Prairies & Barrens
Prairies are natural grasslands composed of native grasses such as little bluestem, big bluestem, and Indian grass. These grasslands also have an abundance of summer and autumn-blooming wildflowers such as asters, sunflowers, and fragrant members of the mint family including spotted mint and wild bergamot. Sandhill’s prairies are important habitats for a wildflower called wild lupine that supports the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly. Once, wildfires naturally kept woody trees and shrubs from encroaching onto the original prairies. The extremely deep and extensive underground root systems and underground crowns of prairie grasses and wildflowers are adapted to survive fire. Prairies, composed of fire and drought-resistant plants, thrive on the sandier, drier soils of our wildlife area.
Fires also historically maintained another interesting wildlife habitat. Known as oak barrens, these habitats are actually open, prairie groves on poor, sandy soils dominated by prairie plants with oak trees scattered throughout. This habitat is maintained by repeatedly burning back the other woody vegetation. In former times, this burning was the result of natural or carelessly-set wildfires. Only mature burr oaks that have bark thick enough to withstand the destructive force of fire remain in this otherwise open, sandy soil prairie landscape. Oak barrens are inappropriately named for they are anything but barren, from a plant and animal perspective. Animals and plants found in Wisconsin's oak barrens are among the rarest in the state. The federally-designated endangered Karner blue butterfly and the Dusky Elfin butterfly are both dependent on wild lupines that thrive in our oak barrens. The demur Karner blue butterfly requires large patches of this stunning wildflower for nectar, a place to lay its eggs and its very survival. Look for the brilliant sweetpea-like purple flowers blooming late May through June. Wildlife also value prairies and oak barrens for food, sunlight and as a place to escape the pesky biting insects so common in our woods during summer months.
Learn more about Sandhill's Natural History:
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