The University of Wisconsin-Madison arboretum consists of 1,260
acres located among a glacial lake, forest, and wetlands.
It boasts of an
extensive collection of native tree and shrub
species with the world's finest lilac collection. But the star
attraction is the Curtis prairie.
The Curtis prairie,
a tall grass prairie, with 73 acres, is the
world's first and
oldest restored prairie.
This is a prime example of a deep-soil tall grass
prairie that
existed in the rich, loess soil of the heartland of
America.
This is a success story
of the restoration of an ecological
plant community that has long been extinct.
Visitors to the Curtis
prairie will see a representation of what
a pre-settlement Wisconsin was like.
Once upon a time, there were 2.1 million acres of prairie land
in
Wisconsin. Now only scattered remnants remain.
The prairie in North
America extended from central Texas
to southern Saskatchewan, encompassing many states in the Great
Central Plains. Today, most of the prairie is gone; converted into
farms and ranches for people and livestock. Less than 2% of our
land is native, untouched land.
By preserving the prairie, we are preserving a
bit of America's heritage.
Before the end of the
19th century, when prairies still exist,
animals abound. The Great Plains at that time, was similar to
the current day African Serengeti, where thousands of wild
animals roam. Bison, the North American elk, the prairie chicken,
sage grouse, prairie dog, and wolves roamed and thrived. Now many of
these animals are either extinct or endangered.
Ecological restoration of this tall grass prairie from horse pasture to its previous glory is no small feat. This is a separate
science all by itself, and it took decades of dedicated work by
naturalists and scientists to bring back our American prairie.
Native and invasive species are
painstakingly identified and studied. Invasive species are controlled
with manipulation of hydrology shifts, soil structure and
preferences; with buffer zones to tilt in favor of growth of native
prairie vegetation.
Annual prairie
management and maintenance requires use of prescribed fire to prevent invasive species and
trees from taking hold- just as it was done during the time
when Native Americans inhabited the land.
In early fall, see the glorious color display of big bluestem
grass and Indian grass, all towering 7-8 feet tall. An untrained eye
sees only tall grass, but there are at least 300 or more species of
native flowering plants growing there, blossoming from April to
October.
Among these, prairie insects, small animals and birds
such as the red-tailed hawk reside and thrive.
This UW-Madison
Curtis prairie is one to visit and appreciate.
