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Dee Hudson Photography

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Dee Hudson Photography

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  • Prairies were historically a fire–swept landscape, where prairie plants evolved with fire. The fire is needed to stimulate the prairie plants to seed and bloom. In restoration, it is also important to restore the natural process that shaped the prairie.
    Restoration 15
  • Barrels of prairie seed line this former sixteen acre cornfield and await the restoration planting.
    Restoration 11
  • Wire racks support drying prairie seed species. The land steward for the Gobbler Ridge (GR) restoration will plant these seeds in the fall.
    Restoration 06
  • Volunteers attended a Saturday workday to help the land stewards hand–mix six hundred pounds of seed. Most of the mixed seed was used to restore six acres of land back to prairie, while the remaining amount was used to over seed other existing units.
    Restoration 09
  • This gal has hand–harvested the seeds from the native prairie plant, Cream Wild Indigo. These collected seeds will combine with a mix for a new planting, as Nachusa Grasslands restores a recently purchased cornfield back to prairie.
    Restoration 01
  • Most of the seeds at Nachusa Grasslands are hand–harvested so the seed proportions in a mix for a new planting can be determined and the prairie land remains undisturbed.
    Restoration 02
  • This ornate box turtle's shell is damaged above his head. Perhaps another animal tried to see what he tasted like. <br />
<br />
Prairie restoration demands hard, tedious and sweaty physical labor. The work is rewarding when the results create a habitat that allows this threatened Illinois turtle to flourish.<br />
<br />
Ornate Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata)
    Ornate Box Turtle
  • These volunteers are hot, sweaty and tired after walking through this new prairie planting searching for invasive weeds. The volunteers spend hours bending over and on their hands and knees removing the weeds. This weed management is greatly needed in the early years of a new planting in order to give the prairie plants time to establish and flourish.
    Restoration 03
  • The land steward volunteer plants the seven hundred eighty pounds of seed, allowing about 48.75 pounds of seed per acre.
    Restoration 12
  • This hand holds ten to twelve conservative seed species for the new prairie planting. These conservative species are highly desired in restorations, because they were historically present in pre–settlement and unaltered prairies. <br />
<br />
These conservative seeds are hand—planted throughout the entire new field by dropping about a dozen seeds on the ground every few feet and rubbing them into the soil.
    Restoration 13
  • Using this drip torch, a diesel and gas mix is ignited to burn the numerous corn ‘haystacks’ in preparation for a new prairie planting. The ‘haystacks’ must be removed to prevent dead spots in the new prairie as plants sprout in the spring.
    Restoration 10
  • To prevent the harvested seeds from rotting and molding, they are dried as air is pumped into this barrel.
    Restoration 05
  • Prairies were historically a fire–swept landscape, where prairie plants evolved with fire. The fire is needed to stimulate the prairie plants to seed and bloom. In restoration, it is also important to restore the natural process that shaped the prairie.
    Burn
  • Bison are grazers, with grasses being their favorite food. In fact, their diet consists of ninety–nine percent grass! As residents in a prairie, the bison are quite an attraction, but they actually have an important job to do. As they continually graze on the grasses, they open up space for the forbs (the beautiful flowers) to compete and flourish, creating a lot of plant diversity in the prairie. During a typical day, an adult bison may consume about thirty pounds of grass.
    Bison Eating
  • The Sedge Wren nests in sedges and grasses, so prairies are great habitats for this small bird. Before this image was captured, I was making a “pishing” sound with my lips. The wren became very interested and moved in closer. He flew to a nearby clump of Big Bluestem grass and sang his song. Then, he dropped to the ground and walked towards me, hidden among the prairie plants. All of a sudden, he popped up from the ground onto the seed heads of this Cinquefoil, only to sing me a parting tune.
    8x10Sedgewren_MG_9630.psd
  • Wire racks and trays support drying prairie seed species. The land steward for the Gobbler Ridge (GR) restoration, plants these seeds in the fall.
    Gobbler Ridge
  • Seven hundred eighty pounds of seeds were hand–harvested for the new sixteen–acre restoration. About one hundred thirty–five species were combined and stored in large barrels before they were mixed. The seeds were first mixed as they were poured onto the smooth floor, and then further mixed with forks and shovels. After mixing for a couple hours, the seeds were shoveled back into the barrels, one scoop at a time, creating further mixing.
    The Mix
  • This hand holds ten to twelve conservative seed species for the new prairie planting. These conservative species are highly desired in restorations, because they were historically present in pre–settlement and unaltered prairies. <br />
<br />
These conservative seeds are hand—planted throughout the entire new field by dropping about a dozen seeds on the ground every few feet and rubbing them into the soil.
    Conservative Cocktail
  • Most of the seeds at Nachusa Grasslands are hand–harvested so the seed proportions for a new planting mix can be determined and the prairie land remains undisturbed.
    Old Field
  • The lavender spikes of the Gayfeather ascend from the prairie and sway in the gentle wind at sunset. Growing in mass like this, they are absolutely stunning! Gayfeather or Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
    Gayfeathers at Sunset
  • This beautiful prairie forb (flower) can be found throughout the prairie, blooming July through September. The purple and feathery flower heads are interesting because they begin blooming first at the top and then continue onward to the bottom. They are quite striking in bloom, especially in mass plantings. The Gayfeather is a great source of food for wildlife, providing nectar for butterflies, bees, and birds. Gayfeather or Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
    Gayfeather
  • "What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." — Aldo Leopold. As I crouched low to frame my shot the light edged just above the horizon and created a beautiful and unexpected sunburst. Standing tall (these were around 9-10 feet) this native prairie plant has become one of my favorites. I photographed these at Nachusa Grasslands, where the Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) is once again beginning to tickle the bison bellies!<br />
<br />
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum)
    Compass Plant
  • When invasive weeds are too numerous, staff and volunteers must hand–spray with an herbicide.
    Restoration 04
  • In the winter, volunteers are busy removing the weedy and the exotic tree species so that the native shrubs and trees can establish.
    Restoration 14
  • Seven hundred eighty pounds of seeds were hand–harvested for a new sixteen–acre prairie restoration. About one hundred thirty–five species were combined and stored in large barrels before they were mixed. The seeds were first mixed as they were poured onto the smooth floor, and then further mixed with forks and shovels.
    Restoration 07
  • After mixing the seven hundred eighty pounds of seeds for a couple hours, the seeds were shoveled back into the barrels, one scoop at a time, creating further mixing.
    Restoration 08
  • I love watching this bird's aerobatic flight as it catches its insect prey right out of the air.<br />
<br />
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
    Tree Swallow
  • This large bull moved toward the field where the stewards were weed managing, so a very quick retreat to the truck occurred. When a six foot tall, 1,000-2,000 pound animal chooses a site to graze, rest, or wallow, he always gets his choice! This particular bull appears to prefer this hill, perhaps because the soil is sandy. Notice the swarm of insects around this bull . . . no wonder he wallows so often! As one of the mature bulls in the herd, he will probably dominate and breed with a majority of the cows in the herd during the mating season, from July through September.
    Bison
  • Both male and female bison have horns. In general, the base of the horn will be larger on a male than on a female. The horn tips on the male bison will tend to point upwards, while the horn tips on the females will curve slightly inward, towards the head. The inside of the horn is made of bone, while the outside is covered in keratin (similar to our fingernails and hair). Horns are not shed like antlers, but will remain attached to the bison’s skulls for their entire life. If the horn is damaged during a fight or while digging, the outside keratin cap may fall off. It will not grow back, though the bony inside will harden and remain.
    Hello Ladies!
  • Adult bulls can weigh as much as a small car (like the Scion Smart car), approximately 1,800-2,000 pounds. At this weight, it is surprising how fast they can run (35-40 mph). Take a closer look though, and you will see that they are very lean and “all muscle.”
    Lone Bull
  • Finds
  • Mixer
  • A volunteer land steward waves from his unit.
    Potholes
  • When the prairie is restored and healthy, the native wildlife also returns. This burrow is a sign of the terrestrial ornate box turtle, which seeks out habitats that are sandy and dry like parts of the prairie grasslands.<br />
<br />
The turtles will retreat to their burrows to escape the heat, to find moisture and to hibernate in the winter.
    Restoration 16
  • The Wood Betony creates a lovely yellow carpet across Nachusa Grasslands prairie in the springtime. This lovely plant is actually parasitic on tall grasses, allowing the shorter grasses and flowers to populate areas of the prairie. The flowers are also a favorite bumblebee stop.
    Wood Betony
  • The turtle is measured with a caliper.
    Restoration 20
  • Dropseed Grass swirls around the Leadplant seeds in Autumn.
    Leadplant Glory
  • Smoldering Bluestem
  • Vista
  • Perseverance_MG_5777.jpg
  • Lichen
  • A very showy spring prairie flower, the cream wild indigo. This forb is found in high quality restorations.
    Spring Cream
  • Graduate student, Kim Schmidt, weighs the ornate box turtle with a pesola scale.
    Restoration 19
  • This researcher is searching a burrow for turtles.
    Restoration 17
  • The researcher has located an ornate box turtle.
    Restoration 18
  • Restoration 03
  • Graduate student, Angela Burke, takes measurements from the deer mouse live–captured in her "critter condo." The data collected is all part of her research on the "Effect of Fire and Bison on Small Mammal Populations in Remnants and Restored Prairie."
    Angela Burke Measures Deer Mouse