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Help us monitor these most wanted plants!

Blue false indigo
Baptisia australis

This beautiful plant is an often used garden perennial and was named the 2010 perennial plant of the year. Its common name refers to one use of the plant. The Cherokees used the plant to create a blue dye, similar to the dye from the true indigo plant (Indigofera tinctoria). Its dried pea-like pods have been used for rattles for children and are popular in dried plant arrangements.

Read more on the species info page.

Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium

Little bluestem is a very widespread native prairie grass that provides very important ecosystem services in wildlands, including erosion control, forage for elk and deer, seeds for birds, and cover for small mammals and birds. It is also gaining popularity for garden use, providing nice color and pretty white, fluffy seed heads in the fall.

Read more on the species info page.

Narrowleaf cattail
Typha angustifolia

Historically, cattail was not abundant at Quivira. It is now quite common in marshes where the salinity is not high.

Read more on the species info page.

Plains cottonwood
Populus deltoides

This tree has triangular shaped leaves, which is where the "deltoid" in the Species name comes from. The leaves have coarse teeth along their edges.

Read more on the species info page.

Plains prickly-pear
Opuntia phaeacantha

Deer and other animals sometimes eat the pads and fruit, spines and all. It is the most common cactus at Quivira.

Read more on the species info page.

Saltgrass
Distichlis spicata

Most frequently a coastal species, saltgrass grows at Quivira in areas where the salinity is fairly high. Male and female flowers are on separate plants.

Read more on the species info page.

Sand lovegrass
Eragrostis trichodes

This robust grass is common on the Sand Prairie. It is an excellent forage species.

Read more on the species info page.

Sandhill plum
Prunus angustifolia

This waist-high shrub is a native of the Sand Prairie, often growing in thick stands. Grape-sized plums are often used to make preserves.

Read more on the species info page.

Soapweed yucca
Yucca glauca

Yucca is found only in a few upland areas at Quivira. Pioneers would make soap by rubbing pieces of the roots in water.

Read more on the species info page.

Soft-stem bulrush
Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani

This is our largest bulrush species, reaching heights of 6 feet or more. Its stems are hollow and soft.

Read more on the species info page.

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Quivira National Wildlife Refuge

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge images

One of the "Eight Wonders of Kansas," the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is located northwest of Wichita near the town of Stafford. The refuge was created in 1955 to provide wintering and migration stopover habitat for migratory birds along the Central Flyway of North America. The prairie grasslands and nearly 7,000 acres of wetlands at the refuge provide important habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Several native plant species from the Refuge have been identified as being particularly useful for making phenological observations.

Learn more about the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and explore the refuge with the Friends of Quivira.


Climate Change at this Refuge
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Climate Change at this Refuge
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Project BudburstSM is co-managed by NEON and the Chicago Botanic Garden
© 2013 National Ecological Observatory Network, Inc. All rights reserved.