Indiana's Roadside Heritage Program

picture of coneflowers with caption: Indiana's Roadside Heritage

One way to educate the public about these so called "weeds".

Traipsing, Scouting and Shooting Diversity

By Jeanette Wilson
(317) 232-5496
Office of Planning and Intermodal Transportation

In 1999, The Indiana Roadside Heritage Program was developed in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (INDR), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The goal of the program is to promote the use of native plants in INDOT’s rights-of-way.

One of the first tasks was to educate the motoring public about native vegetation. Too many times we heard that the native flowers and grasses were considered weeds by the general public. In 2002, the department decided one way to educate the public about these so called “weeds”, was to publish a brochure that identified the plants, their growth areas, growing seasons, and even a little folklore for that added spark of interest. The brochure has been a great success as an educational tool, so much so, that the brochure has been to print three times. In 2003, the brochure took first place in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official’s National Transportation Public Affairs Workshop. This method of outreach and education has been quite successful in schools, gardening groups, welcome centers and at Earth Day events and the State Fair. Schools have requested our assistance in establishing their own native plots based on information they found on our brochure. Travelers from other states have sent emails and letters commenting of the variety of plants in Indiana that they had no idea existed here. Local communities are coming to INDOT requesting more native plantings and how they can participate in establishment and maintenance of native plant sites.

The brochure was developed in-house by INDOT staff, who also took many of the pictures. Those pictures not taken by INDOT staff were taken by staff from IDNR. Throughout the year staff carefully kept track of planted areas and bloom times to get just the right picture. When traipsing along our roadsides, staff were always scouting for native plants and monitoring their progress. Several wildflowers that have been difficult to purchase, such as the Hoary Puccoon, were discovered on these field trips. The decision on which pictures made the cut was not easy. Literally hundreds of pictures were reviewed for their clarity, color and variety. The result is an informative and interesting brochure that INDOT is not only proud of, but also one that INDOT looks forward to updating to better educate the public.