Spring to Summer Species Timeline: Buffalo Current Mead’s Sedge Fringed Puccoon Ribes odoratum Carex meadii Dewey Lithospermum incisum Sometimes called “Clove currant” Blooms early April and May; low- Native Americans used this plant to for the strong smell; makes small growing sedge found most on upland treat coughs, colds, delirium, and 1/2” berries useful for jellies and areas with limestone soils. To distin- paralysis, and obtained a bluish- valuable to wildlife. This shrubs guish sedge from grass, remember violet dye from the roots. Blooms leaves turn scarlet in autumn. “sedges have edges.” April & May.
American Kestrel Prairie Spiderwort Chokecherry Falco sparverius Tradescantia occidentalis Prunus virginiana The only kestrel in the Americas, One of several spiderworts found on the This shrub is found throughout this small falcon primarily preys Plains. Wort comes from Anglo-Saxon North America. Highly scented on grasshoppers, lizards, mice, and wyrt, meaning “herb” or “root”, and blooms in early May yield fruit smaller birds. Look for them on spider from the belief held at one time that is astringent and best used in fencelines. that they would cure spider bites. jellies and jams.
Prairie Ragwort Common Milkweed Western Meadowlark Packera plattensis Asclepias syriaca L. Sturnella neglecta Found on dry, rocky hillsides and Begins to bud in late May. Com- This medium-sized lark nests on slopes, prairie ragwort can be toxic mon milkweed is a crucial host plant the ground and eats insects and to cattle, but rarely is found in con- for Monarch caterpillars. Young seeds. It’s distinctive call is what centration. shoots were sometimes eaten by Cather wrote about in O Pioneers!. Great Plains tribes.
Purple Locoweed Platte River Milk Vetch Scarlet Gaura Oxytropis lambertii Pursh Astragalus plattensis Nutt Gaura coccinea Pursh Found on upland or rocky prairie Sweet-scented and very palatable to Colony forming. The Lakota soil, purple locoweed can be livestock. Found on rocky prairies rubbed this plant on their hands to
Earlier . . . toxic to livestock, but generally is and hillsides. Also sometimes known make them sticky to aid in catching only eaten when other forage is as the ground plum. One of several horses, and the Navajo used a cold unavailable. vetches here. tea made from scarlet gaura to settle upset stomachs.
Prairie Rose Bobolink White Milkwort Rosa arkansana Dolichonyx oryzivorus Polygala alba Nutt. Rose hips contain vitamin C and can This New World Blackbird eats seeds Milkwort comes from the belief be eaten raw, stewed, candied, or and insects. Bright breeding plum- that this plant would increase made into jelly. Plains Indian tribes age replaced by more camouflaged lactation for mothers. Native used the hips as an emergency food feathers in summer. Listen for its American tribes used it to treat source. Taproots can go more than distinctive bubbling call. A flock of earache. 20 feet deep. bobolinks is called a chain.
Purple Poppy Mallow Serrate-Leaf Evening Primrose Prairie Irid Callirhoe involucrata Calylophus serrulatus Nutt. Nemastylis geminiflora Nutt. The Lakota and Dakota burned the Drought resistant. In addition to an Each flower lasts only a day. The dried roots and inhaled the smoke extensive root system, the leaves fold flowers usually open in the as a treatment for colds. The roots in the midday sun, reducing water morning and close before sunset. were also boiled and used for a tea loss through their surfaces. The perianth segments curl by to treat intestinal pains. Deep mid-afternoon. taproot makes it drought-resistant.
Yellow Sweet Clover Purple Prairie Clover Regal Fritillary Melilotus officinalis L. Dalea purpurea Speyeria idalia One of the first plants to appear on 1/2 to 2-1/2 inch spiked or cone- The regal fritillary is a prairie disturbed sites. Excellent plant for shaped flower heads are common on specialist, at risk due to a shrink- honey production. May be more rocky or dry prairies in mid-summer. ing habitat and pesticide use. abundant in some years than in Nutritious for grazing and native Caterpillars feed only on violets, others. The leaves have a vanilla- with sweet tasting root. but butterflies feed on a variety of like odor when crushed. prairie flowers.
Virginia Groundcherry Narrow-Leaf Bluet Butterfly Milkweed Physalis virginiana Hedyotis nigricans Asclepias tuberosa 3/4” pale yellow flowers yield husks Deeply tap-rooted and long- Sometimes known as Pleurisy Root resembling Japanese lanterns. The blooming, narrow-leaf bluets form for its use in treating respiratory green fruit inside is poisonous, dense clusters of 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide complaints, this milkweed is though the ripe fruit was eaten by flowers, ranging from white to pink important for butterflies and insects. Plains tribes and early settlers. to pale blue. Deeply taprooted, but easily grown from seed for the garden.
White Sage Foxglove Beardtongue Western Marbleseed Artemisia ludoviciana Penstemon digitalis Nutt. ex Sims Onosmodium bejariense Spreads by seed and rhizome, often Named after its resemblance to Heavily veined, hairy leaves are forming colonies. Many medicinal foxglove, this plant is actually a unique, as are the flowers of and ceremonial Native American member of the plantain family. this plant, also known as false uses. Very aromatic. May be white to purple-streaked. A gromwell. Produces small, favorite of bumblebees. hard nutlets.
Catclaw Sensitive Briar Narrow Leaf Four O’Clock Wavy-Leafed Thistle Mimosa quadrivalvis Mirabilis linearis Cirsium undulatum L. var. nuttallii Called four o’clocks for their late Silvery-green, heavily waved spiny Brilliant pink stamens form an orb afternoon blooming habit, this erect, leaves form rosettes in early spring. 3/4 to 1 inch across when bloom- slender plant was used as medicine Though livestock avoid these, ing. Leaves are sensitive to touch, by native people, and its egg-shaped birds eat the seeds. This native folding up when disturbed. Prickly fruit as food. thistle seldom needs control, but it seed pods develop late summer. can indicate overgrazing.
Lead Plant Western Ironweed Western Snowberry Amorpha canescens Pursh Vernonia baldwinii Symphoricarpos occidentalis Bushy shrub; an important prairie This bitter plant is common in grazed Also known as buckbrush, wolf- legume (nitrogen fixer). Roots as prairie land, as cattle will not eat it. berry, or coralberry. Small shrub deep as16 feet. “Lead plant” is from Plant is 2-3’ tall with clusters of spreads by seeds and rhizomes and, the silvery-gray hairs that give the purplish-brown flowers, often without fire suppression, can be leaves a lead color. blooming at once. invasive. The small fruits produced are eaten by birds and rodents.
Slim Flower Scurf Pea Prairie Coneflower Black Sampson Echinacea Psoralidium tenuiflorum Ratibida columnifera Echinacea angustifolia A stiffly open-branched prairie 10” tall single flowers have Pink to pale purple flowers contain forb with small early-fall blooming drooping petals with notched ends. pain-reducing compounds and purple flowers. 1/4 - 1/2 inch pods Great Plains tribes used the leaves were used by Native Americans to form following blooming period. and stems to treat poison ivy, treat wounds and burns. Taproot May have antibacterial properties. rattlesnake bites, headaches, and can grow to 5-8 feet, allowing the stomachaches. plant to survive periods of drought.
Later . . . Snow on the Mountain Whorled Milkweed Canada Wild Rye Euphorbia marginata Asclepias verticillata Elymus canadensis Related to poinsettia, snow-on- Blooming around the same time Cool-season perennial grass grows the-mountain exudes a milky sap as other milkweeds, this species is 2-4 ft. tall. Spike-shaped heads of if broken that can cause a rash and notable for its narrow, long leaves. oat-like seeds with long, whiskery gives the plant a bitter taste. Colony-forming. Native tribes used awns, which cause the stems to this to treat snake-bite. bend and droop in early fall. Late Summer to Autumn Timeline: Hoary Vervain Common Sunflower Clammyweed Verbena stricta Helianthus annuus Polanisia dodecandra Very drought resistant with tap roots Nearly all parts of this common Called clammyweed because of its reaching down over 10 feet, hoary prairie plant can be used for food, sticky hairs covering the plant. A vervain is bitter and often goes dyes, or oils. One of the earliest strong, unpleasant peppery odor, ungrazed. However, it forms small cultivated plants, and one of the only and upright 2-3” long seed pods. seeds that are utilized by prairie ones to originate on the Great Plains. chickens and other birds.
Viscid Euthamia Maximilian Sunflower Dog Day Cicada Euthamia gymnospermoides Helianthus maximiliani Tibicen pruinosa Also known as flat-top goldenrod Named for Prince Maximilian Al- If you don’t see them, you’ll or narrow leaf goldenrod. This is exander Philip von Wied-Neuwied, definitely hear the cicada, but only one of several varieties of goldenrod (1782-1867), the German botanist the males! They emerge during that grace the prairie in the fall. who discovered it in North America. the “dog days” of summer from Earlier . . . Maximilians produce abundant seed underground, where they feed on for wildlife on the prairies. roots of plants.
Dotted Gayfeather Blue Pitcher Sage Ten-Petal Mentzelia Liatris punctata Salvia azurea Mentzelia decapetala Also known as liatris; grows in A common—but beautiful—prairie Striking white flowers, sometimes clumps. Flower spikes can reach perennial, and an important in excess of 6” across, open in late several feet in height, though on late-season species for pollinators. afternoon and are very attractive our prairie most are much shorter. to pollinators. A very deep taproot Brilliant purple blooms last several makes these drought resistant and weeks. also difficult to move.
Little Bluestem Blue Grama Indian Grass Schizachyrium scoparium Bouteloua gracilis Sorghastrum nutans Beautiful blue-green bunch grass in An important short-grass prairie Indian grass is another tall summer, changing to wine-colored species, this 6”-12” tall warm- bunching grass, ranging from stems with fluffy seeds in season grass is drought-, grazing-, 4-7 feet tall. Known for its gold September. A warm-season, short and cold-tolerant. The inflores- and dark wine colors in the fall. grass standby. cence, when dried, curls to look like false eyelashes.
Big Bluestem Smooth Sumac Fremont’s Clematis Andropogon gerardii Vitman Rhus glabra Clematis fremontii S. Wats. Warm season, perennial bunch This colony-forming native shrub Also known as Leather Plant for its grass ranging from 4 - 8 feet tall. can be invasive and is controlled thick leaves, in fall the blue bell- Also known as “turkey-foot” for its by fire. Can reach 10 -20 feet in shaped flowers yield these unique 3-branched inflorescence. height. Forms red berries and l 1” seed heads. A species unique to eaves in the fall. this specific area. Later . . .
“That shaggy grass country had gripped me with a passion that I have never been able to shake. It has been the happiness and curse of my life.” ~ Willa Cather
In August, 1974, The Nature Conservancy Willa Cather purchased, with the help of the Woods Charitable Fund, roughly 612 acres of native prairie in Memorial Prairie southern Webster County. In 1975, the prairie was dedicated as the Willa Cather Memorial Prairie. Over-grazing and the use of herbicides had reduced the biological diversity of not just the Cather Prairie, but nearly all of the Great Plains grassland areas. The Willa Cather Memorial Prairie The Willa Cather Foundation acquired the area in is located 5 miles south of Red Cloud, 2006 with the assistance of The Nature Nebraska, on the west side of Hwy. 281. Conservancy. With grant funds from The Nebras- Hike the trails, enjoy the unbroken ka Environmental Trust, we have removed thou- sands of non-native and invasive trees that inhibit horizon, experience the Nebraska the growth of desirable native species such as prairie as it was more than purple prairie clover, big bluestem, showy milk- one hundred years ago . . . . weed, echinacea and baptisia. The Willa Cather Foundation continues to dedicate significant time and effort to restoring the Prairie to its pre-1900s condition.
Responsible grazing practices and the inclusion of fire in our management rotation has also allowed us to control invasive shrubs, to promote warm season native grasses, and to re-establish natural springs that provide crucial habitat for grassland birds, amphibians, and small mammals.
The preservation of the Cather Prairie is part of a holistic approach to the study of American art, history, and culture through the works of Willa Cather, who championed the prairie and its “fierce strength, its peculiar, savage kind of beauty, its uninterrupted mournfulness.” We aim to be a part of this land’s struggle back to itself.
This brochure was funded in part by a grant from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. The Willa Cather Foundation 413 North Webster Street Red Cloud, Nebraska, 68970 www.WillaCather.org