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meadow or prairie?
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Posted by prairielarkspur Iowa (My Page) on Sat, Nov 13, 04 at 23:06
| Would anyone care to explain the difference between a prairie and a meadow? I am from Iowa and we have prairie and I definitely know what that is. Is a meadow something smaller and more limited or does it have different flora? Sorry if this question has already been covered, but I did not find it. |
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RE: meadow or prairie?
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| I think prairie is a french word meaning "meadow". However, the term prairie is usually used to describe the unique grassland ecosystems of the Great Plains and midwestern states. The most eastern prairies are dominated by big bluestem and termed "tallgrass". As you go further west the climate is dryer and little bluestem becomes more dominant, and these prairies are called "shortgrass". There are other hair splitifications like hill prairie, wet prairie, sand prairie. I've noticed that what they call meadows in the northeast are usually clearings, either from removing the tree cover or changes in hydrology. You'll find many of the same species in these meadows as you would in prairies but not nearly as many. Prairies have been maintained by fire for centuries old while meadows seem to be in the first successional stages after a disturbance. |
RE: meadow or prairie?
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| I found this link, allthough in Canada, that desribes what makes a prairie and what makes a meadow....I'm dense and not quite understanding the difference..maybe you can :) Vera |
Here is a link that might be useful: Planting the Seed
RE: meadow or prairie?
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| The term "Prairie" is usually used when someone is recreating native grasslands either as a restoration or as a prairie garden. A prairie is a climax ecosystem, it stays grassland and does not become forest due to the effects of natural fire and natural low rainfall. The prairie garden will contain about 50% grass and 50% flowers, the grasses and flowers will be native and the ones usually found together in natural ecosystems. A prairie will be self propagating once established through natural plant selfseeding or vegatative plant spread. Meadow is a less specific term and can refer to any open area of grasses or flowering plants with few or no trees. Usually it is a transition ecosystem and will change over time into the natural climax ecosystem of the area. In the east, that would be forest. It is maintained by intervention by man, his fires and grazing domestic animals to prevent trees and shrubs from taking hold. A meadow could be an old farmstead, an abandoned city lot with flowering weeds or a planned garden alternative to lawn. A meadow may or may not contain grasses and native plants. A meadow usually needs a gardener to be maintained -- the gardener will need to reseed flowering plants and to remove woody plants. |
RE: meadow or prairie?
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Thanks to all who have responded. That Canadian site is interesting, Vera.
Here is the definition of prairie that the Iowa Prairie Network states:
The Prairie is an ecosystem mostly of grasses and forbs (flowering plants) with many other fauna, fungi, the soil, geology, and fire. All of these together create an ecosystem where life is interdependent upon each other. The prairie is an intricate web, with more of its living mass below ground, in the deep roots of the grasses and flowering plants, than we can see above ground. It sounds like what we call a prairie reconstruction or a prairie restoration might be called a meadow by some. |
RE: meadow or prairie?
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| Strictly speaking, to perform a "prairie restoration" you need a prairie to start with. I think many of the demonstration projects you see in business parks and reclaimed farmland would be best termed reconstructions. Many use the same plants over an over for the best visual effect and sometimes include plants from outside the region to save money. The better ones will make an effort to rebuild complex local populations, at least with the plants used. One thing that makes remnent prairies so precious is that the majority of the animals and microorganisms are irreplacable. Most of the insects that depend on prairies cannot be restored after a station is destroyed. |
RE: meadow or prairie?
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| The term 'prairie' is based on the French and Latin terms for meadow (or grassland), but it has come to be used as a technical term used by ecologists to refer to the native habitats of (mostly) central North America. On the other hand, meadow is used to refer to a wide variety of grassy habitats of both natural and human origin, including pasture lands, overgrown farm fields, or 'wildflower gardens' that may be dominated by exotic species. As mentioned above, grasslands in the east are often referred to as meadows rather than prairies, although native Eastern 'meadow' habitats may contain many of the same grass and wildflower species as those of the Midwestern tallgrass prairies. |
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