by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Aug 5, 2020 | News
The Many Rivers Chapter was recently featured on the Minnesota DNR’s Prairie Pod podcast. Chapter chair Henry Panowitsch represented TPE on the episode titled “A Legacy of Love for the Prairie Landscape: A Landowner’s Perspective.”
Henry kicks off the discussion by pointing out that “it’s never too late to do the right thing.” He shares some lessons learned from decades of volunteering and strategies to involve all generations in restoring the landscape. You will also hear what motivates Henry and his fellow Prairie Enthusiasts, and why he feels that “the ‘P’ in ‘prairie’ stands for ‘patience’.” Don’t miss it!
Henry Panowitsch at the Many Rivers Chapter’s solstice bonfire.
Photo by Steven Gahm
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jul 3, 2020 | News
Summer is here and the time it right for many species on the prairie. The Prairie Enthusiasts take pride in restoring biodiversity to our Midwestern prairie and oak savanna communities. Here are a few images that captured our attention this past month. Hope they remind you to get out on the prairie. There is so much to see and share.
Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Photo by Amy Chamberlin
Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida). Photo by Stephen Winter
Looking for a nest site: snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Photo by Stephen Winter
Sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) with unidentified beetle and caterpillar. Photo by Joe Rising
Bitter Milkwort (Polygala polygamy) and Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platirhinos). Photo by Pamala Maher
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum), found on Moely Prairie. Photo by Amy Chamberlin
Monarch Butterfly caterpillar found on Moely Prairie. Photo by Amy Chamberlin
Tuberous Grass-pink (Calopogon tubersous) found at Crex Meadows, Burnett County, Wisconsin. Photo by Joe Rising
Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea) at Crex Meadows. Photo by Joe Rising
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) at Crex Meadows. Photo by Joe Rising
Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana) at Crex Meadows. Photo by Joe Rising
Harlequin Blueflag Iris (Iris versicolor) at Crex Meadows. Photo by Joe Rising
American Water-Lily (Nymphaeca odorata) at Crex Meadows. Photo by Joe Rising
Prairie Road at Crex Meadows, Burnett County, Wisconsin. Photo by Joe Rising
Crex Meadows, Burnett County, Wisconsin. Photo by Joe Rising
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jul 2, 2020 | News
The new Landowner Services program is up and running, and though the program is in its early days, it’s already yielding some noteworthy botanical finds and conservation opportunities. Given the myriad threats that our natural communities face and the pervasive, visibly obvious distress of the landscape, I’m heartened to come across irreplaceable elements of biodiversity hanging on—sometimes even thriving.
Early visits have already yielded excellent opportunities to conserve and restore two remnant southern sedge meadows, two remnant dry prairies, a calcareous fen, two oak savannas, and a xeric oak woodland. I’m encouraged by the curiosity and dedication of landowners, and I feel very fortunate to have stepped into a position where I get to support people in their critical work of carrying forward our natural heritage.
Southern sedge meadow remnant at the Nayar property in Iowa County, WI. (Photo by Dan Carter)
Southern sedge meadow and calcareous fen at the Holtz Farms property in Waukesha County, WI. Calcareous fen here is distinguished by abundant sterile sedge (Carex sterilis), shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa), northern bog violet (Viola nephrophylla), and swamp thistle (Cirsium muticum). (Photo by Dan Carter).
Left to right: Barb Holtz, Alice Mirk, Walter Mirk, and Dan Carter in front of oak savanna at the Holtz Farms property in Waukesha County, WI. (Photo by Beth Gastineau)
Remnant dry prairie recently cleared of red cedar and other woody vegetation at the Procknow property in Iowa Couty, WI. This remnant prairie supports short green milkweed (Asclepias viridis), wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum), Richardson’s sedge (Carex richardsonii), prairie turnip (Pediomelum esculentum), and many other prairie species. (Photo by Dan Carter)
For the plant nerds among us, I’ll expand on this a bit by delving into sedges. Sedges often have an awful lot to say about the history and potential of a place. Our regional sedge biodiversity and the specialization among our species are astounding, and to know only the sedges in their largest genus (Carex) is on par numerically with knowing all of our regional breeding birds. Already, I’ve had a few pleasant sedgey surprises.
The first was at the seepy margin of a southern sedge meadow in Iowa County. A few years ago, Pat Trochlell told me about smooth-sheathed sedge (Carex laevevaginata), a rare sedge that had been found in Iowa, Dane, and Monroe counties. This Wisconsin-endangered sedge has only been collected eight times in the State, and is nearly identical to the very common awl-fruited sedge (Carex stipata), with which it often occurs. I’d been looking out for it since that time to no avail. Serendipitously, a large population in the hundreds or more, potentially the largest population in Wisconsin, turned up on my second landowner services site visit.
Smooth-sheathed sedge from the southern sedge meadow at the Nayar property. Left: Inflorescence similar to awl-fruited sedge. Right: The thickened, intact summit of the leaf sheath, which lacks a distinctive cross-wrinkling pattern like corrugated cardboard, distinguishes this species from otherwise similar sedges. (Photos by Dan Carter)
The second is a species that I’m astounded to have seen twice already. Savanna sedge (AKA Swan’s sedge, Carex swanii), is a Wisconsin special concern species. Like smooth-sheathed sedge, it has very few occurrences in Wisconsin (nine collections from seven locations). Unlike smooth-sheathed sedge, savanna sedge is very distinctive. It’s covered with hairs, and there are very few hairy sedges, particularly among those that grow in uplands and have narrow leaf blades. In Wisconsin, savanna sedge is found mostly in the southeast, but also in the Central Sand Hills ecoregion, where it typically occurs in sandy savannas, often just above wetlands. I wasn’t too surprised, then, to find some in a sandy savanna above the transition to a degraded alder-carr in Waukesha County. I was, however, caught completely off-guard when I came across savanna sedge again just a couple weeks later with Jim Rogala while visiting his property in La Crosse County. There savanna sedge grows on a sandy hillslope cleared of sumac just below a remnant hill prairie, which Jim has been working to expand. This natural occurrence is over one hundred miles from the nearest known occurrences to the east and south. Our understanding of natural species ranges is a work in progress.
Savanna sedge at the Rogala property in La Crosse County, WI. (Photo by Dan Carter)
Other botanical highlights include the Wisconsin-endangered purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens, two separate properties in Grant County, WI), Wisconsin special concern purple-stem cliff-brake fern (Pellaea atropurpurea, Grant County, WI), clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis, Trempealeau County, WI), Richardson’s sedge (Carex richardsonii, Iowa County, WI), eastern prickly pear cactus (Opuntia cespitosa, Grant County, WI), and a good population of short green milkweed (Asclepias viridflora, Iowa County, WI). A site visit also led to the detection and control of an occurrence of the highly invasive Chinese bushclover (Lespedeza cuneata) in Waukesha County, WI.
Left: Chinese lespedeza (AKA sericea lespedeza, Lespedeza cuneata) invading an old hay field in Waukesha County. Right: a close-up of stem and leaves. The native round-headed bush clover
(Lespedeza capitata) branches much less when fully mature and has larger leaves and leaflets. The rare native prairie bush clover (Lespedeza leptostachya) has much narrower leaflets. Keep an eye out for this one. (Photos by Dan Carter)
I’m looking forward to what future visits have in store. If you are interested in a landowner services site visit to your property, don’t hesitate to contact me (landowners@theprairieenthusiasts.org).
by The Prairie Enthusiasts | Jul 2, 2020 | News
Our community of prairie enthusiasts is just as resilient as the prairies and savannas. However, there’s no doubt about it – as grassroots volunteers and leaders, we’re likely all asking ourselves “What’s next?” What’s next for those of us who want to share these special places with others? How do we show-n-tell about the exciting work that we’re doing – the successes, trials, errors, and what we are learning along the way? How do we connect others to the places we love during these challenging times?
While we have been following “Safer at Home” orders, we all want to get outside, take a breath of fresh air, listen to the birds sing, see the prairie flowers blooming and feel warm sunshine on our skin. We especially know the positive impact on our wellbeing when we are out in the natural communities that we care so much about – or connected to them in some way.
Being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, reduces anger, fear, and stress and increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical well-being, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones. It even reduces mortality, according to scientists and public health researchers. Connections with nature are fundamentally important for our health and happiness, something that few of us would argue with. (A brief, amusing interlude for your viewing pleasure, Nature Rx).
My boss (Scott Fulton) insisted I take a trip up to a nearby TPE Preserve for some very much needed mental health therapy after a very long day in my home office. Photo by Diane Hills
Field trips are a core component of fulfilling TPE’s mission – education about prairies and savannas. Guided tours provide great opportunities to appreciate and showcase the results of TPE’s efforts and share these special places that we love. They provide a way for people to connect to the healing qualities of being in nature as well. In a sense, we also provide a health service.
TPE has been working on ways to offer field trips during these uncertain times. The organization has published a practical guide to safely lead field trips (and work parties), COVID-19 Guide for Event Leaders. We are looking for people to lead field trips now that we can do them safely.
These times also beckon us to be creative, to think outside the box.
For example, a couple of field trip leaders are planning to offer guided walks by appointment, limited to members of one household. The Empire-Sauk Chapter is recommending that people use a long walking stick as a pointer as well as a distancing tool. They have even acquired 6 foot, lightweight plant stakes to loan out. Or maybe, rather than leading a trip that naturally requires people to cluster closely when pointing to a particular species, such as an insect or plant, choose a different theme. Instead, focus on aspects of the larger prairie and savanna landscape, geology and hydrology, sunrise, sunset or full moon night “soundscape” tours. Or perhaps focus on doing photography or art together on the prairie.
Wood lily (Lillium philadelphicum) and death camas (Zigadenus elegans) at a TPE preserve in Dane County, Wis. Photos by Diane Hills
In addition to offering “real world” field trips, what other ways can we educate, show-n-tell our achievements, and connect people with native prairies and savannas? Here are a few possibilities:
- Offering a virtual field trip (live or aired online followed by Q&A with the leader) for those that are unable to leave the house, due to the coronavirus or some other physical limitation
- Developing an online workshop, followed by individual field assignments/explorations
- Produce a slide show or video with a narrative (a story, educational, etc.) or put to music
- Creating educational prairie games (that may or may not also require onsite prairie visits)
Whether it’s using your smart phone or enlisting someone else’s technical help, the results do not have to be perfect. We are all learning and venturing outside the box together as an organization. And who doesn’t love a good “prairie home video”?
The events of the past few months have only strengthened my deep appreciation for what you all do to preserve and share our native prairie and savanna communities and why it’s so important. I’m reminded of what I’ve learned about TPE – we are a community of passionate, dedicated people who care deeply about one another and about our natural world. Now how do we share that with others?
Please contact me if you have any suggestions, need support, or want to “think outside the box” together.
