Outdoor classrooms -- a great way to learn!


The Living Roadway Trust Fund has long been a supporter of outdoor classrooms, funding numerous prairies on school grounds across the state and supporting the development of outdoor classroom curricula. We're now offering a new way for teachers and students to get the most from their school prairie. Join our online forum to talk with educators, naturalists and prairie experts about the establishment, maintenance and use of your outdoor classroom.
 
 
 
Roadside Opportunities

The native grasses and wildflowers of Iowa’s original prairie landscape are well-adapted for use on roadsides. Hardy and beautiful, native roadsides offer aesthetic, economic, environmental, and educational opportunities. Establishing prairie plants in roadside rights-of-way:
 
  • provides low-maintenance weed and erosion control
  • reduces surface runoff and erosion by improving infiltration
  • reduces snow drifting and winter glare
  • ensures sustainability by increasing species diversity
  • enhances wildlife habitat
  • beautifies the landscape by providing
    ever changing color and texture
    throughout the year
  • preserves our natural heritage

Support Iowa's Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program

The state of Iowa invests in the enhancement and protection of its natural and cultural resources through REAP. The annual REAP appropriation is set each year by the legislature, and is supplemented by sales of natural resource license plates. The Living Roadway Trust Fund is one of many beneficiaries of the program.  Iowa citizens are the biggest beneficiaries, and have several opportunities to ensure REAP's success. Visit REAP to learn more, or click the license plate for information about purchasing natural resource plates.
 

 
Click here to view this native Iowa plant life.
  Scientific Name:
    Glycyrrhiza lepidota

  Common Name:
    Wild Licorice

  Height:
    1-3'

  Bloom Month:
    Jun Jul

  Bloom Color:
    Cream



View and print the 2008 Wildflower Calendar