Celebrating national prairie day
June 6 is National Prairie Day and we’re honoring these amazing ecosystems that once covered 400,000 square miles of North America.
At one time, the North American prairies stretched from the Rocky Mountains to east of the Mississippi River, and from Saskatchewan, Canada, south into Texas. It was our continent’s largest continuous ecosystem and supported an enormous quantity of plants and animals.
According to the National Park Service, the tallgrass prairie has been reduced to less than 4% of its original area, making it one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems in the world. And, no other ecosystem in the Midwest hosts more native pollinating insects than prairie.
With native pollinator habitat in decline, we’re glad to demonstrate our environmental commitment and do our small part with the four-acre prairie outside our Pewaukee headquarters building. A prairie may not be practical for your backyard, but you can help pollinating insects like bees and butterflies by adding just a few native prairie plants to your garden or landscaping. Wildflowers like purple coneflower, butterfly weed, and smooth blue aster will add color to your yard and provide food for bees, birds and butterflies. Prairie grasses like little bluestem and prairie dropseed can add interest to your landscaping, while also providing food and shelter for pollinators.
Need additional native plant suggestions? View or print our Grow Smart Planting Guide or Grow Smart Pollinator Guide and bring it to your local garden center.
