An expansive 70-80% of Iowa used to be tallgrass prairie before it was cleared and converted into cropland, which we now see as monocultures of mostly corn and soy. Less than 0.1% of the original tallgrass prairie remains in Iowa today (1). Similarly, the oak savanna used to be one of the most common types of vegetation found in Iowa, however since the mid-19th century it has been largely fragmented and destroyed by clearing for cropland, overgrazing, and increasing numbers of invasive species. “Oak savanna now shares equal billing with tallgrass prairie as the most threatened plant community in the Midwest and among the most threatened in the world” (2).


(1) http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Neal_Smith/wildlife_and_habitat/tallgrass_prairie.html

(2) http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=group&Type=Savanna