List of pasture capable flowers that are friendly to horse/cattle AND bees/birds...

Good Day Everyone,

I recently acquired my dream property last year and am getting those neglected pastures into shape. It was incredibly over grazed and almost pure buttercups/Bermuda grass. The pasture was also well on it's way to turning back into a forest in large swaths. I spent the whole Summer/Winter mowing on occasion and clearing the fences on both sides. They still need to be re-built though (but at least I can see the fences now).

Anyways, I just finished dropping $400 worth of grass seed out there on my around 5 or 6 acres of pasture. I REALLY want to make this pasture a beautiful place for everything that lives out there. The bees, butterflies, birds, and eventually horse and cattle.

So far the buttercup population has been knocked WAY back but it is still everywhere. I know it will cause blisters in the mouths of ruminants... and even kill them if they get hungry enough to eat enough of it. Which they don't unless they are starving... which is why it takes over an unmanaged pasture. Apparently the trick to knocking it back is having the grass tall/deep in the Fall to keep the seed from germinating and growing over the Winter. Unless you have the perennial/bulbing type

Dandelions: They are everywhere out there where the ground is hard/compacted. AWESOME! It is bringing in the honey bees (trying to catch a local swarm right now actually I hope). They are de-compacting the ground as well. I have not a clue as to if horses can eat them... but people can... so maybe horses can as well?

Anyways, in the seed I have dropped on the ground, the following flowers were included.

- Several types of white clover: Was in the ruminant & horse mixes from Tractor Supply
- Two types of red clover (actually pink) : Was in the same mixes from Tractor Supply
- Purple Coneflower: I bought a bulk 1lb bag of this off of Amazon. The kids and I walked out there and spread this by hand. They LOVED doing it!!! We sprinkled the seed around the base of large Sunny trees on the edges of the pasture, beyond the pasture in the now grassy areas outside the fence on the edge of the woods, and in what will hopefully be purple swaths of flowers out in the middle of the pastures. People actually feed this to their horses to raise their blood cell count/which boosts their immune system. It goes back to normal after a while though if they keep eating it.

What other flower types do you recommend that are friendly to all ruminants as well???

Location:
Chesapeake, VA
on the border of zone 7B/8A
Average annual precipitation around 45" though we got more than 65" in the last year.

This pasture will be likely be getting large ruminants this Fall. This will be the only chance the flowers will get to establish themselves before the Orchard grass, Timothy hay, Rye grass, clovers, ruminants, etc. take over.

I think mint family plants (like bee balm) and some edible carrot family plants (like caraway and dill) are safe for horses - my grandparents had caraway in their horse pasture. Liatris also comes to mind but I am not certain whether it's safe for animals to graze on or just not appealing to them.

It's not specifically what you asked for, but you might check out this thread that lists a seed mix that one Permies users applies to his pastures for birds and his grazing animals.

https://permies.com/t/13605/Holzer-style-Perennial-Pasture-Seed

Edit: As I look back at your post, it looks like you might already be using a similar mix. 😊

Marisa Lee wrote:I think mint family plants (like bee balm) and some edible carrot family plants (like caraway and dill) are safe for horses - my grandparents had caraway in their horse pasture. Liatris also comes to mind but I am not certain whether it's safe for animals to graze on or just not appealing to them.

I would not minds seeing some of those out there in patches for sure! I will have to read up on them.

Thank you!

Nate Hall wrote:It's not specifically what you asked for, but you might check out this thread that lists a seed mix that one Permies users applies to his pastures for birds and his grazing animals.

https://permies.com/t/13605/Holzer-style-Perennial-Pasture-Seed

Edit: As I look back at your post, it looks like you might already be using a similar mix. 😊

Thank you.

I shall take a read through there this weekend during breaks between planting the garden and fruit trees. Time to get that garden going!!!

At first glance.... there are definitely a lot of the same/or similar plants.

Here is their list from the first post...

"Orchardgrass, Perennial Ryegrass, Indian Ricegrass, Western and Snake River Wheatgrasses, Red and Ladino Clovers, Sainfoin, Small Burnett, Annual Sunflower, Birdsfoot Trefoil, Blue Flax, Chicory, Yellow Prairie Coneflower, Purple Prairie Clover, Purple Coneflower, Western Yarrow."

Definitely a lot of the same! The one that stands out to me is Yarrow. I read once that horse will eat that when needed to assist with de-worming their guts. Perhaps I should get it going out there. I know it likes to spread and is very heat/drought resistant.

I was watching a pasture grasses management series last week and learned something new about the differences between Red (pink), white, and alfalfa clovers out in the pasture. For their growth/happiness needs.

White Clover typically will continue to remain persistent in a pasture indefinitely. No matter the grazing practices... due to it's low/spreading growth habit. Obviously, it puts out higher protein content and nectar both. It is great for animals and bees both.

Red (really pink) clover typically dies out in most operations pretty quickly. That is because it really needs to stay 6" tall or taller until it's growth season is done in order to seed out and live healthily. Red clover grows in more of a vertical mound and can work in combo extremely well with the tall grasses in a well managed system. Also, though it flowers a little later than white clover, red clover will continue to flower AND produce bio mass for grazing much later into the growing season. This is because it does very good work for the soil as well with it's tap root (that white clover lacks). That tap root gives it the access to cooler soil temps, more moisture, etc. that it needs to live longer into the season. I also believe she said that it also puts more nitrogen into the soil than white clover (can't be sure on that one). At least it is also busting up the soil compaction!!! I want to focus on keeping my red clover alive.

Knowing what I know now... I shall not follow my animals with the mower each time like I was planning. Except (maybe/to be determined) in the late Summer.... So I can get that excess grasses composting/mulching on the ground... and get my Winter grasses up and going. Each time I move them, I will at least still drag harrow the patties out. I am sure I will have to adapt several times.

For Alfalfa... she said that it hates wet feet (deal killer for me here since swaths of my pasture holds water for a few days after it rains). Perhaps on the hilltop areas though. She said it too... like red clover... hates to be cut short. However, that it has roots that can go up to 25ft down in soils and mine up nutrients. That it is incredibly nutrient dense and great for hay. I know solitary bees like leafcutters LOVE it (and it's flowers) as well. ALSO, ALL of the organic fertilizer blends I use out in the garden... have ALFALFA meal as one of their main ingredients. If I can get a batch of this stuff growing in my 1.5 acre front yard... I can add it to the garden maybe... or compost it first.

I now know the history of fescue. It is loved as a Winter stockpile on the pasture because it is the only grass that is able to maintain it's nutrient level through the winter when stockpiled out in the pasture. However, the endophytes in the original fescue breed gave animals digestion issues. Then they came out with endophyte-free fescues... that were only about as good as the orchard grasses and such (no real bonus or strength to them). NOW... they have bred types of fescues that have endophytes again... BUT they are Not Toxic to animal guts anymore. So... I want to add that and Winter Rye in the Fall

My short-term goal is... to let EVERYTHING I plant out there go to seed at a minimum of one time per year. I would very much like to have a seed bank in the soil... of GOOD grasses and clovers... and not just the weeds. So that every time the soil is disturbed... it is a chance for young flowers, clovers, and wanted grasses... to germinate. Not just things like buttercup. I will loose some production every year doing that... but I will save a lot of time and money on the back end not having to re-seed ever again at some point. The plants will just be getting even larger root masses... to shed and build soil... when I do finally cut it.

I will be under-stocking my pasture as well... which helps! After a while... I can let the number of animals creep up slowly until it is just right.

Hairy Vetch was mentioned as a very strong grower in cooler seasons or cooler climates. I need to read up on it some more. I know I have a 30' squared area that has some of it out in my pasture... and the grasses intertwined... is doing the best in that area region of the pasture.

~Marty M.

Nate, welcome to the forum!

Nate, that is a great thread on Sepp's Perennial Pasture Mix.

I had not seen that one and I really like that list of plants.

Again for others:

https://permies.com/t/13605/Holzer-style-Perennial-Pasture-Seed

Pasture update 3 months later….

I still have a few mini patches of white clover that are blooming.

My red (pink)clover is insanely still in full bloom. The pasture has become a sanctuary for thousands of bees of different types (mainly bumble bee types but many others) and there is always at least seven butterflies out there floating around. The main types are Monarchs, Black Swallowtails, Tiger Swallowtails, and a couple of Zebra Swallowtails have been seen.

The butterflies tend to take trips back into the Forest to … I assume lay eggs… before coming back out and feeding again. Lots of butterfly breeding going on as well. Even saw a swallowtail hanging from the backside of another as it flew away the other day.

The first pic is of a section of pasture in late Spring just a week or two before I butchered it to the ground. I waited until the seed heads dried/matured so I could get a grass seed bank in the top layer of soil. We were supposed to have a week solid of rain starting the next day after the buzz-cut… that never came. It then got super hot and dry/no rain for about 2.5 more months. It kept missing my property!

Anyways, towards the end of last month we finally got that rain. Almost 17” by the end of the month in fact!!!

The ditches never got water in them this time!!! I bet the soil is already getting better at absorbing water at a faster rate.

THE SECOND PIC is of the pasture as it sat a few days ago before the 2” more of rain we have gotten since then. The “Red Clover” is an amazing plant me now thinks.

The grass that had turned brown is back out and growing vigorously… and almost ready for animals.

I keep knocking the red clover back with the tractor since it is shading out all the grass in certain patches. It does have deep taproots… which just be why it was the only thing that stayed green during the drought.

I just found this comprehensive list of plants that are/ are not compatible with horses. Not just flowers, so both of the lists are long.

Awesome list!!!

I am about to germinate several flats of purple coneflowers, zinnia, bachelor buttons, and (native type) bee balm. Going to make little plugs for the pasture. Doing bachelor buttons first since they are super frost hardy.

I am going to make patches in the areas with thin grass at the moment.

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/horse-plant-list

Put down about 130+ “Blue Boy Bachelor Button” plugs today out into the fields. My back and skin are burning a little but it feels good. lol  

Things are waking up in the pasture finally!

Starting another large flat of Echinacea/Purple Coneflower and Wild Bergamot/Native Bee Balm this weekend.

Also, this weekend, I will be digging up a 30 foot row of “Bocking 14” Comfrey… and transplanting the broken up roots into the pasture as well. Apparently horse racers used to feed it heavily to their horses back in the day because it would heal their lungs, bones, and tendons so much faster. It is about 25% protein by weight too… which will be great for the calves. Bumble bees love the flowers.  

Today… I am digging up the “Bocking 14” Comfrey from the blackberry beds and putting them out to pasture.

Been giving them away too in trade for new plants like Moringa tree seeds and lemon grass starts.

Coming up next….

Native Bee Balm
and
Echinacea/ Purple Coneflower



After that I plan to add Zinnia starts to the fields… once it gets warm

And… about 1.5 weeks later… and the Native Bee Balm is outside hardening off for transplant. That stuff grows FAST from the micro seeds.

I am curious about your reason for making the starters instead of seeding in the field.?

Joe Hallmark wrote:I am curious about your reason for making the starters instead of seeding in the field.?

I learned my lesson on that the hard way. I have been seeding grass heavily into the fields and at the same time buying things like 2.5 lbs of purple coneflower seeds and spreading them out there trying to make swaths of flowers show up. No joy.

Now that things are waking up again here after a year two, I think I see some purple coneflower seedlings starting to show up as small plants… but they are quickly getting buried in clover and grasses. I have a feeling they will punch out their own spaces over the coming year though… it is just going to take a while and some grazing from animals now that I have some.

Then last Summer I used a single packet of seed and transplanted a bunch of purple coneflowers into the blueberry beds in the garden. They exploded in growth and flowered beautifully. Late last Summer I then dug them up and transplanted into the pastures. Most the got eaten to nubs by the horse… BUT… most are now coming back again!

So now… I am taking a new path.

Small starts… going directly to the fields… that will get planted in a spot that grass does not like yet… aerated  manually by shovel… and fertilized heavily with poultry manure fertilizer. That way the animals will steer clear until they can set roots.

So….
I am doing it to increase success rates and to decrease costs… and also decrease time spent until establishment. $1.75 for a pack of seed is darn cheap.

I see. I think if I did that they would be more likely to die here. You probably have more reliable rain there than I do in Texas. Thought it might be worth a shot. Do you have to water them at all after you transplant?

Joe Hallmark wrote:You probably have more reliable rain there than I do in Texas. Thought it might be worth a shot. Do you have to water them at all after you transplant?

My area averages about 46” of rain a year with a monthly average of about 4” to 5” a month year-round.

That being said… we got over 65” last year.


When I plant this time of year… and they are drought-tolerant types like purple coneflower… they have been doing great without being watered. The massive ones I transplanted last year went through shock… but kept on blooming.

Pretty much everything I have transplanted so far this spring has been doing amazing… until I rotate the Dexters onto that section. Turns out that they LOVE comfrey and eat it down to knobs even when the comfrey is surrounded by lush and sugar filled ryegrass.

They ripped the bachelor buttons out completely but the comfrey will be back shortly. 😆

Took some glamor shots of some of the comfrey in the pasture this evening.

To be honest though… any of it the calves have found… has been obliterated. Same for the bachelor buttons and echinacea. 😂

James Landreth wrote:

Sainfoin is supposed to be fantastic. I haven't worked with it myself but I am curious. This listing provides a good description.

https://uprisingorganics.com/products/sainfoin

Thanks! That looks like a very interesting plant to learn more about.