As with any terrestrial ecosystem, the most important component is the vegetation. Plants reveal what wildlife you might encounter, how wet the area is, and various soil characteristics. A single plant can support hundreds of insect species, provide food for small mammals, offer nesting sites for birds, and feed large grazing animals.Aside from the biotic factors, plants drive nutrient cycling, prevent erosion, and of course, produce the very oxygen we breathe.
Here at the Crane Trust we study vegetation communities as part of our long term monitoring program. We survey all 80 long term monitoring plots biennially to record any vegetation changes to the property. Monitoring plots are also surveyed after any land management occurs such as a controlled burn or haying. Post management surveys are especially useful as they can help us determine what land management practices are most effective for our prairies. Vegetation surveys are conducted by Crane Trust’s plant expert and range manager Joshua Weise. Josh has been at the trust since the founding of the long term monitoring program and can identify even the smallest grasses found in our tallgrass prairies. Josh has been a huge help for my own identification skills and I try not to send him too many plant photos.
My own interest in plants started much earlier. My father is a landscape architect and has always had a special interest in native plants. On walks through local parks in Connecticut, my brother and I would pepper him with questions: What plant is this? What tree is that? Over time we learned the common woodland plants of trees of Connecticut such as white oak, poison ivy, Virginia creeper, and red maple. That passion has continued throughout my career, and here at the Crane Trust is no exception. Whether I’m surveying or just driving across the landscape, I find myself looking at the various plants. In my experience paying attention to everything can pay off! This summer on the prairie has been full of amazing discoveries. Below you can see a few of the plants I found.
The prairie is bursting with color: the gold of goldenrod (Solidago sp.), the vivid purple of smooth ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata), and countless other hues that weave together into a living mosaic across the Central Platte River Valley.
One of my favorite finds was rope dodder (Cuscuta glomerata). This bright orange parasitic plant drapes across the prairie like tangled string. It feeds by tapping into members of the aster family—plants like sunflowers, fleabanes, and goldenrods—drawing energy directly from their stems. While it may seem destructive, rope dodder plays an important ecological role, keeping aggressive plants like goldenrods in check so that native grasses can thrive.
Another discovery I made was a white blazing star! Typically magenta, as pictured above on the right, Liatris lancifolia or lance-leaved blazing star is a perennial forb that grows across the prairies of Nebraska. White blazing stars are a unique phenotype that is significantly less common than their magenta counterparts. I found this plant and another smaller individual on the side of one of our paths on Mormon Island.
Exploring the tallgrass prairies of the Central Platte River Valley has been a constant adventure. Even though vegetation surveys may be coming to a close, there is never a break from something amazing. I look forward to the stunning fall foliage of the big bluestem and for the continuation of the goldenrod blooms. I just hope I have enough space in my camera roll for all the pictures!
William Hamson
Saunders Conservation Fellow
whamson@cranetrust.org