Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Monarch Numbers Drop to Below 2017-2018 Levels

Monarch Status

Something unbelievable has happened to the monarch butterfly population. Due to the extreme climate conditions, the loss of milkweed habitat in the United States and Canada, and deforestation of Mexico, the monarchs’ status dropped to below the 2017-2018 levels.

Scientists estimate 2.1 hectares of North American monarchs overwintering in Mexico during 2020-2021. At least 6 hectares is necessary for a sustainable population of eastern monarchs. Photo by Wendy Caldwell of Monarch Joint Venture.

Illegal Logging

Illegal logging in the monarchs’ wintering grounds rose to almost 13.4 hectares (33 acres). Plus, wind storms, drought, beetles, and disease caused the loss of another 6.9 hectares (17 acres) in the reserve. In addition, the butterflies are looking for water since the forests are dry from the drought. They look for water at the lower level of the slopes, leaving the warmth of the pine and fir trees in the upper level.

What Can You Do to Help?

Habitat loss, particularly the host plant milkweed, pesticide and herbicide use, as well as climate change, all pose threats to the species’ migration.

Reference The Amazing Monarch Migration. Monarchs need milkweed for the spring, and during the summer and fall migration, the adults need nectar. They use asters, meadow blazingstar, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, beebalm, and other native flowers (as well as some non-native ones). The efforts to create, maintain, enhance, and protect habitat for monarchs and pollinators can make a difference. Creating and maintaining habitat, educating others, contributing data to citizen science programs, and advocating for the protection of wild spaces are things we all can do.

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The e-mail photo is by Wendy Caldwell.

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Leopold Week March 5-14, 2021

March signals the return of geese, the flow of maple sap, and the squawking of cranes. Every March, people celebrate Leopold Week with events that depict the land ethic. This year Leopold Week is March 5-14, 2021.

Stan Temple, University of Wisconsin-Madison emeritus professor of forest and wildlife ecology and senior fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation is pictured near the historic Aldo Leopold Shack in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Photo by Jeff Miller/UW-Madison.

There are several virtual programs being offered by the Aldo Leopold Foundation. It is free but you must register.

Join the celebration of Leopold’s mission to inspire care for the land and all living things. Join the celebration across the country to come together to celebrate Aldo Leopold and the land ethic through community readings, film screenings, outdoor activities, and more.

Virtual Readings by University of Wisconsin-Madison

You are invited to join the UW-Madison virtual readings of A Sand County Almanac. It starts at 1 p.m. and concludes about 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 6, 2021. “This is a special event,” per Tim Eisele. Not only because Leopold is a special person to anyone who values natural resources, but also because he was the first research director at the UW-Arboretum, and during his time on campus he and his students conducted much research at the Arboretum.”

A Sand County Almanac  There is a registration link about a third of the way down the page.

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The e-mail photo is by Jack Bartholmai.

 

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It’s Time to Reauthorize Wisconsin’s Stewardship Program

In 1989, Governor Tommy Thompson and the Wisconsin legislature created the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to preserve valuable natural areas and wildlife habitat, protect water quality and fisheries, and expand the opportunities for outdoor recreation. Normally, the Stewardship Program is on a 10-year cycle, but it was only budgeted for three years until 2022. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) has recommended that Governor Evers’ next biennial budget include 10-year reauthorization of the program through 2031. The Nature Conservancy was deeply involved in crafting this recommendation and will work with the governor, state legislators of both parties, and the WDNR to ensure that this recommendation is adopted in the next state budget.

We have time to get a coalition of partners from other conservation, hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation groups to increase funding for the program, and reauthorize it for a longer period of time.

What Does the Stewardship Program Do?

One of the projects that was helped by the Stewardship Funds. This is the Guckenberg-Sturm Marsh on Little Lake Butte des Morts. Photo taken by Donna VanBuecken.

More than 90 percent of Wisconsinites recognize the importance of reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to protect our state’s lands, waters, and wildlife, fight climate change with natural solutions, maintain our mental and physical well-being, and grow our outdoor recreation and local economies. (The Nature Conservancy)

  • Clean Water — Protecting the forests, wetlands and grasslands that filter out pollutants in runoff before they reach our lakes, rivers, and groundwater.
  • Groundwater Protection — Protecting the lands that are essential to replenish the groundwater is critical to ensure a consistent supply of clean, safe water.
  • Flood Protection — Protecting grasslands, wetlands, and forests along rivers upstream to store water and help reduce the risk of severe flooding downstream.
  • Recreation Economy — Protecting hundreds of thousands of acres of land and hundreds of river miles for hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, and other types of recreation.
  • Urban Outdoor Opportunities — Providing outdoor opportunities near home for all Wisconsin residents, including more trails and parks for those living in cities and surrounding urban areas.
  • Wildlife Habitat — Protecting large blocks of wetlands, forest, and prairie for birds, waterfowl, pollinators, bats, small and large mammals, and other rare, protected, and endangered species to roam.
  • Working Lands — Protecting working forest, prairie, and rivers in Wisconsin, along with the jobs and products they provide.

Nonpartisan Program

The Stewardship Fund is a nonpartisan program. It was named after former governors Warren Knowles, a Republican, and Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat. It’s the right thing to do for Wisconsin’s land, water, and wildlife. We have to make sure our lawmakers know how important land and water protection is for our state.

Write the legislature today.

Please let them know what you think about it.

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The e-mail photo courtesy of WDNR.

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Bird/Pollinator-Friendly Garden

All I see is sparrows! Donna VanBuecken

As cold as it has been, the birds have nowhere to go other than to hunker down in the bushes and leaf piles. Just sparrows – this was a result of my bird count.

In general, bird are nature’s messengers. As populations of birds change, those fluctuations may indicate shifts in pollution levels, climate change, habitat loss, migration timing, and more. How will birds be affected by habitat loss, pollution, disease, climate, and other environmental changes? How will you change?

Bird/Pollinator-Friendly Garden

Plant a landscape in which birds and pollinators will have a chance of dealing with climate change. More native plants means more choices of food and shelter for native birds and pollinators. More native plants will be colorful, visually appealing, and more healthy for the landscape. The landscape will need no watering or fertilizer because of the deep roots. More than half of the birds and pollinators are threatened as a result of the changing world.

The National Audubon Society has some points for your native-plant garden:

Chickadees feed 300+/- caterpillars to their chicks daily. Photo by Doug Tallamy.
Chickadees feed about 300 caterpillars to their chicks daily. In the 16 days it takes to fledge, chicks can eat more than 9,000 larvae. Photo by Doug Tallamy.

557: Varieties of butterflies and moths are supported by native oak trees, as compared to only 5 butterfly and moth species supported by non-native ginkgo trees.

96: Percentage of land birds that rely on insects to feed chicks.

1,200: Number of crops that depend on pollinators to grow.

30-60: Percent of fresh water in American cities used for watering lawns.

40 million: Acres of lawn in the U.S. currently.

80 million: Pounds of pesticides applied to lawns in the U.S. annually. Native plants, on the other hand, support a balance of predator and prey, and thrive without pesticides.

17 million: Gallons of fuel used each year for refueling lawn equipment while polluting the air and groundwater.

800 million: Gallons of gasoline used annually by lawn mowers. This produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, driving climate change.

Easy Ways to Create Bird/Pollinator Friendly Gardens

Recommended native plants for sunny areas by designer Rosemary Eiden (WOFVAC).

Create native landscapes that will benefit birds and pollinators and you. This website provides practical, educationally sound information on native landscaping developed specifically for first-time native-plant gardeners. Included in the website is native-garden designs created by professional landscape designers for multiple ecoregions in the United States. The native-plant list takes into account the various light, soil, and moisture conditions. Read more at the Wild Ones.

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The e-mail photo is by Doug Tallamy.

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