silver plains tallgrass prairie yarden ~ synopsis

The name Silver Plains comes from an abundance of “silver willows” that grew here when the area was first settled by Europeans in the early 1900s. Since then there was a rudimentary start to a village centre which included a grain elevator, a general store, and a CN train station. By the mid-1990s, all that remained were two houses, an anhydrous compound adjacent to a nearby railroad siding, and the shed / shop which is on the property being developed here. In 1997, Silver Plains, along with the entire Red River Valley, was under water. After the “flood of the century” one house (right next door) was relocated some distance away and the other one (which remains) was simply abandoned. The idea of a village centre was also abandoned. In 2007 the anhydrous compound was dismantled and removed. Today several families, who reside within a few kilometers west and south of the site of the Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden, consider themselves to be residents of Silver Plains.

the site

view east ~ 09AU23

Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden map

Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden
from Google Maps, 2010

The propertyLatitude: 49^O 27’ 30” North
Longitude: 97^O 17’ 44” West
Elevation: approximately 237 meters (777 feet) is on the north side of a secondary highway in the Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba, Canada. The site is 1.987 hectares surrounded by farm fields in all directions with a couple of smaller vacant lots (one with the abandoned house on it) immediately to the west. Just beyond these lots is a service road then train tracks with a siding where local farmers used to load grain. There are a couple of groupings of trees on two of the adjacent lots and one, almost dead tree on the southwest corner of the site. With the exception of the few trees, hydro poles along the highway to the south, and occasional rail cars on the siding to the west, there is an uninterrupted view to the horizon. The view is somewhat reminiscent of the days before European settlement when Tallgrass Prairie extended in every direction, as far as the eye could see.

west, front & east yard(s) ~ 07NO07

east & back yard; nursery ~ 09AP21

In the fall of 2002, the previous owner — with assistance from the Government of Manitoba — had the ring dike built to protect the yard and the two buildings on it from flooding. Accomplishing this led to making a dugout pond in a piece of land added on the northern edge of the site. The pond is the size of a Canadian football field and approximately 3.5 meters deep when full. It fills each spring with water from melted snow from the surrounding area (including the highway ditch out front). When the highway ditch drains the flow is reversed; excess water in the pond runs back to the highway ditch then to the Red River, 1.6 kilometers to the east. Because of high water levels during periodic floods the pond has Asian carp and Bullhead catfish in it.

pond ~ 08AP17

Except for the dike, the site is almost flat with a total change in elevation of about 1.22 meters. The dike is 1.8 meters higher than the lowest parts of the yard; the top of it is a 0.7 meter higher than the level of the 1997 flood.

one extreme: periodic flooding

The Red River of the North flows north from between Wahpeton, North Dakota and Breckenridge, Minnesota to Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba.

silver plains map
from Natural Resources Canada

The site of the Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden is in the flood plain of the Red River of the North. As the topographic map illustrates, the elevation of the property is a little higher than most of the surrounding area and, prior to 1997, this site was spared from flooding. During the flood of 2009 — the fourth highest since 1800 — the site, inside the dike, stayed dry. High as the water was around the property it was much higher on the south side of the highway out front. Because of the highway, a short stretch between this site and the closest neighbours to the west remained above water while fields to the east, north, and south (of the highway) became temporary shallow lakes for about six weeks. Road access to the site was not affected.

Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden ~ 09AP21
The white spot on the side of the dike near the driveway is from sand bags
over the outside of a culvert which drains the east yard.

Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden landscape 01 site full

full site

another extreme: a lot of snow

nursery & west yard ~ 08MR09

Since having a dike built around it the yard, inside the dike, can collect a lot of snow. All the snow melts in spring, of course, which can make for temporary lakes. However, the property inside the dike drains quickly:

The west yard drains to the nursery which, in turn, drains through the back yard to the east yard. The front yard also drains to the east yard. And the east yard drains through the dike — by way of a culvert — into the highway ditch.

The two photographs below were taken just as the various culverts and ditches, inside the dike, opened upCulverts and shallow ditches are filled with ice at the beginning of spring thaw. When it melts the water flows. .

west, front & east yard(s) ~ 08AP15

east & back yard(s); nursery ~ 08AP15

The entire site drains in about two hours, and does so before water rises, if a flood is pending, on the outside of the dike.

spring thaw

drainage

soil

This region of the Great Plains of North America was once the bottom of prehistoric Lake Agassiz. After glaciers to the north receded and the lake dried up this whole area was a deep bed of clay. The clay was eventually covered with what is called Tallgrass Prairie. During the 10 - 15,000 year period in which the grasses and wildflowers, et cetera, evolved and adapted, trees and shrubs were kept in check by dry lightning fires and grazing by huge herds of buffalo, deer, and antelope. Aboriginal peoples also set fire to the grass to flush out game and to clear out dense thatch. Periodic fires, regular grazing, and decomposition of what remained have, over thousands of years, produced very rich soil. In fact, it is the most productive soil on the planet.

The soil in the region is predominantly clay with a 0.5 meter layer of clay / loam mix on top. While it is known affectionately as *Manitoba gumbo*, it is properly called black chernozemic. However, the soil on much of this site has a high clay content; for whatever reason the layer of clay / loam mix is gone.

Working this soil can be a challenge. It is like stone when almost dry, it crumbles and turns powdery when completely dry, and it’s like thick stew when soaking wet. Yet, if conditions are right — when the soil is moist to moist / dry — it is very malleable. The soil distributes and retains water very well. Often, when it is dry and cracking on top, it is quite moist below the surface.

dry soil

soil under water

particulars

terrain

The soil is pretty much the same throughout the site, however, moisture conditions vary. There are six variables:

dry dry
moist dry dry / moist
moist moist
wet moist moist / wet
wet wet
wet aquatic

regions

The site has been divided into elevenOne of the regions, though, is not part of the property. While it is listed as a region, because the vegetation there will be changed, the highway ditch belongs to the Province of Manitoba. distinct regions. Nine regions are part of the landscaping:

front front yard
west west yard
back back yard
east east yard
lawn recreation / paths
dike dike
pond pond
east ditch east ditch
highway ditch (off property)

The two remaining regions are:

• nursery / garden ~ to grow shrubs from seeds or cuttings / personal use
• utility ~ driveway and buildings

Silver Plains Tallgrass Prairie Yarden landscape

full bloom *on paper*

The nine regions are to be planted with five types of vegetation:

• Tallgrass Prairie
• sedge meadow
• prairie meadow
• riparian
• aquatic

While we have specified which species are to be planted in particular regionsSpecies tables are part of each region description. , this is only to get them started. The flora rearranges itself somewhat as it sets and disperses seed; some plants jump imaginary fences between regions.

one more extreme: wind

At present, being tree-, shrubless, means experiencing the wind full force, and it is usually windy here. The wind blows most days, generally under 25 km/hr, but sometimes up to 40 or 50 km/hr with gusts of 60 or 70 km/hr and, once in a long while, when a storm blows through, as high as 100 km/hr. Shrubs — to be planted mostly on the outside slopes of the dike — will one day provide some shelter from the wind and drifting snow. Using shrubs instead of trees — which is in keeping with the way the Tallgrass Prairie was — will preserve the view.

The wind is proving to be a challenge as we develop and replant the site. It causes soil erosion in the winter in areas that are being kept black and it brings thousands of weed seeds to the site each year, all year. In winter, once there is sufficient snow on the ground, we move some of it onto areas that are black. We have started laying flax straw on these same areas to reduce the number of weeds that germinate and to protect unplanted areas from soil erosion caused by heavy rains in summer.

details

This website is split into several categories:

• Details by region.
• Site plan concept drawings.
• Chronicles; annual records of our progress.
• Photographic history of the yard.
• Image & data pages for the flora being planted on the property.
• Images of Tallgrass Prairie fauna.
• Panoramic photographs of the prairie sky.

All pages are accessible from the dropdown menu at the top or the flyup menus at the bottom. “Project” pages can also be navigated to by way of arrows in the box at the top right of the page. Hovering over an or displays where the link will take you. Clicking on will return you to the top of each page.

If you have suggestions please feel free to contact us or leave a comment in our guestbook.

Robert G. Mears

August 2011

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the grassland | concept | synopsis | chronicles: 2004-2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011