Prairie Plant Identification

Identification of plants that have either germinated or gone to flower in the prairie took place over the course of the summer.  The following list includes every native plant that has been found in the reconstruction.

Phase 2 Seed List Planted Spring 2009

Agastache foeniculum Anise Hyssop
Anemone canadensis Canada Anemone
Artemisia ludoviciana Prairie Sage
Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed
Aster laevis Smooth Blue Aster
Aster novae-angliae New Englad Aster
Aster ptarmicoides Upland White Aster
Astragalus canadensis Canada Milkvetch
Baptisia leucantha White Wild Indigo
Boltonia asteroides False Aster
Cassia fasciculata Partridge Pea
Coreopsis lanceolata Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis palmata Prairie Coreopsis
Desmodium canadense Showy Tick Trefoil
Echinacea pallida Pale Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower
Eupatorium coelestinum Mist Flower
Eupatorium purpureum Sweet Joe Pye Weed
Heliopsis helianthoides Ox Eye Sunflower
Kuhnia eupatoriodes False Boneset
Liatris aspera Button Blazingstar
Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot
Monarda punctata Dotted Mint
Penstemon digitalis Foxglove Beardtongue
Petalostemum candidum White Prairie Clover
Petalostemum purpureum Purple Prairie Clover
Pycnanthemum virginianum Mountain Mint
Ratibida pinnata Yellow Coneflower
Rudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia triloba Brown-Eyed Susan
Silphium lacinatum Compass Plant
Silphium perfoliatum Cup Plant
Solidago ohiensis Ohio Goldenrod
Solidago riddellii Riddell's Goldenrod
Solidago rigida Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa Showy Goldenrod
Verbena stricta Hoary Vervain
Vernonia fasciculata Ironweed
Zizea aurea Golden Alexanders

Grasses
Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem
Andropogon scoparium Little Bluestem
Bouteloua curtipendula Sideoats Grama
Elymus canadensis Canada Wild Rye
Sorghastrum nutans Indiangrass

First Soil Test

Table 1. Results of the soil chemistry analysis.

Students enrolled in the Introductory Chemistry course at Valley High School completed soil tests at several locations within the prairie reconstruction site. Figure 1 shows the analysis location points. Table 1 indicates the results. The data will be used to get a more accurate idea of appropriate seed selection for sections of the reconstruction.

2009 (Fall)

The plant science students were able to continue the collaboration with Polk County Conservation by harvesting Virginia Wild Rye (Elymus virginicus) seed out at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt. The students also helped remove some tree species.

By the fall, the first phase of the prairie reconstruction showcased the asters (Aster laevis, Aster novae-angliae), goldenrod (Solidago rigida), and early sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides). Eleven species of forbs were seen to bloom by the end of its second year.

2009 (Summer)

First summer's growth

Second summer's growth

2009 (Spring)

The students enrolled in plant science conducted germination experiments on several species of native seeds. They monitored the growth of the plants in the greenhouse and transplanted the successes out into the reconstructed prairie. Other projects for the semester included native plant identification in the prairie as well as invasive species removal.

Due to the fundraising conducted by the environmental club, a whole acre was prepared and the seed was hand broadcast by the 80 some students. Cover seed that was harvested the previous fall was also added to the mixture to ensure some early blooming in the new plot. The cover seed included black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata), yellow headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) and the ox-eye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides).

2008 (Fall)

The collaboration continued with Polk County Conservation. The plant science students attended a service learning field trip that gave them the opportunity to identify and remove invasive willow trees and harvest prairie seed that would be used in future prairie plantings of which Polk County Conservation is in charge. Students worked at Engeldinger Marsh, one of the few remaining prairie potholes in Polk County.

2008 (Fall)

Upon the return to school, the Valley High School Environmental Club took on the prairie reconstruction as their senior project. They began by eliciting help from community organizations for donations that would cover the seed cost. That fall they received monetary donations from Mid-American Energy, Iowa Network Services, and the student council. The money they raised was enough to cover the remaining cost to prepare and seed the entire site.

The plant science students continued to work in the prairie by removing noxious weeds and identifying the plants that had leafed out or were in bloom. They also harvested seed from the black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), partridge pea (Cassia fasciculata), and the ox-eye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides).

2008 (Spring)

To gain an understanding of prairie reconstruction tasks, the students enrolled in plant science began collaborating with Polk County Conservation. The first field trip required that the students identify and remove invasive willow trees and plant seed that Polk County Conservation had harvested the previous fall.

The plant science students marked off the boundary of the first phase, and seeded about a quarter of an acre. This seeding was followed shortly after by torrential rains that ended up flooding much of the state.

2008 (Winter)

Luann Link, science teacher at Stillwell Junior High gets on board.

In January 2008 and April 2008 I took a 2-part course, Iowa's Roadside Prairies, from Northern Iowa University’s eii (Environmental Issues Instruction) series. The issue brought to us was: Should native vegetation be restored to Iowa roadsides? We were instructed to help students understand about prairie loss by learning about the ecology of prairies, investigating and understanding the issues surrounding prairie loss, and then exploring actions to resolve the issues. Dr. Carl Bollwinkel is the eii director along with Barb Bonnett and Rosalie Cochran, who serve as Associate Directors of the eii staff.

7th graders went through approximately 3 weeks of instruction, covering prairie loss and issues. Science, math, and other curricula were integrated, using the eii model. Students did simple soil analyses from the Valley High School reconstruction site and then determined which prairie plants they believed were native to the WDM area. At this point an appropriate site needed to be chosen to plant prairie seed. The site needed to be visible from the road (Stilwell's courtyard and various school plant plots were not adequate sites).

Brant Reif, Valley plant science teacher, decided to join forces with me to start a prairie at Valley High School, which had plenty of available land by the baseball fields. The plan was proposed to REAP-CEP (Resource Enhancement and Protection-Conservation Education Program Grant), LRTF (Living Roadway Trust Fund of Iowa), CEEE (The University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy & Environmental Education), Trees Forever, and Keep Iowa Beautiful. $700 of seed was awarded for the prairie reconstruction to take place.

I felt the money was best spent toward the Valley plant science classes' plans to reconstruct the prairie, in the very visible area of 35th Street and Ashworth Drive. The Stilwell students did not participate in the actual ground preparation or planting of the seeds at the proposed Valley prairie site. However, when the prairie plants are more established, I would like to bring some interested 7th graders to see this reconstructed prairie and possibly collect seed. We can then start a "very small" prairie section in a bare area of the school courtyard.

- LuAnn Link

2007 (Fall)

The West Des Moines Community School District, and later, the City of West Des Moines approve the project. Grant writing begins to acquire funding for seed cost.

2007 (Spring)

Valley High School principal approves idea of converting the retention basin to tallgrass prairie with some understandable trepidation that the site will become a weed field. (Site drawn in to the east of the baseball field.)

The History

The prairie reconstruction was not the initial idea. The project actually started off as a way for students to help beautify the campus. The original proposal was for students to plant ornamental perennials in beds around campus back in 2004-2005. However, Valley High School had an upcoming building renovation planned, so the idea was shelved until the construction was completed.

The request for planting space was again brought up in the spring of 2007 as the construction was nearing completion. By this time, a football field on the corner of Valley West Drive and Ashworth had been converted into a runoff basin for precipitation landing in the new parking area just to the north, and uphill. This basin would provide an ideal location for a prairie reconstruction project that could benefit many students. That is how the idea of beautifying the campus turned into a prairie reconstruction project.