Prairie/savanna tour July 18

Our mid-summer prairie/savanna tour was quite a success, with a nice group of interested visitors. A brief rain-storm had moved through during the early morning but by afternoon the weather was warm and sunny. The photo (by Kathie Brock) shows a brief rest stop at the edge of the White Oak Savanna.


Something always new comes out of our trips. This year one of the participants discovered a second plant of the handsome purple-fringed orchid at the edge of the Valley Prairie. Also, botanist Bob Wernerehl discovered a plant of Scutellaria galericulata (marsh skullcap) along the new wetland boardwalk (a not uncommon plant, but new for us).

Many of the prairie and savanna herbs were at their peak, including yellow cone flower, bergamot, bottle brush grass and silky rye, big bluestem, several of the trefoils, blazing star, compass plant, Canada milkvetch, etc etc. This has been an outstanding summer for prairie plants, helped greatly by the excellent spring burns.