Quick Guide to Restoration Practices: Timesframes and General Methods

Quick Guide to Restoration Practices: Timesframes and General Methods

by | Oct 3, 2023 | Management Methods

Guide to Restoration Practices

Timeframes and General Methods

Story by Jim Rogala

October 3,  2023

The timing of most mechanical and chemical treatments to control unwanted plants is most effectively performed when taking into consideration plant anatomy and physiology, phenology, and the physical conditions of the site. For example, knowing where the cells that translocate materials are located (i.e., anatomy), along with how and when this translocation is occurring (i.e., physiology) are critical. For herbicide treatments, translocation from the point of application to area of action needs to be considered. Many mechanical treatments focus on depleting energy stores and therefore timing to disrupt the translocation is key. There are also weather conditions within seasons to consider, such as rain forecasts prior to herbicide application or hot conditions that slow the translocation process.

Below are some recommendations for seasonal, priority management actions. This information is intended to serve as a starting point for planning the timing of work to have maximum desired impact and not to provide all details related to various methods. Please search for additional information about management techniques as needed.

Fall Tasks

Search for invasives such as honeysuckle and buckthorn that still hold green leaves after others have changed color or fallen.

Cutting and treating woody non-clonal invaders (note exceptions below)

        • Avoid times when things are wet or there is more than 3-4” of snow cover.
        • Do not apply herbicide, especially water-based herbicides, prior to a precipitation event (wait at least 4 hours)
        • Do not use oil-based ester herbicides (e.g., Garlon 4) during the growing season in high-quality remnants if temperature is above 60-65 degrees because of volatilization transfer
        • Follow good practices such as cutting and treating all stems of the plant, apply water-based herbicide immediately after cut and oil-based soon after. Use water-based herbicide in wet areas and use a water-base or oil-base herbicide if above freezing (concentrated Glyphosate mix, 20% active ingredient, works well on species sensitive to glyphosate down to 20 degrees) or oil-based herbicide if below freezing. Many details on herbicide selection and use can be found in currently available resources, especially herbicide labels.

Cutting and treating clonal species such as sumac and aspen

        • Requires that the entire clone be treated in most cases. Consider non-herbicide methods during other seasons (see below).
        • NEVER cut any clonal species without herbicide treatment during fall or winter
        • May need follow-up on some species in the following year

Basal bark spraying

Brush piling after plants have died back

Cutting coniferous trees (late fall to avoid trampling desirable plants during seed production)

Firebreak work (for winter and spring burns). In addition to other break work, mowing grass breaks for spring burns best in fall

Prescribed burning (consider timing of these and if prior management needs to be done first; for more information about prescribed burning, stay tuned for details about our annual conference which includes burn school)

Seed collecting

Seed dispersal

Winter Tasks

(some of these activities are easier and more effective with little or no snow cover)

Brush piling

Brush pile burning when snow is on the ground (add to burning piles to reduce the number of piles)

Cutting and treating woody invaders (note exceptions listed under fall and below; avoid times with extreme low temperatures)

Basal bark spraying

Cutting coniferous trees

Prescribed burning when prairies are snow-free and snow in surrounding woods (consider timing of these and if prior management needs to be done first)

Firebreak work (for winter and spring burns)

Seed dispersal (earlier is better)

Plant plugs while conditions are still moist

Early Spring

Prescribed burning (consider timing of these and if prior management needs to be done first)

Pulling woody species of small size when soil is wet.

Search for invasives with green leaves (e.g., garlic mustard) before others have leafed out. (Although shrubs like honeysuckle and buckthorn can be found at this time, do not cut and treat if the sap is flowing at a high rate).

Flame weed garlic mustard seedlings in May (where leaf litter or grassy fuels are present, do this when conditions are wet).

Pull garlic mustard and dame’s rocket before seeds start to develop.

Seeding can be done in early spring, especially if preparation for seeding includes a burn prior to seeding.

Late Spring

Girdling without herbicide treatment of trees such as aspen (some other species, but not all)

        • Must do all trees for clonal species
        • Do not use this method on black locust.

Seed collecting (disperse after collected for some species)

Summer

Double-cutting clonal woody vegetation, including sumac and young aspen (~July 1 and August 1 for multiple years; no herbicide; not black locust)

Cutting and treating woody invaders (note exceptions listed under fall and below; see comment regarding high temperatures under the “good practices” in the fall section)

Mowing invasive species (consider timing)

Firebreak work (for fall burns)

Foliar spraying (consider timing based on species herbicides)

Root-severing of monocarpic species (e.g., wild parsnip, biennial thistles)

Seed collecting

Dispersal of fresh seed from early flowering species whose seeds ripen early

Assess community health/progress towards restoration goals

Want to have this guide handy when you’re outside? Download the PDF of this guide by clicking HERE.

And, read our other seasonal guide blog post HERE.

Eliminating Buckthorn Without the Use of Herbicide

Eliminating Buckthorn Without the Use of Herbicide

by | Oct 2, 2023 | Management Methods

Eliminating Buckthorn Without the Use of Herbicide

Story and Photos by Jon Rigden

October 2, 2023

Typical regrowth of buckthorn

Buckthorn is an invasive shrub that has infested many of the forests and bluff prairies of the Upper Midwest, including Hixon Forest in La Crosse where our Coulee Region Chapter has been working to control it. It is known that cutting buckthorn without treating the stump with an herbicide causes it to resprout. It is not known how frequently or how long buckthorn must be cut before it doesn’t resprout, or if it is even feasible to kill buckthorn by just repeatedly cutting it. Friends of the Blufflands has partnered with our chapter to help answer this question by sectioning off an area in Hixon Forest with heavy growth of relatively small buckthorn plants and cutting parts of that area at different frequencies. We hope to be able to determine the minimal frequency that young buckthorn needs to be cut to eliminate it without the use of herbicide. 

Hypothesis

If young buckthorn is repeatedly cut it will eventually not resprout. The minimal frequency after mid-June until the first hard frost at which this cutting must take place is unknown.

Methods

A 400-square-foot study plot was chosen for its uniformity of buckthorn growth. The buckthorn was about waist to shoulder high with the diameter of stems mostly about half to three-quarter inch or smaller. This area was cut close to the ground on June 16 with a handheld brush cutter. The cut stems were gathered and removed from the area, then a second pass was made with the brush cutter to assure that all the stems were cut. The plot was marked off and divided into four sections, each measuring 10 by 10 feet. These sections go up the slope from bottom to top. The four sections were cut at four different frequencies (every 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 weeks). A border was also cut around this 400-square-foot plot. The nearby uncut buckthorn was used as a control. Subsequent cuttings were done from that date until the first hard frost, which occurred on October 25, 2022. It is recognized that new seedlings from the seed bank would appear and must be taken into consideration.

 

Area before cutting

Cutting schedule (though the actual cutting took place near these dates due to weather or other factors)

10 x 10 feet sections marked off after cutting

On 6/16/2022 a 15 x 50 feet section on Lookout savanna, well east of an area that had been foliar sprayed the previous year and easily accessible from Savanna Trail in Hixon Forest, was chosen for its uniform growth of common buckthorn. The buckthorn was about waist to shoulder tall with the diameter of stems mostly about 0.5 to 0.75 inch or smaller. There were minimal other woody plants present, such as honeysuckle or oriental bittersweet. This area was cut with a weed wacker with a blade close to the ground, the cut stems were gathered and removed from the area, then a second pass was made with the weed wacker to assure that all the stems were cut. Then four side-by-side 10 x 10 feet areas were staked out within this 15 x 50 foot area. Down the slope and separated from the 15 x 50 area by a 3-4 foot cut buffer, a second 10 x 10 area had all the woody plants removed with the traditional cut and treat method using hand held pruners and 20% triclopyr in bark oil with surfactant and blue dye.

Study Plots Two Weeks Later on 6/30

The cuttings proceeded through the year according to the schedule with the last cutting of sections 1 and 3 taking place on 10/25/22 after which a hard frost occurred. Here are the measurements of growth in the 4 sections on this date:

Section 1
Top 5 averaged 1.5 inches of regrowh

Section 2
Top 5 averaged 2 inches of regrowth.

Section 3
Top 5 averaged 4 inches of regrowth.

Section 4
Top 5 averaged 5 inches of regrowth.

Status through the Winter

Photos taken on June 6, 2023

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

A view of the entire plot looking east

Note that some of the stakes fell over during the winter months. Also note that the green seen in the photos is mostly other plants such as violets, not buckthorn, except in section #4. As seen in the photos, sections 1, 2, and 3 were almost identical with some minimal regrowth of buckthorn. Section 4 had significantly more regrowth both in the number and height of the plants.
 
The separate section that had the buckthorn removed by traditional cut and treat was almost free of buckthorn on 6/6/23 with three plants still present. These were likely either missed or not enough of the herbicide was applied to be effective.
Conclusion:
 
Repeatedly cutting small diameter common buckthorn approximately every 4 to 6 weeks starting in mid-June until the first hard frost can be an effective strategy to eliminate most of the buckthorn and be left with very few stems and a much more easily managed population the next year. In this example that meant cutting the area 3 to 4 times from mid June to late October at 4 to 6 week intervals. Of note, the cuttings were done very close to the ground such that almost no leaves were left on any of the plants that had regrown. This might be difficult to replicate in a larger and rocky area. 

This article appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of The Prairie Promoter, a publication of news, art and writing from The Prairie Enthusiasts community. Explore the full collection and learn how to submit your work here. 

If you’re interested in partaking in management research like this, send us a message!

Moths, Caterpillars, and Restoration of Remnants

Moths, Caterpillars, and Restoration of Remnants

by | Oct 2, 2023 | Identification & Education

Moths, Caterpillars, and Restoration of Remnants 

By Robert J. Marquis

October 1, 2023

Schinia lucens adult on leadplant, Blueberry Hill Prairie, photograph by Christopher Smith. 

The goal of The Prairie Enthusiasts is to preserve and restore prairies and savannas in the Upper Midwest.  By this we mean the protection of the entire ecosystem, not only the plants but also the animals and microbes and all their intricate interactions with those plants and each other. It has long been feared that conservation efforts might result in “empty forests” (or in our case, “empty prairies”) in which the landscape appears to be intact but close-up, many if not all the once known animal inhabitants are missing. A major challenge is to document the effects of prairie and savanna management on the animal participants and their place in prairie food webs.  

 

The St. Croix Valley chapter in conjunction with Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) has managed a small remnant prairie (15 acres) for 18 years. This prairie, known as the Blueberry Hill Prairie, lies on the western bluff  (Minnesota side) of the St. Croix River, just opposite Hudson, Wisconsin. Beginning in 2013, volunteers of the chapter began to convert 11 acres of adjacent agricultural land into prairie. In 2023, the chapter initiated efforts to document the interactions between insects and plants that occur in the Blueberry Hill Prairie.  

One particular interaction of interest is that between leadplant (Amorpha canescens (Fabaceae)) and the Leadplant Flower Moth (Schinia lucens (Noctuidae)) (Swengel and Swengel 2006). The Leadplant Flower Moth occurs from western Michigan to eastern Montana, south to Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, and then again in Florida and South Carolina in the East, and in California and Arizona in the West (http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/species.php?hodges=11174). On July 6, 2023, Christopher Smith of MNDOT and Wayne Huhnke, a member of The Prairie Enthusiasts and steward of Blueberry Hill Prairie, searched the local population of leadplant on the prairie remnant for the Leadplant Flower Moth. After searching some over 500 plants, they found a single moth, which they photographed (Fig. 1). Surveys of lead plant at the Rocky Branch Prairie and the Foster Cemetery Conservation Area, both in the City of River Falls, Wisconsin, revealed no adults this year. The moth is bright mottled pink (Hess and Hatfield 2015, Henderson 2017), and therefore not easily missed.  

Black light setup before sunset (left) and after in the dark (right). Photographs by R. Marquis

The Leadplant Flower Moth is endangered in Michigan (Michigan DNR 2023) and Indiana (Indiana DNR 2023), of special concern in Minnesota (Minnesota DNR 2023), and of greatest conservation need in Wisconsin (Wisconsin DNR 2023a). It is highly specialized in habitat, food plant, and phenology, and it is this combination of characteristics that makes it vulnerable. In the Upper Midwest, it is found only on prairie, caterpillars feed only on leadplant, and then only on the flowers and developing fruits of the plant. This lifestyle forces it into a very narrow time window of activity. In the Upper Midwest, we might suspect that caterpillars of this species could also survive and mature on fruits of Amorpha fruticosa (indigo bush), given that even highly specialized species often can feed on more than one member of the same plant genus. But there are no feeding records for A. fruticosa (Robinson et al. 2002), perhaps because that plant in Wisconsin and Minnesota grows in moist woodlands, along streams, and in floodplains. The moth does occur outside of the range of A. canescens, meaning that it must feed on additional host plant species.

Late instar caterpillar of Schinia lucens, collected on leadplant at Blueberry Hill Prairie. Photo by R. Marquis
After finding the moth adult, the chapter held its first black-lighting event at Blueberry Hill Prairie on July 25, 2023 (Fig. 2). One goal was to attract more adults of this species to get a better sense of the population size. Schinia lucens adults are attracted to ultraviolet lights, establishing that they do fly at night (The Lepidopterist’s Society 1983, 1984). The other goal of black lighting was to more broadly survey the moth species that occur at that prairie. No Leadplant Flower Moths came to the lights that night, perhaps because it was past the flying date of adults. Using a beating sheet placed under lead plants, however, and gently shaking the plants, we were able to find two caterpillars suspected to be of the species. We reared one to a late instar, photographed it (Fig. 3), and then returned it to Blueberry Hill Prairie. The photos match those published online (identification by J. Sorgaard, pers. comm.). The caterpillar ate only developing fruits even though stems and leaves of leadplant were made available. At this time, seven other species of Lepidoptera are known to feed on leadplant parts (Hess and Hatfield 2015, R. Henderson, pers. comm.). None of them are sufficiently similar enough to confuse them with members of the genus Schinia.  

Given the decimation of North American prairie, it is not surprising to learn that five of seven species of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) listed as endangered or threatened in Wisconsin are prairie and savanna species (Wisconsin DRN 2023b), and all nine endangered or threatened Lepidoptera species in Minnesota are of prairie or savanna (Minnesota DNR 2023). A twelve-year survey of prairie and savanna sites in the Chicago area never or rarely encountered 44% of the insect species that are considered prairie/savanna specialists for the region (Panzer et al. 2010). All is not without hope, however. Even small prairie remnants, if of high quality, are not “empty,” as they can harbor prairie specialists (Panzer et al. 2010). In addition, restoration of prairie can be effective in augmenting species diversity and abundance. In Iowa, restored prairie begins to approach remnant prairies in moth diversity after seven years (Summerville et al. 2007). Restoration of prairie in Wisconsin, resulting in increased abundance of leadplant and the leadplant flower moth, further suggests that management can be an effective tool to recovering interactions (Henderson 2017). We will continue to monitor the status of Schinia lucens at Blueberry Hill Prairie, and at the other sites managed by the St. Croix Valley Chapter.  

Citations 

Henderson, R. 2017. Of checks, balances & seed production. The Prairie Promoter 30:6,8. 

Hess, M., and M.J. Hatfield. 2015. One plant at a time. The Prairie Promoter 28:1,4. 

Indiana DNR. 2023. Indiana county endangered, threatened and rare species list. https://www.in.gov/dnr/nature-preserves/files/np-Indiana-County-Endangered-Threatened-Rare-Species-List.pdf. Accessed 30 August 2023.  

Michigan DNR. 2023. Threatened and endangered species list. https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/wildlife-permits/threatened-endangered-species/threatened-and-endangered-species-list. Accessed 30 August 2023.  

Minnesota DNR. 2023. Minnesota’s endangered, threatened, and special concern species. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ets/index.html. Accessed 31 August 2023. 

Robinson G.S., Ackery P.R., Kitching I.J., Beccaloni G.W., Hernández L.M. 2002.  

Hostplants of the moth and butterfly caterpillars of America north of Mexico. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute, v. 69, 824 p. 

Summerville, K.S., Bonte, A.C. and Fox, L.C., 2007. Short‐term temporal effects on community structure of lepidoptera in restored and remnant tallgrass prairies. Restoration Ecology, 15(2), pp.179-188. 

Swengel, A.B. and Swengel, S.R., 2006. Variation in detecting Schinia indiana and Schinia lucens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Entomologist, 39(3 & 4), p.6. 

The Lepidopterists’ Society. 1983. Season summary. News Lepidoptera Society, no. 2. 

The Lepidopterists’ Society. 1984. Season summary. News Lepidoptera Society, no. 2. 

Wisconsin DNR. 2023a. Species of great conservation need. Wisconsin wildlife action plan. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/WildlifeHabitat/actionPlanSGCN. Accessed 30 August 2023.  

Wisconsin DNR. 2023b. Wisconsin’s endangered and threatened species list. https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/ETList . Accessed 30 August 2023.  

This article appeared in the Fall 2023 edition of the Prairie Promoter, a publication of news, art and writing from the Prairie Enthusiasts community. Explore the full collection and learn how to submit your work here. 

Want to stay up-to-date on events like this happening in the St. Croix Region? Send us an email to make sure you’re on their chapter email list.

Gneiss to Meet You

Gneiss to Meet You

by | Jul 25, 2023 | Inspiration

Gneiss to Meet You

Exploring a Rare Prairie Growing Upon Some of the World’s Oldest Rock

Story and Photos by Addeline Theis

July 25, 2023

Pulling up at the edge of a gas station parking lot in the small town of Morton, Minnesota, I had to double check if this was the correct way to enter the prairie. A small foot path leading up through hip–height sumac bushes was visible from my car.  It was a sign that others before me have taken this way to view the historical outcroppings. Obviously, this was my first ever visit to Morton Outcrops Scientific Natural Area (SNA). Unknowingly, I scrambled up some boulders to find myself above the landscape, overlooking the amazing river valley. Below my hiking boots were dark slabs of granite that were covered in encroaching lichen. Finding a lichen-less portion of the rock, I noticed distinctive swirling of the pink and black bands. This was the 3.6-billion-year-old Morton Gneiss (pronounced “nice”) dry prairie that the site was preserved around.

This site is one of Minnesota’s largest and highest quality examples of Crystalline Bedrock Outcrop Prairie, defined as a dry, open, lichen-dominated plant communities on areas of exposed bedrock. Woody vegetation is sparse within this prairie type, and vascular plants are restricted to crevices, shallow soil deposits and rainwater pools. Shallow soils found on the margins of the bedrock exposures host plant species that are adapted to this drought-prone microhabitats. This prairie system is quite different from the wet prairie potholes that developed all around this river valley and the species found at this dry prairie showcase the difference. As a botanist, finding the native Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia fragilis) thriving out of the knobby exposure was exhilarating. The idea of such an arid plant flourishing in this site is one of the driving forces that led me to investigate the natural history of this site further.

 

For geologists, the glacial history of southwestern Minnesota tallgrass prairie region usually does not draw up much interest. The last glacial period left this area covered in thick glacial till, covering up any bedrock for one to investigate. For soil scientists, this thick glacial till was the original parent material for developing the thick rich Mollisols soils that the prairies are known for.   

What draws geologists into this area is the events that happened after the glaciers melted. After the Des Moines lobe of the Laurentide Ice sheet retreated from southern Minnesota and the global temperature began to rise, meltwater began to collect in large inland lakes throughout southern Canada and the northern Midwest. The largest of these lakes was ancient Lake Agassiz. Varying water levels led to the lake overflowing a moraine ice dam near present day Browns Valley, creating an outlet river. Called Glacial River Warren, this outlet river was a prehistoric river that drained Lake Agassiz between about 13,500 and 10,650 BP (Before Present) years ago. The strength and power of Glacier River Warren carved out the valley that is now known as the Minnesota River Valley.

This violent history impacted the landscape of southern Minnesota as well as affected how plant communities would development within the valley. The tremendous power of Glacial River Warren cut through layers of glacial till and clay-rich deposits of weathered bedrock all the way down to scour some of the oldest bedrock in North America. Some of the bedrock exposed on the valley floor is as old as 3.6 billion years old. It is called Morton Gneiss (pronounced “nice”), and it formed deep in the earth’s crust, where extreme heat and pressure changed, or metamorphosed, an earlier kind of rock. The beautiful and distinctive banding of colorful minerals within the Morton Gneiss makes it an attractive building stone, which is used around the world. There are just a few similar exposures of Morton Gneiss in Minnesota, all in the Morton Area.  
This place is also an amazing story of private landowner conservation, Carl Colwell was instrumental in the site’s preservation. After completing a career in the military, Carl returned home to Morton, Minnesota where he served as Renville County Historical Society director for six years. He purchased 10 acres as a private citizen in 2009.  

Today the land is protected as a Scientific Natural Area (SNA) managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Colwell reflects:  

When I was a boy, the Dakota story I heard was that the rock was the keeper of all knowledge. It had seen everything since the beginning of time, and if someone would ask in the correct way, they would learn the answer. It was almost like a library. I, of course, didn’t believe that story at the time. Once I started escorting geologists, anthropologists, and “ists” of all sorts through the site, I started to hear the same story repeatedly. The rock has seen everything since the earth cooled. If we look carefully and study hard, we will learn the answer to our questions. 

Before returning to my vehicle, I took a few final moments on the ancient rocks, remembering that these rocks perhaps do have the answers to our questions. But only if we ask the right questions. I can only be thankful for the efforts of those that have contributed to the conservation and preservation of this site so that future generations can witness this library of knowledge within the Minnesota River Valley. 

If you’re interested in dry prairies, visit one of our sites, like Muralt Bluff Prairie. 

Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants

Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants

by | Jun 19, 2023 | Inspiration

Book Review: The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants

Written by Neil Diboll & Hillary Cox

Reviewed by Laurel Bennett

Neil Diboll, a well-known prairie ecologist associated with Prairie Nursery (also a member of the Prairie Sands Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts) and Hillary Cox, a botanist, horticulturist, and garden designer, have teamed up to write The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants.  

 

This 638-page book was originally intended as a field guide for identifying selected prairie species at all life stages. They certainly succeeded at that, providing extensive documentation on 145 prairie plants (18 grasses, 1 sedge and 133 forbs). But it is much more. Chapters range from “History and Ecology of the Prairie” to “The Prairie Food Web” but focus on establishing prairie gardens and ‘prairie meadows’, as the authors’ refer to a larger prairie planting, including propagating your own plants. Chapter 11 provides twelve different seed mixes for various combinations of soil types and prairie functions (butterflies, pollinators, deer resistant). Chapter 12 is stuffed with thirty more tables, covering many different parameters on prairie plants (color, height, bloom time, etc.) and some you might not even think to consider (root type, aggressiveness, groundcovers, specimen plants).  

The text is necessarily short on each topic but comprehensive in its coverage of the tallgrass biome. It is ideal for the beginner interested in planting and maintaining a prairie garden or ‘prairie meadow’ but even an experienced practitioner can pick up some good pointers.  

Surprisingly, the tables are not individually listed in the Table of Contents which would have been helpful. I also would have appreciated a few more references, so the reader could pursue topics in greater depth. 

There are a number of books and blogs on propagating prairie plants, on gardening with native plants, on establishing prairies and even a few on identification of seedling prairie plants. This book stands out for its breadth of coverage. 

You can find this book on Prairie Nursery’s website.

Find other interesting reads in our blog post: Our Winter Reading List