What's Growing Right Now

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="061785a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Ohio Prairie Association</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ohio Prairie Association"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE=" Ohio Prairie Plant of the Month"> Ohio Prairie Plant of the Month</A>   |   <B>What's Growing Right Now</B>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ohio Prairies Today">Ohio Prairies Today</A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Questions (FAQs) About Ohio Prairies">Questions  (FAQs) About Ohio Prairies</A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Prairie Regions of Ohio">The Prairie Regions of Ohio</A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="List of Ohio Prairie Plants">List of Ohio Prairie Plants</A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="OPA Officers and Board of Trustees">OPA Officers and Board of Trustees</A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About OPA">About OPA</A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Become a Member">Become a Member</A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact OPA">Contact OPA</A>   |   <A HREF="prairie_information_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prairie Information Links">Prairie Information Links</A>   |   <A HREF="call_for_presentations_and_p.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Call for Presentations and Posters">Call for Presentations and Posters</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=10 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="062d2b03.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>What's Growing Right Now</I></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="07544400.jpg" border=0 width="68" height="64" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Reports from Ohio's Prairies</B></div> <div> <I><B>Plants in bloom, other notable observations.</B></I></div> <div> <B>It's May. Prairies are just begining to re-emerge. But while other conventional vegetation, such as trees, lawns and horticultural vegetation, is now green, most prairie plants are only slowly begining to grow. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>On prairies that were not burned or mowed and raked off, last years dead vegetation is still insulating the ground, keeping the soil cool. Almost all prairie plants thrive on heat, so unburned and unraked prairies will begin to grow only slowly. Burned prairies are now receiving full, warming sun at the soil surface, so plants are growing much faster there. The photo below shows </B></div> <div> <B>new grass shoots emerging from a burned  prairie.</B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>New Prairie Grass Shoots Growing Quickly and Freely After A Burn (Which removed dead mulch.)</B></I></div> <div> <B> <IMG SRC="2ebc0500.jpg" border=0 width="448" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Unless the prairie has been burned or raked off, last year's dead leaves and stems still cover these stems and leaves and slow their emergence. </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>New Prairie Grass Shoots Growing Slowly and Late. Unburned mulch keep soil cool, retards growth. </B></I></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="2ec46c00.jpg" border=0 width="582" height="448" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Very few prairie plants bloom in May. So while woodland wildflowers are in full spring glory, prairie watchers generally have to wait untl June for abundant blooming plants. </B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>