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Nodding
Ladies-tresses
(Spiranthes cernua)
Nodding ladies-tresses is a
perennial that, in our area, usually grows about 8-10 inches tall. Roots are fleshy and
tuberous. Long narrow leaves arise mostly from the base of the stem but do not overtop the
flowers. The 3-inch long flowering spikes are very striking because 3 rows of drooping
white flowers are twisted around a central axis. Nodding ladies-tresses belongs to
the cosmopolitan orchid family (Orchidaceae), which is the largest in the world with 500
genera and about 20,000 species. Orchids depend on soil fungi for part of their food.
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| A variety
of native plants can be found on the 43-acre area, which is about two-thirds lowland
("wet") prairie. Some wildflowers you may find are blue lobelia, yellow
stargrass, catclaw brier, butterfly weed, and spiderwort. Several legumes (bean family)
and composites (plants of the sunflower-aster family) also appear throughout the growing
season. Big bluestem, switchgrass, and needlegrass are a few of the common native grasses
growing among the wildflowers. The
Fertig Prairie is owned by Clarence and Ruth Fertig and their daughters Linda, Sue, and
Janet The land has been in the family since 1918 and has been grazed or harvested (though
never plowed) throughout the years.
The Fertig Prairie is located in
southwest Colfax County, south of Highway 30 between Schuyler and Richland. |
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The summer sun
sinks beneath the rim of the earth, sending rays of fire scorching the land. As far as the
eye can see, a sweeping ocean of grass and wildflowers mirrors the golden face of the
sunset. Hissings and creakings emerge from the land as the tall grasses undulate in the
wind. Thick clouds pile in the west, foreboding a drizzled morning. Rolling hills cast
purple shadows in their wake, and light flashes off of the rippled waters of a meandering
creek. The last rays of the sun pierce the clouds, exploding them with colors: crimson,
gold, violet. Stretching out to the encroaching night, deep blue shadows creep out from
the undergrowth. A lone bird twitters a song in the twilight, and the land suddenly comes
alive. Snuffling at the cooling air through striped snouts, badgers peek out of their dens
in the bank. Mice scurry between the stems of the grass, scavenging for seeds and insects.
Cicadas hum like living musical instruments, casting their songs into the breeze. Waving
long ears, rabbits sit entranced by the harmonious serenade. Stars twinkle like jewels in
the eastern sky as indigo blankets the land, enveloping the world in shadow.
Musings by Katie
Schmidt
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