What is a Prairie?

Prairies are treeless areas consisting of grasses, sedges, and forbs as the dominant ground vegetation. Prairie types can vary from wet to dry and are identified in accordance with their soil type (e.g., black soil prairie, sand prairie, dolomite prairie, gravel prairie)

Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias hirtella)
Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)
American Vetch (Vicia americana) ground flower prairie plant
American Vetch (Vicia americana)
Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis)
Canada Milkvetch (Astragalus canadensis)
Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata) purple flower
Birdfoot Violet (Viola pedata)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) orange flower
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) pink prairie flower for monarch butterfly
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) white woodland flower bloom
Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea) Flower Plant
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea)
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida) flower plant
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida)
Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata) white flower
Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
Illinois Tick Trefoil (Desmodium illinoense) Prairie Plant Pink Flower
Illinois Tick Trefoil (Desmodium illinoense)
Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense) Pink Plant Flower
Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)
Prairie Cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta) tall prairie flower bloom
Prairie Cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta)
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) purple flower
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)
Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) yellow flower bloom
Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) Pink Flower
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) White Flower Prairie Plant
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor) Pink Prairie Flower
Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana) with Flowers
Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata) Prairie Plant
Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Blood Milkwort (Polygala sanguinea)
Wood Lily (Lilium philadelphicum)
Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) Plant Flower
Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum)
Downy Sunflower (Helianthus mollis)
Downy Sunflower (Helianthus mollis)
Round-Headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata)
White Wild Indigo (Baptisia lactea)
Wild Garlic (Allium canadense)
Slender-leaved False Foxglove (Agalinis tenuifolia)
Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis purpurea)
Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Plains Wild Indigo (Baptisia bracteata)
Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora)
Silverweed Cinquefoil (Potentilla anserina)
Downy Wood Mint (Blephilia ciliata)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Grass-leaved Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia)
Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii)
Prairie Gentian (Gentiana puberulenta)
Prairie Alumroot (Heuchera richardsonii)
Yellow Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)
Dwarf Dandelion (Krigia virginica)
American Sea-rocket (Cakile edentula lacustris)
Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata)
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Bastard Toadflax (Comandra umbellata)
Slender Dayflower (Commelina erecta)
Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Tall Coreopsis (Coreopsis tripteris)
Sand Croton (Croton glandulosus septentrionalis)
Sessile-leaved Tick Trefoil (Desmodium sessilifolium)
Shooting Star (Dodecatheon meadia)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum)
Common Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)
Tall Boneset (Eupatorium altissimum)
Prairie Sunflower (Helianthus petiolaris)
Prairie Mimosa (Desmanthus illinoensis)
Wild Hyacinth (Camassia scilloides)
Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus)
Prairie Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus)
Biennial Gaura (Gaura biennis)
Sawtooth Sunflower (Helianthus grosseserratus)
Few-leaf Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)
False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)
Quaker Ladies (Houstonia caerulea)
Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum prolificum)
Spotted St. John's Wort (Hypericum punctatum)
Rough Blazing Star (Liatris aspera)
Prairie Blazing Star (Liatris pycnostachya)
Michigan Lily (Lilium michiganense)
Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens)
Carolina Puccoon (Lithospermum caroliniense)
Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)
Pale-spiked Lobelia (Lobelia spicata)
Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
Wild Mint (Mentha arvensis)
Stiff Sandwort (Minuartia michauxii)
Wild Four-O'Clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea)
Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata)
Blue Toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis)
Prairie Sundrops (Oenothera pilosella)
White Goldenrod (Oligoneuron album)
Stiff Goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum)
Pennsylvania Smartweed (Persicaria pensylvanica)
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis)
Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium)
Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea)
Eastern Prickly Pear (Opuntia humifusa)
Sand Phlox (Phlox bifida)
Prairie Phlox (Phlox pilosa)
Long-leaf Ground Cherry (Physalis longifolia)
Virginia Ground Cherry (Physalis virginiana)
Clammy Ground Cherry (Physalis heterophylla)
Green-fringed Orchid (Platanthera lacera)
Common Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex)
Glaucous White Lettuce (Prenanthes racemosa)
Sweet Everlasting (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium)
Slender Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium)
Virginia Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana)
Carolina Rose (Rosa carolina)
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
Rose Gentian (Sabatia angularis)
Small Skullcap (Scutellaria leonardii)
Sleepy Catchfly (Silene antirrhina)
Royal Catchfly (Silene regia)
Rosinweed (Silphium integrifolium)
Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Prairie Dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum)
Prairie Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)
Horse Nettle (Solanum carolinense)
Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Nodding Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes cernua)
Hairy Hedge Nettle (Stachys palustris arenicola)
Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve)
Panicled Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Goat's Rue (Tephrosia virginiana)
Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Venus' Looking Glass (Triodanis perfoliata)
Hoary Vervain (Verbena stricta)
Smooth Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Arrow-leaved Violet (Viola sagittata)
Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)
Prairie Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)
Prairie Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum plantagineum)
Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
Canada Frostweed (Crocanthemum canadense)
Northern Evening Primrose (Oenothera parviflora)
Cut-leaved Evening Primrose (Oenothera laciniata)