Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden ~ Concept
I became aware of native plants, grasses in particular, about a year before acquiring this property in 2003. Initially I was attracted to the beauty of indigenous plants. More importantly though, since starting this replanting, I’ve learned that a once magnificent ecosystem — Tallgrass Prairie — is almost gone.
weeds?
These are weeds in Canada: Canada thistle (pale purple), curled dock (rust), sow thistle (yellow).
These are weeds in Canada: Canada thistle (pale purple), curled dock (rust), sow thistle (yellow).
These are not weeds in Canada: Big bluestem, black-eyed susan, yarrow
These are not weeds in Canada: Big bluestem, black-eyed susan, yarrow
Native flora is largely disregarded in Canada. While a handful of native plants — such as purple coneflower, ninebark, and potentillashrubby cinquefoil — are sold in garden centres, to a majority of people in the country native plants are weeds. Yet when those same people visit national, provincial, or state parks they are usually amazed at what Nature offers. One has to wonder why indigenous plants, when they are outside of protected areas, are suddenly beneath notice? Why primarily alien plants are preferred in private and public yards? One also has to wonder at the neglect that has led to ditches alongside roadways being overrun with the troublesome plants that come from elsewhere on the planet.
Many of the alien plants are also thought of as weeds. In fact, a goodly number of plants — that were either deliberately or accidentally introduced — have taken up residence in both domestic yards and natural landscapes; today they vastly outnumber native plants in Manitoba. WeMyself, Robert G. Mears, and my partner, Coleen Zebeluk. concur that these latter plants are weeds that should be removed. We strongly disagree with including native plants in that category.
brush cut versus long hair
artificial grazing
artificial grazing
tallgrass prairie remnant ~ 11JL24
tallgrass prairie remnant ~ 11JL24
Few things could be more unnatural than the domestic landscaping model currently in vogue in North American culture. And what most mowers of lawns don’t realize is that mowing and grouped plantings of showy flowers and shrubs or trees surrounded by disturbed soil fosters the spread of undesirable exotic plants. Hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands upon thousands of hours are spent every year trying to eradicate introduced clovers, thistles, and dandelions, et cetera, yet the rest of the domestic landscaping practice, that so many are committed to, causes those same alien plants to increase in numbers. Meanwhile, the people on this treadmill will tell you, “Humans are the most intelligent species on the planet.”
yard | tallgrass prairie ~ 11AU13
yard | tallgrass prairie ~ 11AU13
An expanse of kept-short grass looks tidy and a similar expanse growing wild is seen to be messy. But lawns don’t provide habitat (except maybe for ants and worms) while the natural areas are also habitat for many animate species.
yarden
The plan for the Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden combines elements of
restorationMaterial for restoration is site specific; seed must be gathered
from native plants growing in the wild within a 200 km or so radius of the site. Once established, a restoration project
may be managed with periodic *prescribed burns* and / or trucking in of cattle to graze it but the site
is otherwise left to the vagaries of nature. ,
revegetationRevegetation is done by ranchers who favour
native flora — grasses in particular — in their pastures. Landscape architects may also specify
indigenous flora for their projects because it tends to be lower maintenance than alien material. Seed is best
obtained from sources in proximity to the site but may not be. And such plantings around businesses and homes,
et cetera, often use the horticultural approach, as it’s called. While revegetation makes use of native plants,
it does not usually attempt to recreate indigenous plant communities. , and
wildlife planting
Tourond Creek #2 Wetland Conservation Project
Wildlife plantings, which are not necessarily native,
are projects where the intent is to attract or provide habitat for particular fauna — like those of
Ducks Unlimited which
creates or preserves habitat for waterfowl (of interest to hunters) — or unused corners and edges of farmland
where habitat creation is more benign. . Seed for the replanting is being gathered from the surrounding area
(or obtaineded from vendors and acquaintances whose sources are nearby).
This replanting is close to being a restoration except that floral species from many components of the Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem are being compressed into two hectares, including species for an artificial sedge meadow which will not survive (in dry years) without someone to turn on the water. This replanting might be considered revegetation or a wildlife planting except it is a yard with people present, not a pasture or a uninhabited field rarely visited by humans.
front yard ~ 11AU30
front yard ~ 11AU30
west yard ~ 11JL18
west yard ~ 11JL18
This replanting is an inversion of the current dominant convention. Instead of expansive lawn(s) with pocket gardens this yard is being planted with expansive gardens and pocket recreation areas (mostly paths). While this site will be tended, the expansive “garden” areas will not be massed plantings of a few select species typical of horticultural landscaping. The various regions of the yard are being planted as self-organizing communities for their intrinsic value. We are borrowing from the English or Country Garden approach. We think of what we are doing as planting a yarden, a word I’ve coined to mean expansive communal plantings with small recreation areas. In our case it’s an indigenous yarden.
As a result of adding Native flora to the site we have already seen an increase in native fauna: mostly insects, but also many birds.
what to plant?
Researching flora (and fauna) native to southern Manitoba and the Great Plains of North America has been a learning
experience for two former city folk. The world-wide web was browsed and some books were
readA partial list of sources is on the regards / links page.
on the subject(s). A list of species to include was started. Then places like the
Agassiz Interpretive Trail
and the Prairie Shore Trail in southeastern Manitoba, and
Lake Bronson State Park in Minnesota were visited.
As well, more flora was discovered by driving around the local area and walking the ditches. Too, some
plants have appeared spontaneously. The listAddition of the following number of species
is planned for the site:
31 grasses
106 wildflowers
26 rushes & sedges
31 shrubs & vines
——
194 TOTAL keeps getting longer. While there are almost 200 plants already planned for inclusion (with around 130
already on site), more will be added along the way. The number of diverse plants to choose from is astonishing.
why are we doing this?
At the outset it seemed the thing to do; the idea evoked a sense of joy in us. After a few years of research, learning, and planting we have come to see for ourselves the beauty of the native plants. They have a look of rightnessSubtle though it is, the native plants often seem to glow while most introduced material doesn’t; it’s kind of like the difference between gold and brass. to them. They look, not surprisingly, like they belong here.
As this website documents, the transformation of this property is way more work than we could have imagined. But it is becoming a remarkable presentation of amazing flora and the array of fauna it attracts.
Robert G. Mears
August 2011