| Gorgeous in the Ditch Mabel went home and called Dorothy: You've got to get out here! These flowers are gorgeous in the ditch. Blueflags Growing in the wet places Along this country road, just a wildflower Gorgeous in the ditch. Dorothy, get out here right away. Knowles said We've got to go home and call Joanne, Tell her to get out here right away, Bring her camera. Wild Indigo Trail near Brownsdale Is blue flagged. Gorgeous Along the old railroad bed Next to the hoary puccoon, The golden Alexander, the wild campion And the little aspens talking, quivering, Urgently whispering. Just an old railroad right-of-way just a wildflower Gorgeous where the tracks were in 1869 Joanne, you've got to get here right away. Betty J. Benner Austin, MN 1996 |
Tourists Shown Natural and Cultural Heritage in Iowa
By Mark Masteller, IDOT
Historic vegetation maps generally show Iowa as the only state that falls totally within the tallgrass prairie region of the United States. Interstate 35; which bisects the state in a north/south direction, is the backbone of our Prairie Passage efforts. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) inventoried an area that extends approximately thirty miles on either side of I-35. The inventory searched for state and local roadsides containing significant or showy native prairie plant materials, parks and preserves with native prairie vegetation, and cultural/historic sites related to Iowa's prairie heritage.
In 2002, the Iowa State University Department of Landscape Architecture was contracted to analyze this inventory information and develop tourism loop-routes for I-35 travelers interested in prairies. Northern, central, and southern routes were selected to offer motorist's opportunities to take a short (less than one hour) side trip to view prairie vegetation and learn about Iowa's prairie past. The university prepared a tourism brochure to guide motorists along the routes.
The Prairie Passage program fits well with Iowa's other roadside vegetation programs. We are continuing our efforts to re-vegetate older, nonnative roadsides with native prairie species. Since the mid-1980's, it has been our practice to use native prairie species to seed newly constructed rural roadways. The DOT offers a variety of funding assistance to local governments that want to establish native vegetation in roadsides. Iowa also boasts a quality county roadside program that emphasizes use of native species. The recent completion of the Native Roadside Vegetation Center at the University of Northern Iowa strengthens these programs. All of these efforts help add color and texture as well as a historic link to Iowa's roadsides.
