NORTH AMERICAN PRAIRIE SAIJIKI

NORTH AMERICAN PRAIRIE SAIJIKI

TREES
	Oak Openings" Oak Savannas--In places where grasslands neared the forest edge, oak trees spread out across the prairie. Settlers called these parklike grasslands "oak openings." Today, they are known as oak savannas. A prairie oak's shade creates a microclimate underneath its boughs, allowing prairie plant species with broader leaves to thrive in the cooler, more even temperatures and moister soils. Red bud tree Pea pod Box alder trees Silver maple tree
GRASSES
	Autumn tall grasses (hades of yellow, orange and tan) Big Bluestem Blue Gamma Grass Buffalo Grass Canada Wild Rye Indian Grass June Grass Little Bluestem Porcupine Grass Turkey Feet QUACK GRASS Elytrigia repens Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: Quack grass is a pest species, introduced from Europe. It crowds other plants, taking over land from Maine west to Minnesota. Quack grass (also called couch grass) is rather coarse, 1 to 3 feet high, and when in flower resembles rye or beardless wheat. Its smooth hollow stems, which are thickened at the joints, are produced from a long, creeping rootstock. The flowering heads are produced from July to September. CANADA WILD RYE Elymus canadensis Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: Common throughout most of the tallgrass region in moist to moderately dry prairies, thickets, fields, and along stream banks. Comments: Native Americans are reported to have used these seeds as food. Stout grasses growing in bunches up to 3-5 feet tall. The leaves are flat or curled inward at their tip. The flowers occur above the leaves in a long, nodding cluster, 4-10 inches long at the top of the stem. SMOOTH BROME Bromus inermis Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: It was introduced into the United States in 1884 and is now widely distributed. Smooth brome is native to northern Europe and Asia. Smooth brome is a sod-forming perennial grass (1-4 feet tall) and has strong underground plant growth. It has escaped throughout its range and is often considered to be a highly competitive weed of roadsides, forests, prairies, fields, and lawns. PORCUPINE GRASS Stipa spartea Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: Common in dry upland prairies of the northern tallgrass region, and occasionally southward to southern Missouri and southern Illinois. Plants grow in small tufts, with unbranched stems up to 4 feet tall. The leaves are long and slender. Typically, there are hairs on the upper surfaces of the leaves. The seeds are narrow and long (.5-1 inch) with a sharp, pointed, furry base and a very long, twisting awn. Also called "Needle and Thread" grass because of its needle sharp fruit tip and long awn. The sharp-pointed seeds can injure livestock. INIDAIN GRASS Sorghastrum nutans Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: Common in mesic to dry prairies as well as pastures, fields, and open savannas throughout the tallgrass region. Flowering stems are up to 7 feet tall, with plants occurring as dense tufts or single stems mixed with other grasses, especially Big Bluestem. The leaves are up to 2 feet long and taper, and are rarely more than a half inch wide. Although the individual flowers are inconspicuous, the pollen is produced on protruding yellow stamens.
FLOWERS
	Black-eyed Susan Common Spiderwort Jewelweed Prairie Blazing Star Purple Coneflower Purple Prairie Clover Western Prairie-fringed Orchid Wild Bergamo Milkweed Flower Pollen Sacs Saddlebags (refer to milkweed flower) Stinging Nettle Sunflowers Magenta (when detemined when in bloom for kigo) Poison Ivy Purple Petals ( when they fall off?) Coneflower Rosinweed Long Stalk sedges (grass like plants) Sideoats Gamma Sweet Cornflower Wild Indigos Yellow Coneflowers JEWELWEED Impatiens capensis Touch Me Not Family (Balsaminaceae) Habitat/Range: Stream edges and woodlands Also called the touch-me-not, it is a common wildflower of moist, shady woodlands and stream edges. Jewel weed has funnel-shaped yellow-orange flowers about 1-1.5 inches long which are often spotted with reddish brown flecks. It grows to a height of 2 to 5 feet. Its oval leaves can be more than three inches long. The liquid of this plant is known to alleviate the itching caused by STINGING NETTLE, POISON IVY, WESTERN PRAIRIE FRINGED ORCHID Platanthera praeclara Orchid Family (Orchidaceae) Habitat/Range: Once widespread in the tallgrass region, the western prairie fringed orchid is on the federal endangered species list. The loss of intact prairie systems continues to put their future in jeopardy. Stout, erect orchids growing up to 2.5 feet tall, with smooth, hairless stems and leaves. The flowers are in clusters along the tops of the stems, often with more than 20 white flowers per plant. The leaves are alternate and are long with pointed tips. Text from: Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers : A Falcon Field Guide : A Nature Conservancy Book LEAFY SPURGE Euphorbia esula Grass Family (Poaceae) Habitat/Range: Across most of the U.S., excluding the deep south. It inhabits approximately 3 million acres of rangeland. Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Wyoming are particularly affected. Conservationists dislike leafy spurge because it crowds out native grasses, reducing species diversity and habitat for wildlife. This perennial, narrow-leafed Eurasian herb was first recorded in the U.S. in 1827, introduced either by accident in a mix of agricultural seed stock, or by design for its attractive yellow flowers. COMMON SPIDERWORT Tradescantia ohiensis Spiderwort Family (Commelinaceae) Habitat/Range: Common in savannas and prairies ranging from dry to mesic, and in pastures and along roadsides and railroads; found in all but the northwest part of the tallgrass region. Smooth, bluish green plants up to 3 feet tall with alternate leaves. A cluster of flowers is above 2 leaves at the top of the thin stems. Each flower has 3 rounded, blue to purple petals, and 6 yellow-tipped stamens covered with long, purple-pink hairs. Spiderwort flowers last for just a single day before decaying into a sticky, liquefied mass. Text from: Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers : A Falcon Field Guide : A Nature Conservancy Book PURPLE CONEFLOWER Echinacea purpurea Aster Family (Asteraceae) Habitat/Range: Occasional in prairies and open woodlands; scattered throughout the tallgrass region west to southeastern Kansas. Plants to 5 feet tall with branched stems. The rough leaves are coarsely toothed and alternate. Flower heads are on individual stalks near the tops of stems, with each head 2.5-5 inches wide and consisting of up to 20 purple, petal-like ray flowers surrounding a cone-shaped head. Text from: Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers : A Falcon Field Guide : A Nature Conservancy Book WILD BERGAMOT Monarda fistulosa Mint Family (Lamiaceae) Habitat/Range: Common throughout the tallgrass region and prairie thickets, pastures, old fields, and occasionally in open dry prairies. Fragrant mints with branching stems to 5 feet tall. The long, narrow, purple flowers are clustered in rounded heads at the top of the stems. The crushed leaves smell like oregano. Bergamot tea has been used for various medicinal purposes and is still used for herbal teas. Text from: Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers :Falcon Field Guide : A Nature Conservancy Book , NEXT PAGE , GERRY BRAVI , PETER PACHE , ZHANNA P. RADER