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Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1213050
24 Nebraskaland • March 2020 to allow me to buy the land from them over time, something I'm incredibly grateful for. Ecology and Habitat Management The Helzer Family Prairie sits in the transition zone between tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie. In a wet year, ungrazed portions of the prairie can produce big bluestem plants as tall as I am, but in most years, and under grazing pressure, the big bluestem and indiangrass heights are more reduced, and mid-height grasses such as sideoats grama, little bluestem and tall dropseed become more dominant. Invasive species, including smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass, have both invaded the site, along with sweet clover, and all three can be very abundant under certain management and weather conditions. The small patches of unplowed prairie on the site contain wildflowers such as leadplant, prairie violet, dotted gayfeather, white-eyed grass, ground plum, purple prairie clover and many more. Since 1962, many of those wildflowers have moved out into the former cropland, joining the seeded grasses. Over the last 15 years or so, various members of my family have helped me collect wildflower seeds from other nearby prairies and broadcast them on recently-grazed portions of the site. Those efforts have helped speed up the diversification of the plant community. For a relatively small and isolated site, surrounded by miles of cropland, our prairie has a surprising profusion of wildlife. Breeding grassland birds include grasshopper sparrows, western meadowlarks and upland sandpipers, among others, and I even spotted a greater prairie chicken during June a few years ago, which makes me wonder if that species is a periodic nester. Ring-necked pheasants and northern bobwhites are both abundant, and now and then, a few wild turkeys make their way up from the wooded river valley to the north. There are lots of frogs in the pond/ wetland, including chorus frogs, leopard frogs and a recent invasion of bullfrogs. They are joined by myriad dragonf lies, damself lies, and many other invertebrates, and we have frequent visits by various ducks, shorebirds and itinerant great blue herons. We even spotted a big snapping turtle making its way toward the pond years ago, though we don't seem to have a stable population of any turtle species. Pollinators are abundant, including monarch and regal fritillary butterflies, along with several species of bumblebees and countless other bees, moths and flies. Judging by tracks in the snow and numerous burrows and mounds scattered about, our small mammal population is strong, and that helps support a resident family of coyotes, which are always a treat to see. Because our prairie is miles away from any others, the chances of prairie plants or animals coming to our prairie from elsewhere are awfully slim. That essentially makes us managers of a prairie island in a sea of cropland, and we do our best to provide habitat for all plant and animal species because if Blue mud plantain (Heteranthera limosa) is one of many wetland plants that has colonized shallow areas of the pond since cattle were excluded from it.