What kind of plants are actually in the prairie strips? Are milkweeds included?
Prairie strips are planted with native, perennial prairie species. Species include grasses, forbs (i.e., wildflowers), legumes, and sedges. Typically, plantings include stiff-stemmed warm season grasses (e.g., Indiangrass, big bluestem, little bluestem) and a wide range of erect forbs, including species of aster, beebalm, blazing star, bush clover, coneflower, goldenrod, and native sunflower.
Given rising concerns about Monarch butterfly and native pollinators, we’ve been giving special attention to include several milkweed species (e.g., common, swamp, and whorled) and early spring blooming plant species (e.g., Canada anemone, golden alexanders) in our seed mixes.
While you might need a native plant guide to fully appreciate the diversity of plants in prairie strips, you won’t need one to appreciate the beautiful array of wildflowers they host.