Wildflower Trails of Mississippi Sarah Kountouris

Wildflower Trails of Mississippi

Presentation Overview of project Steps to successfully establish wildflower areas Current project sites Field day/research

Wildflower Trail Increase awareness and education of the importance of pollinators and their role in the environment Increase awareness and education of the importance of native plants and their role in the environment Enhance aesthetics through the natural beauty of wildflowers Generate tourism through economic development

Wildflowers and rights-of-way Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (1982) > 30% of world’s native flora was at risk of extinction Center was intended to help preserve and restore beauty and species richness in NA Introduce people to beauty and diversity of native plants

Wildflowers and rights-of-way

Wildflowers and rights-of-way 4,092,730 miles of roadways across US (Federal Highway Administration) Estimated 11.9 million acres in roadside right-of-ways 77% regularly treated with herbicides 75,181 centerline road lane miles in Mississippi 29,640 miles or 139,290 acres of right-of-ways maintained by MDOT $44.58/acre (MDOT maintenance) $33.21/acre (contract maintenance) $4.6-6.2 million in maintenance/year Remainder maintained by other state, city, or county agencies

State Roadwaya Railroadb Transmissionc Pipelined Right of way miles by state and function (adapted from Byrd 2015). State Roadwaya Railroadb Transmissionc Pipelined Alabama 101,811 3,194 17,404 39,612 Mississippi 75,181 2,452 9,443 30,278 aSource http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics/2012/hm10.cfm bSource 2011 STB Waybill Sample, American Association of Railroads cSource EEI Statistical Handbook, 2012 Data, Edison Electric Institute dSource US Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/States.htm?nocache=6839 accessed online 09/22/2014

Florida DOT Study March 2014 study 186,121 ROW acres $33.5 million (2011-12) 25% mowing costs Economic value of ecosystem services

Additional Value if Including Sustainable ROW Practices Ecosystem Service Value Additional Value if Including Sustainable ROW Practices Plus Wildflower Area1 Minus Wildflower Area Aesthetics $2,233,425 $3,200,498 $967,073 Pollination services $34,246,264 $49,074,896 $14,828,632 Carbon sequestration $39,457,650 $56,542,810 $17,085,160 Invasive species resistance $388,380 $1,011,082 $622,696 Runoff reduction $465,300,000 $939,636,000 $702,468,000 Air quality $5,955,872 $11,113,657 $8,534,765 Total $547,581,618 $1,060,578,943 $744,506,326 *Adapted from: Harrison, G.L. 2014. “Economic impact of ecosystem services provided by ecologically sustainable roadside right-of-way vegetation management practices” 1Based on 1000 acres of wildflower areas, which is about 1% of the total vegetated FL ROW system

Florida DOT Study Aesthetics and Economic Impact Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway (MN) – 2010 $12.7 million 199 jobs $4.3 million in labor income Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) – 1987 $1.3 billion in adjacent counties $98 million in tax revenues 26,500 jobs

Florida DOT Study Ecosystem services provided by FL ROW estimated at about half billion dollars Utilizing sustainable vegetation management practices doubles total value Incorporating wildflowers nearly triples total value of these benefits

Presentation Overview of project Steps to successfully establish wildflower areas Current project sites Field day/research

Why use native plants? Sense of place Beautification Storm-water management Educational opportunities Erosion control Wildlife habitat Less maintenance

Where do they fit in municipal landscapes?

5 Steps to installing Wildflower Areas 1) Pregame 2) Site preparation Weed control Soils 3) Species selection 4) Planting 5) Maintenance

1) Pregame Existing vegetation Sunlight Soil type/fertility Moisture availability Erosion potential Visibility Resource availability COMMUNICATION!

2) Site preparation – weed control

2) Site preparation – soils

3) Species selection

Seed Name Genus Species Color PLS Weight (oz) Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Lavender 2.456 False sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides Yellow 1.894 Spiked blazing star Liatris spicata Pink 1.774 Virginia wildrye Elymus virginicus Green 1.674 Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans 1.125 Common milkweed Asclepias syriaca 1.024 Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnate 0.807 Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium 0.788 Butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Orange 0.758 Switchgrass Panicum virgatum 0.757 Lance leaved coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata 0.656 Blackeyed susan Rudbeckia hirta 0.646 New England aster Aster novae-angliae Purple 0.328 Bergamot Monarda fistulosa 0.315 Joe-pye weed Eupatorium fistulosum 0.297 Rigid goldenrod Solidago rigida 0.270 Royal catchfly Silene regia Red 0.232 Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica Blue 0.119 Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis 0.080 3.7-6.1 PLS lbs./Acre $125.17/lb. 16 oz = 1.0 PLS lb.

Wildflower/Legume (Tolerance to 4 oz/A) Herbicide tolerant – imazapic (Plateau®) Common Name Genus Species New Seeding (oz/A) Established (oz/A) Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii 2-12 Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula 2-8 Eastern gamagrass Tripsacum dactyloides 2-6 Wildflower/Legume (Tolerance to 4 oz/A) Common Name Genus Species New England aster Aster novae angliae Blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea Upright prairie coneflower Ratibida columnifera Lance leaved coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria Partridge pea Cassia fasiculata

4) Planting – broadcasting Disadvantages Requires more seed Requires optimum moisture or rain event Hard with light/fluffy seed Advantages Cheapest More random seeding (if that’s what you want…) +

4) Planting – no-till drilling Advantages Larger areas can be no- till drilled More uniform/even spacing Less seed Disadvantages More expensive May require custom services Equipment availability

4) Planting – plugs and transplants Advantages Faster establishment Easier maintenance More uniform Site specific Disadvantages More expensive materials More labor Less random

5) Maintenance Mechanical weed control Chemical weed control Manual removal (hoe, shovel, etc.) Chemical weed control Broadleaf control in grasses Grass control in broadleaves Spot treatment Pre-emerge options

5) Maintenance Or….prescribed burns Cheap Extremely beneficial Controls woody encroachment Prairie species fire loving Encourages germination Removes litter

Presentation Overview of project Steps to successfully establish wildflower areas Current project sites Field day/research

What have we done so far? Sites established in 2016 Mendenhall, Clinton, Crystal Springs, Madison, Newton Sites established in 2017 Ridgeland, Vicksburg, Brookhaven Site preparation for planting 2018 Winona, Cleveland, Columbus, Southaven, Belzoni, Jackson Hinds Community College Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Seed Name Genus Species % of Mix by Weight Grasses Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium 10.56 Side oats grama Bouteloua curtipendula 7.04 Splitbeard bluestem Andropogon ternarius 3.52 Legumes Illinois bundleflower Desmanthus illinoensis 5.28 Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculate 14.08 Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea White prairie clover Dalea candida 1.76 Forbs Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea 2.64 Mexican hat Ratibida peduncularis Plains coreopsis Coreopsis tinctoria Lance-leaved coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata 4.40 Dwarf red plains coreopsis Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus Sulphur cosmos Cosmos suphureus Shasta daisy Leucanthemum x superbum Wild blue lupine Lupinus perennis Corn poppy Papaver rhoeas 1.41

Presentation Overview of project Steps to successfully establish wildflower areas Current project sites Field day/research

Wildflower Demonstration Area

facebook.com/mswildflowers/ Information mswildflowers.org facebook.com/mswildflowers/ extension.msstate.edu

Questions? Brett Rushing 601-683-2084 brett.rushing@msstate.edu Sarah Kountouris 601-853-4210 sarah@keepmsbeautiful.com