Native Grass Plantings

It's a good idea to seed the land adjacent to a restored wetland to forbs and native grasses such that at least an acre of grass is available for each wetland acre. An even better ratio is 3 acres of grass for each acre of wetland. The plantings will give food, cover and nesting habitat for wildlife- and protect against erosion to prevent the wetland from filling with sediment.

A mixture of native prairie grasses including switchgrass, Indiangrass, little bluestem, big bluestem and Eastern gamagrass is recommended. A mixture has proven to support more wildlife than a solid stand of any one grass. These grasses can be maintained with fire and do not require reseeding.

Including some areas of legumes such as alfalfa and clover will also boost nesting and survival of birds such as pheasants, providing the legumes are not mowed until after nesting and the alfalfa is reseeded when stands become thin after several years.

Studies have shown that it is usually not necessary to plant any wetland plants in the wetland itself. Simply returning water to the area results in aquatic vegetation developing within two years.

The aquatic plants that will likely grow include prairie cordgrass, arrowhead, cattails, sedges, marsh milkweed, water smartweed and bulrushes.

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A mixture of native grasses planted to surround a wetland (29K)will give needed nesting and cover to a wide variety of wildlife species.

Switchgrass (14K) is one of the grasses to consider for a mixed grass planting.

Where do you want to go?

Go to the next page "Waterfowl nesting structures"

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