Restoring The Landscape With Native Plants

Native Plant of the Week: False Solomon's Seal ~ Maianthemum racemosum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:18:00 +0000

False Solomon's Seal ~ Maianthemum racemosum (Smilacina racemosa)

False Solomon's Seal is a wonderful woodland perennial native. Commonly occurring in the woodlands here in central Minnesota, it has large rhizomes that give rise to nice clusters.

It has just finished flowering this year, the large stalkless leaves alternate up the zigzagging stem with the flower cluster terminating at the top.

The branched cluster is comprised of tiny, 6 parted white flowers giving it a plume-like appearance.

Tiny sweat bees (Lasioglossum species) are attracted to the flower's nectar and get covered with pollen as they visit.

The blue-gray Spring Azure butterflies also seek out nectar from the flowers as they flutter clumsily through the woodland understory.

While looking at some tiny tumbling flower beetles, I spotted this moth that was also nectaring. It's Neoheliodines cliffordi (no common name), whose leaf-skeletonizing larva occur on wild four o'clock, Mirabilis nyctaginea. (www.microleps.org)

Beetles also love the flowers, I've seen at least 4 different types. I have yet to identify this long-horned ant-like beetle.

False Solomon's Seal is a very adaptable native for the home landscape. It can tolerate quite a bit of sun as well as shady locations. It does really well in our dry, sandy soils but also performs well in loamy, mesic locations.

It reaches heights of 24-30" and has a wonderful arching habit. It looks really nice in combination with lower growing Wild Ginger. Plant amongst earlier flowering natives such as Bloodroot or Hepatica for a long lasting display of spring color.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

False Solomon's Seal is native to western and eastern North America. See map for range.

New Moth Discovery

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:17:00 +0000

I was photographing some prairie natives this weekend and found this moth clinging to some Little Bluestem grass blades.

A large moth with soft yellow colored wings and brown spots. It could be one of two species in the Xanthotype genus, either X. sospeta (Crocus Geometer) or X. urticaria (False Crocus Geometer).

According to Moths & Caterpillars of the North Woods and BugGuide.net, identification to species is not possible except by examining the internal reproductive anatomy.

When I discover a new butterfly or moth species in the yard, I'm always curious what the larval host plants are and if I have any of them.

And it turns out I have quite a few for both of the these potential moth species.

The Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype sospeta) feeds on the following natives that I have in my yard: Red Maple, New Jersey Tea, Dogwood species, American Basswood, American Elm, Chokecherry and Nannyberry Viburnum.

The False Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype urticaria) feeds on the following natives that I have in my yard: Sweet Fern, Dogwood species, and Goldenrod species.

The Natural History Museum website has a host plant and butterfly/moth database that is very useful for cross-referencing.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/hostplants/search/index.dsml

Native Plant of the Week: Prairie Phlox ~ Phlox pilosa

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Prairie Phlox ~ Phlox pilosa

Prairie Phlox has performed extremely well on our sunny, sandy hillside. A native phlox of taller stature than the commonly grown introduced creeping phlox, the flowers are equally as showy.

In our drier soils, it reaches about 12" in height, with a loamier location it can grow twice as tall. The linear, oppositely arranged leaves are very attractive and set off the bright pink to purplish 5 parted tubular flowers.

It's not the most popular plant for pollinators in the yard, as the Wild Lupine, Golden Alexander and Virginia Waterleaf are also flowering right now.

I have seen a few hummingbird moths visit the flower, bumble bees will investigate the flowers but move on without attempting to seek out a nectar reward in the tubular flowers.

I captured this muscid fly resting on the flowers but I'm not sure if it was seeking out any nectar that other insect visitors left behind.

I suspect other pollinators include butterflies and moths who can easily reach down the long tubes with their long proboscises.

Seeds form in hard light brown capsules which burst open dispersing the seed a good distance. If you want to collect the seed, make sure you monitor the capsules as they mature to catch them before splitting open.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Prairie phlox is native to eastern North America. See map for range.

Golden Alexander Faunal Associations

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Golden Alexander ~ Zizia aurea

Golden Alexander has been a great performer in our yard on our sunny, sandy hillside. Flowering right now, it provides excellent early season color.

It's a taller perennial native, reaching heights of around 36" with bright yellow, umbel flowers. Plant in combination with Wild Lupines or Prairie Phlox which flower around the same time.

The number and variety of insect visitors to the Golden Alexanders has been fascinating to observe.

Many native bee species including Mining Bees (Andrena species) visit the flowers regularly.

Also three different species of Bumble Bees, the larger ones weigh down the flower heads as they land.

Several Syrphid (Flower) flies also like to visit the flowers.

With all the insect activity on the flowers above, the anthers and bits of pollen were falling to the leaves below where this tiny Sunflower Maggot fly was feeding.

Some of the first flowers I've seen the Northern Paper Wasp visit this spring were Golden Alexanders.

And a beautiful black and yellow, tube dwelling Mason Wasp (Euodynerus foraminatus) was also a common sight.

Many of the stems just below the flowerheads were covered in black aphids, sucking away on the plant juices and providing the tending ants with a nectar reward.

It didn't take long for the ladybird beetles to notice the aphids. Many were crawling around on top and below the flower heads checking out the aphid activity.

Just a day later, ladybird beetle eggs had been deposited near the aphid clusters. The hatching larvae love to feed on aphids. What good biological control in action.

This parasitic wasp was checking out the aphids as well, possibly preparing to parasitize the aphids or the soon to be hatching lady bird beetle larvae.

Golden Alexanders fall in the Carrot or Apiaceae family, which are one of several larval host plants for Swallowtail butterflies. I'll be watching for caterpillars soon.

Native Plant of the Week: Wild Lupine ~ Lupinus perennis

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:48:00 +0000

Wild Lupine ~ Lupinus perennis

Wild Lupine is in full bloom in our yard right now. This native Lupine is smaller than the non-native, naturalized Large-Leaved Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), reaching heights of around 14 inches in our dry, sandy soil.

The palmately divided leaves are very attractive in their own right, offering a wonderful contrast to other native perennial foliage.

This is a great native for hot, dry sites and poor soils. Plant near the front or edge of your landscape so you can observe and enjoy all the different types of pollinators that visit the flowers.

Two species of Bumble Bees were visiting the flowers this week. Their large size makes nectaring on the flower a bit challenging, but their advantage over the smaller bees is they can easily pry apart the petals to reach inside the flowers.

The smaller Mason Bees (Osmia species) pry open the flowers with their rear legs, then use all six to keep it open so they can reach further inside the flower.

Mining Bees (Andrena species) also like visiting Wild Lupine flowers.

I also spotted a day flying Clearwing moth visiting the flowers. They will hover like Hummingbirds unfurling their long proboscis and inserting it into the flowers. With this sophisticated technique, there's no need for them to pry open the flowers.

Seeds form in hairy pods that are held upright on the stem. This is an easy plant to propagate from seed, cold stratify in moist sand in the fridge over the winter and scarify (scratch) the seed coat before planting in the spring.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Wild Lupine is native to eastern North America. See map for range.

Orange Sulphur Butterfly Seeking Native Host Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Orange Sulphur Butterfly ~ Colias eurytheme

A first sighting of the Orange Sulphur butterfly was in our yard last week. Another tattered female gliding over the prairie plants looking for host plants to lay her eggs upon.

Laying eggs on White Wild Indigo

I watched with curiosity what she would choose as these butterflies are host plant generalists - liking most plants falling in the Legume or Pea family (Fabaceae).

Wild White Indigo

The female laid eggs on two native perennials in our yard, the first - tiny seedlings of White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba).

Wild White Indigo has an open branching habit with gray-green palmately divided leaflets. It can grow from 3 - 6 feet in height depending on moisture and soil conditions.

Laying eggs on Canada Milk Vetch

Canada Milk Vetch

The other host plant of choice was Canada Milk Vetch seedlings (Astragalus canadensis).

Both of these host plants are good candidates for sandy to loamy soils in full to partial sun. Canada Milk Vetch is also a tall perennial growing up to 4 feet in height. The red stems and many leaflets make it a nice contrasting textured plant next to prairie grasses and larger leaved natives.

Native Plant of the Week: Woodland Phlox ~ Phlox divaricata

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Woodland Phlox ~ Phlox divaricata

If you're looking for a showy, spring flowering woodland native to add color to your shady landscape, then Woodland Phlox is an excellent candidate.

The five parted light blue, white or pale purple colored flowers are extremely fragrant, rivalling the fragrance of lilacs.

This perennial has a spreading habit forming a nice cluster or mass. When in flower, it can reach heights of around 20" in rich mesic soils, but shorter in drier sites.

The Woodland Phlox in my own landscape does extremely well in the sandy, well drained soils in partial shade.

It works well in a woodland border, or intermixed with other shade tolerant woodland natives such as ferns, early meadow rue, and virginia waterleaf.

For a great color combination, combine with the bright yellow/orange flowers of Celandine Poppy ~ Stylophorum diphyllum (native to eastern North America).

I have observed Bumble Bees and Hummingbird Clearwing moths visiting the flowers of Woodland Phlox. The foliage (and flowers) can get browsed by herbivores, either deer or rabbits but I have not witnessed which is the culprit.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Woodland Phlox is native to eastern North America. See map for range.

American Lady Butterfly Seeking Native Host Plants

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:10:00 +0000

American Lady Butterfly ~ Vanessa virginiensis

Don't you love it when a plan comes together?

Adding butterfly host plants to your landscape sometimes doesn't yield instant outcomes. But this week, planning and patience paid off.

A very tattered American Lady butterfly was flying around the yard checking out the plants in our prairie area. Migrating from the south she arrived on last legs ready to start the next generation.

She found two host plants, Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta) and Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and laid several eggs on each.

I'll be watching for signs of the spiny caterpillars who weave themselves into a feeding cocoon by tying up the host plant foliage around them. They will make several of these webbed feeding stations on each plant.

Read an earlier post about the host plant Pearly Everlasting.

Also an earlier post about the host plant Field Pussytoes.

Native Plant of the Week: Prairie Smoke ~ Geum triflorum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:06:00 +0000

Prairie Smoke ~ Geum triflorum
The nodding pink flowers are maturing on the prairie smoke right now and attracting many native bees.

Prairie Smoke is more widely recognized for its fruiting stage when the dried, long pinkish styles blow in the wind.

A native of dry to mesic prairies, this is a great plant for well drained soils and sunny locations.

The attractive bright green basal foliage is fern-like and divided into many leaflets.

An old prairie with prairie smoke
seedheads in South Dakota

The five-parted flowerheads nod downwards and tip upwards as the flowers are setting seed.

Prairie Smoke growing in a
gravelly prairie in South Dakota

This is a great native to mass in designed landscapes near the front edge of a planting. It provides early season flowering and later the pink silky seedheads for interest.

The foliage greens up really quickly after the snow melt. Plant it intermixed with warm season native grasses that will emerge later in the spring for a layered effect.

The tiny Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum species) were pollinating the Prairie Smoke flowers this week.

And some of the first Bumble Bees were pollinating the Prairie Smoke flowers in the warm sunshine. You just have to listen for these big bees, as they loudly buzz pollinate the Prairie Smoke flowers.

Prairie Smoke is native to western North America and the northern midwest region. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Large Flowered Bellwort Insect Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:03:00 +0000

Large Flowered Bellwort ~ Uvularia grandiflora

The Large Flowered Bellwort is one of my favorite spring flowering natives. Bright yellow flowers twist and dangle downwards from 12" high stems.

The insects like this perennial woodland native too, it's offering a nectar reward unlike the Bloodroot and Rue Anemone flowering around the same time.

One interesting feature about this plant is that the stem looks as though it pierces through the leaf like an earring because the base of the leaf surrounds the stem.

Large Flowered Bellwort is found in mesic to dry woodlands. Deer do like to browse on the foliage so if you have an abundance of deer prepare to be disappointed one day when you discover this native has been browsed over night.

A large Mining Bee (Andrena subgenus Melandrena) resembling a bumble bee was a common visitor to the Bellwort flowers. Their hairy bodies help keep them warm in cooler spring temperatures.

Several smaller Andrena bees were flying around the flowers too, but most did not stop by for nectar as the flowers were being blown around by the wind.

A tiny red-eyed vinegar fly was curious about what the large Mining Bee was up to (look for the fly at the top of the opening). These flies will seek out nectar in the spring before their more favored meal of rotting fruit is available.

And a slightly larger fly species was looking for a way up into the flower to feed on some nectar.

Tiny Sweat bees (Lasioglossum species) were also abundant. More than one would emerge from the same flower.

A triangular shaped, three parted seed capsule will develop later in the summer. The seeds are dispersed by ants who are attracted to the protein-rich fleshy elaiosome that is attached to each seed.

Native Plant of the Week: Sprengel's Sedge ~ Carex sprengelii

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:33:00 +0000

Sprengel's Sedge ~ Carex sprengelii

If you're looking to try or add more sedges to your native landscape, Sprengel's Sedge is an excellent candidate.

Preferring partial to full sun locations, it's most often found in low-lying areas in woodlands with adequate sunshine. It prefers richer soils but is also very tolerant of drier upland conditions.

Flowering in early spring, the showy spikes are about 3/4 inch tall and upright. Later in the summer they tend to bend over and droop downwards. The perigynia forms in mid May through June and resembles "the volumetric flasks of a chemist's laboratory." (Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges, Hipp, Andrew L.)

Sprengel's Sedge reaches 12-14 inches in height in drier upland sites but can grow as tall as 36 inches in height in really rich sites.

Although this sedge is rhizomatous, it does form nice clumps which makes it a good candidate for massing in the home landscape. We have ours planted with woodland perennial natives, shorter species such as the Downy Yellow Violet and Virginia Waterleaf, and taller ones such as Early Meadow Rue.

This photo is of a large cluster of Sprengel's Sedge at a local park. It's on an uplands site in a Oak Woodland where it's very sunny due to a break in the canopy.

Sprengel's Sedge is native to central North America, see map below for range.

USDA Plants Database

Rue Anemone Faunal Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:54:00 +0000

Rue Anemone ~ Thalictrum thalictroides

The Rue Anemone has been really showy this spring in our mesic Minnesota woodlands. A light pink to white flowering perennial native, it reaches about 8 inches in height.

Native bees and flies have been enjoying the flowers including this large Andrena bee, which are often mistaken for bumble bees.

The tiny Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum subgenus dialictus) have also been visiting the Rue Anemone flowers. The larger Mining Bees (Andrena species) bees like to scare them off as they come buzzing in to land on the flowers.

And of course lurking nearby were several Cuckoo Bees (Nomada furicornis species group), taking in the pollinator activity and waiting for an opportunity to slip into one of the pollinator nests to lay their eggs.

Syrphid flies of many types also stop by for some pollen. Rue Anemone is another spring flowering native that does not provide a nectar reward.

So these visitors make do with eating or collecting the pollen.

I spotted another pollinator predator, a spider waiting with legs outstretched for its catch on a cool, overcast day. Unfortunately, I think the spider was out of luck as it was much too cool for the pollinators to be visiting any flowers.

Native Plant of the Week: Early Meadow Rue ~ Thalictrum dioicum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Early Meadow Rue ~ Thalictrum dioicum

This perennial woodland native is one of my favorites to utilize in shaded, dry, upland sites. Flowering right now, the softly lobed leaflets set off the 18-24" tall flower stalks.

The clusters of yellowish dangling stamens of the male flowers are very showy and unique. Male flowers resemble tiny lanterns and as the stamens blow in the wind the pollen is dispersed.

Female flowers (housed on separate plants than the male flowers) are not as easy to spot. Sepal like petals are short lived on the female flower and what remains are thin pinkish-white pistils.

Early Meadow Rue is a great woodland native for any well-drained shaded woodland garden. Its flower stalks are stiff and persist into the summer months as the seeds form.

The foliage is equally attractive and contrasts nicely with many woodland natives such as ferns, solomon's seal, or wild ginger.

It's also a larval host plant for the White Striped Black Moth.

You can find Early Meadow Rue for sale at many native plant nurseries. If you have the right spot for this native I think you'll really enjoy it.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Early Meadow Rue is native to eastern North America, see map for range.

It's a Bee Eat Bee World

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:36:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the early spring pollinators on Bloodroot and Pasque Flower.

I photographed many bees, one I didn't write about was the Cuckoo Bee (Nomada ruficornis species group) pictured here on the left. These small rusty brown colored bees are thieves of sorts, otherwise known as kleptoparasites.

They lack any kind of pollen transport structure so they rely upon other bee species to do their pollen collecting for them.

The Mining Bees (Andrena species) were the most common visitors of the Bloodroot flowers and these are one type of bee species that the Cuckoo Bee preys upon.

The Mining Bees collect and stock their ground nest with pollen which they lay their eggs upon so the hatching larva can consume the pollen.

Andrena bee in foreground, Nomada bee behind

"A Nomada female will slip into a host's nest and stick her eggs into the wall of the host's larval cell before the host has finished stocking it with pollen. When the host (usually an Andrena bee) finishes stocking her cell and lays her egg in the nest, the Nomada larva will kill the host's egg and take over the nest, like a cuckoo chick in a bird's nest." (Insects Their Natural History and Diversity)

Cuckoo Bee

Having Cuckoo Bees present in our landscape is in my opinion a good indicator of ecological health and biodiversity.

It indicates that we are providing the right types of flowering native plants and nesting sites so that Andrena and other solitary native bees can successfully build nests and rear young (except for the ones taken over by the Cuckoo Bees of course).

Native Plant of the Week: Nodding Trillium ~ Trillium cernuum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:36:00 +0000

Nodding Trillium ~ Trillium cernuum

The Nodding Trillium is just about to flower in the central Minnesota woodlands. The most common or widely distributed Trillium species in our state, it's a beautiful understated native perennial.

You have to look for the flowers underneath the three leaves as they are hidden below. This Trillium is very similar to Drooping Trillium ~ Trillium flexipes which is less common. Drooping Trillium's flowers are usually above the leaves. See photos and information about the two on the Minnesota Wildflowers site here.

The 1.5 inch wide white flowers are comprised of three petals and 3 green sepals. Not an especially showy Trillium species for the ornamental landscape, it is still a nice woodland native worth seeking out and admiring for its subtle beauty.

We have a small cluster of naturally occurring Nodding Trillium in our own landscape growing in amongst Wild Leeks. Fortunately, this small portion of our landscape was minimally disturbed by previous homeowners.

Nodding Trillium is found in mesic sites in woodlands including cool east facing slopes, and lower lying locations that are seasonally moister.

Bright red seed capsules form near the end of July into early August. These are much more evident to passers by than the flowers.

Inside the seed capsules are many small brown seeds each with a protein-rich fleshy elaiosome attached to attract ants who are the dispersers of the seed.

Read an earlier post about ants dispersing Trillium seeds and other spring woodland natives whose seeds are dispersed by ants.

Nodding Trillium is native to northeastern North America, see map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

American Plum Faunal Visitors

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:30:00 +0000

American Plum ~ Prunus americana

The American Plums are flowering much earlier than usual with our warm spring weather.

If you don't have an American Plum in your landscape then you're missing out on the extremely fragrant, showy flowers AND providing an important nectar and pollen source for early emerging bees, flies and butterflies.

We have planted two in our landscape, this photo is of the smaller of the two. It's on the north side of the house in a sunny, dry site.

American Plum is a wonderful small tree, we have overhanging wires just behind where this one is planted and at its mature height (around 15 feet) it won't impede on the wires.

Many native bees (and honey bees) have been visiting the flowers during the warmer temps mid day. The Mining Bees (Andrena sp) are abundant although when windy have a hard time landing and perching on the flowers. The Bumble Bees are just emerging and have also been visiting the Plum.

Blue Orchard Bees (Osmia lignaria) appeared late last week, their irridescent blue bodies stand out next to the Mining Bees.

"Adults are active in the spring, when they build and provision nests. The eggs complete development to fifth instars by early summer; then they spin cocoons and enter a dormant stage. Pupation occurs by late summer, and adult eclosion occurs a month later. Adults hibernate in their cocoons, and emerge in the spring." (BugGuide.net)

Orchard Bees are being managed as an alternative to honey bees for fruit crop pollination.

Two types of flies were visiting the Plum flowers including this large Flower or Syrphid Fly - a very convincing bee mimic.

The other fly, a Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major) also a bee mimic with its hairy body and hovering behavior.

The larvae of these Bee Flies parasitize the larvae of solitary bees including the Mining Bees (Andrena sp) above.

The first Red Admiral butterflies of the season were also enjoying the nectar provided by the Plum flowers.

The American Plums in my yard should be flowering for another week or so and I can't wait to observe what other fauna will be attracted to the flowers.

Native Plant of the Week: American Pasqueflower ~ Anemone patens

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:58:00 +0000

American Pasqueflower ~ Anemone patens

American Pasqueflower is a wonderful sign of spring in prairies and dry sites. The hairy flower stalks almost glitter in the low angles of a rising or setting sun.

The large, 1.5 inch wide flowers open up for warm temperatures during the middle of the day and close up at night. Flower color can range from white to a light blue.

Forming small, short clusters (5-10" tall), American Pasqueflower is often found in dry shallow soils on cliffs. This native perennial prefers a sunny hillside, or prairie over a partially shaded woodland edge.

If you have a sunny location with well drained soils and are looking for a nice alternative to non-native spring bulbs, definitely give Pasqueflower a try.

Seed heads somewhat resemble the feathery seed heads of Prairie Smoke adding some extra interest in the landscape in the late spring.

I have been watching mine closely this spring for what types of pollinators are visiting the flowers.

This week, they were several small Sweat Bees (Lasioglossum Subgenus Dialictus) pollinating the flowers. Bumble Bees and Mason Bees have just emerged so I'll be watching closely if they also visit the Pasqueflower.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

American Pasqueflower is native to central North America, see map for range.

Early Spring Pollinators

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:09:00 +0000

The Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is just finishing flowering in the yard. The large white flowers open during the mid-day sun attracting several bee species.

One of the larger bees, a type of Mining Bee (Andrena species) fly around in search of nectar but the Bloodroot plays a mean trick and does not provide any.

Some of the bees seem to know this but are still seduced at checking out the flowers from time to time, just to make sure.

Andrena bees have solitary nests in the ground, often in sandy soil. Often several nests are aggregated in one area. (Attracting Native Pollinators)

What great timing the Bloodroot has chosen to flower, when there's little else available for early emerging bees. Bloodroot has the ability to self pollinate but probably much prefers some help in cross pollination from the bees.

A smaller Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum Subgenus Dialictus) was also looking for nectar on the Bloodroot.

The same small Sweat Bees found plenty of pollen on the Pasque Flowers.

These bees also nest in the ground, preferring sandy soils. A pollen ball is made in the burrow and a single egg is laid on top. (Attracting Native Pollinators)

Native Plant of the Week: Wild Geranium ~ Geranium maculatum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Wild Geranium ~ Geranium maculatum

Wild Geranium is an attractive woodland native in central Minnesota. Found in both sunny locations at the edges of mesic woodlands as well as in shady understories.

The light pink, five parted flowers open as early as late April arising on 2 foot tall stalks. The bushy foliage is palmately divided and coarse in appearance. The leaves can vary from light to dark green in color.

This is a great native plant for drier, well drained soils. I have planted several in my shady backyard woodland restoration and they perform really well. In local woodlands in moister soils, Wild Geranium will form large, showy masses.

The leaves turn a beautiful bright red in the fall giving this plant several seasons of interest.

The seeds pods when dry, separate from the central capsule and each individual pod flares outwards resembling a chandelier.

Look for many types of native bumble bees and smaller bees which are attracted to the open flowers.

Wild Geranium is native to eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

American Woodcock Aerial Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:15:00 +0000

American Woodcock ~ Scolopax minor

The male American Woodcocks have been busy lately at the local park putting on aerial displays at dusk to attract the ladies.

American Woodcocks migrate north in the spring from their overwintering grounds along the gulf coast. Their summer range extends from Missouri eastwards to Maryland and north into central Canada.

Males become active at dusk finding an open grassy area to sound a nasal 'beent' call. They call for several minutes, staying quite still.
They then take off almost horizontally climbing upwards high into the night's sky. Once they reach their desired altitude they start flying around in circles.

"The movement of air over the narrow outer primaries produces a high twitter. It begins with steady twittering as the bird rises, becoming well-spaced bursts of twittering while bird circles at top of climb. Finally, as the bird plunges toward the ground with sharp changes in direction, a series of louder and more varied chirps results." (Sibley Guide to Birds)

* Be sure to turn up the volume on this video *

The Woodcocks we watched would spiral downwards and land within feet of where they had taken off, again starting their 'beent' calls. The males continue their displays trying to attract females for mating.

Native Plant of the Week: Field Pussytoes ~ Antennaria neglecta

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:32:00 +0000

Field Pussytoes ~ Antennaria neglecta

Field Pussytoes is a common native in the midwest and Great Lakes region. Found growing in lawns, roadsides and prairies in dry, well drained soils.

This is an under appreciated native, it could be utilized more on the edges of perennial plantings as it spreads by stolons and forms a nice mat. It also tolerates compacted soils.

The flower stalks arise from the gray, hairy basal leaves in April. If you have a sunny, dry and sandy site in your landscape give this native a try.

The flowerheads resemble cat's paws (Pussy Toes) and are comprised of densely packed white bracts.

Field Pussytoes is another larval host plant for the American Lady butterfly. Look for leaves that have been rolled together. Caterpillars will feed inside this shelter.

Field Pussytoes is native to central and eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Lets go where the actions is…. The shore!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 01:38:00 +0000

I invited the owners of Natural Shore Technologies, a local shoreline restoration company to do a blog post on one of their projects. Thanks to Bill and Rob for the following contribution:

With someone that is in tune with nature, it becomes so obvious. If you want to go to amazing and inspiring places, and find a hotbed of biological activity, you simply search out areas where land meets water – the shore!

Unfortunately, in urban lake systems, shorelines get assaulted in a wide variety of ways. Impervious surfaces in urban watersheds cause lake levels to “bounce” – having high highs and low lows. Flood waters cause erosion along the shore. Increases nutrient levels in storm water runoff favor invasive species, like reed canary grass. On top of this, humans have traditionally liked tidy shores – turf up to the water, imported rock to curb erosion, sea walls to create a clean, engineered edge. The list goes on and on.

A photo of the shoreline pre-project,
showing pockets of turf to the water
and several patches of invasive
species that colonized over the years.

Beginning in 2004, the City of Plymouth, a suburb of Minneapolis, was on the forefront in created a cost-share program focused lakeshore ecological restoration. Funding was secured through a Minnesota DNR Clean Water Grant. Our company, Natural Shore, had the privilege of working with City staff and numerous shoreland owners to design and install over 20 restoration projects on Medicine Lake.

One shore that we had the opportunity to work on was the Lennon Property.

Biologs were used as a way to
reduce wave action, so that native
shoreline species could get established.

Natural Shore staff first met with the Lennons to discuss overall project objectives, how they use their shore, what sort of look they expected, and of course, their budget. After going back and forth with key design elements, the Lennons chose a plan that included a fairly extensive natural buffer along their property.

We selected native species that
spread via underground runners
(rhyzomes). Here, species are
working their way into the biolog.

Probably one of the most challenging aspects of our work is to meld shore stabilization with ecological function and aesthetic appeal. This boils down to selecting appropriate native plant species, after assessing a variety of shoreline parameters, and use planting methods that will assure survival and expansion. This is where our work can become very complicated.

On the Lennon Property, we had to factor in that urban “bounce”, wave action from wind and high speed power boats, soils, slope, shade, and even muskrat activity. After compiling our species list, we then figured out what bio-engineering materials we would use, materials like erosion control blankets and bio-logs (coconut rolls).

Over 2000 native plant plugs were
installed in the buffer. This gave us the
ability to create large patches of
individual species. This was a look
that the homeowner desired.

With the plan finalized, we then began our site preparation work. Like many lakeshore properties in metropolitan areas, access to shorelines is often a challenge. Much of the work carried out is done the old fashioned way – by hard physical labor. On the Lennon Property, re-grading and invasive species control was done by hand.

The Lennons chose to go with a 25’ wide native plant buffer – yes!

The Lennons have expressed that the project really exceeded their expectations. They now have a stable shore that provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of fish and wildlife. Being one of the first on Medicine Lake, the Lennons provided a high quality demonstration of what a natural shore is all about.

Many shoreline and prairie species flowered the second year after installation.

The Lennon’s project came out at $13,000 for 120’ of shore. Our restoration projects usually range between $40 and $110 per linear foot of shore. High energy shores with a lot of wave action cost more due to re-grading and the use of erosion control materials.

As with any ecological restoration in an urban setting, long-term maintenance is essential. With shore restorations, weed seed can infiltrate via wind and waves. For instance, reed canary grass seed floats, and a windy day in late June may result in this weed seed surfing from one side of the lake to the other. Our maintenance and monitoring of the Lennon property is $650 per year, which includes spring clean-up, and 3 visits during the growing season.

As we all know, urban ecological restoration presents a host of challenges, but we are seeing progress along our shores. More and more cost-share opportunities are becoming available through various units of government. And slowly, shore residents are becoming familiar with ecological restoration as a way to manage their properties.

Bill Bartodziej and Rob Langer are Ecological Restoration Specialists, and own Natural Shore.

For more information on their company, please visit: www.naturalshore.com.

Native Plant of the Week: Culver's Root ~ Veronicastrum virginicum

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:02:00 +0000

Culver's Root ~ Veronicastrum virginicum

If you're looking for a tall native perennial that attracts a large diversity of insects (and pollinators) then Culver's Root might be a good option.

Reaching heights of 6' feet where there's adequate moisture, the white spikes of flowers open in late June to early July.

Each individual 4 parted white flower is tubular in shape and are tightly arranged around the spire-like spikes.

Culver's Root is native to sunny to partially shaded locations, often found just upland of moist wetlands. It prefers sandy to loamy soils. If you plant it in humus-rich soils it will spread quickly forming a large cluster.

Another great reason to plant Culver's Root is because of the interesting whorled leaf arrangement. One of few native perennials that have whorled leaves, the 3 to 6 leaves come together at the stem forming tiers or layers.

Although the flowers have no scent, they attract many types of insects who seek out the nectar and pollen. A mid-season favorite of the Great Black Wasp.

Also several butterfly species including the Red Admiral like to nectar on Culver's Root.

Look for Bumble Bees and the beautiful Splendid Metallic Green Bee.

Even small carpenter bees will seek out nectar.

Culver's Root is native to eastern North America. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.

Red Winged Blackbirds Return

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:52:00 +0000

The male Red Winged Blackbirds have returned to Minnesota this week. Much earlier than the past few years, arriving on March 11th in our neighborhood. Our record-breaking warm winter and mild March temperatures have completely melted all snow. Smaller creeks and ponds are starting to open up.

The males migrate north before the females returning to establish their breeding territory in the wetlands. Already calling, they have been sitting up in the trees on the edges of wetlands surveying their domains.

As they call they spread their wings flashing their bright red and yellow wing bars and fan their tails. The males will come to our feeders seeking seeds as food prior to the mating season. Once more insects emerge, their diet will change to all insects as the young hatch.

Males will mate with more than one female in their established territory.

Females will return in a few weeks, possibly at the end of March this year but more typically into early April. Their mottled brown plumage camouflages them nicely in the previous year's brown cattail stems as they build their nests.

Native Plant of the Week: Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea

noreply@blogger.com (Heather@RestoringTheLandscape.com) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Pearly Everlasting ~ Anaphalis margaritacea

Pearly Everlasting is named for its flower heads that persist after it flowers. The individual flowers are whorls of bracts that when dried are used in dry flower arrangements.

This perennial native is common in sunny, dry sites in sandy or well drained soils. It is very attractive with the white colored flowers arising up to 3 feet in height above the fuzzy, gray colored leaves.

Flowers open in early July and persist into September. This is a common plant in Upper Michigan growing on exposed or disturbed roadsides.

If you have a sunny, dry, well drained spot in your landscape, Pearly Everlasting is a good candidate.

Another great reason to plant this native is because it's one of several larval host plants of the American Lady butterfly.

The caterpillars will enclose themselves in the leaves forming shelters as they feed on the leaves.

Pearly Everlasting is common in the west as well as in the northern Great Lakes area. See map below for range.

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP).
2011. North American Plant Atlas. Chapel Hill, N.C.