Native Habitats in Urban Landscapes:

Prince Prairie on Calvin’s Campus

Deanna Geelhoed, Kara Smit, and Dr. Dave Warners

Why Sustainability?

Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction

• While you and I might not be thrilled to admit it, the extinction of the human race would be the very best possible outcome for the rest of the community of life on our fragile world.

• And that could happen. But not before we kill off much of our fellow beings. We don't have to, of course. We still have time. We can still awaken to our true responsibility to serve the Earth and not exploit it to death. We are just an infant species. We are not yet mature but this is our chance to grow. We could face our predatory truth together and begin to take great care. We could. It is one of the choices before us.

Why Native Plants?

• Pollinator attraction• Wildlife habitat• Storm water

capture• Enhance genetic

diversity• Aesthetics • Decreased fossil

fuel use• Decreased

herbicide and pesticide use

• Educational opportunities

Aims of this Research

• Native habitat + urban areas =

• Trial run of short grass planting for potential main campus project

• Collect data on how to best establish a native planting

• Long term monitoring of relative success of different native species over time

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Prince Prairieest. 2013

0 100 ft.

Research Questions

• 1. Does soil treatment affect plant performance among five native species? •Soil treatments• non-tilled or tilled• sand:compost

• 2. Does soil treatment affect weed growth?

Prairie Planting Process

Prairie Layout

60 half-meter square quadrats with different soil and till treatment combinations

Species planted

Little Blue Stem

(Schizachyrium scoparium)

Sedge

(Carex brevior)

Pasture Rose

(Rosa carolina)

Northern Blazing star

(Liatris scariosa)

Coreopsis

(Coreopsis lanceolata)

½ m

½ m

Measurements

Hypothesis:The rototilled treatment with the most sand will support the greatest growth.

Results• Till• Soil composition

Results: Till

Results: Soil Composition

Results

Results: Weed Biomass

• Tilling? No difference

• Soil Composition?No difference

• Position?No difference

Conclusions: Till• Carex and

Coreopsis preferred the rototilled soil (Coreopsis only 90:10)

• Blazing Star and Little Bluestem preferred non-rototilled soil

• Pasture Rose no preference

Conclusions: Soil Composition

• Carex, Coreopsis, Blazing star, Little bluestem grew best in 90:10 (Coreopsis when rototilled)

• Pasture rose no preference

Conclusions: Weeds

There was no correlation between weed mass and soil ratio, rototilling, or the plot’s position in the prairie planting.

Summary

• Rototilling is species dependent • Sandier is generally

preferred • Weeds happen• ~3 years of

maintenance• More data and

conclusions to come

Question ?