Location - This roadside planting is located along the Herbert Hoover Highway (#979), approximately four miles west of the town of West Branch, or from the Iowa City city limits continuing one mile east. The planting covers approximately one mile, between sections 5 and 8 in Scott Township. The planting is on the north side of the road.
Cyrus Sanders who settled in Iowa City, near this site, wrote in his journal in 1839, "The soil in this part of the territory is of the best quality [with] plenty of springs of good pure water, yet there is one great objection to the county which at present appears to be an insurmountable obstacle to its becoming densely settled, that is [that] the prairies are too large or[,] in other words[,] the timber is not well distributed."
Spring is highlighted at this site with the blooming of Golden alexanders and White wild indigo, followed with a summer display of Culver's root and Partridge pea. In the fall, Cup plant and Prairie dock, along with many types of asters and native grasses exhibit their prime display of the year.
Stiff goldenrod, which grows here, was traditionally used to cure bee stings. The flowers were used to make a lotion which was then spread on the sting. The leaves of this plant could also be used to make a beverage.
Butterfly milkweed, which also grows here, booms in the summer months, and is typically found in mesic prairies. The Meskwaki used the crushed flowers to make red dye for baskets. Early Iowa settlers used the plant primarily for medicinal purposes. It was used as an expectorant, and to treat lung ailments, such as pneumonia and pleurisy. Parts of this plant are sweet when cooked and eaten. The flower buds taste like peas, and the young shoots of the plant were cooked by settlers as a substitute for asparagus. The scientific name for this plant is Asclepias tuberosa. Asclepias refers to the Greek god of healing, while tuberosa refers to the tuberous nature of the plant.
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