Optimal Collection Period Seed Ripening Period EARLY SEASON NATIVE FORBS May June July August September EARLY SEASON NATIVE FORBS May June July August SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Caltha palustris Marsh marigold LATE SEASON NATIVE FORBS August September October November SEED COLLECTING Prairie smoke SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 from Antennaria neglecta Pussytoes Stachys palustris Woundwort Castilleja coccinea Indian paintbrush Vicia americana Vetch False dandelion Rudbeckia hirta Black-eyed Susan TALLGRASS PRAIRIES Saxifraga pensylvanica Swamp saxifrage Lobelia spicata Spiked lobelia Senecio aureus Golden ragwort Iris shrevei Sisyrinchium campestre Blue-eyed grass Hypoxis hirsuta Yellow star grass Rosa carolina Pasture rose Content by Greg Houseal Oxypolis rigidior Cowbane Pedicularis canadensis Lousewort prairie restoration series V Prairie violet Vernonia fasciculata Ironweed Cardamine bulbosa Spring cress Veronicastrum virginicum Culver's root Allium canadense Wild garlic Heliopsis helianthoides Seed of many native species are now Lithospermum canescens Hoary puccoon L Narrow-leaved loosestrife commercially1 available for prairie Phlox maculata Marsh phlox Lythrum alatum Winged loosestrife Phlox pilosa Prairie phlox reconstructions, large or small. Yet many Ceanothus americana New Jersey tea Anemone canadensis Canada anemone Eupatorium maculatum Spotted Joe Pye people have an interest in collecting Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata Self heal Thalictrum dasycarpum Purple meadow rue and growing native species for butterfly Zigadenus elegans White camass Pycnanthemum pilosum Hairy mtn. mint Dodecatheon media Shooting star gardens, backyard and schoolyard wildlife Campanula aparinoides Lobelia cardinalis Car habitat, and prairie restorations. Seed Lilium philadelphicum Wood lily Oxalis violacea Violet wood sorrel collecting is satisfying and rewarding, a Comandra umbellata Bastar Zizia aurea Golden alexanders TOTAL EARLY SEASON FORB SPECIES POTENTIALLY RIPE 23 10 12 99 11 34 61 2 Silphium laciniatum Compass plant great volunteer activity for introducing Eryngium yuccifolium Rattlesnake master people to prairies, and a good way to Allium cernuum Prairie onion EARLY SEASON NATIVE FORBS May June July August September October collect seed for local prairie restorations. SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Asclepias tuberosa NATIVE GRASSES June July August September October November Lobelia siphilitica Great blue lobelia SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Hierochloe odorata Sweet grass Silphium integrifolium Rosinweed Which species? Heterostipa spartea Porcupine grass Pycnanthemum tenuifolium Slender mtn. mint Sphenopholis obtusata Prairie wedgegrass Lysimachia ciliata Fringed loosestrife Any species can be collected by hand, but Calamagrostis canadensis Blue joint grass Asclepias incarnata Koeleria macrantha June Grass hand collecting is particularly useful in Echinacea pallida Glyceria striata Fowl manna grass collecting seed of native species which: Agropyron trachycaulum Slender wheat grass Amorpha canescens Lead plant Bouteloua curtipendula Sideoats grama Rudbeckia subtomentosa Elymus canadensis Canada wildrye » occur on specific sites that may be Pycnanthemum virginianum Common mtn. mint Schizachyrium scoparium Little bluestem inaccessible to machine harvest. Spartina pectinata Prairie cord grass Coreopsis palmata Prairie coreopsis Panicum virgatum Switchgrass Anemone cylindrica Thimbleweed » are very low- or high-growing species or Sorghastrum nutans Indiangrass Ratibida pinnata Sporobolus heterolepis Prairie dropseed Pedicularis lanceolata Swamp lousewort early- or late-ripening species Andropogon gerardii Big bluestem grass Eupatorium perfoliatum Common boneset Sporobolus compositus Tall dropseed » occur as uncommon or patchy species Muhlenbergia racemosa Upland wild timothy Potentilla arguta Prairie cinquefoil Elymus virginicus Virginia wildrye Oligoneuron rigidum Rigid goldenrod in native prairie. Cinna arundinacea Woodland reedgrass Lilium michiganense Michigan lily TOTAL GRASS SPECIES POTENTIALLY RIPE 12533 189118 51 Liatris pycnostachya Prairie blazingstar » have explosive seed dispersal mecha- Symphyotrichum sericeum Silky aster nisms (phlox, violets) EARLY SEASON NATIVE FORBS May June July August September SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Symphyotrichum oolentagniense Skyblue aster NATIVE LEGUMES July August September October November Symphyotrichum laeve Smooth blue aster Equipment Needed SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Monar Wild bergamot Lathyrus venosus Veiny pea Verbena stricta Hoary vervain Lathyrus palustris Marsh vetchling Leather work Durable, light Appropriate Astragalus canadensis Canada milkvetch Symphyotrichum novae-angliae New England aster gloves weight tubs of clothing — sturdy Desmodium illinoense Illinois tick trefoil Prenanthes racemosa Rattlesnake root various sizes footwear, long Desmodium canadense Showy tick trefoil Oligoneuron riddellii Riddell's goldenrod Dalea purpureum Purple prairie clover Good quality pants, hat, extra Artemisia ludoviciana Prairie sage Lespedeza capitata Roundhead bushclover pruning shears Clothe or paper water Dalea candida White prairie clover Symphyotrichum praealtum Willowleaf aster or heavy-duty bags of various Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea Cream wild indigo Parthenium integrifolium Wild quinine scissors sizes Binoculars for Baptisia alba var. macrophylla White wild indigo Liatris aspera Rough blazingstar scouting TOTAL LEGUME SPECIES POTENTIALLY RIPE 11 25687631 Anemone virginiana Virginia anemone Large plastic Backpack for Coreopsis tripteris Tall coreopsis unbreakable carrying extra Willing EARLY SEASON NATIVE FORBS May June July combs bags companions! Solidago missouriensis Missouri goldenrod SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Solidago nemoralis Gray goldenrod NATIVE SEDGES May June July SCIENTIFIC NAME COMMON NAME 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 1-10 10-20 20-30 Solidago speciosa Showy goldenrod Carex annectans Yellow foxsedge Euthamia graminifolia Grass-leaved goldenrod Carex interior Prairie star sedge Gentiana andrewsii Bottle gentian Carex stricta Tussock sedge TOTAL LATE SEASON FORB SPECIES POTENTIALLY RIPE 4612 32 41 47 45 34 19 41 Carex meadii Mead's sedge Carex bicknelli Prairie sedge Carex brevior Plains oval sedge An illustrated guide to Iowa prairie plants. Christiansen P, and M. Muller. Carex gravida Heavy sedge 1999. University of Iowa Press. Iowa City, Iowa. 237p. Carex molesta Troublesome sedge Tallgrass Restoration Handbook. Packard S, and C. Mutel. 1997. Island Carex vulpinoidea Brown fox sedge Press. Washington, D.C. 463p Funded By Carex pellita Woolly sedge Carex bebbii Bebb's sedge Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers. TOTAL SEDGE SPECIES POTENTIALLY RIPE 38872 Ladd, D. and F. Oberle. 1995. Published in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy. Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc. Helena-Billings, MT. To request copies, or for more information, contact Greg Houseal at The Prairie Garden: 70 native plants you can grow in town or country. 319.273.3005 or email [email protected] Smith R, and B. Smith. 1980. University of Wisconsin Press. Madison, Wisconsin. 219p. Tallgrass Prairie Center, University of Northern Iowa Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie, the Upper Midwest. Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0294 Runkel, S. and D. Roosa. 1989. Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA. tallgrassprairiecenter.org — 2015 Tallgrass Prairie Center Seed Collecting Guide – March 2008, GH Where to Collect? When to Collect? Obtain permission from the landowner or Seed ripening and timing of harvest varies by species, proper land management agency prior to environmental conditions, and regional adaptation of collecting. Many areas have been planted plants. Most species ripen gradually, so not all seed will to native species (reconstructed prairies). be at the same stage of maturity at any given time. Seed Planted prairies provide important wildlife, maturity usually progresses from top to bottom of the soil and water quality benefits. They have seed head in grasses and many forbs species. However far fewer species than remnant prairies, some ripen from the bottom up, as in the blazingstars. Remnant prairies provide genetically and often the original source of seed for adapted seed for restoring prairies for Mature seeds are usually quickly dispersed either by the planting has not been recorded or is future generations of Iowans! gravity, wind, water, or animals, so it’s important not to unknown. If seed source is important for delay collecting. your project, collect from planted prairies Are There Negative Impacts to The tables illustrate approximate seed maturity times only if you know the original source of the Collecting from Remnants? for selected tallgrass prairie species in Iowa. Cold, moist seed and it meets your restoration goals. Most prairie species are perennial, meaning their conditions will delay seed maturity; while hot, dry con- roots survive over winter to regrow shoots the next ditions hasten it. Latitude affects ripening since many Be mindful that removal of any plant or spring, so an annual seed crop is not essential to plants flower and set seed in response to photoperiod. How to Collect? plant part from preserves, natural areas, and the perpetuation of the population. Exceptions are Seed maturity occurs earlier in populations adapted parks is restricted, so check with the proper Seed can be stripped by hand from many species annual, biennial, and short-lived perennial species; to northern Iowa, and later in populations adapted to agency before collecting in these areas. (blazingstars, asters, grasses). Efficiency can be rare and uncommon species; or common species southern Iowa. Optimal Collection Periods when more Harvesting from roadsides may be restricted improved by keeping both hands free by fastening poorly represented in a remnant. Avoid intense, species are likely to be in fruit are indicated. in some states and counties. Many counties collection bags and containers around the waist. In repeated, annual harvesting of the same remnant in Iowa, for example, are planting native species with seed in ‘salt-shaker’ pods, try tipping area. The negative impacts of over-collecting When to Collect? prairie in roadside rights-of-way. Ask per- the pod into an open container to collect (shooting include trampling of vegetation and introduction mission from the county roadside managers, Harvest grasses at the hard-dough stage, when firm star, giant St. John’s wort, larkspur, wild columbine). of exotic or invasive plants brought in on clothing engineers, or state department of transpor- thumbnail pressure slightly dents the caryopsis.Many This will minimize the need to clean seed later. If or equipment. Manipulation of a remnant prairie tation before collecting from roadsides. grasses do not hold seed long after maturity. Test ripe- seed is held tightly in the seedhead, simply clip a to maximize seed production – such as whole-site, ness by firmly striking the seed head against palm; if portion of the seedhead for later cleaning. Prickly repeated annual burns; herbicide treatments; or some shattering occurs, the seed is ready to harvested. seedheads like rattlesnake master (Eryngium fertilizing – is inappropriate and damaging to rem- In forb species, the seedhead or stalk immediately below yuccifolium) or pale purple coneflower Echinacea( Obtain permission from the land- nant biodiversity. Finally, any mechanical harvesting pallida) will require gloves and shears for efficient owner or proper land management will appear dry or discolored as seed matures. A notable agency prior to collecting occurring in remnant sites should include a careful collecting. Plastic combs aid efficient stripping of inspection and cleaning of equipment prior to use, exception are the spiderworts (Tradescantia), members seed from grasses as illustrated in the photo below. including vehicles, to avoid introducing exotic/ of the day-flower family, which drop mature seed while bracts remain green and other flowers in the same cluster Species with explosive pods can be bagged with Collecting from Remnant Prairies invasive species that may contaminate the equip- nylon hosiery just prior to seed dispersal. ment and lead to the degradation of the remnant or are in bud or blooming. Species with dispersal apparatus, Remnants are small remaining patches of the original i.e. ‘parachutes’ (blazingstars, asters, goldenrods, milk- Leather gloves and good-quality scissors or create long-term management issues. prairie landscape that have not been cropped, over- weeds) will appear dry and fluffy at maturity and should shears are a must for effective seed collecting. grazed, or otherwise destroyed. Very few remnant be picked immediately at this stage. Some species Unbreakable plastic combs are inexpensive and effi- Federal and state endangered species cannot be collected prairies exist without proper permits, and should only be done as part of forcefully eject seed at maturity (phlox and violets, for cient tools for stripping grass seed. Choose brightly in the mid-west today, and most are in need of careful a recovery effort by qualified professionals example), and must be checked daily or bagged loosely colored tools that will be easy to spot if dropped management if they are to be conserved. A commonly with a mesh bag so seed is captured upon dispersal. or misplaced in the prairie while collecting. Use expressed rule is “take half, leave half” when harvesting breathable bags (cloth or paper) for collecting that Collecting Seed for Genetic Diversity Keeping Records seed from remnants. Be mindful of legal and ethical con- will allow moisture to escape. Even seemingly dry siderations when collecting. While remnants are import- An important restoration goal should be to capture Keeping records of where and when you collect provides seed/seedheads retain enough moisture when first ant local genetic sources of seed stock for restorations genetic diversity from remnant populations. Here important information about a prairie restoration. Basic collected to cause mildew or rot if left unchecked in or seed nurseries, they should not be directly exploited are some rules of thumb to guide your efforts. First, information to include is location (county, township, sec- plastic bags. Use care not to leave collected mate- for commercial production of seed. Federal and state of course, be reasonably sure the site is a remnant tion and quarter section), soil type (sandy, clayey, loamy) rial in closed vehicles that may heat up in the sun. endangered and threatened species cannot be collected (never plowed, not planted). and moisture (wet, medium, dry), slope and aspect without proper permits (go to www.iowadnr.com/other/ (direction slope faces), approximate size of population, Collect seed from at least 20 to 30 well-dispersed threatened.html to download a list of Iowa’s threatened number of plants collected from, and date. It’s a good individual plants within a population, if possible. and endangered species). idea to include a sketch of the site to jog your memory Randomize the process, avoid intentionally selecting about where the species occurred within the prairie. plants based on size, color, vigor or any other trait. Keep in mind two important ideas: The point is to capture genetic diversity, not novelty. Data Collected: Collector(s): » Attempt to collect roughly equal amounts of seed from To sample large populations, walk transects and Address: several individuals in the population. collect seed perhaps every 10 paces. Collect roughly Contact Information: Species Collected: » Generally speaking, near neighbors are more closely equal amounts of material (seed or seedhead) from County: Township: Range: Section: Quarter Section: related genetically than distant individuals, so it is im- each plant you encounter. If collecting from multiple Sketch of Site: portant to collect seed from throughout the population. Property Owner/Land Management Organization: Example of Seed sites, attempt to equalize the contribution of seed Collecting Label from each site, particularly if collecting seed as Soil Type: Slope:

Seedhead of pale purple cone- foundation stock for nursery production to generate Aspect (direction slope faces): Removal of any plant or plant part from preserves, flower(Echinacea pallida) sliced seed for other reconstructions. Approximate Size of Population: natural areas and parks is restricted; check with the in half to reveal lighter-colored No. of Individual Plants Collected From:

seeds tucked in between bracts. proper agency befor collecting in these areas Associated Species: