Sycamore Greenway Friends: Fantastic Floristic Features at Corriell Preserve

The sand prairie at Corriell Preserve

This past weekend, Bur Oak Land Trust offered a glimpse of Corriell Nature Preserve (normally not open to the public) to visitors for Blooming Cactus Weekend. Although the stunning yellow cactus flowers on the sand prairie were a highlight, a special treat was a guided tour with Dr. Thomas Rosburg of Drake University, to talk about the floristic survey he is conducting at the site.

Katydid nymph

Attendees were given a list of the more than 300 plant species Dr. Rosburg had documented so far, and a hike through the preserve provided the opportunity for both Dr. Rosburg and Jason Taylor, Executive Director of Bur Oak Land Trust, to share information about plants of interest, the history and current state of the site, as well as how a floristic survey is conducted.

Describing the species present at any location--much less almost 200 acres of diverse habitats including wetlands, forests, sand prairie, and pasture grassland--takes multiple visits over the course of the growing season and over multiple years. Because different plants may be more or less conspicuous at different points in their growth, visits from early spring through summer and into fall are necessary to capture the widest variety of species possible. Conditions may change from year to year as well; Dr. Rosburg told of a pond, full of water this year, that was much drier a previous year, allowing access to plants that may otherwise be inaccessible.

It is impossible to summarize all of the information provided during the hike, so I will limit this post to sharing some of the plants we encountered and strongly encouraging you to both visit Corriell Preserve when the opportunity next arises, as well as find and attend a similar event with Dr. Rosburg! Be sure to follow the Iowa Native Plant Society to learn about future opportunities.