Native plants for Butler County, Iowa
3 native plants recorded in Butler County, Iowa
USDA has only 5 plant records of any kind for Butler County, against 1,728 natives statewide. That is a gap in who has collected here, not a shortage of plants, so treat the 3 below as a floor.
By type: 1 wildflowers and herbs, 2 grasses and sedges. USDA has rated sun, soil and water needs for 2 of them (67%), and only those can be matched to a spot below.
What fits each kind of spot in Butler County
| Spot | Rated to fit | Rated not to | Unrated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun all day | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Half shade | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Under trees | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy clay | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Sandy, drains fast | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Never watered | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Stays soggy | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Sun all day in Butler County: 2 rated natives
2 grasses and sedges. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Woodland bluegrass (Poa sylvestris) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Half shade in Butler County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high shade tolerance
Under trees in Butler County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Heavy clay: nothing rated yet
None of the 2 rated natives in Butler County is rated for clay soil. 1 plants have no rating either way.
Sandy, drains fast in Butler County: 2 rated natives
2 grasses and sedges. The first 2, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Woodland bluegrass (Poa sylvestris) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial - Prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial
Never watered in Butler County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Prairie sandreed (Calamovilfa longifolia) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 4.5 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · high drought tolerance
Stays soggy in Butler County: 1 rated natives
1 grasses and sedges. The first 1, ranked by how easy a start they make:
- Woodland bluegrass (Poa sylvestris) grasses and sedges
USDA growing data on file · photo available · about 3 ft mature · moderate growth · perennial · takes saturated soil
Where to start in Butler County
If you have only one spot to fill, sun all day is where Butler County gives you the most rated choice (2 plants), and Woodland bluegrass (Poa sylvestris) is the easiest start on that list. Stays soggy is the hard one here: 1 rated plant, so for that spot it is worth asking a local native-plant society about the 1 unrated natives too.