Narrows Prairie – 2019

[To see photos and stories of this prairie in other years, go to the links on the main Narrows Prairie page.]

We did our regular late summer mowing for aspen sprouts this year again. Every year there are fewer sprouts, but they never go away completely. The mature aspens on our side of the prairie are dead – I girdled them several years ago. But the ones on the north side, which belongs to our neighbor will continue to send up sprouts – probably forever.

This was a good year for Monarchs – we saw hundreds of them nectaring on prairie flowers during their migration. Their favorites were Stiff and Showy Goldenrod, Rough Blazing Star and New England Aster, but we also found them on other flowers.

3/29/2019 The narrowest part of the narrows. Snow stays longer in this area than most other parts of the prairie.

6/1/2019 Golden Alexander in bloom

7/13/2019 Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida) – a flower that I didn’t plant so the seeds must have come in with some other seeds I bought. It’s not usually found in this area, but since it’s beautiful, and doesn’t seem to be causing any problems, I’ll let it grow.

7/22/2019 Lots of Culver’s Root bloomed this year.

7/28/2019

7/28/2019 There are some areas in this prairie which have much shorter vegetation, and more unusual plants – all ones I planted, but they seem to do better here.

7/18/2019

7/28/2019

8/16/2019 Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya) – another flower that I didn’t plant intentionally. It’s growing in at least 3 different spots in this prairie. According to the Wisconsin herbarium it’s found growing in many of the surrounding counties, but not in Buffalo County.

9/2/2019 Stiff Goldenrod

9/5/2019 This was the first time I’ve found anything like a Monarch roost here. There weren’t many butterflies – I think 7 or 8 – but more than I’ve ever seen roosting in one tree.