West of Columbus there was a vast prairie that composed hundreds of square miles. Early settlers thought the land was infertile and not very good for planting crops. The vast area was covered with tall grasses and wild flowers with few trees. The plains were often very wet due to the deep matted roots of the tall grasses and were breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
In time settlers plowed the earth and buried drainage tiles to drain the wet soil to grow crops. Today less than 1% of the original plains survive. There are two tiny pioneer cemeteries where the soil has not been tilled and many of the original species of plants continue to grow. The two cemeteries, Smith and Bigelow are now nature preserves. It was interesting to me when I’ve visited the two cemeteries how much higher they are in elevation than the surrounding crop land. Years of plowing the fields has caused soil erosion. Since the cemeteries have never been tilled, they remain at the original elevation.
The best time to visit the cemeteries is in late summer when the native plants are in full bloom. These native plants provide the pollen and nectar and breeding grounds for indigenous butterflies, bees, and birds. The Division of Natural Areas and Preserves maintains the tiny remnants of the original prairie. They remove invasive and non-native plants and propagate the native grasses and flowers.
I enjoyed seeing the array of beautiful prairie plants. The queen of the prairie flowers is the bright scarlet star shaped Royal Catchfly. This endangered flower is worth the trip even if you don’t see anything else!
To name a few of the rare treasurers, there are various prairie grasses; the white spires of Culver’s Root; the fuzzy purple flowers of the Savanna Blazing Star; clusters of the bright blue flowers of the Scurf Pea; the bubblegum-colored flowers of a milkweed; and the yellow daisy-like flowers of Prairie Dock.
There are nurseries that propagate and sale these native prairie plants and seeds for your garden. Many nurseries sell mixtures of wild flower seeds, but many of the flowers are not native to this area. To invite native butterflies, bees, and native birds, consider planting your very own little patch of prairie flowers and tall grasses in your garden!