DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Men and women in tan shirts with pictures of prairie grass gathered on 2nd Street in Davenport Wednesday morning to dig their shovels in the dirt, plant prairie grasses and wildflowers.
Members of the Figge Art Museum, Nahant Marsh and WVIK radio were on hand as part of a new collaborative called TallgrassQC; an initiative to raise awareness about the importance of prairie ecology in the Quad Cities.
With three golden shovels, the dirt was turned over and a variety of prairie grasses were planted on 2nd Street between Harrison and Ripley Streets in front of the Eastern Iowa Community College. In addition to the prairie grasses, people also crushed Monarch Truffles; truffle-sized orbs made of clay, compost and native seed plants. The native seeds are milkweed and wildflower seeds to provide food for Monarch butterflies. To plant the truffles people simply dropped them in the dirt, and crushed them with their shoe.
For more information about prairie grass ecology, an upcoming exhibit at the Figge and what Nahant Marsh is doing with prairie grass, just click on the TallgrassQC website.
GALLERY: Tallgrass QC
