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In the fall of 2001, the Decorah City Council was approached about converting city-owned floodplain to native prairie as a buffer strip along the river to slow runoff and stop soil erosion. Previously, this floodplain along the Upper Iowa River below Phelps Park was farmed. It was the subject of frequent flooding and severe soil erosion.
Prairie Smoke Photo by Ellen Macdonald
The City Council designated $15,000 for the project if the Decorah Prairie Committee could raise a matching $15,000 to help pay for the project. The grassy filter strip was 11.4 acres. The added prairie was 24.1 acres.
Photo by Ellen Macdonald
More than $17,500 in matching funds were raised from over 93 different donors. Over-seeding with about seventy species of prairie plants occurred in late May 2002. One week later, over 100 volunteers helped transplant over 12,000 “plugs” of young wildflowers (forbs) into the prairie area.
Photo by Ellen Macdonald
An additional $15,000 was donated to the city of Decorah to establish a butterfly garden. The butterfly garden was designed to provide larval food plants for butterfly caterpillars and nectar sources for adult butterflies.
The garden also serves as an educational garden area for people to learn about the various plants and butterflies they may see out in the main prairie area. Specimen plantings are identified with signage.
Photo by Ellen Macdonald (after the flood and later in the same season)
In 2008 flooding washed across the prairie in June. Weeks later, the plants were re-establishing themselves. The Butterfly garden plants had been rearranged by the flood waters.
Volunteers help to maintain the specimen plants in the Butterfly Garden. Labels to identify plants are placed as plants emerge. Volunteers attempt to keep wayward plants from invading the specimen areas.
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