Learn about the Restoration and Preservation of Iowa’s Tallgrass Prairies

Oskaloosa, Iowa – During July and August, purple coneflowers and prairie blazing star add touches of lavender to Iowa road ditches planted in native prairie plants. Clusters of bright orange butterfly milkweed, compass plants extending large yellow, daisy-like flowers high above yellow seas of gray-headed coneflowers create mid-summer interest along roadways and prairie areas.

Iowans curious about the use of native plants and the state’s work restoring and preserving prairie vegetation should attend the Iowa Master Gardener (MG) summer series webinar July 26. The webinar will be hosted by Mahaska County Extension office, 212 North I Street, Oskaloosa from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The webinar is open to the public; Master Gardeners can earn two hours of update training by attending.

“Tallgrass Prairies of Iowa” is the topic of the webinar, the third in a series of four Garden Natives and Invasives 2011 sessions offered by the Master Gardener program. Daryl Smith, from the Tallgrass Prairie Center and University of Northern Iowa, is the July 26 presenter. He will share the history and reach of the Tallgrass Prairie Center and tell how the mission of the center to ‘develop research, techniques, education and Source Identified seed for restoration and preservation of prairie vegetation’ is carried out in the state.

The webinar series is made possible by the Iowa Master Gardener program, Iowa State University Extension and Department of Horticulture. The final webinar in the series, scheduled for August 23, will highlight the importance of native species, discuss the problems and related issues with invasive species in Iowa.

Contact the Mahaska County extension office by phone at 641-673-5841 or email xmahaska.iastate.edu for more information about Iowa Master Gardeners or the webinar series.