Burleson Prairie Adventure
On May 4, 2019 I was happy to attend a prairie walk and plant adventure at Burleson Prairie, a 100 plus acre tallgrass prairie restoration in the Blackland Prairie. This site is very special as the restoration has been over 30 years in the making. I’ll never forget my first time there — I was simply blown away by what can be done through restoration. Bob Burleson standing next to a compass plant is forever imprinted in my mind!
Lynn Fleming of the Central Texas Master Naturalist Chapter organized the event and put together a fun “prairie adventure” list that was enjoyed by all — thanks so much, Lynn!
Mickey Burleson gave us an overview of the restoration and her daughter Clair joined in with fun childhood anecdotes, plus good info about earthworms and crawfish. The prairie restoration truly was a labor of love.
Recent rains made the prairie come alive — and also made for some muddy boots — and we were treated to echinacea, larkspur, Engelmann daisy and more. Pull up a chair, imagine the sound of dickcissels singing away, and join me in this slideshow tour of our day. (Note: use the arrows on the left and right sides of the photo to view the slideshow.)
Mickey Burleson leads the way with Lynn Fleming and Jason Spangler. Echinacea angustifolia (purple coneflower) Engelmannia peristenia (Engelmann daisy) Painted lady on echinacea. Sensitive briar (Mimosa microphylla) Prairie parsley (Polytaenia nuttallii) Echinacea and Barbara’s buttons (Marshallia caespitosa) Most of the larkspur at Burleson Prairie is white, but this one had tinges of blue Another larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum) with hints of blue. Echinacea and larkspur putting on a show Going on an adventure. How many butterflies do you see in this photo? Calylophus berlandieri putting on quite the show. So many things to see! Couldn’t resist another echinacea photo.
It’s always interesting to me to see how the prairie goes through color changes as the seasons progress. On this day it was dominated by the pink/purple of the echinaceas, yellow from the Engelmann daisies and sundrops and the white of the larkspur. The rattlesnake master was just starting to put out buds and the penstemons were just finishing up.
It wasn’t just the forbs — the grasses are having a really good year too, especially little bluestem.
All in all a great day out on the prairie.
More Resources
- Here is the prairie adventure list (.pdf) that Lynn Fleming put together. Sources: Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses, the Wildflower Center, and Wikipedia.
- Incomplete plant list (.pdf) by Mickey Burleson and Lynn Fleming:
- Bob passed away in 2009 but his legacy lives on. Find out more about him here in the Fall 2009 NPAT newsletter (.pdf).
- Find Bob and Mickey Burleson’s prairie restoration guide, Homegrown Prairies, here. It’s full of great information, highly recommend giving it a read.
Hope to see you out on a prairie! — Lisa Spangler
