If you’ve ever taken a roadtrip, you know there are all sorts of things to see when cruising down the roads of Iowa. Big cities and small towns; railroads, bridges and barns; modern buildings or historic architecture; fields of corn, soybeans or hay; and trees, grasses and wildflowers.
It might surprise you to know that many of the trees, grasses and wildflowers you see in and along the roadsides of Iowa were planted by the Iowa D.O.T. Iowa’s Living Roadways, a small spiral bound book produced by the Iowa Department of Transportation is a guide to the various landscape designs and planting styles used to maintain the roadways of Iowa.
The guide includes photographs and plant profiles of 41 species of wildflowers and grasses- from Canadian Anemone, Blackeyed Susan, Spiderwort and Vervain; 33 species of trees - including, 10 species of Crabapples, five species of Maples and 4 species of Oak; and 16 types of shrubs – from Chokeberries, to Dogwood and Fragrant Sumac. Each plant profile includes a color photograph, a description, bloom times, trivia, and possible habitats or locations.
The end of the book has a glossary, references and bibliography, and a fun 8-page section called Amazing Plant Facts. (Did you know that Oak tress do not produce acorns until they are 50 years old?) You can find a copy of this book in either the Circulating or Iowa Reference Collections at 582.13/Iowa’s