Tallgrass prairie in bloom at Marble Creek, with black-eyed susans and liatris under an overcast sky.

Restoring the wild ground along Marble Creek.

A private native prairie bringing pollinator habitat back to land that spent decades as cattle pasture — built and maintained one season at a time.

Gift to the prairie See the progress

About the prairie

Prairie doesn't come back on its own — it comes back with attention.

Marble Creek Monarchs, LLC began as a 22-acre native wildflower practice to restore native prairie that had served as cattle pastures for decades. The practice now consists of 40 acres of native prairie and will continue to serve as pollinator and Monarch butterfly habitat.

40 acres

Of restored native prairie today — up from 22 acres at the start.

Monarch habitat

Maintained through prescribed burning, native plantings, and ongoing invasive-species management.

From the prairie

A look at what's coming back — updated as the seasons change.

Monarch caterpillar feeding on milkweed at the prairie. — A monarch caterpillar on milkweed — the reason this ground is being restored.

Prescribed burn moving across the prairie. — A prescribed burn, part of the yearly management cycle.

Drone performing a targeted aerial herbicide application over invasive growth. — Targeted aerial herbicide application for invasive species.

Sunset over the restored prairie and surrounding hills. — Evening over the prairie.

Blazing star liatris in bloom. — Blazing star (Liatris) in bloom.

Virginia bluebells covering the wooded creek bottom in spring. — Virginia bluebells along the creek bottom, early spring.

Close-up of Virginia bluebells among the leaf litter. — Virginia bluebells, up close.

Foxglove beardtongue in bloom along the prairie edge. — Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon) in early summer.

Coneflower gone to seed with a purple coneflower blooming nearby. — Seedheads forming as summer turns to fall.

Ironweed in bloom, a magenta-flowered native prairie plant. — Ironweed, one of the prairie's late-summer colors.

Yellow rosinweed flowers blooming in the restored prairie. — Rosinweed in full bloom.

Rattlesnake master, a spiky-leaved native prairie plant, growing among dried grass. — Rattlesnake master pushing up through last year's growth.

Mountain mint in bloom, a white-flowered native pollinator plant. — Mountain mint, a favorite of the prairie's pollinators.

Coreopsis (tickseed) flowers blooming among tall grass. — Coreopsis in the summer grass.

Bidens (beggarticks) flowers in bloom on the prairie. — Bidens adding late-season yellow.

Blue mistflower blooming in clusters. — Blue mistflower in bloom.

Purple veronica spikes blooming among clover. — Veronica among the clover.

A mixed patch of verbena, fleabane, and clover in bloom. — A mixed patch — verbena, fleabane, and clover together.

Rattlesnake master seedheads backlit in evening light. — Rattlesnake master gone to seed, backlit at day's end.

Purple coneflowers blooming among tall grass. — Purple coneflower, a pollinator favorite through midsummer.

Partridge pea in bloom, a yellow-flowered native legume. — Partridge pea, fixing nitrogen and feeding bees alike.

A mixed planting of black-eyed Susans, zinnia, and poppy mallow. — A mixed planting bed — black-eyed Susan, zinnia, and poppy mallow.

Common milkweed flower clusters covered in bumblebees. — Common milkweed in bloom, working overtime for the bumblebees.

Orange butterfly milkweed flower held in a hand for scale. — Butterfly milkweed — smaller than common milkweed, just as vital.

Purple prairie clover in bloom, held for scale. — Purple prairie clover, a deep-rooted prairie native.

A small magenta Deptford pink flower among black-eyed Susans. — Deptford pink, easy to miss and worth stopping for.

Fleabane daisies in bloom with a black-eyed Susan in the background. — Fleabane daisies scattered through the grass.

Wild hyacinth flower spike in pale blue-violet. — Wild hyacinth, one of the season's earlier blooms.

Golden Alexanders seed heads forming in the summer grass. — Golden Alexanders setting seed for next year.

New England aster in purple bloom among the late-summer prairie. — New England aster, one of the last big blooms of the year.

Great blue lobelia spiking up through tall grass. — Great blue lobelia, standing tall in the grass.

A clump of native prairie grass rising above sunflowers and seedheads, with woods in the background. — A stand of native grass anchoring the late-season prairie.

Bags of native seed labeled Pure Air Natives, ready for planting. — Native seed, staged and ready to go back into the ground.

Watch: aerial invasive-species removal

A drone applies targeted treatment over dense invasive growth — reaching ground that wheeled equipment can't, without crushing the prairie underneath.

Watch: pollinators in late August

Swallowtails and other pollinators working the thistle and goldenrod as summer winds down — a look at what the habitat is really for.

Support the prairie

Every contribution keeps this ground wild.

Any gift helps offset the costs of habitat restoration and improvements: the maintenance of prescribed burning, aerial herbicide applications, songbird houses, and fuel to keep the machinery running.

Gift via Venmo

Opens Venmo — @DavidMDemand