Photo gallery Biocore Prairie: from fire to flower
At first glance, you wouldn’t guess that fire plays such an important role in shaping the wild beauty of the Biocore Prairie in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Lakeshore Nature Preserve.
Since 1997, students, staff and volunteers have worked to restore what were once agricultural fields near Picnic Point to a vibrant tall grass prairie. Prescribed burns have been used as a tool to support land restoration efforts and research on campus and at the UW Arboretum dating back to Aldo Leopold.
Follow along on the Biocore Prairie’s annual cycle of burning and rebirth:
The burn
Each spring and fall, during the narrow windows of time that prescribed burns can be lit and controlled, trained burn crews bring fire back to these landscapes in the hopes of encouraging the growth of prairie ecosystems that once spread across most of southeastern Wisconsin. The burn thins out invasive species, giving native grasses, sedges and flowers the resources and space to grow and expand their cover.
Adam Gundlach, fields project coordinator with the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, uses a torch to set dry brush on fire during a prescribed burn at the Biocore Prairie near the entrance to Picnic Point on March 28. Photo: Bryce Richter
The seeds
Later, students, staff and volunteers spread buckets full of a diverse array of native seeds like milkweed and coneflowers, and they transfer native plants from nearby nursery gardens to the recovering prairie itself.
Students in the UW Biocore Core Curriculum gather to cast wildflower and prairie seeds, collected the previous fall, at the Biocore Prairie on April 12. Pictured from left to right are students Allison Hung, Kurt Borcherding, Avery Rhodes, Josie Mackenthun, Biocore instructor Seth McGee, students Edie Joh and Sirapop Kiatchaipipat. Photo: Bryce Richter
The blooming
Not only is the process a great opportunity for students to learn about land ecology firsthand, it also adds more biodiversity and natural areas of respite for campus to enjoy. The Biocore Prairie is a central field site for two Biocore lab courses and for summer independent research projects, service learning, and collaborative research and teaching efforts with many other UW–Madison programs.
Wildflowers and prairie plants, including sunflower varieties, wild bergamot, and milkweed, take in the summer sun at the Biocore Prairie on July 1. Photo: Bryce Richter
More photos
While fire can be dangerous if not controlled appropriately, in the right ecosystems it can lead to a beautiful outcome.
Fire burns through dry brush on March 28. Photo by: Bryce Richter
Students work with instructors during the prescribed prairie burn on April 25. Photo by: Bryce Richter
Avery Rhodes and other students fling seeds on April 12. Photo by: Bryce Richter
Edie Joh (left) and Josie Mackenthun (right) distribute the seeds on April 12. Photo by: Bryce Richter
Biocore instructor Seth McGee distributes seeds. Photo by: Bryce Richter
Wildflowers and prairie plants take in the summer sun at the Biocore Prairie. Photo by: Bryce Richter
