The Cat’s Paw Prairie is a 15 acre field on the top of our hills, at the northeastern corner of our land. It’s the first of the upper fields that we planted in prairie – in the fall of 2002. It’s one of the two prairies that we planted with a seed drill. It was named by a former owner; the name comes from a narrow strip of the field that curves up to the north from the main part of the prairie making it resemble a cat’s paw.
Here are stories of the planting and progress of the Cat’s Paw Prairie by year:
2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000
This was taken from the drone on 6/4/2016, looking east over the Cat’s Paw Prairie.
This shows the Cat’s Paw Prairie on an aerial photo of our property.
This was taken in the summer of 2000 – when it was a soybean field.
Planting prairie in November 2002.
For quite a few years after planting the central area of the prairie was dominated by Stiff Goldenrod. (This photo was taken in 2014.)
Since then, it has become much more diverse. This shows the transformation from soybean field to prairie.
This is the list of seeds that were planted in the fall of 2002, and which ones I’ve observed growing.