Nine Mile Prairie
Encyclopedia
Nine Mile Prairie is a 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) tract of conserved tallgrass prairie
in Lancaster County
, Nebraska
, United States
. Except for one small portion of it that was farmed as recently as the 1950s, Nine-Mile Prairie has never been plowed (some of the land has at times been grazed as recently as the 1960s). As such, it is one of the largest areas of virgin tallgrass prairie in the state of Nebraska. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
since 1986.
Nine Mile Prairie is now administered by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
. The university uses it for a variety of research and recreational purposes, especially for studies of prairie ecology
. Research on this prairie began in the 1920s when Professor John Ernest Weaver
and his students started using it for their studies of prairie plant ecology.
In addition to prairie grass
es, some of which including Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) can grow as tall as six feet, the site supports a range of prairie trees, including cottonwoods and honey locust
. Invasive sumac
plants and (in the absence of fire) eastern juniper trees require control to preserve the original prairie ecology. A total of 392 species of vascular plants and 80 species of birds have been observed at Nine Mile Prairie. Notable species include the federally-threatened prairie white fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) and the rare regal fritillary butterfly
(Speyeria idalia), and it is home to bluebird
s and white-tailed deer
; herds of bison
would have also passed through the site when it was open prairie until the mid-19th century.
Tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
in Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 250,291 people, 99,187 households, and 60,702 families residing in the county. The population density was 298 people per square mile . There were 104,217 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Except for one small portion of it that was farmed as recently as the 1950s, Nine-Mile Prairie has never been plowed (some of the land has at times been grazed as recently as the 1960s). As such, it is one of the largest areas of virgin tallgrass prairie in the state of Nebraska. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1986.
Nine Mile Prairie is now administered by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
. The university uses it for a variety of research and recreational purposes, especially for studies of prairie ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. Research on this prairie began in the 1920s when Professor John Ernest Weaver
John Ernest Weaver
John Ernest Weaver was an American botanist, prairie ecologist, and university professor.Weaver was born in Villisca, Iowa. He attained a PhD at the University of Minnesota, 1916. He was "Instructor of Botany" at Washington State College from 1912 to 1913...
and his students started using it for their studies of prairie plant ecology.
In addition to prairie grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es, some of which including Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) can grow as tall as six feet, the site supports a range of prairie trees, including cottonwoods and honey locust
Honey locust
The Honey locust, Gleditsia triacanthos, is a deciduous tree native to central North America. It is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys ranging from southeastern South Dakota to New Orleans and central Texas, and as far east as eastern Massachusetts.-Description:Honey locusts, Gleditsia...
. Invasive sumac
Sumac
Sumac is any one of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus and related genera, in the family Anacardiaceae. Sumacs grow in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in Africa and North America....
plants and (in the absence of fire) eastern juniper trees require control to preserve the original prairie ecology. A total of 392 species of vascular plants and 80 species of birds have been observed at Nine Mile Prairie. Notable species include the federally-threatened prairie white fringed orchid (Platanthera praeclara) and the rare regal fritillary butterfly
Regal Fritillary
The Regal Fritillary is a striking nymphalid butterfly found among some of the remaining tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies in the east-central United States. This prairie-specialist butterfly has a characteristic deep orange color and unmistakable dark hindwings with two bands of spots . On the...
(Speyeria idalia), and it is home to bluebird
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Sialia of the thrush family . Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and red, plumage...
s and white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
; herds of bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
would have also passed through the site when it was open prairie until the mid-19th century.