nachusa meier seeds r 2011 10-21

Nachusa Grasslands

Mary and Alan Meier

Nachusa Grasslands is about 3,000 acres, located near Franklin Grove, Illinois, in Lee and Ogle Counties.

Nachusa Grasslands is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, a private, non-profit charitable organization.

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.

The preserve is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2011.

Photo courtesy of Wes Gibson

Since 1986, 32 tracts have been protected, ranging from 10 acres to to 1,000 acres.

Nachusa contains many remnants of rare prairies, Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

rocky outcroppings,

savannas,

sandstone ridges,

woodlands, Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

and wetlands.

The remaining prairies in North America are now rarer than rainforests.

Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

By collecting . . .

and planting seeds,

managing invasive weeds and brush,

repairing wetlands,

and returning fire to the ecosystem,

. . . the Nachusa staff and volunteers are helping to restore our natural heritage.

Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

We are replanting prairie habitats in the farmland between the remnants to create a sustainable natural landscape.

Volunteers play an essential role in maintaining and restoring the preserve.

Some volunteers serve as Stewards, managing specific units on the preserve.

Others help out wherever and whenever they are needed.

Volunteer Activities• Brush Clearing

December to May

• Weed Removal

May to August

• Seed Picking, Processing, and Planting

May to November

• Prescribed Burns

October and November

March and April

Work days coordinated by Stewards take place every Saturday morning throughout the year.

Training and equipment are provided for all volunteer work days – no experience or expertise is required.

Fire Crews go through extensive training and are highly supervised.

Fire helps to promote species diversity by controlling invasive weeds, shrubs and trees.

Fire also stimulates new plant growth and returns nutrients back to the soil.

Nachusa’s plant inventory includes at least 855 species.

Forbs bloom from May to September and are harvested from spring through late fall.

General Seed Readiness Criteria

• Seed coats changing from green to brown• Seed heads fluffed out• Earliest formed seeds dropping• Stems dry and usually brown – no longer

receiving nourishment from roots• Seeds in pods dark and hard

Plantain Pussy Toes(Antennaria plantaginifolia)

Blooms in May

Pick Pussy Toes in May when the seed heads have fluffed out.

Arrow-Leaved Violet(Viola sagittata)

Blooms in May

Birdsfoot Violet(Viola pedata)

Blooms in May

Blooms in May

Violet Wood Sorrel(Oxalis violacea)

Pick Violets in late May or early June when the seeds are firm.

Seed picking methods vary per species.

Seed Picking Equipment • Plastic buckets • Straps can be attached for two-handed picking • Seed pouches worn around waist (Jim-Gem)• Polypropylene bags• Paper sacks• Fiskars pruning snips• Victorinox Rose-Grape Gatherer or Swiss Army

Harvester Garden Tool; Fiskars Cut and Hold snips• Heavy duty garden shears• Leather gloves to protect fingers and prevent

blisters

Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum )

Prairie Smoke is one of the rarest and most beautiful plants at Nachusa.

Pick Prairie Smoke by hand in late May or early June when the seed heads are very loose.

Shooting Star(Dodecantheeon meadia)

Blooms in May

Pick Shooting Star in July when the seed heads are beginning to open at the top and tiny seeds fall out when the head is held upside down.

Cream Wild Indigo(Baptisia leucophaea)

Blooms in MayPhoto courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

Pick Cream Wild Indigo in July or August when most of the seed pods are partially black.

Cream Wild Indigo may be infested with weevils, but there are usually a few seeds present in most pods.

Hoary Puccoon(Lithospermum canescens )

Blooms in May

Pick Hoary Puccoon in June when the seeds are brown.

False Toadflax(Comandra umbellata)

Blooms in May

Pick False Toadflax in June when the seeds are hard little balls.

Common Spiderwort(Tradescantia ohiensis)

Blooms in May and JunePhoto courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

Pick Spiderwort in July when the pods are turning yellow and haven’t all popped open.

Thimbleweed(Anemone cylindrica)

Blooms in June

Pick Thimbleweed in September when the seed head has started to fluff and gives no resistance when stripping by hand.

Pale Purple Coneflower(Echinacea pallida)

Blooms in June

Pick Coneflower in August when the seed head is completely black and several inches of stem below the seed head are also black.

Wear gloves when picking or processing Coneflower, as the seed heads are very spiky.

Nachusa is well-known for its Coneflower, Leadplant, and Coreopsis abundance.

• Generally we pick just one species at a time.• We keep records of how much of each

species we pick and can't do that if we mix species.

• We also store the seeds separately so that we can make different mixes at planting time.

• We do pick multiple species at once if we put the seeds in separate bags in our buckets or pouches.

Keeping Species Separate

Leadplant(Amorpha canescens)

Blooms in June

Pick Leadplant in September when the seed heads are grayish brown and the seeds have not yet begun to drop

Goat's Rue(Tephrosia virginiana)

Blooms in June

Pick Goat's Rue in September when the seed pods are brown, brittle, and twisted, and at least some pods have split open.

Hill’s Thistle(Cirsium hillii [pumilu])

Blooms in JunePhoto courtesy of Ann Haverstock

Pick Hill’s Thistle in July when the seed head is almost fluffed out. Hill’s Thistle is a threatened species in Illinois.

Wild Lupine(Lupinus perennis)

Blooms in June

Pick Wild Lupine in June when pods are darkening, but have not yet popped.

Philadelphia Lily(Lilium philadelphicum)

Blooms in JuneDon’t pick or even touch

– just enjoy

Purple Prairie Clover(Petalostemum or Dalea purpureum)

Blooms in July

Pick Purple Prairie Clover in August when the stems are brown and the seed heads have minimal resistance when hand stripped. Be sure to enjoy the lovely odor.

White Prairie Clover(Petalostemum or Dalea candidum)

Blooms in July

White Prairie Clover seeds are harder and darker than Purple Prairie Clover ones and should also be picked in August when stems are brown and seed heads have minimal resistance when hand stripped.

Butterfly Weed(Asclepias tuberosa interior)

Blooms in July

Pick Butterfly Weed in August when the seed pods have split open or can be opened by gently squeezing on the pods.

Wild Quinine(Parthenium integrifolium)

Blooms in July

Pick Wild Quinine in September when the seed heads are gray.

Flowering Spurge(Euphorbia corollata)

Blooms in July

Pick Flowering Spurge in September when the seeds are small green balls.

Wild Bergamot(Monarda fistulosa)

Blooms in July

Pick Wild Bergamot in September when the seed heads are brown.

Prairie Tall Cinquefoil(Potentilla arguta)

Blooms in July

Pick Prairie Tall Cinquefoil in September when the seed heads are brown or almost brown. Seeds will fall out when held upside down.

Tall Gayfeather; Prairie Blazing Star(Liatris pycnostachya)

Blooms in July

Pick Prairie Blazing Star in October when the seeds are fluffed. Cut off the top of the head if it’s not completely fluffed and then pick more later when more seeds have matured.

Hairy Hawkweed(Hieracium longipilum)

Blooms in July through September

Pick Hairy Hawkweed by hand in July through September when the seed heads are fluffy – take only the ripe seeds and leave the rest to mature.

Hoary Vervain(Verbena stricta)

Blooms in July

Pick Hoary Vervain in October when the seeds and stems are brown.

Blue Vervain(Verbena hastata)

Blooms in July

Pick Blue Vervain in October when the seeds and stems are brown.

Rattlesnake Master(Eryngium yuccifolium)

Blooms in July

Pick Rattlesnake Master in October when the seed heads are brown, and the stems are starting to turn brown.

Black-Eyed Susan(Rudbeckia hirta)

Blooms in July

Black-Eyed Susan grows well in early restorations among agricultural and other weeds.

Pick Black-Eyed Susan in August when the seed heads and stems are black.

Rosinweed(Silphium integrifolium)

Blooms in July

Pick Rosinweed in September when the seed heads are brown and dry.

Rough Blazing Star(Liatris aspera)

Blooms in August

Rough Blazing Star on Dot’s KnobPhoto courtesy of Kirk Hallowell

Pick Rough Blazing Star in October when the seeds are fluffed. Cut off the top of the head if it’s not completely fluffed and then pick more later when more seeds have matured.

Nodding Wild Onion(Allium cernuum)

Blooms in August

Pick Nodding Wild Onion in September when the seeds are black and at least some pods have opened so that a few seeds are visible.

Round-Headed Bush Clover(Lespedeza capitata)

Blooms in August

Pick Round-Headed Bush Clover in September when the seed heads are brown.

Compass Plant(Silphium laciniatum)

Blooms in August

Compass Plants leaves orient themselves in a north to south direction to avoid the direct rays of the midday sun. The leaves are usually quite cold because their roots can be 16 feet deep.

Pick Compass Plant in September when the seed heads are brown and can easily be pulled from the stem.

Pale Indian Plantain(Cacalia atriplicifolia)

Blooms in July

Pick Pale Indian Plantain in September when the seed heads have fluffed out.

Tall Coreopsis(Coreopsis tripteris)

Blooms in August

Pick Tall Coreopsis in September when the seed heads are dark brown or black.

Slender Mountain Mint(Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)

Blooms in August

Pick Slender Mountain Mint in October when the seed heads are completely gray. Be sure to enjoy the aroma of a crushed seed head.

Old Field Goldenrod(Solidago nemoralis )

Blooms in September

Pick Goldenrod in October when the seed heads are completely or almost completely fluffed out.

Indian Grass(Sorghastrum nutans)

Blooms in August

Big Bluestem(Andropogon gerardii)

Blooms in August

Canada Wild Rye(Elymus canadensis)

Blooms in August

Little Bluestem(Andropogon [Schizachyrium] scoparium)

Blooms in August

Pick Little Bluestem in October when the seed heads have fluffed out.

Prairie Gentian(Gentiana purberulenta)

Blooms in SeptemberPhoto courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

Bottle (or Closed) Gentian(Gentiana andrewsii)


Fringed Gentian(Gentiana [Gentianopsis] crinita)


Pick Gentian in October when the seed pods have turned brown and have split open or can be opened by gently squeezing on the pods. The seeds are small, tan flakes.

Stiff Aster(Aster linariifolius)


Pick Aster in October when the seed heads have fluffed out.

The Nachusa Headquarters Barn was built in 1867. About ten years ago, it was moved to the site and reconstructed. Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

The Barn has a seed processing area, lunch/meeting room, office, loft, garage, and workshop. Photo courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

Racks for Drying Seeds

Seed Processing Equipment

Seed Racks and Poly BagsPhoto courtesy of Hank and Becky Hartman

“Octopus” for Drying Seeds

Electric blowers for drying large quantities of seed.

Hammermill for Separating Seeds from Chaff

Hammermill with Seed Vacuum

Hammermill Tray with Seeds and Netting

Garbage Can for Collecting Milled Seed

Funnel for Poly Bags

Funnel for Grocery Sacks

Hand Processing Screen and Box

You can also put a screen on the floor, spread seeds on it, and then use your feet to mill them.

Scale for Weighing Seeds

Seed Barrels

Work Area with Various Supplies

A view of the prairie from the Barn window.

Photo courtesy of Kirk Hallowell

Seed Mixes • We plant some species individually, but

generally we put seeds in a seed mix before planting.

• For our most recent planting, we made three seed mixes – mesic, dry mesic, and general.

• If we have any questions what mix to put a species in, we refer to Swenk and Wilhelm.

• To mix the seeds, we put down a large tarp, pour all the seeds onto the tarp, mix them well using rakes and shovels, and then shovel the seeds back into the barrels.

Barrels of mixed seeds ready to plant.

Photo courtesy Hank and Becky Hartman

Restoration Planting Methods• Harvest corn in September or October.• Burn corn stubble in early November.• Spread seed mixes – general mix over the entire

planting after November 15 and before the ground freezes.

• Harrow the field.• Many seeds require exposure to cold temperatures

for a certain period of time, and the freezing and thawing of the ground prepares the seeds for germination in the spring.

• If you wait and plant in March or April then many of the seeds will not germinate until the following year.

Lime spreader for planting seeds.



Hand broadcasting and harrowing.

Overseeding Methods• Overseeding in November or December is preferred,

especially if the area is burned first.• After a spring burn (March or April) – only best if there is

a heavy thatch buildup and cannot do a fall burn.• Plant as you pick – violets – pick, let dry for a week so

they dehisce, and then plant the next week.• Porcupine grass – pick in the morning and plant that

afternoon.• Follow nature's pattern by planting at the same time that

the seeds would naturally fall from the plant.• This can work well, especially if you burned the prior

spring or fall because there should not be a lot of thatch build up.

Where to Collect Seeds• Seeds should be picked as close to the

restoration as possible – 25 to 50 mile radius.

• The genotype should be better adapted to the location of your restoration.

• Most of our seeds are picked at Nachusa.• Other options – railroad and road right of

ways and hillsides.• Always obtain permission of landowners or

public area managers before collecting.

• GPS works well for tracking the exact locations of your seed sources.

• Keep seed diaries that record the locations and dates that you picked a species.

• Detailed records will help you remember where and when to pick in subsequent years.

Keeping Seed Records

www.nature.orgwww.nachusagrasslands.org

Questions and Comments?

nachusa meier seeds r 2011 10-21

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