wheremuddy soils prevent use of mechanical seeders.We do not perceive the uneven seeddistribution sometimes resulting from handbroadcasting as detrimental. Those areasreceiving little seed may provide space for lessaggressive species to establish free ofcompetition. Seeding gaps in restorationsusually fill as restorations develop and speciesspread via rhizomes and seed production.

There are several types of mechanicalbroadcast seeders. The simplest are the strap-to-chest, hand-cranked machines. Moreefficient are the pull-type fertilizer spreaders,such as those made by E-ZEE Flow and John


Boy Scout volunteer prairie planters.

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Deere, with wheel-driven agitators in the seedbin and adjustable openings in the bottomthrough which the seed falls. More advancedyet are the tractor-pulled or three-point hitch-mounted fertilizers spreaders, such as thosemade by Vicon, which sell for about $3,000.

The Vicon spreader has an aggressiveagitator, which breaks plant stems and keepstrash from bridging. An oscillating arm and

deflectors distribute seed over a 16-foot wideband.

Staff at the USFWS office in Kearney alsouse an ATV-mounted, Truax “Seed Slinger” forbroadcast planting. It has picker wheels and an

agitator that works well with fluffy and trashyseed. It can throw the seed in a 10-foot wideband on each side of the spreader. They strapextra seed bags to the ATV to increase the speedof seeding. They also drag a piece of chainlinkfence weighted with bricks behind the ATV tocover the seed with a shallow layer of soil.

Seed drills are tractor-pulled implementswith a series of small discs that create furrows inthe soil. Seed is metered out from top-mountedbins through tubes into the furrows. The soilthen falls back into the furrow and is packed byrubber press wheels. Seed drills range in pricefrom $5,000 to $10,000. Popular amongrestorationists are several models made by theTruax Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Local NRCS offices maintain lists of rental drills,as well as custom seed planters.

Some restorationists prefer seed drills tobroadcast planters for the following reasons: 1)drills provide even seed distribution, 2) plantingdepth of drills is adjustable and 3) drills plantseed in the soil and the soil is packed, increasinggermination rates. Disadvantages of drillsinclude the following: 1) drills may plant manysmall seeds too deep for successful germination,2) only highly cleaned seed can be used in drills,

Filling an E-ZEE Flow granular fertilizer spreaderwith prairie seed mix.

ATV-mounted Truax “Seed Slinger.”U

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rough-cleaned seed will not pass through a drill,3) seeds are planted in rows giving restorationsan artificial look for several years, 4) drilling isslow compared to broadcast seeding and 5)drills are heavy, difficult to transport and havemany parts that require frequent maintenanceand repair.

We plant most of our restorations with E-ZEE Flow fertilizer spreaders pulled by ATVs.Used E-ZEE Flows can often be purchased atfarm auctions for less than $100. The spreader’splanting width is 10-12 feet and under goodconditions we can plant about 10 acres perspreader per hour with these machines. Thespreaders provide even seed distribution andwork well even on windy days.

When broadcast seeding, restorationistssometimes mix the seed with an inert carrier,such as sand or vermiculite, to add bulk foreasier spreading and to make it easier to seewhere they have planted. We have found this

unnecessary using fertilizer spreaders as we canusually follow tire marks, especially whenplanting in snow. We sometimes use an ATV-mounted Global Positioning System (GPS) whenplanting to display the path traveled andidentify planting gaps. We also determine acresplanted with the GPS.

Broadcast spreaders must be calibratedto distribute the desired amount of seed per

acre. We mark off a few acres and test plant itwith given amount of seed and adjust binopenings as needed. When planting differentseed mixes, for example tallgrass prairie andwet-mesic prairie mixes, at a restoration site weoverlap the mixes in a 20- to 40-foot band inthe transition zone. This ensures that theappropriate species are seeded in the oftendifficult to determine transition zone betweencommunity types. On central Platte River valleyrestorations, we typically broadcast a wetmeadow seed mix over the entire site and thenoverseed wet swales and drier sandy ridges withmarsh and sand prairies mixes, respectively.


An ATV-mounted Global Positioning System (GPS)unit can be used to record the planting path.

GPS spatial data can be downloaded ontoa computer and integrated with other GISimage files, such as aerial photos.

Fertilizer spreaders are efficient planters and donot require a tractor.

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After broadcast seeding, Kurtz (2001)recommends a light harrowing and cultipackingof the soil to promote better seed-to-soil contactand to prevent soil erosion. We occasionallyharrow fields with harder soils after planting topromote better seed-to-soil contact. However,for most plantings we rely on the elements (e.g.rain and frost action) to work the seed into thesoil. Where feasible, a light harrowing or rakingof small restorations, covering the seeds withless than ¼ inch of soil, may enhance seed-to-

soil contact and subsequent germination rates.Packard (1997) wrote that different-sized seedswill survive best at various depths. As a rule ofthumb, he recommends covering seed with alayer of soil equal to twice its thickness. He alsowarns that covering seeds with ½ inch of soilmay prevent many species from germinating.

We have never planted cover crops,such as oats or rye, in our restorations. Annualweeds sprout quickly in most restorations,providing adequate cover to prevent soil erosionand partial shading of seedlings to prevent sunscalding. Packard (1997) wrote that adding aprotective mulch of straw or sawdust to aplanting conserves soils moisture, reduces soilerosion and increases germination especially

during dry periods, but also that the mulching isnot practical for larger restorations. We havenever mulched any of our plantings.

IIIIINTERSEEDINGNTERSEEDINGNTERSEEDINGNTERSEEDINGNTERSEEDING

Interseeding is the process of sowingseeds directly into existing perennial vegetation.Restorationists often interseed native plants intodegraded plant communities to improve theirplant composition and diversity. Reducing theexisting plant cover to promote good seed-to-soil contact and decrease competition forseeded species is key to successful interseeding.Densely sodded areas can be lightly disked orharrowed to expose bare soil. Grazing an areajust after seeding may also help work seed intothe soil. Sites infested with smooth brome,Kentucky bluegrass or other exotic cool-seasongrasses might require spring burning or heavyspring grazing for 2 or 3 years or herbicideapplication to reduce these species’ abundancebefore planting.

We have successfully broadcast seededsunflowers, rosinweed, Illinois bundleflower anda few other hardy native wildflowers into adegraded Platte River valley wet meadow. Afterseeding, we used late spring and early summergrazing for several years to reduce the vigor ofexisting cool- and warm-season grasses and givethe seeded species a competitive chance.Mowing interseeded sites to a height of 6 to 12inches may also reduce the vigor of existingvegetation and help establish seedlings.

Pulling a harrow behind the E-ZEE Flow marksplanter progress and incorporates some of the seeddeeper into the soil.

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RRRRRESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORAESTORATIONTIONTIONTIONTION D D D D DEVELEVELEVELEVELEVELOPMENTOPMENTOPMENTOPMENTOPMENT

Prairie and wetland restorations don’tbecome fields of blooming wildflowersovernight. They take several years to developfollowing the natural process of succession.Patience is a virtue for a restorationist andrestoration site owner.

Annual weeds sprouted from seeds inthe soil dominate prairie and wetlandrestorations during the first summer afterplanting. Annual sunflower (Helianthusannuus), pigweeds (Amaranthus spp.), giantragweed (Ambrosia trifida), common ragweed (A.artemisiifolia), mare’s tail (Conyza canadensis),foxtails (Setaria spp.), kochia (Kochia scoparia)and lamb’s quarter (Chenopodium album) arethe most common annual weeds in easternNebraska restorations. The canopy of giantragweed, annual sunflower and kochia oftenexceeds six feet in height. The robust weedgrowth the first year after planting is oftennourished by excess soil nitrogen remainingfrom cropping. Hidden among the annualweeds are seedlings of prairie or wetland plants.

In a typical, non-drought year, seededplants can begin sprouting in mid-April. First-year prairie plants put most of their energy intoroot development and have limited above-ground growth. Few prairie species tiller theirfirst year. Most remain single-stemmed plantsand only a few species will flower. For example,first year rosinweed plants remain few-leafedrosettes about 6 inches tall. First year prairieclover plants can reach about a foot tall withoccasional blooms. Big bluestem andIndiangrass plants mostly remain few-leavedclumps up to 6-inches tall, though some plantsmay flower their first year.

The second year after planting, someannual weeds, such as annual sunflower andfoxtails, have less robust growth and arediminished in abundance. Mare’s tail isfrequently the dominant annual weed in oursecond-year plantings. Seeded plants are nowmore visible. Canada wildrye and annual andbiennial forbs such as black-eyed Susan(Rudbeckia hirta), partridge pea (Chamaecristafasciculata) and common evening primrose(Oenothera villosa) may be abundant. Stiffsunflower, goldenrods and other colony-forming

plants are beginning to send up multiple stemsfrom rhizomes.

In years 3 to 5 of a restoration, annualweeds are greatly diminished andwarm-season grasses and other prairieperennials are often dominant. Theseperennials are beginning to reproduce andspread via seed and vegetatively filling gaps in

CCCCCHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTERHAPTER 7 - P 7 - P 7 - P 7 - P 7 - POSTOSTOSTOSTOST-P-P-P-P-PLLLLLANTINGANTINGANTINGANTINGANTING M M M M MANAGEMENTANAGEMENTANAGEMENTANAGEMENTANAGEMENT

First season prairie forb seedlings in a relativelyweed-free backyard planting.

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the restoration. Populations of butterflymilkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), sedges and othererratic-starting or slow-developing species maystill be sparse and consist of small plants.

In years 5 to 10 of a restoration annualweeds are mostly gone. The restoration beginsto stabilize and develop the structure and plantcomposition of a remnant prairie. Many slow-developing plants are visible for the first time.By year ten, most prairie species are growing intheir preferred soil type and microenvironment,but even after 10 years a restoration can stillreflect conditions from its early years. Forexample, a portion of a 1992 Platte River valleyrestoration that flooded in 1993 still maintains aplant species composition distinct from theunflooded portion. Several acres of a centralNebraska tallgrass prairie restoration planted in1983 with an abundance of Indiangrass seed inthe seed mix is still dominated by Indiangrass,while other areas of the restoration aredominated by several grass species. Twentyyears after planting this restoration supports 80of the approximately 100 prairie speciesplanted.

IIIIIRRIGRRIGRRIGRRIGRRIGAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTION

Though the seeds of many prairie andwetland plants are well adapted to withstanddrought they will not germinate and growwithout sufficient moisture. Limited rainfall inthe spring and early summer after planting canreduce the long-term plant diversity andabundance of a restoration. Severe, multi-yeardrought can cause the failure of restorations ondryer upland sites.

In years of normal precipitation, irrigationof first-year restorations is generally not needed.For most of our restorations irrigation is notfeasible because of lack of a water source orirrigation system and pumping costs. Whereirrigation is feasible, such as in a backyard,schoolyard or larger areas where irrigationsystems are in place, watering during dry periods

will likely improve germination rates andseedling establishment. Packard (1997)recommends watering prairie restorations 1 to 2inches every three days for the first month afterplanting and as necessary the second month.For eastern Nebraska, watering restorationsonce a week in the first month or two afterplanting and during dry periods afterwards islikely sufficient.

MMMMMOWINGOWINGOWINGOWINGOWING A A A A ANNUALNNUALNNUALNNUALNNUAL W W W W WEEDSEEDSEEDSEEDSEEDS

Though annual weeds are prolific inrestorations the first few years after planting, webelieve, in most cases, sufficient sunlight andmoisture is still available for establishment ofprairie seedlings and the presence of annualweeds has only minor influence on restorationresults. Other restorationists believe annual

weeds compete with prairie seedlings forsunlight and moisture and impede theirestablishment. They recommend mowingrestorations the first summer after planting tolimit annual weed growth. In the wetter andmore fertile areas of the tallgrass prairie regioneast of Nebraska weed growth is likely moreprolific and might be more detrimental torestoration establishment.

Futhermore Kurtz (2001) wrote,“Without mowing to control competition, easilyestablished species such as big bluestem, black-

Annual weeds in a first year restoration.

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eyed Susan, saw-toothed sunflower, and gray-headed coneflower [Ratibida pinnata] mayeventually dominate [a tallgrass prairierestoration]. This can create a community withlow species diversity and long-term instability.In the end, mowing encourages higher speciesdiversity, more spaces are filled, and a morestable plant community results. This post-seeding weed control is the most important partof a successful establishment, especially in a dryyear when available moisture may be a limitingfactor.”

Mowing may be cost prohibitive forlarger restorations. However, for smallrestorations, or patches of larger restorationswhere annual weeds are especially tall or dense,mowing might be feasible and enhance seedlingestablishment. The presence of annual weedsoften concerns neighbors and mowing mayalleviate their worries. The benefits of mowingmust be weighed against its affects on wildlife.Both mowing and shredding can kill pheasantsand other grassland nesting birds, as well asmammals, such as deer fawns.

If you decide to mow, mow first-yearrestorations when most weeds are about twofeet tall. Mow them to a height of about onefoot. Mowing when weeds are taller, especiallywith a sicklebar mower, can lay down a densethatch layer that shades prairie seedlings.Repeat mowing if weeds again reach two feet inheight. Mowing with sicklebar mowers is fasterthan using shedder mowers, but the rotaryaction of the shedders is beneficial in that itbreaks up thatch. For most restorations,mowing annual weeds will be unnecessary bythe second year after planting. Noxious weeds,such as leafy spurge and musk thistle, should becontrolled immediately when they appear in arestoration (see Invasive Exotic Plants - A SpecialChallenge, below).

Annual weeds thrive when soils containhigh nutrient levels. Therefore, restorationsshould not be fertilized. Most native plantspecies do well on nutrient-poor soils and can

more effectively compete with annual weedsunder such conditions.

NNNNNAAAAATURALTURALTURALTURALTURAL D D D D DISTURBANCEISTURBANCEISTURBANCEISTURBANCEISTURBANCE INININININ

PPPPPRAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIERAIRIE E E E E ECOSYSTEMSCOSYSTEMSCOSYSTEMSCOSYSTEMSCOSYSTEMS

Before Euroamerican settlement,Midwestern prairie ecosystems were greatlyinfluenced by natural disturbances includingfire, grazing by bison and other ungulates,

drought and flooding. Periodic disturbance keptthe prairies and wetlands diverse and robust.Since settlement, the roving bison herds andsweeping wildfires have disappeared from theprairie landscape and most of easternNebraska’s remnant and restored prairies andwetlands are relatively small and isolated. Thedisturbance necessary to maintain healthy plantcommunities must now be provided throughactive management – primarily prescribedburning, controlled grazing, haying andsometimes tree cutting and herbicideapplication.

Without periodic disturbance, such asfire or grazing, eastern Nebraska’s prairies andwetlands accumulate excess litter anddeteriorate over time when native plants are


Prior to settlement, bison were the major nativegrazer in Midwestern grasslands; their grazingbehavior was influenced by fire.

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shaded out and exotic plants and shrubs andtrees invade. Carefully planned and timedmanagement of prairies and wetlands canreduce litter, control invasive plants andproduce diverse habitat conditions for nativeplants and animals ranging from tall, densestands to short, open stands. Altering thelocation, timing and intensity of disturbance (i.e.haying, grazing or burning) from year to year iskey to managing most plant communities ineastern Nebraska for biodiversity.

The growth and reproductive cycles ofvarious prairie and wetland plants span theentire growing season from March through mid-November. For example, the pasque flower(Anenome patens) begins growth in March andsets seed by late May. Downy gentian beginsgrowth in June but does not flower until earlySeptember. Disturbance at a particular time inthe growing season will generally have short-term, negative effects on plants that are activelygrowing, flowering or setting seed at that timeand benefit species that are inactive. Forexample, mid-summer (July) burning, grazing orhaying weakens warm-season plants that arethen actively growing and flowering and reducescompetition for cool-season species. Exoticcool-season grasses now dominate many mid-summer hayed meadows in Nebraska.

Nebraska’s prairie flora includes relativelyfew annuals and biennials, such as partridge peaand common evening primrose that flower andset seed only once before dying. Most prairieplants are perennials, some living for decades.They flower and set seed over many years.Management practices that promote a tall,dense vegetative cover, such as rest, light grazingor spring burning, favor taller perennials.Continual use of these practices over many yearswill reduce the diversity and abundance ofannuals, biennials and short-statured perennialswithin a prairie. These species are favored bydisturbances that produce a shorter vegetativecover, such as season-long grazing, multiplehaying and summer burning. To maximizespecies diversity, it is critical to provide adisturbance regime that benefits long- andshort-lived plants.

PPPPPRESCRIBEDRESCRIBEDRESCRIBEDRESCRIBEDRESCRIBED F F F F FIREIREIREIREIRE

Fire has a rejuvenating effect on prairies.By removing litter and blackening the soilsurface, fire increases subsoil temperatures, andthus stimulates soil microbial activity leading toincreased nutrient availability for prairie plants.Warmer soil temperatures also lengthen thegrowing season for most prairie and wetlandplants while shortening it for exotic cool-seasonplants, such as smooth brome and tallwheatgrass.

Eastern Nebraska prairie and wetlandrestorations can sometimes be burned in thesecond year after planting if sufficient litter (fuel)is present. Removing dense foxtail and otherannual weed litter that shades desirableseedlings is the primary reason for burningyoung restorations.

Most prescribed burning of Midwesternprairies and wetlands is conducted in spring(mid-March to mid-May) when the growingpoints of most native plants are still protectedbelow ground. Burning young restorations inMarch and early April might prevent damage toConducting a prescribed burn on a remnant

prairie.

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early developing cool-season natives, such assedges and pale poppy mallow (Callirhoealcaeoides), though most native perennials willresprout after fire.

Established restorations, older than fiveyears, can be burned on a three- to four-yearrotation. Restorations infested with aggressiveexotic cool-season grasses, such as smoothbrome and Kentucky bluegrass, should beburned in late April to mid-May when thesespecies are vigorously growing. Severeinfestations may require several years ofconsecutive spring burning or herbicideapplication to reduce the exotics’ populations.

Spring burning promotes the growth ofnative warm-season grasses. If practiced toofrequently warm-season grass stands becomedense and can crowd out other native plants.Altering the season and changing the frequencyof burning will prevent domination by certainplants and loss of plant diversity. Occasionalgrazing or haying in addition to burning will addvariety to the disturbance regime and diversifyvegetative structure and habitats.

Spring burning stimulates tillering,flowering and seed production in warm-seasongrasses and other prairie plants and isrecommended for years when prairies are to beharvested for seed. Resting a site from grazing orhaying for a year prior to burning allows fuels toaccumulate and plants to store nutrientsneeded for good seed production. Seedproduction of some prairie species, such asprairie clovers, may be reduced following a fire.This is dependent on timing of the burn andamount of rainfall received after the burn.

Invasion by both native and exoticshrubs and trees can lead to degradation ofprairies and wetlands primarily by shading outnative plants. Before settlement, competitionwith native grasses, wildfires and browsing bydeer and elk limited the spread of woodyspecies, such as eastern red cedar (Juniperusvirginiana), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos),rough dogwood (Cornus drummondii), smooth

sumac (Rhus glabra), green ash (Fraxinuspennsylvanica) and cottonwood (Populusdeltoides) into prairies and wetlands. Withsettlement came wildfire control and changes ingrazing regimes allowing the spread of woodyspecies. This was exacerbated by theintroduction of invasive exotic shrubs and trees,such as black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia),Osage orange (Maculara pomifera), Siberian elm(Ulmus pumila), Russian olive (Elaeagnusangustifolia) and white mulberry (Morus alba).


Eastern red cedar stand after a prescribed fire.

Cutting cedars is necessary in some situations.

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Eastern red cedar, a prolific coniferousinvader of prairies, is easily controlled withprescribed fire when grass fuels are adequateand the trees are less than six to eight feet tall.Once top-killed, eastern red cedars, like mostconifers, will not resprout. Deciduous shrubsand trees, such as smooth sumac, Siberian elm,honey locust and cottonwood, though top-killed and weakened, usually resprout after afire. Control of deciduous species is often bestaccomplished through the combined use ofprescribed burning (summer burning appearsmost effective on woody plants), grazing, cuttingand herbicide spraying. The more robustgrowth of native plants following fire may slowshrub and tree reinvasion of prairies andwetlands.

Only those with professional trainingshould lead prescribed burns. The NaturalResource Conservation Service and otherconservation organizations offer prescribed firetraining in areas of the state. Local firedepartments require that burn permits beobtained before conducting a prescribed burn.

GGGGGRAZINGRAZINGRAZINGRAZINGRAZING

Controlled grazing is a valuable prairieand wetland management tool providing manyoptions for regulating the location, intensity andseason of disturbance. Like prescribed fire,cattle grazing can be used to reduce litter, limitexotic cool-season grasses and create habitatdiversity. Grazing restorations can generallybegin three to five years after planting whenseeded plants are well established and providean adequate forage base. In some cases,younger restorations can be grazed for shortperiods to control foxtail growth. Grazingrestorations in years three to 10 after plantingmay be especially important for creatingopenings in the grass matrix that allows otherplant species to establish.

We use both short-duration grazing atmoderate to high-stocking rates and season-long

grazing at low-stocking rates as managementpractices on our prairie and wetlandrestorations. Season-long grazing at lowstocking rates allows cattle to select theirpreferred forage, generally the dominant warm-season grasses, especially on recently burnedsites, reducing competition for other plantspecies. Short-duration grazing at moderate tohigh stocking rates at specific times of thegrowing season can be used to the benefit ordetriment of certain plant groups. For example,grazing in the spring or fall for severalcontinuous years will benefit warm-seasonspecies and weaken cool-season speciesincluding exotic species. As with prescribed fire,occasional variation in the frequency, timing andintensity of grazing over time will produce amore diverse plant community. Use of electricfence allows grazing to be restricted to specificareas of a prairie or wetland, if watering sites areavailable in those areas.

Season-long grazing at moderate to high-stocking rates should generally be avoidedunless practiced only occasionally to meetspecific management objectives. Local NaturalResource Conservation Service staff can assistlandowners in determining the appropriatestocking rates for their restorations.

Cattle grazing a recently burned prairie on thePlatte River bluffs of central Nebraska.

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Prescribed burning can be incorporatedinto grazing systems when adequate fuels areavailable, usually after periods of rest or lightgrazing. Exotic cool-season grasses can beeffectively set back by spring burning followedby several weeks of moderate to heavy cattlegrazing. Prescribed burning in combinationwith grazing can also be used to produce adiverse and somewhat random disturbanceregime. For example, one to several smaller

units of a pasture, perhaps totaling one-third toone-fourth of the total area, can be burned.After allowing a few weeks for regrowth, cattleare grazed in the pasture at light to moderatestocking rates. Grazing will be concentrated onthe fresh regrowth of burned areas, providingthese areas with additional intense disturbanceand unburned areas with little additionaldisturbance. The following year different areascan be burned, usually those areas with theheaviest litter accumulation.

Grazing some prairies and wetlands isnot always feasible because of their small size orlack of watering facilities or fencing. Prescribedburning and haying may be more feasible formsof management for these sites. Thesemanagement practices differ from grazing in thatthey generally remove all the vegetative coverfrom a site at one time. Some ecologistsrecommend against burning or haying entireprairies or wetlands at once as this may be

detrimental to the sites’ insect populations,especially if a prairie or wetland is isolated withlittle chance of insect recolonization fromnearby sites.

MMMMMONITORINGONITORINGONITORINGONITORINGONITORING ANDANDANDANDAND R R R R RECORDECORDECORDECORDECORD K K K K KEEPINGEEPINGEEPINGEEPINGEEPING

Monitoring and record keeping areimportant for documenting vegetative changesin a restoration and to provide information toguide management decisions. For allrestorations we recommend recording whichspecies were seeded and in what amounts, aswell as seeding date and method. We alsorecommend the following monitoring activitiesbe conducted on an annual basis: 1) record allplant species found in the restoration, 2) drawmaps of noxious weed, other invasive exoticplant and woody plant infestations, 3) recordgeneral observations such as which plants aredominant and which are rare, vegetationstructure and amount of litter and 4) takephotographs of the restoration from fixed photopoints. Photo points can be permanentlymarked with fence posts and the photos takenfrom the top of the posts.

Conservationists and scientists oftenundertake more detailed, statistically valid formsof restoration monitoring. Packard (1997)discusses in detail quantitative restorationmonitoring techniques. We use plot-wiseFloristic Quality Assessment (FQA) forrestoration monitoring. We believe FQA is asimple, consistent and statistically valid methodfor judging the floristic quality of restorationsand remnant plant communities and fordetecting change in the floristic quality of thesecommunities over time.

The foundation of FQA is based on theconcept of species conservatism. Each Nebraskaplant species has been assigned a coefficient ofconservatism (C) ranging from 0-10 (Rolfsmeierand Steinauer 2003) based on the methodologyand philosophy of Swink and Wilhelm (1994)and Taft et al. (1997). The coefficients of


Hayed central Platte River valley meadow.

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IIIIINVNVNVNVNVASIVEASIVEASIVEASIVEASIVE E E E E EXOTICXOTICXOTICXOTICXOTIC P P P P PLLLLLANTSANTSANTSANTSANTS - - - - -AAAAA S S S S SPECIALPECIALPECIALPECIALPECIAL C C C C CHALLENGEHALLENGEHALLENGEHALLENGEHALLENGE

Of the approximately 1,950 plants found in the wild in Nebraska, at least 470 areexotic (non-native) plants introduced from other continents or other regions in NorthAmerica. Most of Nebraska’s exotic plants such as alfalfa and garden phlox don’t competewell with native vegetation and therefore do not persist in remnant or restored plantcommunities. However, some exotics successfully invade native plant communities andrestorations. Once established, these exotics might outcompete, hybridize with, or spreaddisease to native plants, change natural fire frequencies and intensities, or even alter soilchemistry. The annual weeds that dominate restorations in their initial years include bothexotic and native species. These annual weeds are usually displaced a few years afterplanting by native perennials and generally do not concern us.

Nebraska currently lists seven noxious weed species that the state has mandatedfor control. These are leafy spurge, plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides), Canadathistle (Cirsium arvense), musk thistle, spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii), diffuseknapweed (C. diffusa) and purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria). All are exotics that poseserious ecological threats to remnant and restored plant communities. Purple loosestrife isa wetland species. The others occupy more upland habitats. Planting restorations on siteswith extensive and persistent noxious weed problems is discouraged.

In addition to noxious weeds, several other exotic plants, mostly perennials, poseserious ecological threats to eastern Nebraska prairies, including sericea lespedeza(Lespedeza cuneata), crown vetch (Coronilla varia), ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare),tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum), smooth brome, Garrison creeping foxtail (Alopecurusarundinaceus) and tall wheatgrass. Other invasive exotics of eastern Nebraska wetlandsinclude reed canary grass, narrow-leaved cattail (Typha angustifolia) and the non-nativevariety of common reed (Phragmites australis). Though not mandated by law, these weedsshould be promptly controlled when they first appear at a restoration. Certain nativespecies, such as river bulrush (Bolboschoenus fluviatilis) and eastern red cedar, can exhibitan aggressive nature in a plant community when no longer subjected to natural processessuch as fire and grazing.

The presence of invasive exotic plants complicates management of remnant andrestored plant communities, as management that benefits native species may also benefitexotics. In addition, methods to control exotics can be detrimental to native plants andwildlife. Hand-pulling, grazing, burning or mowing can sometimes keep small populationsof certain exotics in check without affecting native species. However, herbicideapplication is often necessary for controlling invasive exotics and most herbicides will alsoaffect native plants.

Invasive exotic plants are often best controlled through careful spot spraying ofherbicides when they first appear at a site and populations are small. When exoticsbecome well established at a site control is more time consuming, costly and detrimentalto native plants and wildlife. Restorations should be monitored annually for the presenceof aggressive exotic weeds.

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conservatism represent two basic ecologicaltenets: 1) plants differ in their tolerance todisturbance type, frequency and amplitude and2) plants display varying degrees of fidelity tonative habitats. With these principles as aguide, the C value applied to each plantrepresents a relative rank based on the plantsobserved behavior and pattern of occurrence inNebraska and our confidence that the plant isdependent on remnant native habitats. Nativeplant species most successful in heavilydisturbed habitats were given a C value of 0.Those species with high fidelity to relativelyundisturbed native plant communities receiveda C value of 10. All exotic plants were assignedan asterisk (*) and are treated as 0s incalculations for site indices and FQI values.

General categories for speciesassignments are as follows:

1) C values of 0-3 were applied to plantsthat are adapted to severe disturbance(ruderal and ruderal competitive species),found in a wide variety of habitats andhave little fidelity to native plantcommunities. Species in this categoryinclude giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida)(C=0), partridge pea (Chamaecristafasciculata) (C=1), sand dropseed(Sporobolus cryptandrus) (C=2) andwolfberry (Symphoricarpos occidentalis)(C=3).

2) C values of 4-6 were applied to plantsthat are dominant or matrix species ofseveral native plant communities(competitor species) and species that areoften expected or have high consistencyin a given native plant community. In thecontemporary Nebraska landscape thesespecies demonstrate considerabletolerance to light to moderate periods ofdisturbance and habitat degradation, butmay decline with an increase in intensity,duration or frequency of disturbance.Species in this category include Canadawildrye (Elymus canadensis) (C=4), big

bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) (C=5)and purple prairie-clover (Daleapurpurea) (C=6).

3) C values of 7-10 were applied to plantsthat are generally slow-growing, longer-lived, perennial plants of late seral nativehabitats. Species in this category toleratelittle disturbance, they often have a highdegree of fidelity to a narrow range ofecological parameters and usually persistonly in intact natural areas. Species inthis category include rough gayfeather(Liatris aspera) (C=7), wild rice (Zizaniapalustris) (C=8), small white lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) (C=9)and small yellow lady’s-slipper (C.parviflorum) (C=10).A few species exhibit varying degrees of

conservatism over their statewide range. In suchcases, the C value assigned reflects that whichwould be expected most commonly throughoutthe state.

Plot-wise FQA includes three measuresof ecological importance: 1) plant speciesrichness (n), 2) mean C value and 3) floristicquality index (FQI). FQI is a weighted index ofspecies richness (n), and is the product of theaverage C value and the square root of speciesrichness (n) of a surveyed area (FQI = mean Cvalue*„n). Using the square root of n in theequation limits the influence of area alone onspecies richness (Swink and Wilhelm 1994).

Determining the extent andconfiguration of survey units is important whendetermining a site’s FQI. Because FQI is aweighted index of species richness; larger surveyunits and greater inventory efforts will likelyresult in an increase in species richness ornumber of conservative species and yield higherFQI values (Taft et al. 1997). If the goal is tocompare similar plant communities, care shouldbe taken to avoid inclusions of othercommunities while sampling for FQA. Sites withmultiple plant communities (e.g. wetlands withmultiple vegetation communities) can be


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compared using FQA. We use 100 1x1 m2

sample plots located with a stratified randomdesign for FQA monitoring of prairie andwetland restorations and remnant prairiecommunities.

SSSSSUMMARYUMMARYUMMARYUMMARYUMMARY

Prairie and wetland restoration not onlyprovides many ecological benefits, such ashabitat for native plants and animals andprevention of soil erosion, but also can be apersonally fulfilling activity. However, restorationis not an activity to be tackled on a whim. Seedcollecting, processing and planting all takeconsiderable time. Buying seed can beexpensive. Once planted, restorations takeseveral years to develop. For those with littlepatience this may seem like an eternity. Onceestablished, restorations require management -weed control, prescribed burning or grazing -and may fail if not properly cared for. Personalcommitment and dedication is key to asuccessful restoration.

Because of their considerable cost andlabor requirements, high-diversity prairie andwetland restorations are most suitable for landspermanently protected with long-termconservation easements or other conservationmeasures, or by the commitment of a landownerand their family. A Conservation ReserveProgram (CRP) field that is under a 10-yearcontract and likely to be farmed again when thecontract expires is not a suitable site for a high-diversity restoration.

Though many ecologists prefer high-diversity restorations, moderate- or low-diversityplantings may be more practical in manycircumstances, especially where time and moneyare limited and the land not permanentlyprotected. For the above-mentioned CRP field,the best planting option would be perhaps a 10-to 20-species mix of native grasses andwildflowers. Such plantings will prevent soilerosion, provide wildlife habitat and other

ecological benefits and be aesthetically pleasing.Management of low-diversity plantings can beless complicated than management of higher-diversity plantings.

A quick overview of prairie and wetlandrestoration techniques that we recommend foreastern Nebraska follows:

1) Whenever possible use local ecotype seed.2) Limit the amount of grass seed sown in

restorations. In general collect or buy asmuch forb seed as possible, with theexception of certain aggressive species.Rough cleaning of the seed is usuallysufficient.

3) Broadcast plant the seed in late fall orwinter. If possible, cover the seed with alight layer of soil by harrowing or bydragging a piece of chainlink fenceweighted with bricks behind the planter.

4) Where feasible, water plantings the firstyear if conditions are dry.

5) Annual weed control is optional, but maybe necessary where weeds are extremelytall and dense. Mow annual weeds,preferably with a shedder mower, whenthey reach a height of about two feet.

6) Control all noxious weeds, otheraggressive perennial weeds and woodyinvaders in a restoration when they firstappear.

7) Once established, manage restorationswith a combination of prescribed fire,grazing or haying.

8) Monitor restorations to measure successand to help direct management.

9) If you have questions regarding arestoration, contact a professional.Most importantly, enjoy the restoration

process and the resulting prairie or wetland.Share this experience with others and learn asmuch about nature as you possibly can from therestoration.

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AAAAAPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIX A - R A - R A - R A - R A - REFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCE M M M M MAAAAATERIALTERIALTERIALTERIALTERIAL

APPENDIX A - REFERENCE MATERIAL

Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks Commission(District 2 Office)(District 2 Office)(District 2 Office)(District 2 Office)(District 2 Office)524 Panzer St., PO Box 508Bassett, NE 68714-0508402 684-2921

Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks Commission(District 3 Office)(District 3 Office)(District 3 Office)(District 3 Office)(District 3 Office)2201 N 13th St.Norfolk, NE 68701402 370-3374

Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks Commission(District 5 Office)(District 5 Office)(District 5 Office)(District 5 Office)(District 5 Office)2200 N 33rd St.Lincoln, NE 68503-0370402 471-0641

Nebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks CommissionNebraska Game and Parks Commission(District 6 Office)(District 6 Office)(District 6 Office)(District 6 Office)(District 6 Office)1617 First Ave.Kearney, NE 68847-5310308 865-5310

Prairie Plains Resource InstitutePrairie Plains Resource InstitutePrairie Plains Resource InstitutePrairie Plains Resource InstitutePrairie Plains Resource Institute1307 L StreetAurora, NE 68818(402) 694-5535

Rainwater Basin Joint VRainwater Basin Joint VRainwater Basin Joint VRainwater Basin Joint VRainwater Basin Joint Ventureentureentureentureentureand Ducks UnlimitedDucks UnlimitedDucks UnlimitedDucks UnlimitedDucks Unlimited2550 North Diers AvenueGrand Island, NE 68803(308) 382-8112

The Nature ConservancyThe Nature ConservancyThe Nature ConservancyThe Nature ConservancyThe Nature Conservancy(Platte River/Rainwater Basin Field(Platte River/Rainwater Basin Field(Platte River/Rainwater Basin Field(Platte River/Rainwater Basin Field(Platte River/Rainwater Basin FieldOffice)Office)Office)Office)Office)1228 L Street, Suite 1Aurora, NE 68818(402) 694-4191

U.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersWehrspann Field Office8901 South 154th StreetOmaha, NE 68138(402) 896-0896

U.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersU.S. Army Corp of EngineersKearney Field Office1430 Central AvenueKearney, NE 68847(308) 234-1403

U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service203 West Second StreetFederal BuildingGrand Island,NE 68801(308) 382-6468

CCCCCONSERVONSERVONSERVONSERVONSERVAAAAATIONTIONTIONTIONTION A A A A AGENCIESGENCIESGENCIESGENCIESGENCIES & O & O & O & O & ORGRGRGRGRGANIZAANIZAANIZAANIZAANIZATIONSTIONSTIONSTIONSTIONS

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UUUUUSEFULSEFULSEFULSEFULSEFUL L L L L LITERAITERAITERAITERAITERATURETURETURETURETURE ANDANDANDANDAND P P P P PUBLICUBLICUBLICUBLICUBLICAAAAATIONSTIONSTIONSTIONSTIONS

Grassland plants of South Dakota and thenorthern Great Plains. 1999. James R. Johnsonand Gary E. Larson. South Dakota StateUniversity. 228 p. (A good prairie wildflowerand grass field guide for most of Nebraska.)

How to manage small prairie fires. 1982. W.R.Pauly. Dane County Park Commission,Madison, WI. (A valuable guide for conductingsmall prairie burns. Available from PrairieNursery, Inc. (www.prairienursery.com) andWildOnes Wild Store (www.for-wild.org)

Native vegetation of Nebraska (map). 1993.Kaul, R. B., and S. B. Rolfsmeier. Conservationand Survey Division, The University ofNebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, scale1:1,000,000.(http://csd.unl.edu/csd/pubcatalog/gimc-nebr.htm)

Nebraska florasearch. (A web site of theNebraska Statewide Arboretum. Containspictures and brief descriptions of manyNebraska wildflowers.)(Http://citnews.unl.edu/florasearch)

Plants of the Chicago region, 4th edition.1994. Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. IndianaAcademy of Science, Indianapolis, IN. (Containsinformation on the development of FloristicQuality Assessment.)

A practical guide to prairie reconstruction.2001. Carl Kurtz. University of Iowa Press. (Aguide to restoration relying on Kurtz’ ownrestoration experience.)

Prairie plants and their environment. 1968. J.E. Weaver. University of Nebraska Press. (Agood general overview of prairie ecology.)

Begin with a seed - the Riveredge guide togrowing Wisconsin prairie plants. 1999.Editors: Beimborn, J. and J. Lasca. RiveredgeNature Center. Newburg, Wisconsin. 111 p.(Contains information on the moisture,germination and soil type requirements of manytallgrass prairie plants).

Ecological restoration. This journal is publishedby the Society for Ecological Restoration. Itcontains articles on a wide diversity of topicsrelated to native plant community restoration.For subscription and membership informationcontact SER, University of Wisconsin-MadisonArboretum, 1207 Seminole Highway, Madison,WI 53711, (608) [email protected]

Flora of the Great Plains. 1986. Great PlainsFlora Association. University Press of Kansas.Lawrence, Kansas 1402 p. (Technicalpublication, includes keys to and descriptions ofthe Great Plains flora, no drawings.)

Floristic Quality Assessment in Illinois; amethod for assessing vegetation integrity.1997. Taft, J. B., G. S. Wilhelm, D. M. Ladd, andL. A. Masters. Erigenia 15:3-95. (Containsdetailed discussion on the development ofFloristic Quality Assessment.)

Going Native – A prairie restoration handbookfor Minnesota landowners. 2000. RebeccaKilde. Minnesota Department of NaturalResources. (General restoration guidelines forthe landowner. Available by calling (651) 296-2835.)

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Restoring the tallgrass prairie. 1994. ShirleyShirley. University of Iowa Press. (Generalinformation on restoration methods. It alsocontains line drawings of many prairie plants.)

Steyermark’s flora of Missouri (volume 1).1999. G. Yatskievych. Missouri Department ofConservation in cooperation with the MissouriBotanical Garden. Jefferson City, MO. 991 pp.(Contains keys to and descriptions of themonocots of Missouri, with excellent drawings.)

The tallgrass prairie handbook. 1997. Editedby Stephen Packard and C. Mutel. Island Press.(Most detailed restoration book available.)

Tallgrass prairie wildflowers. 1995. DougLadd and Frank Oberle. Falcon Press. (Fieldguide with excellent photos of many easternNebraska tallgrass prairie wildflowers.)

AAAAAPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIX A - R A - R A - R A - R A - REFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCEEFERENCE M M M M MAAAAATERIALTERIALTERIALTERIALTERIAL

Vascular plants of Nebraska. 2003. SteveRolfsmeier. and Gerry Steinauer. 2003.Unpublished document of the Nebraska Gameand Parks Commission. 57 p. (List of thevascular plants of Nebraska. Includes scientificand common names and coefficients ofconservatism. Available online atwww.ngpc.state.ne.us)

Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska(version III – June 30, 2003). 2003. GerrySteinauer and Steve Rolfsmeier. Unpublisheddocument of the Nebraska Game and ParksCommission. 162 p. (Technical descriptions ofNebraska’s terrestrial plant communities.Available online at www.ngpc.state.ne.us)

EEEEEQUIPMENTQUIPMENTQUIPMENTQUIPMENTQUIPMENT

HammermillsWinona Attrition Mill Company, 1009 W. 5th St.Winona, MN 55987. (507) 452-2716.

Fanning millsClipper Office Tester Seed Cleaner, 805 S.Decker Drive, P.O. Box 256. Bluffton, IN 46714.(800) 248-8318, (219) 824-3400.

Seed DrillsTruax Company, Inc., 4821 Xerxes AvenueNorth, Minneapolis, MN 55430. (612) 537-6639. (www.truaxcomp.com)

Seed strippersAg-Renewal, Inc. 1710 Airport Road,Weatherford, OK 73096. (800) 658-1446, (580)772-7059.

Ned Groelz, 308 W Highway 34, Phillips, NE68865, or Arvada, Colorado, (303) 424-3162.

Prairie Habitats, Inc. P.O. Box 1, Argyle,Manitoba, Canada ROC OBO. (204) 467-9371.(prairiehabitats.com)

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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - ACANTHACEAECANTHACEAECANTHACEAECANTHACEAECANTHACEAE

Hairy Ruellia Ruellia humilis P-FORB mid sept tg, southeastern NE 4

FFFFFAMILIYAMILIYAMILIYAMILIYAMILIY - A - A - A - A - ACORACEAECORACEAECORACEAECORACEAECORACEAE

American Sweet Flag Acorus americanus P-FORB late july-aug mar, A. calamus is exotic 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - AGAGAGAGAGAVVVVVACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Soapweed Yucca glauca SHRUB early aug-oct san 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - ALISMALISMALISMALISMALISMATTTTTACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Common Water Plantain Alisma subcordatum (incl. A. triviale) P-FORB mid aug-mid sept rbmar, mar 4Upright Burhead Echinodorus berteroi (E. rostratus) A-FORB sept mar, far southeastern NE 6Short-beak Arrowhead Sagittaria brevirostra P-FORB mid to late july mar, rbmar 5Thick-stalk Arrowhead Sagittaria calycina A-FORB mid to late july mar, rbmar 3Arum-leaf Arrowhead Sagittaria cuneata P-FORB mid to late july mar, sandy soils 5Grassleaf Arrowhead Sagittaria graminea P-FORB mid to late july mar, rbmar 7Common Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia P-FORB mid to late july mar, rbmar 5Stiff Arrowhead Sagittaria rigida P-FORB mid to late july mar, rbmar 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - ALLIACEAELLIACEAELLIACEAELLIACEAELLIACEAE

Wild Garlic Allium canadense P-FORB mid to late july tg, wm, bulblets or seeds 3Plains Onion Allium perdulce P-FORB mid to late may mg 6White Wild Onion Allium textile P-FORB mid june tg, mg 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - AMARANTHACEAEMARANTHACEAEMARANTHACEAEMARANTHACEAEMARANTHACEAE

Large Cottonweed Froelichia floridana A-FORB mid aug san 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - APIACEAEPIACEAEPIACEAEPIACEAEPIACEAE

Common Water-hemlock Cicuta maculata P-FORB late aug-oct wm, highly toxic if ingested 5Rattlesnake Master Eryngium yuccifolium P-FORB sept tg, far southeastern NE 9Prairie Parsley Polytaenia nuttallii P-FORB late june wm 8Canada Sanicle Sanicula canadensis B-FORB aug-sept tg, woodland edge 3Hemlock Water-parsley Sium suave P-FORB sept-oct wm, mar 7Golden Alexander Zizia aurea B-FORB early aug tg, wm 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - APOCYNACEAEPOCYNACEAEPOCYNACEAEPOCYNACEAEPOCYNACEAE

Hemp Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum P-FORB lat aug-late sept tg, wm, rbwm 2

AAAAAPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIXPPENDIX B - P B - P B - P B - P B - PLLLLLANTANTANTANTANT L L L L LISTISTISTISTIST

C C C C COMMONOMMONOMMONOMMONOMMON N N N N NAMEAMEAMEAMEAME S S S S SPECIESPECIESPECIESPECIESPECIES P P P P PLANTLANTLANTLANTLANT T T T T TYPEYPEYPEYPEYPE C C C C COLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTION D D D D DATEATEATEATEATE H H H H HABITATSABITATSABITATSABITATSABITATS C C C C C

PLANT SPECIES (LISTED BY FAMILY) USED BY THE AUTHORS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA PRAIRIE AND

WETLAND RESTORATIONS. INCLUDES COMMON NAME; SCIENTIFIC NAME; PLANT TYPE PRECEDED

BY ABBREVIATIONS FOR ANNUAL (A), BIENNIAL (B) AND PERENNIAL (P); SEED COLLECTION

DATES; HABITATS SUITABLE FOR PLANTING (TG=TALLGRASS PRAIRIE, MG=MIXED-GRASS PRAIRIE,SAN=SAND PRAIRIE, WM=WET-MESIC PRAIRIE, RBWM=RAINWATER BASIN WET-MESIC PRAIRIE,

RBMAR=RAINWATER BASIN MARSH, MAR=FRESHWATER MARSH, SAWET=SALINE WETLAND);AND COEFFICIENT OF CONSERVATISM (C).

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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - ASCLEPIADSCLEPIADSCLEPIADSCLEPIADSCLEPIADACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Prairie Milkweed Asclepias sullivantii P-FORB sept wm 7Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca P-FORB mid aug-oct tg, mg, san, wm 1Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa ssp. interior P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg 6Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata P-FORB aug-oct tg, mg, san 3Short Green Milkweed Asclepias viridiflora P-FORB mid aug-oct tg, mg, san 6Spider Milkweed Asclepias viridis P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - A - A - A - A - ASTERACEAESTERACEAESTERACEAESTERACEAESTERACEAE

Woolly Yarrow Achillea millefolium P-FORB aug-sept tg, mg, san, wm, rbmw 2Field Pussytoes Antennaria neglecta P-FORB mid may tg, mg, san 1Pale Indian Plantain Arnoglossum atriplicifolium (Cacalia) P-FORB mid july tg, wm 6Prairie Indian Plantain Arnoglossum plantagineum (Cacalia) P-FORB mid july tg, wm, southeastern NE 7Western Sagewort Artemisia campestris B-FORB oct mg, san 4White Sage Artemisia ludoviciana P-FORB mid to late oct tg, mg, san, wm 4Nodding Bur-marigold Bidens cernua A-FORB oct mar 3Tickseed Sunflower Bidens coronata A-FORB oct mar 4Common Beggar-tick Bidens frondosa A-FORB oct mar 1Coreopsis Beggar-tick Bidens polylepis A-FORB oct mar 4White Boltonia Boltonia asteroides P-FORB mid oct rbwm 3False Boneset Brickellia eupatorioides P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg, san 3Tall Thistle Cirsium altissimum P-FORB sept tg, mg 1Platte Thistle Cirsium canescens B-FORB aug wm 4Flodman’s thistle Cirsium flodmanii P-FORB mid july-aug tg, wm 4Wavy-Leaved Thistle Cirsium undulatum P-FORB aug mg, san 4Prairie Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata P-FORB early to mid aug tg, southeastern NE 8Golden Coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria A-FORB mid aug-sept rbwm, rbmar 1Dandelion Hawks-beard Crepis runcinata P-FORB early june wm, central Platte Valley 5Purple Coneflower Echinacea angustifolia P-FORB late july-sept tg, mg 5Marsh Fleabane Erigeron philadelphicus B-FORB late june wm 3Daisy Fleabane Erigeron strigosus A-FORB mid to late june tg, mg, wm 2Tall Boneset Eupatorium altissimum P-FORB oct tg,wm, southeastern NE 3Spotted Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum P-FORB early to mid sept wm, mar 6Common Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum P-FORB late sept-oct wm, mar 5Late Boneset Eupatorium serotinum P-FORB mid to late oct tg, southeastern NE 4Viscid Goldentop Euthamia gymnospermoides P-FORB mid oct-nov san, wm 4Blanket Flower Gaillardia pulchella P-FORB late july-early aug mg, rare species 5Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale P-FORB mid sept-oct wm 6Sawtooth Sunflower Helianthus grosseserratus P-FORB late sept-early oct wm, rbwm, aggressive 4Hairy Sunflower Helianthus hirsutus P-FORB sept tg, woodland edge 6Maximillian Sunflower Helianthus maximilianii P-FORB mid sept tg,mg,wm, aggressive 4Stiff Sunflower Helianthus pauciflorus (H. rigidus) P-FORB early sept tg, mg, san 5Petioled Sunflower Helianthus petiolaris A-FORB mid sept mg, san 2Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus P-FORB late sept tg, wm, rbwm 4False Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides P-FORB mid aug-sept tg, wm 4Hairy Golden-aster Heterotheca villosa (Chrysopsis villosa) P-FORB july-aug san 4Longbeard Hawkweed Hieracium longipilum P-FORB july-aug tg 6Annual Marsh-elder Iva annua A-FORB late sept-early oct wm, rbwm, sawm 1Wild Lettuce Lactuca canadensis B-FORB aug-sept tg, mg 2Western Wild Lettuce Lactuca ludoviciana B-FORB late july-early sept tg, mg 3Showy Blue Lettuce Lactuca tatarica (L. oblongifolia) P-FORB mid july tg, mg 0Rough Gayfeather Liatris aspera P-FORB sept tg, mg, san 5Lanceleaf Gayfeather Liatris lancifolia P-FORB late aug-mid sept wm, central & northeast NE 8Dotted Gayfeather Liatris punctata P-FORB late sept-early oct tg, mg 5Thickspike Gayfeather Liatris pycnostachya P-FORB early sept tg, southeastern NE 7Plains Gayfeather Liatris squarrosa var. glabrata P-FORB late aug-early sept mg, san, central NE 5


C C C C COMMONOMMONOMMONOMMONOMMON N N N N NAMEAMEAMEAMEAME SSSSSP E C I E SP E C I E SP E C I E SP E C I E SP E C I E S P P P P PLANTLANTLANTLANTLANT T T T T TYPEYPEYPEYPEYPE C C C C COLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTIONOLLECTION D D D D DATEATEATEATEATE H H H H HABITATSABITATSABITATSABITATSABITATS C C C C C

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Plains Gayfeather Liatris squarrosa var. hirsuta P-FORB late aug-early sept tg, southeastern NE 7Skeleton Plant Lygodesmia juncea P-FORB late july-early aug tg, mg, san 4Cutleaf Ironplant Machaeranthera pinnatifida P-FORB late june mg, san 4

(Haplopappus spinulosus)Wavyleaf Prairie-dandelion Nothocalis cuspidata P-FORB early june tg, mg 6

(Microseris cuspidata)Rough Rattlesnake-root Prenanthes aspera P-FORB mid sept-oct tg, mg, san 7Old Field Balsam Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium B-FORB mid to late oct tg, mg 3

(Gnaphalium obtusifolium)Upright Prairie Coneflower Ratibida columnifera P-FORB aug tg, mg, san 3Grayhead Prairie Coneflower Ratibida pinnata P-FORB late aug tg 3Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta B-FORB late july-aug tg, wm 3Golden-glow Rudbeckia laciniata P-FORB sept wm 4Prairie Ragwort Senecio plattensis B-FORB late may-early june tg, mg, san, wm 5Rosinweed Silphium integrifolium P-FORB late aug-sept tg, mg, wm 4Compass-plant Silphium laciniatum P-FORB late aug-sept tg, wm 5Cup-plant Silphium perfoliatum P-FORB late aug-sept tg, wm, woodland edge 4Canada Goldenrod Solidago canadensis P-FORB oct tg, wm 2Late Goldenrod Solidago gigantea P-FORB oct tg, wm 3Missouri Goldenrod Solidago missouriensis P-FORB oct tg, mg, san 5Soft Goldenrod Solidago mollis P-FORB oct tg, mg 4Gray Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis P-FORB oct tg 4Stiff Goldenrod Solidago rigida P-FORB oct tg, mg, san 3Showy-wand Goldenrod Solidago speciosa P-FORB oct tg 7Heath Aster Symphyotrichum ericoides P-FORB oct tg, mg, san, wm, rbwm 3

(Aster ericoides)Smooth Blue Aster Symphyotrichum laeve (Aster laevis) P-FORB late oct tg 5Panicled Aster Symphyotrichum lanceolatum P-FORB mid to late oct tg, wm, rbwm 2

(Aster simplex)New England Aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae P-FORB mid to late oct wm 4

(Aster novae-angliae)Aromatic Aster Symphyotrichum oblongifolium P-FORB mid to late oct tg, mg, san 5

(Aster oblongifolium)Azure Aster Symphyotrichum oolentangiense P-FORB mid to late oct tg, southeastern NE 7

(Aster oolentangiense)Willowleaf Aster Symphyotrichum praealtum P-FORB mid to late oct wm, rbwm 5

(Aster praealtus)Silky Aster Symphyotrichum sericeum P-FORB mid to late oct tg 7

(Aster sericeus)Saltmarsh Aster Symphyotrichum subulatum A-FORB mid sept-oct sawet 0

(Aster subulatus)Rayless Greenthread Thelesperma megapotamicum P-FORB aug mg 4Common Ironweed Vernonia baldwinii P-FORB sept-oct tg, wm 3Western Ironweed Vernonia fasciculata P-FORB sept-oct wm, rbwm 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - B - B - B - B - BALSAMINACEAEALSAMINACEAEALSAMINACEAEALSAMINACEAEALSAMINACEAE

Orange Jewelweed Impatiens capensis A-FORB july-aug mar, ripe capsules explode 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - B - B - B - B - BORAGINACEAEORAGINACEAEORAGINACEAEORAGINACEAEORAGINACEAE

Hoary Puccoon Lithospermum canescens P-FORB aug tg 5Hairy Puccoon Lithospermum caroliniense P-FORB aug san 6Fringed Puccoon Lithospermum incisum P-FORB aug tg, mg, san 5False Gromwell Onosmodium molle P-FORB late june-oct tg, mg, san 4

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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CACTACTACTACTACTACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Plains Pincushion Cactus Coryphantha vivipara P-FORB aug mg, san 6Plains Prickly Pear Opuntia tortispina (O. macrorhiza) P-FORB early sept mg, san 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CAMPAMPAMPAMPAMPANULACEAEANULACEAEANULACEAEANULACEAEANULACEAE

Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis P-FORB sept wm, rare, central Platte Valley 6Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica P-FORB sept wm 6Pale Spiked Lobelia Lobelia spicata P-FORB mid july-mid aug tg, wm 6Venus’ Looking Glass Triodanis perfoliata A-FORB mid july tg, mg, san, wm 2

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CAPPAPPAPPAPPAPPARACEAEARACEAEARACEAEARACEAEARACEAE

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant Cleome serrulata A-FORB sept san 0

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CAPRIFOLIACEAEAPRIFOLIACEAEAPRIFOLIACEAEAPRIFOLIACEAEAPRIFOLIACEAE

Wolfberry Symphoricarpos occidentalis SHRUB late sept-oct tg, mg 2Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus SHRUB late sept-oct tg, southeastern NE 2Horse-gentian Triosteum perfoliatum P-FORB mid sept tg 5

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CARYARYARYARYARYOPHYLLACEAEOPHYLLACEAEOPHYLLACEAEOPHYLLACEAEOPHYLLACEAE

Sleepy Catchfly Silene antirrhina A-FORB mid june tg, mg, wm 2

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CHENOPODIACEAEHENOPODIACEAEHENOPODIACEAEHENOPODIACEAEHENOPODIACEAE

Silver Orach Atriplex argentea A-FORB aug-sept sawet 4Saltmarsh Spearscale Atriplex dioica (A. subspicata) A-FORB aug-sept sawet 5Winged-pigweed Cycloloma atriplicifolium A-FORB sept san 2Saltwort Salicornia rubra A-FORB july-oct sawet, collect dried stems 8Sea Blite Suaeda calceoliformis (S. depressa) A-FORB aug-oct sawet, collect dried stems 5

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CLUSIACEAELUSIACEAELUSIACEAELUSIACEAELUSIACEAE

Canada St. John’s Wort Hypericum majus A-FORB mid sept wm 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - COMMELINACEAEOMMELINACEAEOMMELINACEAEOMMELINACEAEOMMELINACEAE

Long-bracted Spiderwort Tradescantia bracteata P-FORB late june-early july tg, mg, wm 5Prairie Spiderwort Tradescantia occidentalis P-FORB late june-mid july san 5

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CONVONVONVONVONVALLARIACEAEALLARIACEAEALLARIACEAEALLARIACEAEALLARIACEAE

Starry False Solomon’s Seal Smilacina stellata P-FORB late june-july tg, wm 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CRASSULACEAERASSULACEAERASSULACEAERASSULACEAERASSULACEAE

Ditch Stonecrop Penthorum sedoides P-FORB mid sept mar 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - C - C - C - C - CYPERACEAEYPERACEAEYPERACEAEYPERACEAEYPERACEAE

River Bulrush Bolboschoenus fluviatilis P-SEDGE mid july-sept mar, may be aggresive 3 (Scirpus f.) especially in rbmar

Saltmarsh Bulrush Bolboschoenus maritimus (Scirpus m.) P-SEDGE mid july-sept mar, sawet, wear gloves 5Golden Sedge Carex aurea P-SEDGE mid june wm, western Platte Valley 7Bicknell’s Sedge Carex bicknellii P-SEDGE mid june tg, wm 6Common Wood Sedge Carex blanda P-SEDGE mid june wm 2



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Yellowfruit Sedge Carex brachyglossa (C. annectens) P-SEDGE mid june wm, far southeastern NE 7Short-beak Sedge Carex brevior P-SEDGE mid june tg, mg, san, wm, rbwm 3Bush’s Sedge Carex bushii P-SEDGE mid june tg, far southeastern NE 6Bearded Sedge Carex comosa P-SEDGE mid june mar 5Crawe’s Sedge Carex crawei P-SEDGE mid june wm, Platte and Loup valleys 6Crested Sedge Carex cristatella P-SEDGE july wm 5Davis’ Sedge Carex davisii P-SEDGE mid june tg, wm, southeastern NE 4Needleleaf Sedge Carex eleocharis P-SEDGE mid june mg, san, wm, central NE 1Emory’s Sedge Carex emoryi P-SEDGE early june wm, mar 5Frank’s Sedge Carex frankii P-SEDGE june wm, mar, far southeastern NE 7Hale’s Meadow Sedge Carex granularis P-SEDGE mid june wm 6Heavy Sedge Carex gravida P-SEDGE mid to late june tg, mg, san, wm,

rbwm, mar, rbmar 4Sun Sedge Carex heliophila P-SEDGE mid may mg, san 5Shoreline Sedge Carex hyalinolepis P-SEDGE mid june mar 7Bottlebrush Sedge Carex hystericina P-SEDGE july-aug mar 5Prairie Star Sedge Carex interior P-SEDGE june wm, northcentral NE 7Ripgut Sedge Carex lacustris P-SEDGE mid june wm, northern NE 6Smooth-cone Sedge Carex laeviconica P-SEDGE mid june wm, rbwm, mar, rbmar 4Mead’s Sedge Carex meadii P-SEDGE mid june tg,wm, eastern 1/4 of NE 6Midland Sedge Carex mesochorea P-SEDGE mid june tg, wm, southeastern NE 1Troublesome Sedge Carex molesta P-SEDGE mid june wm 3Hall’s Sedge Carex parryana (C. hallii) P-SEDGE mid june wm, central NE 6Woolly Sedge Carex pellita (C. lanuginosa) P-SEDGE early to mid june wm, rbwm 4Clustered Field Sedge Carex praegracilis P-SEDGE early june wm 4Sartwell’s Sedge Carex sartwellii P-SEDGE early june wm, eastern Platte Valley 6Pointed Broom Sedge Carex scoparia P-SEDGE mid to late june wm, mar, Loup and Platte 5Sawbeak Sedge Carex stipata P-SEDGE mid june wm, mar 5Rigid Sedge Carex tetanica P-SEDGE early june wm, Platte and Loup valleys 7Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea P-SEDGE late june-july wm, rbwm, mar 4Umbrella Flatsedge Cyperus diandrus A-SEDGE mid aug-early sept wm, mar, wet sandy sites 5Yellow Nutsedge Cyperus esculentus P-SEDGE mid aug-sept mar 0Great Plains Flatsedge Cyperus lupulinus P-SEDGE aug-sept mg, san 1Sand Flatsedge Cyperus schweinitzii P-SEDGE late july-sept san 4Needle Spikerush Eleocharis acicularis P-SEDGE june-sept rbmar, mar 4Bog Spikerush Eleocharis elliptica P-SEDGE june wm 7Bald Spikerush Eleocharis erythropoda P-SEDGE june wm, mar 5Blunt Spikerush Eleocharis obtusa A-SEDGE june rbwm, rbmar 3Common Spikerush Eleocharis palustris (E.macrostachya) P-SEDGE june wm, rbwm, mar, rbmar 4Hairy Fimbry Fimbristylis puberula P-SEDGE aug wm 7Umbrella Grass Fuirena simplex A-SEDGE mid sept wm, mar 6Hard-stem Bulrush Schoenoplectus acutus (Scirpus a.) P-SEDGE july-aug mar 5Slender Bulrush Schoenoplectus heterochaetus P-SEDGE early july-aug rbmar, mar 5

(Scirpus h.)Three-square Bulrush Schoenoplectus pungens (Scirpus p.) P-SEDGE late june-aug wm, mar 4Soft-stem Bulrush Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani P-SEDGE july-aug mar 5

(Scirpus validus)Dark Green Rush Scirpus atrovirens P-SEDGE july-aug wm, mar, southeastern NE 5Pale Bulrush Scirpus pallidus P-SEDGE mid aug wm, mar 5Rufous Bulrush Scirpus pendulus P-SEDGE late june-july wm 8Tall Nut-rush Scleria triglomerata P-SEDGE mid june tg, wm, rare species 8

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - E - E - E - E - ELEAGNACEAELEAGNACEAELEAGNACEAELEAGNACEAELEAGNACEAE

Buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea SHRUB aug san sandy river bottoms incentral NE 4

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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - E - E - E - E - EUPHORBIACEAEUPHORBIACEAEUPHORBIACEAEUPHORBIACEAEUPHORBIACEAE

Texas Croton Croton texensis A-FORB mid oct san 1Flowering Spurge Euphorbia corollata P-FORB mid sept tg 3Snow-on-the-mountain Euphorbia marginata A-FORB oct mg, san, wm 0

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - F - F - F - F - FABACEAEABACEAEABACEAEABACEAEABACEAE

Leadplant Amorpha canescens SHRUB late aug-oct tg, mg, san, wm 6Canada Milkvetch Astragalus canadensis P-FORB aug-oct tg, mg, insects damage pods 5Ground-plum Astragalus crassicarpus P-FORB mid june-mid july tg, mg, san 7Missouri Milkvetch Astragalus missouriensis P-FORB mid to late june mg 6White Wild Indigo Baptisia alba (B. lactea) P-FORB mid july tg, insects damage pods 6Plains Wild Indigo Baptisia bracteata P-FORB mid july-aug tg 5Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata A-FORB aug-sept tg, mg, san, wm 1

(Cassia chamaecrista)Rattlebox Crotalaria sagittalis A-FORB july aug tg, mg, drier loess hills 2White Prairie-clover Dalea candida P-FORB mid aug-sept tg, mg, san 6Hare’s-foot Dalea Dalea leporina A-FORB oct mg,san, wm 3Round-head Prairie-clover Dalea multiflora P-FORB late july-sept mg, tg, far southern NE 7Purple Prairie-clover Dalea purpurea P-FORB mid aug-sept tg, mg, san 6Silky Prairie-clover Dalea villosa P-FORB mid aug-sept san 5Illinois Bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis P-FORB aug-oct tg, wm 5Canada Tick-clover Desmodium canadense P-FORB aug-sept tg, mg, wm 5Hoary Tick-clover Desmodium canescens P-FORB sept tg, mg, wm 5Illinois Tick-clover Desmodium illinoense P-FORB aug-sept tg, mg, wm 6Panicled Tick-clover Desmodium paniculatum P-FORB sept tg, wm 5Wild Licorice Glycyrrhiza lepidota P-FORB july-oct tg, mg, san, wm 4Showy Vetchling Lathyrus polymorphus P-FORB mid july mg, san 5Round-head Bush-Clover Lespedeza capitata P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg, san 5Prairie Trefoil Lotus unifoliolatus (L. purshianus) A-FORB mid aug-mid sept tg, mg, san 3Sensitive Brier Mimosa quadrivalvis P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg, san 6

(Schrankia nuttallii)Purple Locoweed Oxytropis lambertii P-FORB late june mg 6Silver-leaf Scurf Pea Pediomelum argophyllum (Psoralea a.) P-FORB mid july-aug tg, mg, san 6Prairie Turnip Pediomelum esculentum (Psoralea e.) P-FORB early to mid july tg, mg 7Lemon Scurf Pea Psoralidium lanceolatum (Psoralea l.) P-FORB mid july san 4Slender-flower Scurfpea Psoralidium tenuiflorum P-FORB late june tg, mg 5

(Psoralea tenuiflora)Wild Senna Senna marilandica (Cassia marilandica) P-FORB sept tg, southeastern NE 5Slick-seed Wild Bean Strophostyles leiosperma A-VINE aug-sept tg, mg 4American Vetch Vicia americana P-FORB june-july tg, mg 6

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Prairie Gentian Eustoma grandiflorum A-FORB sept wm, central Platte Valley 4Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii P-FORB late sept-oct wm, rare species 9Downy Gentian Gentiana puberulenta P-FORB mid to late oct tg, mg 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - H - H - H - H - HYPOXIDYPOXIDYPOXIDYPOXIDYPOXIDACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Yellow Star Grass Hypoxis hirsuta P-FORB early june wm 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - I - I - I - I - IRIDRIDRIDRIDRIDACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Prairie Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium campestre P-FORB june tg, mg 4Meadow Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium montanum P-FORB june wm 5



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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - J - J - J - J - JUNCACEAEUNCACEAEUNCACEAEUNCACEAEUNCACEAE

Baltic Rush Juncus arcticus (J. balticus) P-FORB june wm, capsules lose seedsoon after ripening 6

Short-leaf Rush Juncus brachyphyllus P-FORB mid to late june san 6Toad Rush Juncus bufonius A-FORB mid june mar, prefers sandy flats 4Dudley’s Rush Juncus dudleyi P-FORB june wm, rbwm 5Inland Rush Juncus interior P-FORB mid june tg, mg, wm 4Path Rush Juncus tenuis P-FORB late june wm 2Torrey’s Rush Juncus torreyi P-FORB late june-early aug wm 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - J - J - J - J - JUNCAGINACEAEUNCAGINACEAEUNCAGINACEAEUNCAGINACEAEUNCAGINACEAE

Alkali Arrowgrass Triglochin maritima P-FORB mid june wm, alkaline soils 5

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - L - L - L - L - LAMIACEAEAMIACEAEAMIACEAEAMIACEAEAMIACEAE

Rough False-pennyroyal Hedeoma hispida A-FORB july tg, mg, san 1Common Water Horehound Lycopus americanus P-FORB late july-mid sept wm, mar 4Western Water Horehound Lycopus asper P-FORB sept wm, mar 5Field Mint Mentha arvensis P-FORB aug-oct wm 4Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa P-FORB mid aug-sept tg, mg 3Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana P-FORB late aug-sept wm 7Self-heal Prunella vulgaris P-FORB late june-mid july wm 4Virginia Mountain-mint Pycnanthemum virginianum P-FORB mid aug-sept wm 6Pitcher’s Sage Salvia azurea P-FORB aug-oct tg, southeast NE 6Marsh Skullcap Scutellaria galericulata P-FORB late aug-sept wm, mar 6Mad-dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora P-FORB late aug-sept mar 5Small Skullcap Scutellaria parvula P-FORB early july-sept tg, wm 6Common Hedge Nettle Stachys pilosa (S. palustris) P-FORB early aug-sept wm, mar 5American Germander Teucrium canadense P-FORB mid aug-mid sept tg, wm, rbwm 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - L - L - L - L - LILIACEAEILIACEAEILIACEAEILIACEAEILIACEAE

Prairie Dog-toothed Violet Erythronium mesochoreum P-FORB mid to late may tg, wm, southeastern NE 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - L - L - L - L - LINACEAEINACEAEINACEAEINACEAEINACEAE

Grooved Yellow Flax Linum sulcatum A-FORB late june mg, san 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - L - L - L - L - LYTHRACEAEYTHRACEAEYTHRACEAEYTHRACEAEYTHRACEAE

Intermediate Toothcup Ammannia coccinea A-FORB early sept mar, rbmar 4Winged Loosestrife Lythrum alatum P-FORB sept wm 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - M - M - M - M - MALALALALALVVVVVACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Pale Poppy Mallow Callirhoe alcaeoides P-FORB july tg, mg, san 5Purple Poppy Mallow Callirhoe involucrata P-FORB july-aug tg, mg, san 2Halberd-leaved Rose Mallow Hibiscus laevis P-FORB aug-sept mar 4Scarlet Globe-mallow Sphaeralcea coccinea P-FORB june-aug mg 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - M - M - M - M - MYRSINACEAEYRSINACEAEYRSINACEAEYRSINACEAEYRSINACEAE

Fringed Yellow-loosestrife Lysimachia ciliata P-FORB sept-oct tg, wm 5Tufted Yellow-loosestrife Lysimachia thyrsiflora P-FORB july-early aug wm, mar 7


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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - N - N - N - N - NYCTYCTYCTYCTYCTAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAE

Pale Four-o’clock Mirabilis albida (including M. hirsuta) P-FORB mid july-aug san 5Narrow-leaf Four-o’clock Mirabilis linearis P-FORB mid july-aug tg, mg, san 4Wild Four-o’clock Mirabilis nyctaginea P-FORB sept tg, mg, san 1

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - O - O - O - O - ONAGRACEAENAGRACEAENAGRACEAENAGRACEAENAGRACEAE

Plains Yellow-primrose Calylophus serrulatus P-FORB july-early aug tg,mg, san 5Cinnamon Willow Herb Epilobium coloratum P-FORB mid sept wm, rbwm, mar, rbmar 5Fen Willow Herb Epilobium leptophyllum P-FORB late aug-sept mar 7Scarlet Gaura Gaura coccinea P-FORB july-aug mg 4Long-flower Butterfly Plant Gaura longiflora B-FORB mid sept tg, southeastern NE 3Small-flowered Gaura Gaura mollis (G. parviflora) A-FORB aug-sept tg, wm 1Water Purslane Ludwigia palustris P-FORB mid sept mar 5Cutleaf Evening-primrose Oenothera lacianata A-FORB sept san 1Pale Evening-primrose Oenothera latifolia P-FORB aug-sept san 4Fourpoint Evening-primrose Oenothera rhombipetala B-FORB mid aug-oct san 2Common Evening PrimroseOenothera villosa B-FORB early sept tg, mg 1

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - O - O - O - O - ORCHIDRCHIDRCHIDRCHIDRCHIDACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Nodding Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes cernua P-FORB oct tg, wm 6Early Ladies’-tresses Spiranthes vernalis P-FORB oct tg 8

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - O - O - O - O - OXALIDXALIDXALIDXALIDXALIDACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAEACEAE

Upright Yellow Wood Sorrel Oxalis stricta (O. dillenii) P-FORB early june tg, mg, capsules explode 0Violet Wood Sorrel Oxalis violacea P-FORB early june tg, mg, capsules explode 5

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - P - P - P - P - PLANTLANTLANTLANTLANTAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAEAGINACEAE

Woolly Plantain Plantago patagonica A-FORB late june-july mg, san 1

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - P - P - P - P - POACEAEOACEAEOACEAEOACEAEOACEAE

Ticklegrass Agrostis hyemalis P-GRASS mid may-june rbwm 4Short-awn Meadow-foxtail Alopecurus aequalis P-GRASS june wm, rbwm, mar, rbmar 6Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii P-GRASS mid sept-oct tg, mg, wm 5Sand Bluestem Andropogon hallii P-GRASS mid sept-oct san 5Prairie Three-awn Aristida oligantha A-GRASS sept tg 2Purple Three-awn Aristida purpurea P-GRASS sept mg, san 5Side-oats Grama Bouteloua curtipendula P-GRASS mid aug-sept tg, mg, san 5Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis P-GRASS sept-oct tg, mg, san 4Hairy Grama Bouteloua hirsuta P-GRASS sept-oct san 6Blue Joint Calamagrostis canadensis P-GRASS july wm 6Northern Reedgrass Calamagrostis stricta P-GRASS mid june-mid july wm 6Prairie Sand Reed Calamovilfa longifolia P-GRASS sept-oct san 5Inland Saltgrass Distichlis spicata var. stricta P-GRASS early july sawet 2Canada Wildrye Elymus canadensis P-GRASS early sept-oct tg, wm 5Western Wheatgrass Elymus smithii (Agropyron s.) P-GRASS mid july-sept tg, mg, wm, rbwm, sawet 3Slender Wheatgrass Elymus trachycaulus (Agropyron caninum) P-GRASS early to mid july wm 7Virginia Wildrye Elymus virginicus P-GRASS early sept-oct wm, rbwm 4Purple Lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis P-GRASS late aug-sept tg, mg, san 3Sand Lovegrass Eragrostis trichodes P-GRASS late sept-oct san 5Six-weeks Fescue Festuca octoflora A-GRASS mid june mg, san 3Tall Manna Grass Glyceria grandis P-GRASS late june-early july wm, mar 7Fowl Manna Grass Glyceria striata P-GRASS early june wm, mar 5



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Needle-and-thread Hesperostipa comata (Stipa c.) P-GRASS mid june mg, san, cut awns soon 6Porcupine Grass Hesperostipa spartea (Stipa s.) P-GRASS mid june tg, mg, san, cut awns soon 6Foxtail Barley Hordeum jubatum P-GRASS early july wm, rbwm, sawet 1Junegrass Koeleria macrantha (K. pyramidata) P-GRASS late june-aug tg, mg, san 6Rice Cutgrass Leersia oryzoides P-GRASS mid sept wm, rbwm, mar, rbmar 4Plains Muhly Muhlenbergia cuspidata P-GRASS aug-sept tg, mg, drier tallgrass sites 5Sand Muhly Muhlenbergia pungens P-GRASS aug-sept san 6Marsh Muhly Muhlenbergia racemosa P-GRASS sept tg, mg 4Green Needlegrass Nassella viridula (Stipa v.) P-GRASS mid june tg, mg, northern NE 4Tapered Spring Panicum Panicum acuminatum P-GRASS june wm 6Slim-leaf Spring Panicum Panicum linearifolium (Dichanthelium l.) P-GRASS june tg 7Scribner’s Spring Panicum Panicum oligosanthes P-GRASS mid june tg, mg, san 4Switchgrass Panicum virgatum P-GRASS mid to late sept tg, mg, san, wm, rbwm 4Slender Paspalum Paspalum setaceum A-GRASS early july-mid aug san 2Plains Bluegrass Poa arida P-GRASS early july rbwm, sawet 6Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium P-GRASS late sept tg, mg, san, wm 4Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans P-GRASS mid sept-late sept tg, mg, wm 5Prairie Cordgrass Spartina pectinata P-GRASS sept-oct wm, rbwm, sawet 5Prairie Wedgegrass Sphenopholis obtusata P-GRASS late june-early july tg, wm 5Tall Dropseed Sporobolus compositus (S. asper) P-GRASS mid sept-oct tg, mg, san 3Sand Dropseed Sporobolus cryptandrus P-GRASS late aug-sept san 2Prairie Dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis P-GRASS mid sept tg 7False Redtop Tridens flavus P-GRASS mid sept-oct tg, wm, southeastern NE 1Eastern Gammagrass Tripsacum dactyloides P-GRASS mid july tg, wm, far southeastern NE 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - P - P - P - P - POLEMONIACEAEOLEMONIACEAEOLEMONIACEAEOLEMONIACEAEOLEMONIACEAE

Prairie Phlox Phlox pilosa ssp. fulgida P-FORB early july tg 8

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - P - P - P - P - POLOLOLOLOLYGALACEAEYGALACEAEYGALACEAEYGALACEAEYGALACEAE

Pink Milkwort Polygala sanguinea A-FORB aug-sept wm, sandy soils 6White Milkwort Polyglala alba P-FORB july-aug mg 5

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Annual Wild Buckwheat Eriogonum annuum B-FORB mid sept-oct san 3Swamp Smartweed Polygonum coccineum P-FORB july-sept mar, rbmar, in seed bank 3Mild Water Pepper Polygonum hydropiperoides P-FORB july-sept mar, rbmar, in seed bank 4Nodding Smartweed Polygonum lapathifolium A-FORB july-sept mar, rbmar, in seed bank 2Dotted Smartweed Polygonum punctatum P-FORB july-sept mar, rbmar, in seed bank 4Wild Begonia Rumex venosus P-FORB early to mid june san 4

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Prairie Fameflower Talinum parviflorum P-FORB late june-early july san 5Sandhills Fameflower Talinum rugospermum P-FORB late june-early july san 7

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - P - P - P - P - PRIMULACEAERIMULACEAERIMULACEAERIMULACEAERIMULACEAE

Western Rock Jasmine Androsace occidentalis A-FORB june tg,mg,san, likely toestablish on its own 1

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Meadow Anemone Anemone canadensis P-FORB mid july tg, wm 4

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Carolina Anemone Anemone caroliniana P-FORB may tg, mg, san 7Candle Anemone Anemone cylindrica P-FORB mid july-mid aug tg, mg, san 4Pascue flower Anemone patens P-FORB may tg, mg, northern NE 6Prairie Larkspur Delphinium carolinianum (D. virescens) P-FORB late june-early july tg, mg, san 6Longbeak White Crow’s-foot Ranunculus longirostris P-FORB june-aug mar 6Pennslyvania Buttercup Ranunculus pensylvanicus A-FORB july-aug wm, mar 6Purple Meadow Rue Thalictrum dasycarpum P-FORB mid july-mid aug tg, wm 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - R - R - R - R - RHAMNACEAEHAMNACEAEHAMNACEAEHAMNACEAEHAMNACEAE

Broadleaf New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus SHRUB late july-early aug tg 6Redroot New Jersey Tea Ceanothus herbaceus SHRUB mid june-early july tg, mg, san 6

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Swamp Agrimony Agrimonia parviflora P-FORB mid-late sept wm 5Woodland Agrimony Agrimonia striata P-FORB mid aug wm 6Yellow Avens Geum aleppicum P-FORB sept wm 6White Avens Geum canadense P-FORB mid aug-oct tg, wm 3Spring Avens Geum vernum P-FORB mid aug-oct wm 5Prairie Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta P-FORB mid july tg, mg, san, wm 6Norwegian Cinquefoil Potentilla norvegica P-FORB late june-july wm, rbwm 2Sand Cherry Prunus pumila SHRUB early july san 6Dwarf Prairie Rose Rosa arkansana SHRUB aug-nov tg, mg, san 4Western Wild Rose Rosa woodsii SHRUB aug-sept tg, wm, woodland edge 4

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - R - R - R - R - RUBIACEAEUBIACEAEUBIACEAEUBIACEAEUBIACEAE

Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis SHRUB sept-oct wm, mar, far southeastern NE 7Bluntleaf Bedstraw Galium obtusum P-FORB late july wm 6

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - S - S - S - S - SANTANTANTANTANTALACEAEALACEAEALACEAEALACEAEALACEAE

Bastard Toadflax Comandra umbellata P-FORB early june tg, mg, san 6

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Rough False Foxglove Agalinis aspera A-FORB early sept tg, mg 10Slender False Foxglove Agalinis tenuifolia A-FORB early sept wm, mar 5Mullein Foxglove Dasistoma macrophylla A-FORB aug-sept tg, southeastern woody edge 6Round-leaf Monkey Flower Mimulus glabratus P-FORB aug-sept mar, mudflats and seeps 7Alleghany Monkey Flower Mimulus ringens P-FORB sept mar 6White Beardtongue Penstemon albidus P-FORB mid aug mg, san 6Narrow Beardtongue Penstemon angustifolius P-FORB mid aug san 5Foxglove Penstemon Penstemon digitalis P-FORB mid aug-sept tg, wm 6Slender Beardtongue Penstemon gracilis P-FORB late july-aug tg, mg, san 6Shell-leaf Penstemon Penstemon grandiflorus P-FORB late july-aug tg, mg, san 5Culver’s Root Veronicastrum virginicum P-FORB late aug tg, wm, far eastern NE 9

FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - S - S - S - S - SOLANACEAEOLANACEAEOLANACEAEOLANACEAEOLANACEAE

Clammy Ground Cherry Physalis heterophylla P-FORB late aug-sept san 4Virginia Ground Cherry Physalis virginiana P-FORB sept-oct tg, mg 6Carolina Horse-nettle Solanum carolinense P-FORB oct tg, mg 2



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FFFFFAMILAMILAMILAMILAMILYYYYY - S - S - S - S - SPPPPPARGANIACEAEARGANIACEAEARGANIACEAEARGANIACEAEARGANIACEAE

Large-fruit Bur-reed Sparganium eurycarpum P-FORB aug mar, rbmar 5

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False Nettle Boehmeria cylindrica P-FORB late sept wm, mar 6

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Wedgeleaf fog-fruit Phyla cuneifolia (Lippia cuneifolia) P-FORB mid sept rbwm, rbmar 4Northern fog-fruit Phyla lanceolata (Lippia lanceolata) P-FORB mid sept wm, mar 3Blue Vervain Verbena hastata P-FORB late sept wm, mar 4Hoary Vervain Verbena stricta P-FORB later aug-sept tg, mg, san 2White Vervain Verbena urticifolia P-FORB mid sept tg, wm 3

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Prairie Violet Viola pedatifida P-FORB mid june-aug tg, mg 6Blue Meadow Violet Viola pratincola P-FORB mid june-aug wm 1



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PPRI has been a pioneer of high-diversity prairie and wetlandrestoration since 1980. Restorations harbor both an abundanceand diversity of plant and animal life, and are also a sustainableagricultural resource.

Prairie Restoration1

Prairie Preserves2 PPRI presently owns seven prairie preserves, totaling more than5200 acres, a solid foundation on which to build an ever-expanding“network of campuses.”

3 Education/ SOAR SOAR SOAR SOAR SOAR

All PPRI preserves and many of its restoration projects are educationalsites suitable for lifelong learning. SOAR SOAR SOAR SOAR SOAR - The program which best exemplifies PPRI’s educational effortsis SOAR (Summer Orientation About Rivers), an annual nature day campfor elementary school children. Science and resource stewardship - PPRI sites offer educational andwork opportunities in many aspects of natural resource management.

Platte RiverCorridor Initiative4

The goal of the Platte River Corridor Initiative is to establish aconservation process founded on public participation and localinitiative. Its aims include:

" Restoring and protecting the Platte River’s native prairies." Educating citizens about the Platte’s ecosystem." Planning with local working groups; assisting people in

defining and solving their natural resource issues.

Prairie Plains Resource Institute’sFour Major Projects:

©©©©©

Contribute to the mission of Prairie Plains Resource Institute by becoming a member.Members receive the Prairie Plains Quarterly and gain opportunities to participate in uniqueeducational, recreational and volunteer activities in diverse Nebraska landscapes. PPRI is a501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Membership Categories:Membership Categories:Membership Categories:Membership Categories:Membership Categories:$25 Individual $100-499 Contributing$35 Family $500-999 Patron$50-99 Supporting $1000+ Benefactor

1307 L STREET AURORA NE 68818-2126Phone: (402) 694-5535 cellular (402) 694-9847

[email protected] prairieplains.org

a guide to prairie and wetland restoration in eastern nebraska€¦ · a joint publication of...

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