This summer I had loggers come out to the farm to clear about 20 acres of loblolly pines. Now that the land is cleared I intend to restore the native ecosystem. Based upon the native species I have idenified on my farm and in the immediate vicinity, I believe this was a piedmont oak savanna. The primary grasses included indian grass, purple top, little bluestem, big bluestem, split beard bluestem, and broom sedge. Legumes include partridge pea and round-head bush clover. Flowers are many, but I am particularly interested in the Maryland Golden aster and milkweed.
As a part of this restoration effort I have collected as many of these seeds as I've been able to and planted them in a quarter acre section of the 20 acres I wish to restore. This quarter acre will be fenced off from the bison and allowed to grow up and serve as the seed source for the eventual restoration of the remaining 19.75 acres.
Gathering the seeds has been a consuming task to the point that I dream I am doing it. Here are some photos of some of the seeds I collected and some of the plants the seeds came from.
Indian grass seeds
Purple top
Milkweed
Split beard bluestem grass
Maryland golden aster
Partridge pea plant with ripe seed pods.
The partridge pea pods are particularly interesting in the way the naturally dispurse seeds. Each side of a pod has a tension built into it that makes it want to twist. When the pod is green there is very little tension, but, as the mature pod dries, the tension grows and grows until the two halves suddenly split apart and curl in opposite directions. The force of this suddenly twisting is so violent it can send the seeds flying through the air more than 10 feet from the plant. The key to collecting these seeds is to pick the pods a day or two before they split and put them in a 5 gallon bucket. I then leave the bucket in the Sun and allow them to split on their own as they dry.
The restoration process will be slow and a lot of work, but I believe it will be worthwhile and will be a valuable contribution to the environment and the bison who live there.