A Fall Walk Through the Hillside Prairie

Article by Jocelyn Milner

In late September I took a morning walk through the Hillside Prairie. This remnant of the ancient Sauk Prairie is dominated by a west-facing slope so the shadows were long when I arrived and my pants were soaked with dew. This remnant sits right at the end of the glacial moraine. The soil is well drained and thin at the top and gradually gets thicker, richer and better at holding moisture moving down the hillside. 

The top of the hillside was dominated by Indian Grass. About half-way down there was a broad sweep of Sky Blue Aster and goldenrod.  

At the bottom of the hill, in the ditch there were black-eyed Susans and New England aster showing off in the sunshine. Cup plant still stood eight feet tall.  

I also noticed what was absent. No brush or shrubs and that massive patch of wild parsnip that had been removed by volunteers. The prairie looked like, well, a prairie! 

It takes a lot of volunteer hours to keep this Hillside Prairie looking like a prairie. Seeing the Hillside Prairie look so good is a moment to pause and celebrate all the volunteers who cut brush and pull weeks to maintain this special spot.  

Photo credits: Jocelyn Milner