By Evan Patrick
Restored Prairies that Support Monarch Butterfly Populations Nearing Autumn Bloom Displays
A palette of purples, yellows, whites, and blues will soon be on full display across the arboretum and forest interior, arriving a few weeks before the annual showcase of autumn leaves. Recently restored prairies are in the final stretch of late summer and autumn blooms.
Travel up the scenic Forest Hill Drive and see prairies flaunting the intense purples of ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), magnificent yellows of showy tickseed (Coreopsis), goldenrod (Solidago), and swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), brilliant whites of snakeroot (Ageratina), and wingstem (Verbesina virginica), and soft blues of mist flower (Conoclinium coelestinum).
Working closely with our partners at Roundstone Native Seed, Bernheim stewards select a range of prairie plants for restoration projects that bloom throughout the growing season and well into autumn. This supply of food and habitat is crucial for pollinating insects preparing for winter or long migrations.
The recently restored Burr Oak Prairie, located within the forest interior, is showing strong signs of prairie establishment and is supporting one the nation’s most revered – and threatened – pollinators: the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Due to habitat loss, decreasing milkweed populations, and climate change, monarch butterfly populations have significantly decreased in the past several decades.
Bernheim’s nearly 300 acres of established prairie habitat, along with many acres of recently restored prairie habitat, provide crucial food sources for this beloved butterfly.
Be sure to schedule your next trip to Bernheim before this brilliant display is wrapped up for the year. Prairie habitat can be found along Forest Hill Drive, the Big Prairie, the Springhouse, Lake Nevin shores, and near the Playcosystem. Fall color displays of any type – leaves, wildflowers, butterflies, sunsets, and sunrises can be found at Bernheim. Come out, see the colors, and connect with nature.
