Hello, CALS,
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and found time to enjoy the fabulous weather that seems to have suddenly arrived. It looks like it’ll be around all week. Behind Curtiss Hall is an emerging display of daffodils and more (see image below)! Soon the tractors will be fired up and planters busy planting, and our Iowa agricultural landscape will turn lush and covered by a thousand different shades of green. So, too, the trees and forests that surround us – watch for the many shades of green as they flower and leaf out. Spring!
This week, we have the Hertz Lecture on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. in 127 Curtiss Hall, and the CALS Town Hall on Thursday at 11 a.m. in 0125 Kildee Hall. We are truly in the run up to CALS Convocation on May 12, and Iowa State's Commencement on May 13. I hope to see you at these events, and please definitely turn out for CALS Convocation and be part of the handshake and high-five line to congratulate YOUR students as they come off the platform smiling and looking forward to all that’s next in their individual journeys. Contact Mary Clancy (clancy@iastate.edu) in our college academic programs office to find out how to be there for handshaking.
My best for a great week. - Dan
Scenes from CALS
In the first two pictures below (one from 1923, and one from 2023), you see our beautiful campus and the lawn that covers it. Here is some detail on the lawn, with expert info provided by Nick Christians and Adam Thoms of our horticulture department’s nationally-leading turfgrass program:
In 1923, the area was likely seeded to Kentucky bluegrass from seed grown in Minnesota, with some other species mixed in, such as brome, tall fescue and quackgrass. As was common then, sheep would have been used to keep the area looking good, with the shepherd and dog in the picture used to keep the sheep moving to avoid over-grazing in places.
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a perennial, cool season grass. Sometimes called Common Meadow Grass, it is native to Europe and northern Asia, and possibly North Africa. It was brought to North America as early as the 1600s by European settlers, and is now naturalized and found in all states. It has great utility as a lawn species, and many varieties have been developed. It can also be invasive in native grass landscapes, including Midwest prairie. It became called Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) because the north central region of Kentucky (the Bluegrass region) had large areas of native vegetation with deep green foliage and included plants with blue flowers. So this dark green grass, as it grew in popularity, was apparently named for that region. However, today, nearly all KBG seed is raised in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. That makes KBG a “geographically” diverse plant!
Today, in the 2023 picture, the turfgrass across campus, and especially in front of Curtiss Hall, sees heavy foot traffic. A dense stand of grass is needed to maintain the site. Traffic tolerant KBG is a preferred species for such areas. There are many varieties that have been seeded into this area over the years as genetics have improved. KBG is also an excellent choice for this area as it has rhizomes that help repair areas where the turfgrass is worn away from foot traffic, and it is tolerant to the cold Iowa winters. The grasses are also fairly drought tolerant, as this area is not irrigated and can be quite dry some years. Each fall, the area is aerated to help relieve the soil compaction and to keep the area useable for the next year. In some falls, some extra seed is added to help recover from an extra stressful summer or fall. Regular mowing helps keep the grass at three inches, a good height to deal with all of the stress. With the warmer weather and recent rains, this grass will be a lush green in the next week and ready for many graduation pictures.
In addition to the greening of the grass, daffodils and other spring-time flowers are making an appearance on the east side of Curtiss Hall, as well as other areas around campus.
