platechick: Climax prairie takes 20-25 years to establish itself naturally. Ned scalped his lawn and brought in climax prairie soil (and grasses) that were being bulldozed for some speculative development. He had a decent yard in a couple of years and currently has the 7" short buffalo grass typical of climax prairie. It is green most of the year and a bronze in late fall and winter.,There are several National Parks, Monuments, and Grasslands where the real thing can be observed. The north side of US 82 west of Paris, TX is a private example, never plowed, but mowed for hay which Ringling Brothers would buy for its high nutrient value. I recall walking in a narrow strip at Samuel Park in Mesquite, TX (on I-30) and almost bogging down during a dry summer from the amount of water retained in it. (It is next to the RC model aircraft field – or at least was before such an aircraft on the south part of Dallas, spotted slaughterhouse waste being dumped into the Trinity River. Now these sports planes are called drones and attempts are made to keep them out of private hands. Sic semper tyrannis.)
platechick: Climax prairie takes 20-25 years to establish itself naturally. Ned scalped his lawn and brought in climax prairie soil (and grasses) that were being bulldozed for some speculative development. He had a decent yard in a couple of years and currently has the 7" short buffalo grass typical of climax prairie. It is green most of the year and a bronze in late fall and winter.,There are several National Parks, Monuments, and Grasslands where the real thing can be observed. The north side of US 82 west of Paris, TX is a private example, never plowed, but mowed for hay which Ringling Brothers would buy for its high nutrient value. I recall walking in a narrow strip at Samuel Park in Mesquite, TX (on I-30) and almost bogging down during a dry summer from the amount of water retained in it. (It is next to the RC model aircraft field – or at least was before such an aircraft on the south part of Dallas, spotted slaughterhouse waste being dumped into the Trinity River. Now these sports planes are called drones and attempts are made to keep them out of private hands. Sic semper tyrannis.)