Marram grass growing in a parking lot was transplanted into a more appropriate spot Saturday at Indiana Dunes State Park.
Volunteers got a lesson in not only how to plant it but also why marram grass is important for the Indiana Dunes.
“Its scientific name (Ammophila breviligulata) means sand friend,” Natural Resource Technician Jessica Deerwester told the volunteers.
The roots hold everything together, growing not just down also up and out to lock sand in place, she said.
“It’s a pioneer species because it establishes first in the sand,” Deerwester said. Other species then come into hang with their marram grass besties, a process more commonly known among biologists as plant succession.
“It can spread six to10 feet per year with its roots,” Deerwester said.
“They’re super drought resistant,” she said, curling its leaves in dry weather to capture moisture. With the rains the park has had lately, the leaves were relaxed and not curled into their dry weather posture.
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Deerwester had planted 78 flags in a grassy island at the entrance to the park’s campground to show where to plant the grass. Once those spots were filled, the rest of the island was fair game for additional holes.
If everything goes well, the marram grass should conquer the island in a couple of years. Deerwester predicted.
She showed the volunteers how deep to plant the stem – just below where the leaves begin – but then she had an additional trick up her sleeve. To keep the wind from blowing away the transplants, Deerwester showed how to fold down much of the leaves and put the tops of the leaves in the fold to help anchor the plants better.
After the volunteers emptied five-gallon buckets of plants Deerwester had pulled from a parking lot, she took the buckets to get water to give the transplants a healthy drink.
Planting is usually done in early spring or early fall, she said, to avoid the height of the growing season.
The island where the marram grass was transplanted was mowed in the past. Having the marram grass there will mean one less chore for the maintenance crews in the busy summer season as well as beautifying the entrance to the campground, Deerwester said.
The dune grass is also a favorite habitat of the six-lined racerunner, a small lizard that is “super small, super-fast. They go up to 18 mph,” she said.
Vida Bartasius, of Burns Harbor, was among the volunteers. “I just love the park, so I do anything I can as far as volunteering,” she said.
“I’ve been coming to the Dunes for about 65 years. It’s in my blood.”
Ben and Amanda Kalinowski, of Highland, joined the crew. “I grew up in this area, and we really like coming out here,” Ben said. “It just seemed like a nice day to come out.”
“It seemed like a neat experience and a good thing to do,” he said.
They also have volunteered with beach cleanups, Amanda said.
“I’ve helped plant some native plants in Lake County,” she said. Amanda has a small vegetable garden and is adding native plants and pollinator-friendly plants as well.
Dustin Moffitt, of Plainfield, brought his wife and 7-year-old daughter. “We’re camping here. We’ve never been here before,” he said. They’re on a mission to visit all of Indiana’s state parks; so far they’ve been to about half of them.
When they camp at a park, they usually do some interpretative programs like this one.
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His daughter was enthusiastic about the work. “She likes being outside, camping and doing things outdoors,” Moffitt said.
On Friday, they hiked the 3 Dunes Challenge. “Hiking in sand is very hard,” he said. “We definitely felt it last night.”
Digging in the sandy soil, however, wasn’t a challenge. “The soil is really soft, so it’s actually really easy,” Moffitt said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.