A hummingbird clearwing moth seeks nectar in the tubular flowers of wild bergamot.

Photo Album

Tall coreopsis towers above the late summer prairie.

(Above) Fire pink blooms in the valley. It is one of dozens of bare root plants reintroduced to our property.

(Below) A panoramic view of the prairie taken by our neighbor Barb Bechtel.

August 7, 2004

As evident from the top photo, the new prairie is already attracting visitors and new residents. It is our hope to introduce people to the diversity of life, like the hummingbird clearwing moth pictured, that will be attracted to our habitat restoration project. Many butterflies, for example, require certain types of plants for their caterpillars to feed upon. Relationships between insects, plants, animals and birds will become evident as the restoration matures.

Of the nearly 30 species of wild flowers and grasses planted so far, we've identified more than half. Other slow-growing prairie species should become evident in the next year or so. The prairie was planted from seed June 4, 2003, so it is only 14 months old as of this writing. The panorama at the top of the page was taken the day we planted with a special seed drill. Compare that scene with the new panorama taken in the past few weeks (at the bottom of this page).

Big bluestem, with its characteristic three-lobed seedhead, reaches toward the evening sky. Settlers called big bluestem "turkey foot."

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