by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Sep 23, 2021 | Identification & Education
Botanist and early The Prairie Enthusiasts member Rob Baller created this series for our friends at Blue Mounds Area Project. The “blue sky” technique is Rob’s favorite for taking stunning plant photographs. Let him know what you think at robertballer@outlook.com.
ALWAYS get permission from the property owner if you want to try this technique.
Here are the four Liatris species most likely to be seen on our beloved Wisconsin prairie remnants. All are members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). All have tiny pink to magenta flowers bundled into ‘floral cups’, with outer bracts on those cups that form layers like shingles, and positively identify the species. Good eyesight is helpful. All species bloom from the top downwards. They are discussed here in their order of seasonal blooming.
Dwarf blazing star (Liatris cylindracea)
Late July or early August. Shorter than knee high. Flower bundles loosely alternating up the stems, each bundle waving on a brief stalk more or less as long as the flower cup itself. Floral bracts are rounded like fingernails, with sharp points on each, adhering to the cup and never lifting away. Dry limey prairie.
Prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya) aka ‘gayfeather’
Late July or early August. Knee to waist high. Flowers bundles spaced tightly on the stalk, the whole appearing like a rosy, feathery cattail. Floral bracts triangular, pointed, peeling away. Wet prairie, sometimes mixed into wetlands denoting where the ground is solid enough to stand on.
Rough blazing star (Liatris aspera)
Mid to late August, early September. Knee to waist high. No stalks connecting flower bundles to the main stem (sessile). Floral bracts distinctly rounded and cupping, creating a 3-D texture. Dry mesic to dry prairie, often in sand.
Showy blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis)
In my experience the least common of these. Mid to late August. Waist high. Very similar to L. aspera, except lower flower bundles are born on stalks about as long as the flowers. Mesic to dry prairie. Champion butterfly attractor.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Aug 31, 2021 | News
Learning about how to protect turtle nests. (Photo by Martha Querin-Schultz)
The Southwest Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts held a Wisconsin turtle workshop on Saturday, June 26, 2021, at Jack Kussmaul’s beautiful home near Woodman, Wisconsin.
“Taking Time for Turtles” was conducted by Dr. Rebecca Christoffel who is co-director of Turtles for Tomorrow, a non-profit organization devoted to protecting Wisconsin turtles.
Our enthusiastic group of 18 learned all about Wisconsin’s turtles from Dr. Christoffel, including who they are, how to identify them, where they’re found, and how they are managed and conserved. The group spent the morning in the classroom, learning about Wisconsin’s turtles and how to identify them including some practice identifications. Wisconsin has eleven turtle species. Ten are aquatic or semi-aquatic and one is strictly terrestrial (land dwelling).
Host Jack Kussmaul, along with guest speaker, Dr. Rebecca Christoffel, co-director of Turtles for Tomorrow). (Photo by Martha Querin-Schultz)
In the afternoon after lunch, we went to Jack’s amazing property which is along the Wisconsin River, searching for turtles and signs of turtles, and we learned what we can do to protect turtle nests found on our properties.
While we were out walking, a couple of wild turtles came right up on to Jack’s property to lay eggs. We also were able to get up close and personal with Dr. Christoffel’s “Ambassador Turtles” that she uses in her teachings. The group had the chance to meet and hold two of the endangered and threatened turtle species in Wisconsin, the wood turtle and ornate box turtle.
Thank you to Jack Kussmaul for hosting and thank you, Dr. Christoffel, for teaching us so much!
Article by Martha Querin-Schultz
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Aug 31, 2021 | News
Some attendees trying to determine a species of native bumblebee (Photo & article by Susan Lipnick)
On June 27, biologist Bev Paulan treated Northwest Illinois Prairie Enthusiasts members and guests to the presentation “Native Plants Need Native Pollinators” at The Prairie Enthusiasts Hanley Savanna in rural Hanover, Illinois. The event, originally scheduled for late June 2020 but postponed because of COVID, was well worth the wait.
Topics included the following:
– Some history as to how native plants and native pollinators have adapted to each other and how the decline of one is contributing to the decline of the other in various areas of the world;
– The kinds of local native plant pollinators, which include bumblebees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, beetles, and birds. In other areas, bats and people are important pollinators;
– The needs of local native pollinators, including specific food and water sources, appropriate nesting sites, and overwintering sites;
– The dangers certain retail plants present to native pollinators, including cultivars or hybrids of native plants, nonnative plants, pesticides bred into GMO-modified plants;
– Problems resulting from efforts to boost populations of the nonnative honey bee; and
– Efforts home gardeners and prairie enthusiasts alike can take to boost populations of native plants. Bev also provided a list of “superfood” native forbs as well as the top five native tree species that support 90% of our local butterflies and moths. You can find This triptych of useful information on NIPE’s Facebook page, July 1, 2021 post.
After the presentation, attendees took the opportunity to ask questions and explored the prairies, trying to identify native pollinators on native plants.
Biologist Bev Paulan, presenter. (Photo by Susan Lipnick)
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jul 28, 2021 | News
“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” William Feather
People who are passionate about prairie restoration are a rare breed. However, as the number of these prairie warriors grow, so too will the numbers of successfully grown rare and endangered plants in our states. We recently heard about some tiny successes with rare plants on a small farm in Illinois that are huge reasons for celebration.
Wood Lily blooming – Photo by Rickie Rachuy
Where others might plant a seed and just move on if a plant didn’t grow, prairie enthusiasts often find the most rare or endangered plants and work for years to get just a single bloom on one plant. It is this grit and determination that will, over time, make an incredible difference in ecosystems across the upper Midwest.
One such story is unfolding in Stockton, Illinois. NIPEs Rickie Rachuy is thrilled to share some exciting success stories in the rare plants garden at Lonetree Farm.
Hill’s Thistle – Photo by Rickie Rachuy
– The first blooms on Asclepias purpurascens, started from seed in 2015
– The first seedlings of Gentianella quinquefolia after three years of trying to get wild-harvested seed to germinate
– The first flowers on Lilium philadelphicum (wood lily) from seed donated by Kathie Brock after the initial seedlings were uprooted by raccoons in 2017
– The first flowers on Circium hillii (Hill’s thistle) from seed donated by Tom Mitchell in 2019
– Several healthy Clematis pitcherii plants from cuttings taken from the only known plant in northwest Illinois
– One seedling of Clematis occidentalis, from Prairie Moon seed started Feb. 1, 2020
Karen Reed, newest addition to the NIPE team, and garden/seed shed helper. (Photo by Rickie Rachuy)
Thank you for sharing this great news, Rickie. While to the general population, these may appear to be little events, in the world of prairie restoration, these are some moments to truly treasure and celebrate. We can’t wait to have an update a year from now to hear how things are going.
Do you have some success stories you would like to share? Please send those to ksolverson@theprairieenthusiasts.org for possible inclusion in one of our future newsletters.
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jul 28, 2021 | News
There couldn’t have been a more idyllic scene for The Prairie Enthusiasts picnic and annual meeting. Basking in the glow of a perfect summer day, members gathered on Sunday, July 18th, 2021 at the UW-Milwaukee Field Station at Waukesha to learn and celebrate together. There was a palpable energy, a feeling of hope permeating the day, given all that has been accomplished in the past year. After a year of working independently in the field under COVID-19 restrictions, it was a welcome day of celebration. This day was all about reconnecting our prairie community through conversation, sharing, education and the passion that is at the heart of all we do.
Professor Teresa Schueller, Director of UWM at Waukesha Field Station (left) and St. Croix Valley Chapter member and TPE board representative Evanne Hunt (right) (Photo by Caleb DeWitt)
This year, the Glacial Prairie chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts hosted our event. Many thanks to the volunteers who put in long hours to pull this together, as it is no small task. Members gathered for a potluck followed by a speaker from each one of the chapters.
Tom Zagar, Ecologist and Burn Boss for the Glacial Prairie Chapter. (Photo by Caleb DeWitt)
After lunch, it was time to fill our minds with educational tours. The tours were a great success and filled with incredible conversation. Marlin Johnson, the resident manager of the 98-acre field station for 45 years, gave a tour and discussed the process of how a dedicated group of individuals were able to convert fields into a sustainable prairie/savanna.
Professor emeritus Marlin Johnson leads a history tour. (Photo by Caleb DeWitt)
Bill Schneider led an Aldo Leopold tour focused on Leopold’s use of prairie/savanna plants and animals to make a philosophical statement. There was also an opportunity to visit a unique wood-fired kiln, built with more than 8,000 bricks, which was modeled after an ancient Japanese Anagama kiln.
Introduction to the wood-fired kiln during the annual picnic field trips. (Photo by Ron Lutz II)
More discussion of how the prairie restoration process began (Photo by Ron Lutz II)
The prairie was teeming with life, and the perfect setting for our time together. Walking among the ancient oaks, members were drawn to one particularly majestic specimen. Reconnecting with the oaks, the plants and living creatures of the prairie, and the people who make this all possible gave everyone a renewed sense of purpose as we prepare for the next season of prairie restoration and management.
Young prairie enthusiasts showing off their discoveries and enjoying the prairie. (Photo by Caleb DeWitt)
Just as the prairies come back stronger than ever after a fire, we also look forward to a year of tremendous growth in the coming year.
