The drive across Iowa is getting prettier by the day.
It's mid-summer and the tall grass prairie is in full bloom. Butterfly milkweed, purple coneflower, rough blazing star, gay feather ---- There're all there and it's just for you.
Living remnants of the same spectacular plant forms that once dominated Iowa's presettlement landscape are now inhabitating the right-of-ways along our interstate and primary highway systems. Regardless of whether you pass through Iowa from north to south or east to west, the rich kaleidoscope of yellows, purple, and orange is guaranteed to grab your attention.
But this summer wave of color did not happen by accident. The dramatic roadside plant show is the direct result of a common sense, labor of love and is brought to you by Iowa's Department of Transportation.
"It's taken some time, but I think Iowa roadsides now contain enough prairie acres that people are really beginning to take notice and enjoy the beauty," says Mark Masteller, Chief Landscape Architect for the Iowa DOT.
"We've began receiving a number of positive comments, especially from out of state travelers who have recently journeyed through Iowa."
According to Masteller, the color surge first gained roots during the 1970s Gas Crisis when DOT workers were forced to dramatically curtail maintenance of rural roadways. Road workers soon began experimenting with native forbs [flowers] and grasses as a cost effective way to reseed construction sites. Road commissioners liked what they saw, and the program expanded.
By the mid-1980s, native prairie grasses were being used to reseed construction sites statewide. But the project did have its critics.
"We received calls from a number of people, some of them were pretty angry," recalls Masteller. "The most frequent criticisms asked why in the world were we [DOT] destroying perfectly good grasses to seed prairie."
"At the time, we were annually spending $3 million on weed control and silt removal. The truth was that those perfectly good grasses weren't so perfect after all. Prairie plantings actually saved money by reducing maintenance costs -- things like spraying, mowing, and silt removal. The expense of prairie planting was, and still is, a very small part of our budget."
In addition to the significant cost savings associated with native grasses, prairie planters soon began to discover additional roadside benefits. During summer drought prairie plants easily withstood the extreme heat that caused traditional [non-native] seedings to curl up and wither away. Native grasses also proved superior in managing storm water and preventing erosion. During winter, prairie grasses were better able to bear the weight of heavy snowfall which resulted in less blowing and drifting. Pavement stayed high and dry with fewer days of icy travel and less salt on roadways.
"Many people are surprised to learn that we design a custom seed mix for each new project," said Masteller. "If an area has a significant thistle problem, we go heavier on the grasses. On some of the more showy areas we may plant up to 50 percent forbs. Most of the time, we try to mimic what occurred here naturally which is a blend of 70 percent grass and 30 percent forbs."
During the past two years, the DOT has seeded around 8,000 acres of new roadside projects. As is the case with all new prairie plantings, patience is the key.
"When establishing new areas, we often get calls informing us that a seeding has totally failed," said Masteller. "In almost every case, the prairie suddenly appears the next summer."
"It all takes time. Once the prairie begins to show its color, everyone is happy."