Accent on Natural Landscaping Inc

Natural Landscaping

February 13, 2016

Do you have a passion for native plants and natural landscaping? Do you wish you knew more about native plants and biodiversity? If so, I invite you to join this blog and learn about native plants, natural landscaping and biodiversity a little at a time.

As Executive Director of Wild Ones for 17 years, one of the things I enjoyed the most was to share with members and others the new and interesting information I learned about things related to the Wild Ones mission. So now as I continue on with my next life adventure, [Read more…]

Rights-of-Way Connect Habitat

June 20, 2018

Reprinted below, with permission, is an e-mail from Iris Caldwell of the Rights-Of-Way as Habitat Working Group. For more about Pollinator Week go to Accent on Natural Landscaping post.

In honor of National Pollinator Week, we worked with the artist Megan Murrell to create the above illustration depicting rights-of-way as habitat. We think it’s a beautiful representation of the opportunities for energy and transportation lands to support pollinators and other wildlife. Best of all: it’s here to share! Perfect for posters, social media, or desktop inspiration. (Note from Donna: What a gorgeous poster!)

It’s exciting to see so many of you celebrating Pollinator Week on your websites and in social media. We’re posting to LinkedIn throughout the week, and will be launching our new website very soon.

Please contact me if you’d like copies of the “Rights-of-Way Connect Habitat” illustration—we have several versions available.

In other news, here are a few other announcements and upcoming events:

UIC published a press release yesterday publicizing the unique partnership that has formed to develop the monarch butterfly Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances. Thank you to all of you who have contributed time and resources to move this exciting effort forward. We now have more than 26 partners operating in 45 states across the U.S.!
If you are interested in learning more about the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s newly launched Monarch Conservation Database, there will be a tutorial webinar TOMORROW, June 21, s018 at 11:00am CDT. More information can be found here.
We are excited to host the webinar Monarchs and Roadsides: Mowing Practices next week on June 27, 2018 at 10:00 – 11:00am CDT. Edward Entsminger from Mississippi State University, Stephanie Dobbs from Illinois Department of Transportation, and Doug Landis from Michigan State University will present their perspectives on mowing practices that benefit pollinators along roadsides. For more information and to register, please go here.
A recording of our last webinar Monarchs and Roadsides: A Research Update is available on our website.
Mark your calendars for our next Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group meeting on Chicago, IL. More information will be available soon.
Other upcoming webinars of interest include:

o Wildlife Habitat Council presents How to Build a Successful Conservation Program on June 26 at 1:00pm – 2:00pm EDT. More information is available here.

o Monarch Joint Venture and the National Conservation Training Center present Milkweed Seed Collection on June 26 at 2:00pm EDT. More information is available here.

Have a great week!

Iris Caldwell, P.E.
Program Manager – Sustainable Landscapes

Energy Resources Center
The University of Illinois at Chicago
1309 S Halsted Street, MC 156
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 355-1483
iriscald@uic.edu

American Toads 2018

June 19, 2018

As you read in my earlier post, we had tadpoles in our pool cover again this year. Only one batch, however, which is unusual. They were all gone by the 7th, so I opened my pool on Saturday, June 9th. Here’s some a new video. This is the first time, I’ve actually been able to witness them leaving the pool

After growing from a tadpole to a teeny-tiny American Toad in the security of our pool cover, they crawl up the sides of the cover and hop off to see what they can see. Sometimes it takes more than one try! (‘Wish the film could have been a little sharper, but at least I have a record for this year.

National Pollinator Week – June 18-24, 2018

June 15, 2018

The 2018 Pollinator Week poster, “Pollinators and Seeds,” shows how a diversity of managed and native pollinators supports healthy wildlands and a nutritious food supply in North America. In turn, native plant communities that sustain pollinators are an essential foundation for ecosystem integrity and diversity. (Pollinator.org)

As I’ve posted many times, pollination is a vital part of any ecosystem and ecosystems are a vital part of our well-being here on Earth. We should not overlook their importance, and, in fact, should become a vital part of seeing that they stay healthy — for the future of our food depends upon it.

To that end, two years ago, the US Senate passed a resolution which designated a week for pollinators. This year Pollinator Week is June 18 – 24.

A big factor in getting this resolution passed was the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC). “NAPPC is a growing, collaborative body of more than 160 diverse partners, including respected scientists, researchers, conservationists, government officials and dedicated volunteers which is succeeding with major programs to protect pollinators, to raise pollinator-related issues, and to benefit the health of all species – particularly those most threatened.”

Pollinator Week Toolkit

The Pollinator Partnership has prepared a Pollinator Week 2018 Toolkit for us to use in getting the word out about the importance of pollinators. It has some good information in it and some great graphics.

See other Accent on Natural posts on pollination.

More on Invasive Dame’s Rocket

June 13, 2018

Probably “most ornamental gardeners if asked which was the undesirable plant in this picture would immediately choose to eliminate the native, wildlife-friendly Sumac, not the ‘pretty’ Dame’s Rocket!” Photo by Janet Allen

Janet Allen, President of the Wild Ones Habitat Gardening in Central New York Chapter sent some additional information to consider regarding Eurasian Dame’s Rocket:

I know butterflies use Dame’s Rocket, but looking at the bigger picture most information indicates it’s a problem. Here are a few resources:

USDA Forest Service “It competes with native herbaceous plants at the edges of woodlands, in woodland openings, and in semi-open forests. This competition for light, moisture, and nutrients may inhibit tree seedling germination and growth.”
Applied Ecological Services “Remember, as beautiful as Dame’s rocket may appear, it is an invasive species with the potential to damage entire natural ecosystems. Take action now to defend your environment. For information about various treatment strategies, please contact your state’s Department of Natural Resources.”
Northwest Michigan – Midwest Invasive Species Information Network “Like most invasive plants on the Top 20 list for northwest Michigan, dame’s rocket forms monocultures that replace native plants in high quality natural areas, which in turn reduces critical food resources for birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures. Dame’s rocket is a relative of garlic mustard and often grows with garlic mustard. It has similar growth patterns and can take over habitat of native wildflowers and tree seedlings.”
Southeastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium “…are prolific bloomers and produce large quantities of seed from May into July. Each plant may have several clusters of flowers at various stages of development, enabling the plant to produce both flowers and seeds at the same time.”

Some good native alternatives to Dame’s Rocket include Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Bee Balm aka Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), any of the phlox (Phlox spp) and Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia).