By Katie Markheim, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener
Nebraska. It’s not for everyone. And neither is the prairie for some, but not for others. For the latter, the utilization of prairie plants in your planted landscapes is not only aesthetically pleasing but extremely beneficial in many ways. So why plant the prairie? Experts from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum explain that from pollination to improving air quality, native prairie plants do an excellent job of providing essential food and shelter for native pollinators such as bees, wasps, and butterflies as well as reduce the amount of ground level toxins into the air as generated by lawn maintenance equipment. Native plantings, especially in larger, open spaces, provide not only educational opportunities but also biodiverse environments where the energy-dense plant structures convert into fuels. And if you’re looking at the bigger picture, these fuels can expand from the very basic residential landscape into grazing and hay production.