Solon Prairie
The Solon Prairie is located on East Fifth Street on the east side of Solon. This three-acre prairie relict, which is often overlooked, is a gem which provides its visitors with a dazzling display of color each year. This prairie contains more than 157 native plant species.
Location
East 5th Street, Solon, IA 52333
Features
The area is reputed to be a virgin prairie that has apparently never been plowed. In 1966 the Solon Gun Club acquired the property from the Kessler family who had owned it since 1876. For the next seventeen years the land was used for a trapshooting range and a small clubhouse was located there.
In 1983, the Solon Gun Club conveyed ownership to the Johnson County Conservation Board. The area is preserved as a natural prairie and is available for public use as a botanical study area. A prairie management plan was developed for it in 1984.
A quadrennial burn management program has been used to control invaders and enhance native species since then. One hundred and five Prairie species have been identified on the site. The Prairie is a living natural history museum and gives the visitor a microcosmic view of the predominant vegetation of 80% of the state of Iowa at the time of settlement. It is a valuable outdoor classroom. Much native grass and wildflower seed has been gathered from this area for establishment in other JCCB areas.
