When one goes back to the land in Nebraska one has plenty of company, whether in their backyard, on their windowsill planter or out in rural Nebraska. Much of that company will be plant life.
Some folks at the Nebraska Game and Parks Department spend a lot of time outside on the Land. Here is what they say about plants in Nebraska:
“Nebraska’s nearly 1,500 species of native plants occupy habitats ranging from eastern Nebraska tallgrass prairies to Sandhill wetlands to dry rocky outcrops in the Panhandle. Though many of these species are common and widespread, many are restricted to unique habitats such as Sandhill fens and alkaline marshes. Nearly 400 plant species are considered at-risk in the state, while only seven species are listed as federally or state threatened or endangered.” (Nebraska Game and Parks)
For those deep readers with $80 to invest one can pick up The Flora of Nebraska written by University of Nebraska scholars Bob Kaul, Dave Sutherland and Steve Rolfsmeier. Bob, Dave and Steve give you some 1000 pages on more than 1900 species with some color pages and line drawings. The University also offers The Charles E. Bessey Herbarium (Nebraska State Museum of Natural History) with collections of preserved specimens that document the identity of plants. Founded in 1874, the Bessey Herbarium is among the oldest and largest in the Great Plains.
TV viewers can see the Garden Goddess and her wise companions on Backyard Farmer complements of Nebraska Education Television for an entertaining conversation about plants that Nebraskans like to grow.
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