Buffalo Ridge Prairie

Here are stories and photos of Buffalo Ridge Prairie by year:
2023,   2022,   2021,   2020,   2019,   2018,   2017,   2016,   2015,   2014,   2013,   2012,   2011,   2010,   2009,   2008,   2007,   2006,   2005,   2004,   2003,   2002,   2000

Buffalo Ridge is a 20 acre field on top of one of the hills that runs north/south down the center of our land.   This is the way it looked in 2001 – planted with soybeans.

1 buffalo ridge prairie fall 2001

 

In 2004 the farmer had planned to plant it in corn.  I don’t like to plant into corn stubble, so that year we asked the farmer not to plant.  Mike mowed it several times over the summer; in the fall we had the farmer spray it with glyphosate, and that winter – the winter of 2004/2005 – I planted prairie seeds.  There was lots of snow that winter, so I did most of the planting on snowshoes.

 

This is the same view in July of 2009 – when the prairie was 5 years old.

 

One of the wonderful things about planting a prairie is watching wild creatures interacting with the plants.  This moment happened in May 2007, as I was walking along the path.

5-25-07 1

 

Some of the plants that have been especially successful in this prairie are Butterfly Milkweed,

6-23-10 1

 

Common Milkweed

 

Northern Bedstraw

 

Prairie Phlox

 

July 2023 – 19 years old.

 

This is an aerial of the farm showing the location of Buffalo Ridge.

aerial of buffalo ridge 2016 2

Click Here for a list of the seeds I planted, and which ones I’ve observed growing.