With autumn fast approaching, the window of opportunity to collect the seeds we needed for our first year of native plant propagation was coming to an end. We knew that if we were going to meet our propagation goals for the following spring, we needed to act soon, and we needed act fast. We began collecting native seeds almost immediately after receiving our collection permit from the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission authorizing us to collect from Searles Prairie Natural Area in Rogers, AR and from Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area in Garfield, AR. With help from the Arkansas Master Naturalists, three seed collection days were held at Searles Prairie during the month of September. Laurie Scott and Ryan Holland, Arkansas Master Naturalists who have been part of the effort to get the Native Plant Depot off the ground since it's inception, lent their skills and expertise in native plant identification to lead the seed collection effort. Laurie and Ryan are along bringing their expertise in native plant propagation as well as in nursery and greenhouse management to the Native Plant Depot. Tallgrass prairies were once commonplace on the Springfield Plateau of northwest Arkansas. Geographically situated between the Great Plains and the Eastern Forest, the prairies of northwest Arkansas often featured a mixture of plant species from both ecoregions. One of these tallgrass prairies is Osage Prairie. Osage Prairie is estimated to have once spanned 10,000-acres of central Benton County, but has since been replaced by the cities of Rogers, Bentonville, and Centerton. Searles Prairie, located in Rogers, is one of the last surviving fragments of Osage Prairie. Searles Prairie still features ancient prairie mounds, indicators that this area has never seen a plow. The late Anna Mae Searles granted a conservation easement to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission in 1988 to protect this endangered piece of the natural heritage of the Ozark landscape. Now a 12.5-acre natural area, this plot of virgin prairie is one of the sources of local Ozark genetic stock of native plants that we'll be propagating in Gateway. A fun time was had by all on these beautiful late-summer mornings. Everyone enjoyed friendly conversation as we worked our way across the prairie, filling our bags with seeds from prairie blazingstar (Liatris pycnostachya), compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), and rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), among other species of native Ozark flora that were once much more abundant in the region. For more information about Searles Prairie, please visit: http://www.naturalheritage.com/natural-areas/searles-prairie-natural-area
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The Native Plant Depot conducted a plant inventory of our future location. Around a dozenvolunteers came out to help identify and catalogue as many plant species as possible on the undeveloped lot. Some decided to make use of the iNaturalist app while others preferred using good ole fashioned pen and paper. This plant inventory will be used to ensure that any clearing of trees, shrubs, or other vegetation required to make room for the greenhouse and other facilities will have minimal impact on the native vegetation already present at the site. Land clearing activities will focus on areas with non-native, invasive, or otherwise aggressive species. Karen Willard, a PhD student in botany at the University of Arkansas, along with a dozen Master Naturalists, volunteered their time to assist with the plant inventory. Some came to lend their expertise in plant taxonomy while others came to learn what they could about the native flora in the region. Participants werefed lunch and treated to gifts of appreciation from Martin Greer’s Candies, located right across Hwy 62 from the site. Beaver Water District donated a reusable water bottles to each participant, and provided a hydration station to help ensure that everyone was well hydrated during the activities. At the end of the day a total of eighty-four plant species were documented at the site. Of these, sixty-eight species are native and sixteen are either non-native or invasive. We’ll continue to document the flora at the site as we become aware of more species. But this volunteer day helped get us off to a great start. Stay tuned for more activities at the Native Plant Depot as we work to get this project up off the ground and fully operational.
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