Prairie Update

The front prairie is starting to take shape. At this time last year, I was digging out St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. Now I am enjoying flowers and the wildlife they attract.


Weeds continue to pop up between the four-nerve daisies, winecups, and Little Bluestem. They are easy enough to control with a daily walk through the prairie.

This is my first year to grow winecup. They had a slow start because the rabbits kept nibbling on their stems. They still keep a couple of plants closely cropped. My understanding is that winecup will fizzle out in June. It will be interesting to see what fills the void.

I have a couple of Black Samson Echinacea (Echinacea augustifolia) in the prairie. The flowers are a little smaller and not as colorful as the commercially common Echinacea purpurea, however Black Samson is the variety that grows wild in this area.

This is a plant I "resuced" from a field last fall. I did not know what it was, but it had a dried flower stalk so I brought it home to see if it was anything interesting. I think it is a type of plantago or plantain.
Here is a close up of the flowers. It is interesting enough. I just hope it does not pop up all over the place.