TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Tinker’s ongoing native habitat restoration program recently got a boost with the planting of 1,200 wildflowers on the base’s west side.
Natural Resources Manager John Krupovage said the new additions are the second phase of restoration work in flood-prone empty fields where old base housing had been torn down. Native grasses were planted last year, which made the areas ripe candidates for broadleaf, native wildflowers.
The 24 different species of perennials include coreopsis, prairie blazing stars, columbines, and milkweeds, which are vital to migrating monarch butterflies.
About eight volunteers turned dirt over two days to plant small, dormant plugs of the plants.
“You’ve got to get the grasses established to a certain stage before you can go in and plant these wildflowers,” Krupovage said. “The grasses can’t be too far along, where they’ll choke out your wildflowers. Our objective is to make the vegetation over there as diverse as we can.”
Ongoing habitat restoration across the base is helping to replace habitat lost due to Tinker’s new KC-46A Tanker Sustainment Campus, now under construction. Hangar docks, taxiways and maintenance bays are being built for the planes’ repair, maintenance and overhaul.
Returning the sites to natural habitat is also projected to save about $22,000 to $25,000 a year by avoiding mowing and other maintenance, Krupovage said.
Selecting the plants isn’t just a matter of making sure they’re native to the habitat specifically at Tinker Air Force Base, he said. One wildflower may prefer moist ground near ponds, while another thrives in drier soil.
“That’s some of the research we have to do first,” he said. “To see if it’s an upland type plant or a bottom-land type plant, whether it needs sandy or clay soils. We’re looking for those plants that will survive without any supplemental irrigation. Our objective is to get them planted and let nature take care of themselves with local rainfall.”
Although wildflower blooms are spectacular sights, Krupovage said not to expect too much color this spring.
“It’s just going to really depend on the moisture we get,” he said. “I would expect that we’ll see some, but it’s probably not going to be a huge show this year.
“We’re also looking at the aesthetic side of this. There’s beauty in the prairie and this component will make a big change in appearance to the area as time goes on. I would expect you’ll see some flowering this year, but you won’t see the full impact for probably two to three years.”