The Covey Headquarters Newsletter
Plants You Should Know: Native Perennial Food

- Aaron P. Jeffries, Wildlife Services Biologist, Jefferson City, MO

If your property already has good grassland habitat and shrubby cover you might want to consider establishing a few food plots on your property. Annual grain plots provide essential brood habitat and food for quail. As an alternative consider planting a native perennial food plot. Beggars lice, Maryland senna, Illinois bundle flower, and native sunflowers are good choices for native perennial food plots. Below are just a few advantages and disadvantages of establishing native perennial food plots and recommended methods of establishment.

It is recommended that you establish beggar's lice plots at 3 to 5 pounds per acre. Missouri has about 20 different species of beggar's lice. Most species are adapted to sandy or clay soils and sun to shade. Plant Maryland senna at 15 pounds per acre, Illinois bundle flower at 3 to 5 pounds per acre, and native sunflowers at 1 to 2 pounds per acre. All do well in full sun. There is no need to lime or fertilize the plot. Existing vegetation should be eradicated using chemical or mechanical methods. Seed can either be dormant seeded in the winter or seeded in the spring on a well prepared seedbed. Some seed production may occur the first year. Dependable seed production will start the second year. In time the plots will become more productive and will eventually spread outside the original plot. Perennial food plots are not a replacement for annual grain food plots or sound management practices. Establishing one or two small native perennial food plots is something you might want to consider to increase plant diversity and provide quail and other wildlife a different food source.