Ohio Prairies&

Invasive SpeciesCoe Lake Outdoor Science Education

Environmental Science UNIT

II. Ohio Wildlife

• native plant: a plant that grows in the wild without human intervention

• exotic plant: also called non-indigenous, invasive; a plant that was introduced by human intervention from another area or country (accidentally or purposefully)

Bee Balm - Native Phragmites - Exotic

Why Plant Natives?• better adapted to local

environmental conditions. • of value to local wildlife. • require less maintenance. • provide four-season interest. (nectar

in flowers, seeds, fruit production essential for migratory birds)

• preserve native species and biodiversity.

• add a local accent to the landscape instead of just “grass”

Purple Coneflower

Native Plants at BHS Wildlife Habitat

• Catmint• Milkweed• Joe-Pye Weed• Purple Coneflower• Bee Balm• Butterfly Bush• Wild Lupine• Butterfly Flower• Shooting Star• Hibiscus• Black-Eyed Susan• Boston Creeper• Serviceberry

Ohio’s Prairie Past Native Communities

• "prairie" is from the French "pré" which translates into English as "meadow"--a meadow and a prairie are similar in the sense that they both lack woody vegetation.

• very little of the original prairie exists due to commercial agriculture, development of communities, towns, roads, etc.

Prairie Plant Characteristics

• Prairie plants have deep roots so they are resistant to drought.

• About two-thirds of a prairie is actually underground as a dense mat of roots.

Importance of Prairies • Functional prairie/grassland areas

adjacent to stream systems are essential for erosion control and sediment management, especially in regions with limited riparian vegetation.

• control of non-point source pollution, and both groundwater and surface water systems that drain through prairie/grassland regions and can help control floods,etc.

Prairie Plant Species

Purple Coneflower

Milkweed

Rattlesnake Master

Bergamot

Black Eyed Susan

Beardtongue

Great Lobelia

Lanced-Leafed Coreopsis

Little Bluestem

Ohio Prairies Link

Invasive Species• Examples in Ohio:

zebra mussel, spiny water flea, purple loosestrife, phragmites