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Re: 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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Alan,

Every prairie restoration or reconstruction is successful when it provides
habitat for native plants and animals.  However, in the long run successful
restorations or reconstructions achieve a level of stability through their
diversity, which protects them from invaders by filling all the available
root zones with desirable species.  Through this diversity they become
dynamic systems and continue to evolve and change through time.  Management
of your area should gradually diminish until very little is required to
maintain its stability.  From the monarch's point of view you have
certainly been successful, next year another chapter will unfold.




Carl Kurtz
515-477-8364
cpkurtz@netins.net 


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