Hay Meadow Guide Published by KBS

Owners of native prairie hay meadows are stewards of some of the most ecologically important lands in Kansas, according to scientists at the Kansas Biological Survey at the University of Kansas. Yet hay meadows are often unrecognized and unappreciated -- which puts them at risk of being inadvertently harmed or even destroyed.

In an effort to shine more light on the importance of hay meadows, the KBS has produced a booklet, Native Prairie Hay Meadows: A Landowner's Management Guide. The guide explores hay meadow ecology; the economic and cultural importance of hay meadows; management advice for maintaining and restoring hay meadows; and land conservation options for interested landowners. The 32-page booklet features full color photography of prairie landscapes.  (Click for lower resolution (2MB) - best for viewing on screen, or high resolution (10.5 MB) - best for printing.)

"The native hay meadows of eastern Kansas are biological gems," said Dr. Kelly Kindscher, a plant ecologist at KBS and the author of Medicinal Plants of the Prairie. "Many of these tallgrass prairie remnants are home to more than 100 species of plants, and some have more than 200 species. The biodiversity is quite impressive. Native hay meadows are vestiges of an ecosystem that once covered this part of the country, and they may prove to be valuable in many respects in the future. They are an important part of our history and also one of the most beautiful landscapes in Kansas, especially in summer when they are filled with colorful wildflowers."

Tallgrass prairie once covered 140 million acres of North America, but today less than 4 percent remains -- and two-thirds of that is in Kansas. The largest swath of remaining tallgrass prairie is in the Flint Hills; it survived because the soil was too rocky to plow and it made good pasture for cattle. But tallgrass prairie also covered the rolling land east of the Flint Hills, where the soil is deeper and annual rainfall is higher. Today, only small remnants of these prairies remain, dotted among the farm fields, forests, cities, and towns of eastern Kansas.

The best of these remaining prairies are hay meadows; it turns out that managing a prairie for hay -- that is, cutting it every summer -- can be the surest way to maintain its ecological value.

"The people who have preserved these lands as hay meadows have been excellent stewards, and we want to thank and praise them for that," Kindscher said. "At the same time, we know there are management concerns such as invasive species. We also are seeing many of these prairies transferring ownership. So we wanted to create a resource to help landowners appreciate and care for their hay meadows."

For more information, email kindscher@ku.edu or phone 785-864-1528.