FRIENDS OF LATODAMI ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION CENTER

Latodami’s Grassland Project

In the spring of 2002 the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program at California University of Pennsylvania began an ecologically based native grassland project in the upper fields of Latodami. According to Jose’ Taracido, Farmland Habitat Program Supervisor, Foundation for California University of PA, the objectives of the project were to 1) serve as an educational opportunity for the public and area schools; 2) provide a great aesthetic value to the park; 3) and provide critical grassland habitat for grassland species that are declining in Pennsylvania and certainly in Allegheny County. Species of concern in Pennsylvania that benefit from this type of project include: short-eared owl, northern harrier, Henslow’s sparrow, vesper sparrow, savannah sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, indigo bunting, upland sandpiper, bobolink, eastern meadowlark, horned lark, northern bobwhite. Other species that benefit include eastern bluebird, chickadees, American goldfinch, song sparrow, ring-necked pheasant, eastern cottontail, and a host of smaller mammals such as meadow voles and jumping mice.

Below is a list of species of plants that were provided in this project:

Cave-in-rock switchgrass

Aldous little bluestem

Niagra big bluestem

Pawnee Indiangrass

Virginia wild rye

Partridge pea

Purple coneflower

Wild blue lupine

Lance-leaved coreopsis

Black-eyed susan

Sweet ox-eyed sunflower

Maximillian sunflower

Gray-headed coneflower

Plains coraeopsis

Butterfly milkweed

Brown-eyed susan

Wild bergamot

Annual blanketflower

Perennial blanketflower

Annual sunflower

Spiked gayfeather (Liatris spicata)

New England aster

You can observe most of these plants as you walk Skyline Trail. They are planted in the lower half of the field. We look forward to the grassland project continuing to benefit the plant and wildlife diversity of Latodami in the years to come.