plants

2011 Highlights: Prairie Projects

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This year we worked on a number of unique projects including repairing the windmill, delivering plants, installing a nest for mallard ducks, installing signage boxes and preparing for our annual native plant sale.

Our windmill has aged significantly and in the spring it developed a horrible screechy sound when the fins turned in the breeze.  The sound was so loud and unbearable that it made it difficult to carry on a conversation near the windmill.  We had even heard from other around campus that they heard the creaking sound from the front of the campus!  Luckily for us the maintenance department had scheduled a large lift to replace lightbulbs in the spring months.  They were kind enough to share the lift so the windmill could be repaired at the same time.  Before the repairs began I took a ride in the lift to take pictures of the prairie and the surrounding area.  That seemed like such a good idea before the lift started moving higher and higher.  By the top the lift topped out around 80 feet I was really uninterested in taking pictures.  I was more focused on how long it would be until I was on the ground again.  Thankfully, I was able to hold it together enough to take some really nice pictures!

After the native plant sale we were glad to share some of our plants with the folks over at the Marion Tallgrass Trail.  This site is part of the Marion County Park District.  It’s located on the west side of Marion and includes a 12 mile corridor with Marion County’s first multi-use recreational trail.

In the spring a mallard nest box was installed in the prairie pond in hopes that mallards would come to build a nest.  While looking through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources nest box plan booklet we learned that mallards could use some help in nest-building.  “Mallards, although not near extinction, are in need of help. Drought, habitat destruction, and predators take their toll as mallards try to nest in fragmented habitat. This is where you can come in- by providing safe nesting sites for more mallards in Ohio” (Ohio Department of Natural Resources Nest Box Plan).

During the summer months we were able to install several signage boxes around the prairie.  The boxes will feature informational and educational displays for visitors to enjoy while they explore the prairie.

Enjoy some pictures of these projects and stayed tuned for all the projects and adventures that 2012 will bring!

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2011 Highlights: Life in the greenhouse

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Each winter we head into the greenhouse to plant the seeds we’ve collected and stratified in the refrigerator.  Without fail as the plants begin to sprout the energy and excitement grows as well.  Every day it seems we’re giddy while discussing the progress of a particular plant or pointing out a new sprout.  This year was a particularly successful year in the greenhouse, thanks in part to the newly installed watering system.  Enjoy these photos of the seeds sprouting and turning the greenhouse into a lush indoor prairie!  I only wish I could invite you all into the greenhouse to experience it in person!

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2011 Highlights: New Prairie Shelter House

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This summer the Prairie staff had a front row seat to a very exciting event.  We were able to watch with anticipation as the new prairie shelter house was constructed.  Each day while we weeded, collected seeds or mowed the grass we were able to see tiny changes and bits of progress made on the shelter.

The nearly complete shelter was dedicated on September 23rd, 2011.  The days before and the morning of were filled with final preparation of the luncheon, displays and the site.  Unfortunately, those days were also filled with lots and lots of rain.  So much precipitation, in fact, that the newly seeded lawn had been turned into an impassable mud pit.  Thanks to the ingenuity of the campus Maintenance department we were able to enter the shelter house safely on a carpet covered plywood ramp.  I liked to think that the campus rolled out the (scarlet) carpet for all the luncheon attendees.

The entire campus is proud to have the new Trella Romine Shelter House complete and we invite you to visit the shelter house anytime! Learn more about Trella.

Enjoy these pictures of the construction from start to finish, including the dedication to Trella on that oh so rainy day in September.

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Native Plant Sale- Saturday May 7th

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For all of you wondering what we’re planning with our greenhouse full of magnificent native plants- you’re in luck!!  We’ll be holding our annual Native Plant Sale on Saturday May 7th from 10 am until 1 pm.  The sale will take place on the Ohio State Marion campus on the first floor of Morrill Hall. 

If you’d like to see descriptions of the plants we’ll be featuring at the sale click here: Plant Sale 2011

Today I killed stuff…

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I sometimes think that people would be amazed how much of my time running a nature center is spent killing things.  I think most people in another line of work would imagine that I spend my days petting rabbits, teaching birds to fly or some other warm and fuzzy task.  Instead, I spend a surprising amount of time killing plants.  I suppose I should clarify, the plants I’m killing are weeds or plants that just don’t belong at a prairie.  I’ve spent a large amount of time removing plants like Canada Thistle, Burdock, and Teasel. 

But this past week I had the joy of removing brush and trees from the prairie.  This is actually one of the more rewarding killing tasks at the prairie.  This is because woody plants are fairly scattered and rare at the prairie so the job includes more breaks to walk from one plant to the next.  Also, rather than pulling the plants out of the ground we typically cut them with hand pruners.  These two facts make this task considerably less strenuous than other killing tasks. 

So all in all, after several days of killing things I’m left feeling pretty positive.  I have a number of scrapes and scratches from all the thorny bushes and I’ve found at least one tick so far, but all in all, it’s been another good week.  I can look at the prairie and see where my efforts have made a real difference and helped improve the condition of the area.

Color abounds!

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Yesterday was a great day at the prairie.  I started out the morning by mowing the grass, which is a great way to see the entire prairie from a higher vantage point.  I saw so many flowers in bloom from all over the prairie.  It seems there is orange everywhere- both Michigan Lily and Butterfly Milkweed are in full bloom.  I’ve added a lot of pictures from the walk I took after mowing.  Enjoy!