For landowners looking to support monarch conservation, establishing native prairie habitat is one great option. Here, we discuss larger areas (e.g., an entire yard, pasture, or field). If you are looking for information on establishing garden-sized habitat for monarchs, see our post on designing native landscapes. For larger areas, planting often takes place during late fall and early winter, so now is the time to start planning your native prairie habitat!
Site Prep
The most important thing you can do to ensure the success of your native prairie habitat is site preparation. Landowners must ensure that any non-native or invasive plant species are properly removed, as this will allow the native species you seed to reclaim the site. The Iowa Monarch Conservation Strategy does a good job of explaining the proper site preparation in detail, with alternative options depending on habitat type beginning on page 57. Here, we’ll cover a few general plans.
The first thing to determine is the current plant community you’re working to remove. You’ll often be dealing with warm or cool-season grasses, which typically require the use of herbicide to fully remove. One common practice that works well for both habitat types is to crop the designated area for a year or two before establishment. This will help remove most of the non-native seed bed and prepare the site for native prairie establishment.
Warm-season grasses: Warm-season grasses are more easily removed than cool-season grasses as many warm-season grasses are native plants. It is still important to remove these grasses as their dominant presence makes it difficult for new native species to establish. The following options are commonly used to remove warm-season grasses:
- Burn, spray, plant: For this plan, a prescribed burn is often applied the preceding fall or spring season. Next, an application of grass-selective herbicide is used to remove any regrowth during the spring or summer. This will prep the site well for planting during the dormant season.
- Remove vegetation, spray, plant: This plan is very similar to the previous one except that it replaces the prescribed burn with a management activity to remove existing vegetation such as haying, grazing, or mowing. This action can be followed up with an herbicide treatment and planting during the dormant season.
Cool-season grasses: To fully remove cool-season, non-native grasses, multiple applications of herbicide are often required. Below are two options that are commonly used with cool-season grasses:
- Burn, spray, spray, spray: This method uses a prescribed burn during the dormant season followed by three applications of grass-selective herbicide during subsequent spring, summer, and fall. The multiple herbicide applications will allow you to plant during the dormant season after the final herbicide treatment.
- Soybean food plot transition: To start, mow the plot after August 1st and apply a grass-selective herbicide in the fall followed by a burn down herbicide treatment in the spring. Next, plant a no-till soybean flood plot for 1-2 years. After cropping the soybean, apply a post emergence herbicide in late spring and plant your native prairie during the dormant season.
For more information about site prep or to find a local contractor, visit our Habitat How-To page.
Native Seed Selection
After site preparation, the next most important decision you can make is plant selection and seed mix ratios. For larger prairie plantings, seeding is typically the easiest and most cost-effective method. ISU’s Extension has a helpful guide for creating a diverse, native seed mix for monarchs which includes suggested ratios for each species listed.
A variety of native nectar plants that bloom from early spring to late fall should be included in plantings, since this will fuel the monarchs’ migration to and from Mexico each year. Additionally, make sure to include multiple species of native milkweed to support monarch caterpillar growth. By providing a diverse mixture of native milkweed and nectar plants, your prairie habitat will be well suited to support both monarchs and other native pollinators.
For purchasing seed, the Tallgrass Prairie Center provides a list of vendors across Iowa that supply native seed for prairie restorations.
Planting
Most native prairie plants require periods of cold, moist weather to initiate germination. To provide these conditions, planting typically takes place during the dormant season of November 15th to March 31st. There are many planting methods that will work well for native prairies from drilling, broadcasting, or seeding by hand. It’s important to ensure that the seeds have good contact with the soil and that all previous vegetation has been removed. When it comes to planting depth, seeds should be planted no deeper than a ¼ inch.
Maintenance
Native prairies generally take around two years to fully establish. During this time, maintenance should be conducted to ensure that non-native species don’t encroach upon your newly planted habitat. One common maintenance practice is mowing. Native prairies should be mowed three times during the first year when vegetation reaches approximately “knee-height” and should be mowed to a height of 8 inches. In the second year, your prairie may need an additional mowing 1-2 times throughout the growing season in which case, it should be mowed to a height of 12 inches.
Following these efforts, your native prairie should be properly established. For long term management, remember to get your native prairie on a prescribed burn schedule. This will help to maintain your native plant community, remove any invasives, and stop the encroachment of woody species. Native prairies should be burned every 3-5 years.
Recording Habitat Efforts
Finally, track your hard work! Recording your habitat establishment will help track monarch conservation efforts throughout the state. When recording your native prairie, you provide a better idea of monarch habitat availability across Iowa and include your efforts in the larger monarch conservation goals. Check out our HabiTally app for more information.