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 Small pockets of prairies may be found throughout Southeast Michigan. These remnants are along the river and the railroad, representing the eastern reaches of the vast midwestern North American prairie system. Prairies are characterized by open areas of vegetation dominated by grasses.
Wet prairies contain rich bottomland soils which are often inundated with water in the spring. Tall grasses, sedges and late summer -flowering plants characterize wet prairies.
Dry prairies contain well -drained soils supporting tall grasses, late summer and fall -flowering plants, and sometimes a few scattered trees.
Prairie communities persist most vigorously where periodic fires have occurred. These fires help maintain fire --tolerant prairie plants while discouraging fire --sensitive woody plants from invading. This is one reason prairie remnants are found along railroads. In the past, sparks thrown by trains, especially steam engines, would ignite nearby dry grasses and start fires. In the Ann Arbor area, the prairie communities in Barton, and Bandemer Nature Areas as well as part of Gallup Park are examples of these "railroad prairie remnants."
Prairies offer a wide array of plants for use by a great number of butterflies, both for feeding by adults and larvae, and for egg-laying. Coppers, Hairstreaks, and Blues are all found in prairie communities, especially if forested areas are nearby. When snags (standing dead trees) are present, nesting opportunities for birds such as the Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, House Wren, and Black -capped Chickadee abound. The illusive red fox may sometimes be seen in this community type.
Prairies are interesting to view year round. In spring, after a controlled fire, these areas rapidly recover and are blanketed with new green growth. While sedges are the most abundant plants in wet meadows, grasses dominate the prairies. Although some plants bloom in the summer, the spectacular season is the fall when prairie grasses are tall and late -blooming wildflowers are in full color. The prairie grasses and flowers are remarkable for their striking display of colors, shapes and sizes. Throughout the winter, prairie plants lend color to the gray landscape, with varying hues of browns and golds. One way to tell native from non-native grasses is that many native prairie grasses change to a yellowish or reddish color in autumn while most non -native grasses either stay green or turn a less spectacular gray color.
Listed below are some of the plants that may be found in Southeast Michigan's prairie communities.
Wet Prairie: Non -natives are noted with an asterisk (*).
Shrubs and Vines
glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula)*
groundnut (Apios americana)
hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata)
pussy willow (Salix discolor)
Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
cordgrass (Spartina pectinata)
fringed brome (Bromus ciliatus)
sedge (Carex)
wild rye (Elymus virginicus)
Wildflowers
angelica (Angelica atropurpurea)
cowbane (Oxypolis rigidior)
Culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Missouri ironweed (Vernonia missurica)
northern bedstraw (Galium boreale)
prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)*
purple meadow -rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum)
starry false Solomon's seal (Smilacina stellata)
swamp saxifrage (Saxifraga pensylvanica)
tall sunflower (Helianthus giganteus)
Ferns
marsh fern (Thelypteris palustris)
sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
Dry Prairie: Non -natives are noted with an asterisk (*).
Trees
black oak (Quercus velutina)
white oak (Quercus alba)
Shrubs or Vines
hill-side blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum)
prairie willow (Salix humulis)
Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes
big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
switch grass (Panicum virgatum)
Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Wildflowers
blazing star (Liatris scariosa, Liatris aspera)
butterfly -weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
hairy beard -tongue (Penstemon hirsutus)
showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
smooth aster (Aster laevis)
spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)*
sweet -clover (Melilotus alba, Melilotus officinalis)*
thimbleweed (Anemone virginiana, Anemone cylindrica)
yellow coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Ferns
bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
The above definition and plant list were taken with permission from Along the Huron: The Natural Communities of the Huron River Corridor in Ann Arbor, Michigan written by the Natural Area Preservation Division, Department of Parks and Recreation, City of Ann Arbor, 1999. You can order the book from the University of Michigan Press.
Additional definitions and pictures
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