I have been watching the small patch of remnant prairie here in Cumming, Iowa over the past few weeks and it is starting to become full of life! However, before all this new life started, one of the most destructive forces occurred first and that is fire. A prescribed burn was preformed on the prairie and it was the first one in several years, according to Warren County Conservation. So why are controlled burns done? Back when Iowa was all un-tamed prairie, wildfires sparked by lightning and other forces, including native people of the land at the time, burned 100’s of acres in sometimes intense firestorms that raged for days. These fires are actually what helped maintain the prairie and kept woodland trees from invading and shading out the prairie plants which require full sun to survive. Prairie plants are not harmed by the fire because of their deep crowns and roots that are protected from the heat by layers of soil, so only the old growth is burned off. Now controlled burns are done on prairies to mimic the once common firestorm feature.

This prairie just a few weeks ago was nothing but a desolate chard looking landscape, some of which can still be seen, but now it is lush green and full of life! In this case, a “destructive” fire actually caused a wonderful rebirth. Fire is actually quite important in the horticulture world because it burns combustible materials and keeps them from piling up and becoming major fires which we often seen now because fires are suppressed. Fire also adds nutrients to the soil which stimulates growth and some plants even require fire in order to reproduce and sprout seed. Covering the prairie floor right now is Beebalm, Big and little blue stem, coneflower, spiderwort and stiff Goldenrod all of which is starting to grow!

From fire a couple of weeks ago, to flowers this week. The first flowers on the prairie are these wood violets. They are covering the ground on the southwest side of the prairie which has more shade from nearby trees. Prairie flowers usually peak bloom in the months of June, July and August. Then, grasses flower in between July and late September, which is one of my favorite times.