PRAIRIE PLANTINGS

Native prairie plants typify North Dakota ecosystems. An important part of any learning site should include examples of native grasses that are allowed to reach mature height. Native prairie is by far the most dominant feature of North Dakota's natural heritage, yet for students it may be the least familiar as a mature ecosystem because of the lack of natural or native areas. Grasses and forbs (wildflowers) provide food and nesting cover for many species of wildlife. Large prairie plots should include native forbs found within the local plant communities. Extremely small plots may only have room to accommodate grass species.

Ground Preparation for Prairie Plants

The site should be broken in early summer, tilled twice before winter, over-wintered, and prepared for seeding in the spring. Cover crop or chemical seedbed preparation is an alternative to clean till seedbed preparation. Including mulch after seeding will aid in establishment by increasing soil moisture and enhancing germination and plant survival.

Planting

In addition to drilling, students may broadcast seed by hand. On large plots, this can be accomplished by assigning the students a grid or a line to walk. The surface can be dragged with a chain or raked to cover seeds. Uneven seeding may result, but this is acceptable and useful for showing succession and colonization. For comparison, a combination of drilling and hand seeding can be done. The choice to drill or hand seed will depend upon the size of the area and the speed at which the school wants the area covered. In rural areas, parents, school board members, or others may be interested in being involved with site preparation by supplying and operating tilling equipment.

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NORTH DAKOTA PRAIRIE COMMUNITIES

Tallgrass prairie is generally found in the eastern part of North Dakota or in moister settings. Mixed grass prairie is found in the west where much drier conditions prevail.


Native Grasses
These are the dominant native grass species that characterize the two classes of North Dakota prairie communities:

Tallgrass Prairie
(Eastern North Dakota)

Big bluestem
Little bluestem
Indiangrass
Switch grass


Mixed Prairie
(Mid-Western North Dakota)

Little bluestem
Sideoats grama
Blue grama
Western wheatgrass
Green-needle grass

Big bluestem, little bluestem, blue grama, sideoats grama, Indiangrass, and switch grass are warm season grasses which fare better when planted in the spring after the chance of frost has passed. If these grasses are fall seeded, expect only 15 to 20 percent survival. Western wheat and green-needle grass are cool season grasses and may be expected to have higher survival rates when fall seeded. The Bureau of Reclamation has provided the OWLS program with a ten species native grass mix which is available upon request. This mixture should be seeded in spring after site preparation the previous fall unless circumstances prohibit this schedule. This mixture of native grasses makes an excellent learning area for identification and collection of specimens.

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Forbs (wildflowers)

Butterfly. Bee, and Moth Gardens

Butterflies, bees, and moths are attracted to plants because they are nectar sources or because they are host plants for egg laying and food. These insects are very important in our environment for pollination of plants and a source of food for birds and other wildlife. Certain wildflowers, cultivated flowers, trees, shrubs, and vines are particularly attractive nectar sources and should make up most of the butterfly, bee, and moth planting. Landscaping for Wildlife by Carrol Henderson provides examples of arrangements for butterfly, bee, moth, and hummingbird gardens. The following are recommended plants for attracting butterflies, bees, and moths.

Butterflies and Butterfly Gardens

Native Plants that Attract butterflies, bees, and moths

Shrubs, trees and vines

• Wild plum
• American grape
• Hackberry
• Dogwood
• Currants and gooseberries
• Wild roses

Forbs

• Black-eyed susan
• Blazing star
• Wild bergamot
• Purple prairie
• Dogbane
• Goldenrod
• Joe-pye weed
• Maximillion sunflower
• Lupine
• Purple coneflower
• Prairie milkweed
• Pasque flower
• Purple aster
• Gaillardia
• Sedum
• Violets
• Butterfly weed

Nonnative (exotic) plants that attract butterflies, bees, and moths

Trees, shrubs, and vines

• Lilac
• Apples
• Hawthorne
• Roses

Flowers

• Caterbury bells
• Spotted jewel weed
• Zinnia
• Foxglove
• Hyssop
• Spearmint
• Sedum
• Daffodil
• Impatiens
• Golden alyssum
• Spotted touch-me-not
• Petunia
• Marigolds
• Gladiolus
• Lupine
• Thyme
• Violet
• Globe thistle
• Lavender
• Salvia

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Hummingbird Gardens

Hummingbird gardens can be composed of species that will attract hummingbirds or a combination of other plants listed above which will attract butterflies, bees, and moths. Some plants will attract both. The only hummingbird species found in North Dakota is the ruby-throated hummingbird. These birds are attracted by red objects and may be enticed into your area by complimenting the plant arrangement with an artificial feeder. Feeders can be purchased or made at home using a glass bottle and cork assembly similar to what is used in a hamster cage. A sugar-water solution should be mixed in a ratio of 1:4, boiled, cooled, and then used to fill the feeder. The following are plants which are recommended to attract hummingbirds.

More About Hummingbirds

Plants that attract hummingbird

Shrubs and Vines

• Trumpet vine
• Coral berry
• Lilacs
• Honeysuckle
• Rose of Sharon

Forbs

• Spotted jewel weed
• Petunia
• American columbine
• Phlox
• Daylily
• Tiger lily
• Snapdragon
• Dahlias
• Spotted touch-me-not
• Morning glory
• Cardinal flower
• Delphinium
• Cannas lily
• Jewelweed
• Pentstemon

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WOODLAND PLANTINGS

Native trees are part of the North Dakota natural heritage. They should be used whenever possible to illustrate the kinds of species adapted to the woodland biomes found within the state. Tree and shrub plantings should include those native to North Dakota that have adapted to the soils and climates of the habitat site. They enhance sites by providing habitat to include nesting cover, escape cover, perching and roosting areas for birds, shade, and food for wildlife.

Ground Preparation for Woodland Plants

If large stands or rows of trees are planned, the ground should be tilled in the summer, the fall, over-wintered, and tilled again in the spring before planting. Moisture barriers greatly increase the success of plantings. A recommended moisture barrier is available in a woven plastic fabric in six feet wide rolls at a cost of about $.30 per linear foot. Fabric is also available in 4' x 4' squares for planting individual trees at a cost of $.75/square.

Planting

Curved tree rows or random planting should be utilized whenever possible. Use of the above mentioned fabric mulch allows this freedom because weed maintenance by a tractor or hand cultivating is not necessary. Flags where holes will be dug can be placed by walking a straight line, but flags can be randomly placed on either side at varying distances. (Straight lines are further avoided if students dig holes in a random arrangement.) Clump plantings work well, especially for shrubs, and allow succession to occur and expand in open areas. Spacing should be maintained within both row and random plantings to allow maximum growth of trees.

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Recommended Trees and Shrubs for OWLS Plantings

Large Trees

Tree Species	Height	Drought Tolerance	Value to Wildlife	Notes
Hackberry	50'	Fair	Good	Fall coloration
Green ash	40'	Good	Fair	Yellow leaves in fall
Golden Willow	40'	Fair	Fair	Tolerates wetness
Midwest crab apple	20'	Good	Excellent	Showy spring flowers
Blue spruce	40'	Fair	Excellent	Windbreak
Bur Oak	40'	Fair	Excellent	Long lived, shade
Ponderosa Pine	40'	Good	Fair	Fragrant
Native Cottonwood	80'	Poor	Fair	Good near water
Boxelder	40'	Good	Good
Russian olive	25'	Good	Good	Silverish-green foliage

 

Shrubs and Small Trees

Species	Height	Drought Tolerance	Value to Wildlife	Notes
Golden Current	6'	Good	Good	Edible fruit
Native plum	15'	Good	Excellent	Thicket forming
Common lilac	10'	Good	Fair	Suckering
Juneberry	10'	Fair	Excellent	Edible fruit
Common chokecherrry	20'	Good	Excellent	Edible fruit
Redosier dogwood	10'	Poor	Fair	Tolerates wetness
Buffaloberry	12'	Good	Excellent	Silver foliage
Hanson hedge rose	7'	Good	Excellent	Attractive flowers/ fall colors
Eastern red cedar	15'	Good	Excellent	Windbreak
Rocky Mountain juniper	15'	Good	Excellent	Windbreak

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Student Involvement in Planting

In all cases, students and teachers should be involved in the planting process. Trees and shrubs lend themselves to this well. Without question, students from fifth grade on up can dig, plant, and fill bare root stock, and ball and burlap trees. First-graders can do everything after the hole is dug for bare root stock, but need more supervision with ball and burlap and its deeper holes. In all cases, teams and the buddy system work best for trading off on digging, filling, tamping, and carrying water.

Discussion beforehand should inform students 1) where trees grow and why; 2) how wildlife use trees for food and shelter; 3) the species being planted; 4) how to plant these trees; 5) why it's important to tamp soil to remove air pockets; and 6) what the trees will look like in the future.

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Wetlands. Ponds. and Pools

Watering areas will enhance wildlife visitation to any size site. They may range from small bird baths, submerged basins and large tanks associated with feeding stations, to a pond or wetland on a large site. In addition to providing drinking water, a large tank is sufficient for dragonflies and amphibians. Aquatic sites may be used by waterfowl and shorebirds. Waterfowl nesting structures and wood duck nesting boxes can be installed in large sites.

Activities for artificial ponds may include introductions of frogs, salamanders, insect larvae, plants, or fish. Given the opportunity, students can be relied upon to collect many animals for the pond themselves. Amphibian and insect metamorphosis may be observed from stocked tadpoles and dragonfly larvae. If the water source is small, heaters are available commercially which keep water open year round.

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Bird and Squirrel Feeding Stations

Even school yards with severely limited space have areas where feeding stations can be integrated. Feeders are an excellent way to bring birds and squirrels into view and involve students with wildlife by visual contact. These can be incorporated into new learning sites on the school grounds or into existing shrubs and trees near the building.

An effective way to maintain a feeder is to have it adopted by a classroom or grade. Depending on the number of feeders, a classroom may maintain the entire station or a single feeder, or feeder filling may be rotated among grades or classrooms. This feeder concept can be further enhanced by providing a viewing or photo blind in close proximity and field guides with binoculars for bird identification.

Winter Bird Feeding
Backyard Birding
Resources Related to Bird Feeding and Bird Houses

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Nesting Boxes

Numerous bird house designs are available to accommodate many different species. Above and below ground nesting boxes can also be made for native mice.

When class size and age permits, students should be involved in building feeders and nest boxes. Construction plans are available from the OWLS coordinator at the ND Game and Fish Department.

Schools and teachers may wish to have industrial arts classes make these structures in order to add to the educational value of the entire project.

Bluebird Nesting Boxes

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Trails and Signs

Trails should be designed in large or dense sites. Trails through stall grasses can be made by regularly mowing a single path or by planting buffalo grass in the path. If interpretive signs are used for the site, students should be given a chance to research the signs. Signs would not have to be permanent, but could be an annual writing project for one or more grades. For this, ND Game and Fish Department biologists or teachers can assist with a list of information included on the signs. Either numbered posts with a brochure or laminated paper signs work fine.

Project ideas can range from older students writing a trail for younger students to younger students writing a trail for volunteer parents. Signs can be a simple title, or a title with two sentences, or a paragraph, depending on the grade of the authors. Permanent signs are also an option, depending on the desires of the school and the expected use of the site by other groups.

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Natural Succession Areas

Both demonstration plots and large areas can be disturbed and left to be re-colonized by surrounding species to show which kinds take hold first. This is a dynamic way to examine why wind borne seed species are the first to colonize an area, to be followed by slower species relying on animal ingestion, body adhesion, and gravity. The interplay of soil shading, changing Ph. modes or reproduction, and minimum annual precipitation in determining the climax community of a disturbed area are also illustrated here. Since the process requires a period of years, teachers should periodically photograph the site from a standard position and record changes.

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Fences and Barriers

Fencing is useful to protect learning sites from being returned to mowed lawn or converted for other projects. Not all areas will need permanent fencing, such as small sites in corners near existing plantings or those near buildings. However, some sites near playgrounds or practice fields may require barriers to help teachers regulate traffic. Temporary fencing may be erected to allow the establishment of small woody plants, which will function later as a permanent barrier.

Chain link fence may work where trespass is a concern or as an outside edge, but more visually pleasing fences may be appropriate and less forbidding. Split rail and other wooden fence and stacked rock or standing limestone posts can act as perches and lizard habitat. They also harmonize with the setting. Teachers may be interested in such fences to show historic styles. A cable fence of pipe or wooden posts is another possibility. On small sites, landscape timbers and old railroad ties can serve as boundaries for habitat plots.

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