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How to define a successful prairie restoration?

On my property of some 60 acres I am attempting to restore all of it to
prairie/wildlife habitat.  Some spots 'restored' are several acres others
as small as 20 square feet.

How do measure/claim progress?

As I walked by one area of about 100 by 30, it was full of blooming New
England Aster , some other purple/red asters and alot of flea bane daisy's.
Yuck! I thought, New England Aster, while Extremely showy is an aggressive
forb.  The flea bane daisy , of course, was not planted there on
purpose.....
There were alot of different butterflies in this patch....I moved slowly up
to where a Monarch Butterfly was probing  atop a New England Aster.  I
asked him if he was happy with my restoration efforts...I pointed out that
New England aster's are considered aggressive, some people frown on a patch
of mostly New England Aster.

No reply was forth coming.  It kept probing the flowers...

It flew over to some of the 100+ butterfly bushes  I have planted.  I
slowly followed it.

It alighted on one of the white butterfly bushes, almost 9 feet tall in
this, it's second year.

I asked the Monarch if he knew that he was now on a non-native plant.  Did
not he know that native plants are  preferred over non-natives?

It stayed on the white Butterfly bush probing the flowers.  Didn't even
acknowledge I was speaking to him.

I waited for an answer....but no answer would I hear...

Then it took off ....back towards the Asters....but it never stopped....It
kept going ...south...

Would it make it to the Mexican mountains for  the winter?

  Would it find suitable habitat so  Monarch's could return next year to my
prairie and find even  more flowers blooming next year?

Perhaps then I would get the answers to my questions???......

Or.............

Maybe I had my answer.......

As another Monarch landed in the patch of New England Asters.......




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