Prairie plants do not hurry. They continually transform themselves.  Rising up each Spring from their deep root systems--some roots 14 feet below ground--they  shoot up and progress through their seasonal life cycles.  As the soil warms, leaves spring from the crown at the base of the plant or from the root stock beneath the soil. Some may bloom alone for a week or so but suddenly another plant joins in to provide an ever changing kaleidoscope of color.  Forbs (flowering, non grassy plants) mix freely with grasses and sedges to create a diverse network of patterns and texture .  Prairie plants are constantly in transition, moving from their eruption each spring, sending up flower stalks, budding, blooming, setting seed and releasing the seed (or fruit) into the air or soil.  In the Schulenberg Prairie at The Morton Arboretum, this process begins in late March and extends into November.  The week to week growth is both startling and stunning.  Tall Grass prairies are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet and also the most at risk of extinction.  

Wild HyacinthWild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) graces the Schulenberg Prairie in May.

Splashes of pale blue Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides) provide welcome mid-May color in the Schulenberg Prairie.

Shooting Star (Primula sect. Dodecatheon) sends up 18" leafless scapes in April and May in a variety of white, pink or magenta, drooping blooms.

Eastern Red ColumbineColumbine blooms in May on the edge of the Savannah at Schulenberg Prairie. Columbine: (Aquilegia canadensis) blooms in late May at the intersection between the prairie and savannah.

Spiderwort and Silphium Leaves Brighten the June Schulenberg PrairieSpiderwort (Tradescantia) and large Prairie Dock leaves brighten the landscape filled with emerging prairie plants.  Bright Purple Spiderwort (Tradescantia occidentalis) pops up between the large leaves of Compass Plant and Prairie Dock. The flowers close by mid-day and last only a day.
 

Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) has pea shaped flowers and joins with Spiderwort to decorate the prairie with tall, white spikes in June.

  Pale Purple Coneflowers in the Schulenberg PrairiePale Purple Coneflowers dot the acre in the Schulenberg Prairie in June.

As the Baptisia and Spiderwort begin to fade, Pale Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea pallida) take center stage. 

  Butterfly Weed and Pale Purple Coneflower AbstractStylistic interpretation of Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) and Pale Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea palllida) bloom together in the Schulenberg Prairie.

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
 and Leadplant (Amorpha canescens), bloom together in late June, creating a palette of pinkish purple, orange, purple and gray.

Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) and Butterfly Bush (Asclepias tuberosa) leave the coneflowers behind, creating a bright splash of purple and orange as late Spring transitions to summer in late June.

Bees on Purple Prairie CloverBees collect nectar on Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea Purpurea) in early July on the Schulenberg Prairie.

 The flowers of Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea) attract honeybees (Genus apis) et al. in late June and early July in the Tallgrass Prairie.

Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) continues to bloom into July, dotting the prairie with bright purple dollops of color and gray, feathery foliage  in contrast to the emerging, white, spiky, spherical blooms of Rattlesnake Master (Ernygium yuccifolium).  

Cream Gentians in August on the Schulenberg AcreCream Gentian bloom amidst the leaves of Prairie Dock and Big Blue Stem Grass in the August Schulenberg Prairie

The August prairie brings Plain Gentian (Gentiana alba) and Big Bluestem Grass (Andropogon gerardii) to the fore among the large, rough leaves of Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum). A bright blue sky and puffy clouds preside over the Schulenberg Prairie at The Morton Arboretum.

Goldenrod (Solidago rigida) and Purple Blazing Star (Liatris aspera) turn the prairie purple and gold in mid-August.

September ushers in the unmistakable blue flowers of Prairie Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta).  It's a bloom worth waiting for as Summer drifts toward Fall.

Around the 3rd week in September, asters showcase their palette of mainly blue, purple and white flowers.  Here, Blue Smooth Asters (Symphyotrichum laeve) and New England Asters (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) create a stunning composition of purple petals with yellow and orange centers.

Sunlight streams through the early morning fog, highlighting the tall seed heads of Indian Pale Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicafolium) and grasses in the late Fall prairie.

Snow Falling on Big Blue StemBig Bluestem Grass catches snowflakes in the Winter prairie.

Big Bluestem Grass (Andropogon gerardii) catches falling snow in the Wintery Schulenberg Prairie at The Morton Arboretum.

As Winter approaches, most prairie plants go into a dormant state. The roots pull water  from the stems, leaves, and spent flowers above ground, and the deep roots of the plants continue to live on the stored nutrients.  In Spring, these nutrients also provide the boost the plant needs to send up new shoots to begin the growth cycle anew. 

And so the prairie regenerates itself, relying on light, water, nutrients, soil and seasonal temperature changes to create the beautiful palette of color and texture we look forward to each season.