The Ohio Prairie Story

We were all taught that undisturbed, wild Ohio was originally a great forest. Much of it was, but scattered across the Buckeye State there were also magnificent grasslands comprised of wonderful flowers and rare tall grasses. Ohio's prairies were quickly plowed and converted to some of the most fertile agricultural lands in the world. Consequently, few modern Ohioans know that prairies ever grew here. Nevertheless, great prairies existed west of Columbus (the Darby Plains), in the Upper Sandusky, Marion, and Bucyrus areas (The Sandusky Plains), in Wood and Lucas counties (The Oak Openings and others), in the Sandusky area (The Firelands Prairies), and in many, many other smaller woodland openings around the state. Ohio prairies varied in size from covering several counties down to sites of just a few hundred square yards. Prairies were important native ecosystems, now almost gone from our landscapes. They can be grown in all parts of Ohio.

Ohio botanists and ecologists have been studying local prairies since the early 19th century and have very good records of where they grew and what plants they contained. However, only a few natural prairies still exist. Native Ohio prairies are among the rarest - and most beautiful - native wild habitats. It is appropriate that concerned Ohioans personally begin to restore, even in small garden or yard plots, this great natural ecosystem.