Prairies

Abby Brown:

Wide open spaces, interesting plants and flowers, fascinating creatures big and small; Iowa prairies are amazing. Iowa used to be mostly covered in prairie and now most of it is all gone. Do you have any idea why? While you think about it let's take a look at the beauty and the life of the Iowa prairie.

Abby:  

Have you seen a prairie before?

Joseph:

Uh, yeah.

Abby:

What does it look like?

Joseph:

It's like really tall grass!

Abby:

Yeah! What does it make you want to do?

Joseph:

It makes me want to like run through it.

Abby:

Yeah!

Abby:

Do you know why prairies are so important in Iowa?

Asher:

Because there aren't very many prairies anymore.

Abby:

That's right!

Abby:

Katie, tell me about this prairie.

Katie Klus:

So this is a restored prairie, so that means that we've done a lot of work to return this area to its native habitat.

Abby:

What work did you do?

Katie:

So a lot of these plants that you can see around us were put in purposely and picked purposely by our staff, and it's a mix of grasses and flowers so that we--because not all animals and insects just like flowers. There's a lot that make their homes and grasses and things too.

Abby:

The families who live in the city can come here and enjoy the day. What will they learn when they visit the prairie?

Katie:

So I feel like prairies can be a little scary, right? Tall plants, you know, and they kind of some of the leaves are a little sandpapery but, if you kind of flip that, I mean, it has a lot of cool textures. I mean, even the plant we look at right here, there's just in this one you know you have all these cool seed textures and there's a lot to see. So prairies bloom usually around like August, September here in Iowa, or at this area in Iowa, and so it's it's just full of wildflowers.

Abby:

Wow!

Katie:

So it's kind of fun because if you're in a wooded area, they always bloom in the spring, but prairies are a big summer show-er, so there's lots of things to show and see. And then of course butterflies, and bumblebees, and all these really really cool animals that you can see in the prairie.

Abby:

And even though this is a protected area, it's okay if we go up and touch the plants and feel them, that's not gonna hurt them, in fact there's lots we can learn by touching them.

Katie:

Very much so! I very much encourage people, sometimes you know, immersion is sometimes the best way to get into the prairie.

Abby:

To get right inside--

Katie:

Yeah! In a place like here at Hartman, it's a little easier and a little less scary than maybe a big 500 or thousand acre prairie; it's a little a little more you know friendlier.

Abby:

And easier to get to because we're so close to the city.

Katie:

Yes.

Abby:

Prairie is a big part of our history here in Iowa. Can you think of any reasons why some people are trying to bring the prairie back to Iowa?

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