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tallgrass prairie/Ed & Gail

     In south-central Michigan, the tall grasses in our tallgrass prairie
restoration project are all "standing tall" this year.  In our region, we
have had the worst drought in 10 years (spring, summer and now into fall).
Despite this lack of water, all of our tall grasses, albeit shorter than in
an average year, have not fallen over.  Three year old Big Bluestem is as
tall as 9 ft, the same aged Indian Grass and Switch Grass is 7 ft (Little
Bluestem is 3 ft).  Last year, with an average rainfall, many of our
grasses substantially bent over, the first year that they did this.  The
reason for this, I believe, was an unusually heavy rain and wind in
September.  During that day of wind and rain, the vast majority of each of
these species of grasses bent over and most did not recover. It should be
emphasized that in September our grasses have a substantial amount of green
in them an no doubt are more susceptible to wind/rain induced "bending
over".
Clifford W. Welsch



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