72 Nebraskaland • January-February 2024
Vogt, owner of Monarch Gardens, a prairie-inspired
design fi rm in Lincoln, to create a display of native
plants in its place. Today, the cluster of butterfl y
milkweed, native grasses, purple poppy mallow,
purple conefl ower and other native plants creates an
attractive entrance to her property for both people
and pollinators.
The Prairie Process
After planting various native plants around her
house, Kirkpatrick turned her attention to a prairie
restoration, planting her fi rst half-acre area in the
spring of 2017. She purchased a seed mix from
Prairie Legacy, Inc., a Nebraska company that sells
native plants and seeds for habitat restorations.
Prairie Legacy selected a seed mix for Kirkpatrick of
more than 50 native prairie plants, including purple
prairie clover, yarrow, little bluestem and butterfl y
milkweed.
Kirkpatrick began the planting process by treating
the area with an herbicide to kill off what lived there.
Then, when the conditions were right for growth,
she mixed the seeds with vermiculite to add bulk and
planted them, tossing them directly on top of soil
wetted by sprinklers.
She planted her second half-acre in the winter of
2019. Again, Kirkpatrick hand-planted the seeds,
dropping them directly on the snow-covered ground.
Today, the two sections are thriving. No watering
and little weeding is needed, though Kirkpatrick does
mow or burn the sections once a year.
Kirkpatrick has also seeded other patches of her
property with native plants, and around the edges
of her property, she's planted many native trees and
shrubs. All this habitat has attracted a variety of
wildlife, including birds, a snapping turtle, coyotes,
opossum, raccoons, a fox, deer, turkeys and snakes.
A Transcendent
Experience
"This experience is more than just land
management," Kirkpatrick said. "It's transcendent.
It's about experiencing the awe, the wonder, and the
miracle of nature."
It's also been a journey of personal growth for
her. "I'm learning to treat myself with the same
wholehearted acceptance that I grant to the ebb
and fl ow of the biology on my 5 acres," she said.
"It's all about trust and acceptance — trusting God
and nature, accepting the various outcomes of
my projects, and trusting that it's going to be OK,
whatever happens out there."
N
Monarch butterfl y in a patch of thickspike gayfeather behind
Kirkpatrick's house.
Kirkpatrick planted wild plum in her backyard, a shrub native to
Nebraska.
A native plant display in front of Kirkpatrick's house, designed by
Monarch Gardens.
