Combining Forbs

I asked Andrew for a narrative on these photos last night. He said-"we're just combining for forbs".  I told him a needed a descriptive narrative.  Twenty minutes later after I wrote the following. he said, "well I guess it's not just combining for forbs is it"?

Combining forbs (wildflowers) at Pearle King Savanna with a 1973 Gleaner combine that was bought used and has paid itself off numerous time with the forbs that have been picked with it. Jack M. (RIP) and Gordon M. started picking seed at PK in the 80's and used that seed to start parts of the prairie restoration effort at Darby. As the plots at Darby got larger, the resource management team and a variety of volunteers including Inniswood and Jack's family picked seed from those plots over the years which has further expanded the prairies so there was enough seed to bring it back to Pearle King in 2007. That year Tommy S. and Andrew planted a 6 acre buffer around the original savanna remanent. The process has now come full circle as last month James J. and Andrew harvested forbs from plants that may have been part of the original remanent savanna that helped started it all. The forb seeds will be dried and used to expand the Darby Plains prairies even more. At one time the prairies covered most of Madison County and provided habitat for a wide range of wildlife. Come out to the prairies at Darby and see the bison, the savannah sparrow, bobolinks, and even for the first time this year the sand hill cranes have stopped by in the Kulhwein wet prairie. You never know what you are going to see. It's just beautiful.

 Forbs

Seed drying area