Restoration
Techniques, &
Commonly
Found Prairie
Plants
Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Garden
Introduction
 Midwestern
Ecosystems
 Invasive Species
 Control Techniques
 Commonly Found Prairie Species
 Rare Prairie Species
Perspective
 Restoration
 Reconstruction
 Rehabilitation
 Tallgrass
Prairie-intermixed with Savanna
and Woodland.
 10,000 years in the making
 Through fire both natural and lit
 Modern threats
Midwestern Ecosystems
 Tallgrass
Prairie (less than1% left in Illinois)
 Oak Savanna
 Oak Woodland
 Forest
 Wetlands
 The prairie forest continuum
 Wetland and upland part of this
continuum
Tall Grass Prairie
 Dominant



Big Bluestem
Switch Grass
Indian Grass
 Dominant



Forbs
Compass Plant
Prairie Dock
Cone Flowers
 Fire

Grasses
Dependency
Essential to keeping the prairies open
Oak Savanna
 Prairie
Wood Interface
 Bur Oaks the dominant tree
 Fire Dependent
 Canopy level approx 10%
Oak Woodland
 Canopy
cover between 30% and 50%
 More shade tolerant species
 Presence of fire in open woodlands prevents ashes
and sugar maples taking over
Forest
 Traditionally
located where fires are
restricted along river edges and moraines
 More maple dominant then oak
dominant
 Fires are more rare
 Forests traditionally somewhat rare in the
native landscape of Illinois
 Encroachment of the Eastern Forests
 Forest canopy cover typically 80% plus
Wetlands
 Marsh
 Sedge
Meadow
 Wet Prairie
 Bog
 Fen
 Flat wood
 Most are fire dependent
Invasive Species
 What
is an invasive species?
Invasive Species
“non indigenous species or strains that
become established in natural plant
communities and wild areas and replace
native vegetation.”
Wisconsin
The Invasive Plant Association of
Teasel
Dipsacus spp
•Two species
•Common (Purple flowered)
•Cut Leaved (White Flowers)
•Biennial
•Introduced for combing wool
•Grows as basal rosette for one year
•Flowers, produces seed and dies
•Seed can remain viable for several years
Reed Canary Grass
(Phalaris arundinacea)
•Planted for forage and erosion control since 1800s
•Can invade most types of wetlands
•Seeds germinate immediately at maturation
•Spread by seed and rhizomes
Buckthorn
(Rhamnus cathartica, frangula)
Oval leaves
Orange bark
•Very prolific
•Seed spread via birds
•Shades out understory
•Forms monocultures
Thorn and the buck
Purple Loosestrife
(Lythrum salicaria)
•Planted originally as a n ornamental
•Forms dense stand in wetland areas
•Chokes out waterways
•Crowds out natives
•No natural predators
•80,000 stalks per acre have been recorded
Honeysuckle
(Lonicera spp)
Flowering
Winter Bark
•Four species of honeysuckle excluding hybrids
•Shade out understory
•Readily spread by birds eating berries
•Cut stump will resprout
Garlic Mustard
(Allaria petiolata)
Rosette colonies
Maturing plant
Introduced by early settlers for use in cooking and medicine
Biennial spreads into disturbed area and high quality areas
Restoration Techniques
Burn Notice
 Fires
are the dominant driving force
behind the prairie /savanna/woodland
complex
 Fire Suppression is a key factor in degradation of local ecosystems
 Fires help control invasive plant species
 10,000 years of burns have created some
of the rarest habitats seen in the world
today
Physical Control
 Removal
 Cutting
 Sawing
Dragging
 Raking

Chemical Control
 Essential
where fire is suppressed and
beneficial where fire is used.
 Selective
 Non selective
 Glyphosate Roundup
 Trclopyr Garlon
 Many others
Woody Control




Cut stump treatment


20% glyphosate soln (water mix)
12.5% triclopyr soln (basal bark oil)


Basal bark application 12.5% triclopyr/oil mix
Only when bark is still smooth

Cutting with saw or axe a ring around the base of the
trunk, approx 2” wide, applying herbicide to this area
helps.
Chemical girdling
Girdling
Brush piles


When the ground is frozen or with snow on the ground
Chainsaw/Brush Cutter/Bush Hog
Non Woody Control
 Invasive
 Spot
grasses/forbs
treatment with 2% glyphosate
 Common Reed requires handwicking at
50% glyphosate soln
 Cutting plants before they go to seed
 Physical removal
-essential to remove all root especially those
with rhizomes
Planting
 Seeding
Over seeding
Interseeding
Spraying, tilling, seeding
Burn then seed
Seeds need to touch dirt
 Plugging
Straight into plant matrix
Plug hole
Management
 Mow
method
 Burn Method
 Combined
 Watering rarely required
 Spot spray
 3 to 5 years for new seedlings to establish
Commonly Found Prairie
Plants
Prairie Grasses
 Big
Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
 Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
 Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis)
 Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
 Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum)
 Prairie Cord Grass (Spartina pectinata)
 Side Oats Grama (Bouteloua
curtipendula)
Big Bluestem
(Andropogon gerardii)
•Also known as turkey Foot
•Quintessential prairie plant
•Dry to wet sites
•Dominant in mesic sites
•Used by Native American to treat
digestive problems
Little Bluestem
(Schizachyrium scoparium)
•Characteristic plant of the tall grass
prairie
•Reaches 4’ tall
•Small
•Found predominantly mesic sites but
also drier sites
Prairie Dropseed
(Sporobulus heterolepsis)
•Characteristic of mesic prairies
•Characterized by dense tufts of long,
very narrow leaves which are rolled
slightly
•Flower heads have pungent waxy aroma
Indian Grass
(Sorghastrum nutans)
•Flowering at 7’ tall
•Occurs as dense tufts or single stands
•Rapid colonizer
•Common throughout the tallgrass region
Switch Grass
(Panicum virgatum)
•Common through out the tall grass region
•Found in wet to mesic and drier sites
•Can become very dominant
Prairie Cord Grass
(Spartina pectinata) •Very sharp edges leaves
•Sometimes called ripgut
•Has been used for thatching and fuel
Side Oats Grama
(Bouteloua curtipendula)
•Very distinctive
•Low grass 3’
•Flower clusters form in rows
along one side of the upper stem
•Prefers well drained prairies
Canada Wild Rye
(Elymus canadensis)
•Common along prairie edges
•3-5’ tall
•Moist to mesic sites
•Seeds were used as food by
Native Americans
Prairie Forbs













Compass Plant (Siphium lacinatum)
Praire Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
Asters (Asteraceae)
Boneset (Eupatorium spp)
Coneflowers (Echinacea spp)
Blazing Stars (Liatris spp)
Goldenrods (Solidago spp)
Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp)
Milkweeds (Asclepsis spp)
Vervain (Verbena spp)
Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Prairie Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)
Compass Plant
(Silphium laciniatum)
•Striking member of the silphium group
•Flower very similar to prairie dock
•Leaves main distinguishing characteristic
•Named for the way it follows the sun
•Dried sap was used as chewing gum
Prairie Dock
(Siphium terebinthinaceum)
•Fowers very
similar to compass
plant
•Leaves wide and
rough
•Also orient
themselves towards
the sun
New England Aster
(Aster novae-angliae)
•Commonly grown
•Has some weedy tendencies
•Wet to mesic prairies
Tall Boneset
(Eupatorium altissimum)
•Common in dry upland prairies
•More common in areas with history of
disturbance
Coneflowers
(Echinacea spp)
Pale Purple Coneflower
(Echinacea pallida)
•Roots sometimes used for herbal
medicines
•Ilegal rooting is a threat
Purple Coneflower
(Echinacea purpurea)
•Often used as an ornamental
•Blooms from spring to fall
Blazing Stars
(Liatris spp)
•Six commonly found species of liatris
•Prairie
•Marsh
•Dotted
•Cylindrical
•Rough
•Scaly
•Dotted blazing star underparts was used
as a food of last resort for native
americans
Prairie Blazing Star
(Liatris pycnostachya)
Goldenrods
(Solidago spp)
Early (Solidago juncea)
Showy (Solidago speciosa)
Coreopsis
(Coreopsis spp)
Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
•4 common species
•Large flowered
•Sand
•Prairie
•Tall
•Prefers drier prairies
•Upland sites
Milkweeds
(Asclepsis spp)
•Known for attracting
butterflies
•Roots of tuberosa have
been used as foods by
Native Americans
•Approx 14 commonly
found species found on
the prairie
•Regular milkweed host
plant for monarchs
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Bergamot
(Monarda fistulosa)
•Member of the mint family
•Fairly common species though
out the tall grass region
•Also known as beebalm
Rattlesnake Master
(Eryngium yuccifolium)
•Striking plant a
member of the
parsley family
•Plant leaves
resemble yucca
leaves
•Fairly common
among prairies
Prairie Dogbane
(Apocynum cannabinum)
•Common throughout the tallgrass
region
•Native Americans used the fiber for
ropes and nets
Restoration Resources




The tallgrass restoration handbook
Chicago Wilderness Atlas of Biodiversity
The prairie of the Illinois country
A natural history of the Chicago region