Once the dominant ecosystem throughout the central US, the prairies have been reduced to a stretched patchwork of tiny remnant parcels. Only through ambitious preservation and restoration efforts can we retain what little is left.

There are many excellent texts available about prairie ecology and natural history, and we won’t attempt to provide more than a few brief summaries here.

What Prairies Were

The original prairie developed after that last ice age. Read more about how “here”::/pages/3003.

What Prairies Are Now

A web of small fragments are all that’s left of the prairie. Read more about this sorry state of affairs here.

What Prairies Need Now

Read our call to action here.

Invasives

Beyond habitat loss to development, incursion by exotic non-native invasive plants is the single biggest threat to the remnant prairies. Read more about some of the worst offenders here.

Herbicides

While mechanical control of some invasive species can be tried, it is an unavoidable fact of life that better living through chemistry is often simply necessary. Read some tips and ideas about the use of herbicides here.