Native Plants

This sign reads: “Native Plants. Native plants are trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses that grow naturally  in this region of Iowa. Historically seventy to eighty percent of Iowa’s landscape was filled with native  tall grass prairie. Growing native plants reduces maintenance costs, improves air and water quality, and  increases the biodiversity of our community. 

Wildlife habitat. Native plants provide food and shelter for many types of wildlife. Without these plants  many species such as the Monarch butterfly, would be extinct.” 

The left side of the sign features a drawing of a milkweed plant with four monarch butterflies at  different stages of their life cycle. Milkweed is the only host plant the Monarch caterpillar can eat. The  first stage is a cluster of small eggs. It is labeled: “Stage one: eggs. An adult butterfly lays eggs.” Stage  two is the caterpillar stage. “Caterpillars feed on leaves and hang upside down to form the pupa.” The  third stage shows a pupa, also called the chrysalis or cocoon stage, the caterpillar undergoes complete  metamorphosis to emerge as a butterfly. The final stage is the butterfly. This stage shows a mature  monarch butterfly and states: “now they are an adult and can fly.”  

The middle section of the sign features a drawing of two plants, along with their root systems. The first  plant, a nonnative daylily, has short roots, while the second plant, a native switch grass has roots that  reach far deeper than the daylily. The section reads: “Deep Roots. Native root systems reach deep into  the ground, up to 16 feet, preventing soil erosion and creating vertical channels that allow rain and any  toxins or heavy metals to slowly absorb into the soil.  

Learning lesson. Why are native prairie plants important to preserve and protect?” 

The right side of the sign shows images of eight native plant species and states: “Look around. Can you  spot these Iowa native grasses and wildflowers?” The first plant is a black eyed susan, which has a  yellow flower with a black center. Next is butterfly milkweed, which has clusters of bright orange  flowers. The third plant is goldenrod. This plant is shown to have a cluster of yellow flowers on top of a  tall stalk. The next plant is indiangrass, which is a brown grass with seeds at the top. The fifth plant is  little bluestem, a short, green grass. Sixth is the purple coneflower, which has a purple or pink flower  with a spiky brown cone-shaped center. The seventh plant is sideoat, a brown grass with large seeds on  top. The final plant is woodland phlox, which has small purple flowers.