Take a walk with me through the prairie......

[Native Hunter]

Thanks everyone. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the thread. I have a bunch more pictures I need to organize, and we will continue soon.

 

[badgerfowl]

Great thread! Don’t want to hijack it but I tilled a strip this spring and planted a variety of big bluestem called Bison Big Bluestem from deer creek seed. Here is the strip this past weekend. Maybe it’s not a good enough pic, but does this look like it may be the big bluestem? I can get a closer pic next weekend if needed. Thanks!

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[Native Hunter]

Great thread! Don’t want to hijack it but I tilled a strip this spring and planted a variety of big bluestem called Bison Big Bluestem from deer creek seed. Here is the strip this past weekend. Maybe it’s not a good enough pic, but does this look like it may be the big bluestem? I can get a closer pic next weekend if needed. Thanks!

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The following link has some information that will help you identify Big Bluestem. It becomes easy to identify when it makes a seedhead - looks like a turkey foot.

https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/docs/crops-livestock/native-grass-seed/Native Grass ID.pdf

 

[dogghr]

Sure is a purdy crik u have there. Is that on the newer Eiffel tower shooting house property? And can you walk that log wo falling in?
Are native grasses deep rooted like alfalfa? Do any have a tubor type root? How well do they survive months long drought?
Good read and pics. I’m enjoying.


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[Native Hunter]

Sure is a purdy crik u have there. Is that on the newer Eiffel tower shooting house property? And can you walk that log wo falling in?
Are native grasses deep rooted like alfalfa? Do any have a tubor type root? How well do they survive months long drought?
Good read and pics. I’m enjoying.

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No, that crik is on the property you visited. That spot with the log is about a hundred yards below the barn. I can walk that log unless I visit the moonshine still first.....

Native grasses are extremely deep rooted and almost unaffected by drought. Some of the major ones like Big Blue, Indian and Switch can have roots go down deeper than 15 feet. I told my dad when I planted NWSGs that we were probably pulling up lost fertilizer that was put on the fescue hayfield from 15 years ago......

 

[dogghr]

Yea I figured they would be drought resistant. Pretty cool.
When I go down 15 ft I’m either mining coal or tapping gas or oil. Which isn’t a bad thing. Again thanks for showing the pics and descriptions.


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[Native Hunter]

When you look upon the landscape, are you looking through the eyes of a human or are you looking through the eyes of a deer? The answer to that question will make a big difference in what your eyes see. Beauty truly is in the eyes of the beholder.

When humans look at some plants, all they see is are big ugly weeds; however, when a deer looks at the same plants, it will see valued and preferred sources of food. If we as humans want to become better deer hunters, we need to be seeing the world through the eyes of a deer.



One of the best examples I can think of is to compare two plants that humans generally see similarly, but deer see very differently. Both get BIG and UGLY, but one is a highly preferred food source for deer. Two plants we will be looking at today are Marestail and Wild Lettuce:

• Marestail (aka Horseweed): Most food plotters are very familiar with this plant, because it is a common invader of food plots. It is generally resistant to herbicides – especially as it matures, and one plant can produce 250,000 unwanted seed to start the plague again next year. Facts about Marestail:

• Very low quality deer browse. Usually browsed only in the most adverse circumstances.
  
  
• Grows very tall and thick – choking out other vegetation in food plots.
  
  
• Is an annual, but can hold ground for many years before perennials can choke it out. Very aggressive plant.
  
  
• Not really as much of a problem in prairies as in food plots and becomes less of an issue over time in prairies. However, when a prairie is first planted, it can keep your seed from germinating due to the thickness and heavy shading. In that case, it should be mowed in order to keep sunlight hitting the ground. Mowing as late as reasonably possible will help to keep it from producing seed. If you mow it early, it can adapt to the mowing and still produce seed on a low stalk.

• Wild Lettuce: There are actually two versions of this plant. One is the native version simply called Wild Lettuce ( Lactuca canadensis) and one is an introduced species called Prickly Lettuce (Lactuca serriola). However, both of these plants are similar, and both of them are great deer plants. The native version is slightly more tender and palatable, but for the purposes of this thread, we will look at them the same. I can tell them apart, but they also hybridize, and the hybrids can have characteristics of both. Wild Lettuce facts:

• Very high quality deer browse – especially when young and tender in the spring. I would compare it to forage chicory in palatability when the plant is young. Chicory will be more palatable with age.
  
  
• Turkeys also love to eat the leaves. I have found the leaves inside many spring turkeys that I have killed.
  
  
• Stalks will be eaten just like leaves.
  
  
• Plant that survive or avoid browsing get very tall and make good cover when mixed in with other tall plants.
• 
  
• Pic below shows Marestail at young age coming up in the prairie. I don’t have a pic of the mature plant in flower, but you can easily Google it.

Pic below is Wild Lettuce at a young age out in the prairie this spring. It’s hard to see in this pic, but the top was eaten out of this plant.



I noticed this Wild Lettuce plant growing by one of my buildings and took a picture of it so that you could see it better. This is a mature Wild Lettuce plant that has avoided being browsed. Yes, it is BIG and UGLY, but it is a jewel of a wildlife plant.



Yellow Flowers on first pic and white fluffy seed on second.

Let’s do one more plant today before we rest for a while. We will look at Pokeweed. Facts:

• In some locations it is a very high preference browse, but deer at my place don’t seem to care much for it. However, at the place I live (11 miles away) I do see it browsed quite a bit in my fence row.
  
  
• Perennial plant that comes back from the roots every year and holds its own well with the NWSGs.
  
  
• Can get very tall when competition is limited. I’ve seen a few plants over 9 feet tall, but out in the prairie, they are usually about 6 feet tall. The plant doesn’t like a lot of competition.
  
  Picture of Pokeweed below:

I’m getting tired and ready to take a rest. Up here by the fence row, I see some wild blackberries that are starting to ripen. Let’s stop and have a snack.



We will start walking again soon.

 

[dogghr]

Bear love pokeweed and blackberry. Mine have begun to ripen but doubt I’ll get more than a few. Once jumped 3 bear at about 20 yds. out of a poke weed thicket next to a food plot. They and I crapped on the spot.
My deer do love the wild lettuce also. Marstail can be a pain


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[Native Hunter]

Bear love pokeweed and blackberry. Mine have begun to ripen but doubt I’ll get more than a few. Once jumped 3 bear at about 20 yds. out of a poke weed thicket next to a food plot. They and I crapped on the spot.
My deer do love the wild lettuce also. Marstail can be a pain


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It pays to carry a change of underwear when berry picking.....

 

[Triple C]

Keep the updates coming. Love the pace of the updates. Gives me a chance to look for species with which I'm not familiar when at the farm.

 

[KSQ2]

That’s good info about mowing marestail late, can’t stand that stuff. The poor farming practices of the prior operator of the farm ground by us led to us having a lot of it.

 

[Native Hunter]

That’s good info about mowing marestail late, can’t stand that stuff. The poor farming practices of the prior operator of the farm ground by us led to us having a lot of it.

In a mature prairie it becomes uncommon and no problem, but it is a threat to a new prairie before the desirable plants become established. It can get so thick and tall on bare ground that it keeps your seed from germinating. If it comes on that strong early on, it just needs to be mowed enough to keep sunlight hitting the ground. Eventually, the prairie plants will come on and it will become less and less. But, if you do nothing in the beginning, you may lose your seed without them ever germinating.

 

[gut_pile]

Native, during your initial planting of the prairie, did you broadcast seed or use a planter?

 

[Native Hunter]

Native, during your initial planting of the prairie, did you broadcast seed or use a planter?

I hired a guy with a drill.

 

[Native Hunter]

I was taught growing up that there was a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. However, it wasn’t until later in life that it became very apparent there are so many things that are better than a pot of gold. Properly managing the land to benefit both wildlife and humans provides us with a feeling that gold cannot buy.



Let’s take a look today at three short plants that grow in the prairie.

The first plant is Venus Looking Glass. It’s the purple flower in the picture below.



Facts about Venus Looking Glass:

• This is a good native plant, and I would rate as a medium preference as a deer browse.
  
  
• For a short plant, it holds it’s place well in the prairie.
  
  
• Seed are too small to benefit birds.
  
  
• Adds a lot of beauty and is not aggressive.

The next plant is Low Hop Clover (Trifolium campestre). It’s the little yellow flowered plant. You may have seen this plant in your lawn. There are other Hop Clovers, but for our purposes we can consider them the same, because most of them have about the same wildlife value.



Facts about this plant:

• Deer will graze this plant and rabbits absolutely love it.
  
  
• A similar plant is Black Medic. The two plants look a lot alike. Deer will graze Black Medic as well, but it does have some toxic properties.
  
  
• I would rate it as a desirable prairie plant, but it will not be very prevalent in a mature prairie. However, it will be more prevalent than red or white clover, and at places you will see quite a bit of it.

The next plant is Pasture Rose. Pic Below:



This plant is not very prevalent in my prairie. However it is a desirable plant. Facts about Pasture Rose:

• This is a native plant and not the same plant as multiflora rose.
  
  
• It is uncommon in my area.
  
  
• It is browsed by deer despite the prickles.
  
  
• The rose hips it produces are eaten by many animals and birds.
  
  
• Even if unmowed, this small shrubby plant will not likely get over 2 feet tall on my land. However, it can get 3 feet tall in some places.
  
  
• There is a climbing rose that is similar to this plant that can go pretty high into trees. I usually see it occasionally in fence rows.

That’s about it for today. I’m tired of walking, and I see the pond up ahead. Let’s go see if we can catch a few fish for dinner tonight……………….

 

[TheOldOak]

Beautiful place you have, really like the last picture of the clover in full bloom. Something deeply satisfying about working the land to maximize the carrying capacity of the critters that occupy it. Were the fish biting?

 

[Native Hunter]

Beautiful place you have, really like the last picture of the clover in full bloom. Something deeply satisfying about working the land to maximize the carrying capacity of the critters that occupy it. Were the fish biting?

I agree about the deeply satisfying feeling. It's funny how that a guy can be feeling low energy until it comes time to grab a chainsaw or plant new fruit trees - then suddenly there is a burst of energy. I think this is because we have strayed too far from our roots and need a battery recharge every once in a while.

The fish are generally cooperative. They especially like the grasshoppers in the nearby fields.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I agree about the deeply satisfying feeling. It's funny how that a guy can be feeling low energy until it comes time to grab a chainsaw or plant new fruit trees - then suddenly there is a burst of energy. I think this is because we have strayed too far from our roots and need a battery recharge every once in a while.

The fish are generally cooperative. They especially like the grasshoppers in the nearby fields.

You are so right. Our DNA isn't wired to ride on our butt everywhere we go or sit behind a computer tapping keys all day, living close to the soil is what our ancestors for 6000 years.

 

[Native Hunter]

Let’s begin walking again.

Today we will look at three different plants:

• Blackeyed Susan
  
  
• Sneeze Weed
  
  
• Turk’s Cap Lily

Facts about Blackeyed Susan:

• There are actually two other plants that are easy to confuse with this plant. They are Browneyed Susan and a coneflower known as Rudbeckia fulgida. For all practical purposes we can consider them the same in terms of wildlife benefit. You can Google pictures of the other two plants and see how that they look similar.
  
  
• Although not widely known as a browse plant for deer, I have seen Blackeyed Susan browsed well in the spring some years. There have been places that the browsing was significant.
  
  
• Good pollinator plant and visited by a wide range of insects.
  
  Pictures:

Facts about Sneeze Weed:

• There are two different species of this plant that grows on my property. One has a smaller head than the other but both are the same in terms of wildlife value.
  
  
• These plants are toxic. There has been cases of cattle being poisoned by them, and I have never seen one browsed by deer.
  
  
• I see very few of these so it isn’t an issue on my property. However, I would never plant them, and if I ever saw a colony of them forming I would likely spray them.

Pictures:



This is the smaller version:



Fact’s about Turk’s Cap Lilly:

• This is a very unusual plant to see in my area. I only saw two of these while walking the prairie. I spotted another one driving down the road the other day on a steep bank. Other than those, I don’t recall ever seeing another one.
  
  
• They are native to a large part of the eastern US – from New Hampshire all the way down into Georgia and Alabama. The like damp, sunny spots.
  
  
• All lilies are very palatable to deer and rabbits.
  
  
• They are great pollinator plants and a favorite of hummingbirds.

Pictures:





That’s about it for today guys. We have made it up to one of my food plots, and I’m going to just set and watch the bees work the red clover for a while. We will walk again soon.

 

[lakngolf]

Those bees have a haven to feast on. Lots of black eyed Susan down our way in earlier summer