Meadow or Prairie?

Stiff sunflowers greet the sunrise in restored sand prairie at The Nature Conservancy’s Platte River Prairies in Nebraska. Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Chris Helzer)

A sunny plant community mixed with flowering perennials and warm season grasses -- do you call it a prairie or a meadow?  It seems to depend on what part of the U.S. you live: prairies occur in the Midwest and meadows in the East.  Also, meadows have a European connotation of a grassy area maintained by a farmer for grazing while prairies bring to mind vast grasslands where bison grazed and prairie schooners (covered wagons) traversed on their way west.  We think of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her kin.

Either way you say it, the vast grasslands are mostly gone, replaced with corn, soybeans, wheat and European turf grass.  Yes, turf is the fourth largest crop in the United States and the number of acreage keeps rising.  Gone, too, is habitat for wildlife, including pollinators upon which we rely to produce fruits, nuts, and vegetables for our own consumption. Now that we are becoming aware of pollinator demise, maybe we will wake up to the reality that we have directly contributed to the problem with our landscaping practices.  Those practices include pesticide use and replacing native grasslands with parking lots, commercial development and millions of acres of residential lawn.

Okay, you have my attention now.  What can I do?

Here's one way we can all help: reduce the amount of land we have planted in turf grass and install a native plant garden full of prairie or meadow plants.  Even conventional ornamental nurseries are offering native perennials and grasses for purchase and supplies are not limited to native plant nurseries.  Always check if plants have been treated with systemic pesticides before purchasing!  If you cannot get a clear answer, buy your plants elsewhere.

Where can I get more information about what plants to use?

Always check with your local native plant society or if you have a Wild Ones chapter in your area.  If you live in the Southeast, you have several efforts underway to restore pollinator habitat including the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership and the Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership.  Other partnerships may soon be up and running as private and public entities join together to promote pollinator habitat restoration.