the newly planted Prairie Corner
New in August of 2020
The hillside below the new Pollinator Garden has been cleared of brush and seeded with a variety of native Wisconsin prairie flowers and grasses. Eventually, we hope it will become a beautiful example of prairie restoration. However, starting from seed, it will take a few years before the plants can reach maturity. In the meantime, periodic mowing will help the newly planted seeds take root and compete with the already established vegetation.
The corner of the trail before you reach the Pollinator Garden, however, has a beautiful outcropping of sandstone, representing the highest point in the area before the glacier deposits created the moraine. We have cleared a colony of dogwood that was taking over the site and planted it with a wide variety of native prairie grasses and wildflowers that are suitable for the sunny, sandy hillside. Starting with plants rather than seeds, and giving them a real boost in competing with the dogwood that so quickly takes over any open area within the park, we intend this site to provide a lovely preview of the prairie and oak savanna to come.
With the variety and concentration of native Wisconsin Wildflowers within Prairie Corner, it will also serve as a second pollinator garden. The two areas complement each other and extend the number of species of native plants grouped and identified for the enjoyment of park users.
You do not have to restore entire prairies in order to support native Wisconsin pollinators and wildlife. Native plants can be included in a more modest way in almost any yard or garden. They can be purchased from Agrecol, the vendor used by Plant Dane and the source of most of the plants in Prairie Moraine Park's Pollinator Garden and Prairie Corner.
Plants of Prairie Corner
Diagram of corner "plot" showing placement of the various groups of flowers.
Some grasses are grouped and some are scattered throughout Prairie Corner.
The latest additions do not appear on the diagram.