Category: Natural Landscaping | Accent on Natural Landscaping

Plant Pollination Strategies

April 15, 2019

The blossom of the Devil’s Claw (*Proboscidea parviflora*) looks pretty harmless, but wait until the plant reproduces and springs it seeds. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In an earlier post, I spoke about pollination syndromes. In this post I want to speak about pollination strategies. Pollination occurs through two means: 1) abiotic meaning without the involvement of organisms or 2) biotic meaning with the involvement of organisms. About 80 percent of all pollination is abiotic, while the remaining is primarily by wind with the assist of some water.

The US Forest Service has explained the difference between the various types of pollination transferrance as plant pollination strategies.

The Ghosts of Evolution

Getting a Devil’s Claw (*Proboscidea parviflora*) seed pod wrapped around one’s ankle or that of an animal can be a funny, but also painful experience. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

If you want to read a delightful book about the mysteries of evolution, try The Ghosts of Evolution — Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological anachronisms by Connie Barlow. It won’t keep you “rolling in the aisles” for the entire book, but it’s darn close.

Note: If you’ve ever gotten a Devil’s Claw (Proboscidea parviflora) caught around your ankle, you’ll want to read this book, pg 150+.

Revised Definition of “Waters of the United States”

April 12, 2019

Sunrise on the Fox River across from Lutz Park. Photo by Carol McIntyre

In 2015 the Obama administration published a new definition of “Waters of the United States (WOTUS).” In February 2019, the Trump administration proposes changes to that definition. See Federal Register Vol 84, No 31. The public has until April 15, 2019 to comment on the changes to the proposed definition of WOTUS.

Trump’s proposed rule change first repeals the Obama changes and then redefines the WOTUS, by omitting the nexus theory*, redefining navigable waters and adding “a typical year” and “upland” definitions. See comparison.

In my mind all water is interconnected. So why define it at all. Every impact is significant whether the waters are navigable or not. I believe the emphasis instead should be on how to determine jurisdictional authority and who will keep our water the safest.

*Nexus theory “includes two parts. First, there must be a connection to a downstream waters of the US. Second, the area in question must have an effect on the chemical, physical, or biological integrity of traditional navigable water.” (SwampSchool)

SUBMIT COMMENTS

To submit comments regarding these proposed changes, use one or all of the methods below. Be sure to identify Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OW–2018–0149 as the subject:

•Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ (preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.

•Email: OW-Docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW– 2018–0149 in the subject line of the message. Paste Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW– 2018–0149 into the search box.

•Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, Office of Water Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460. Include Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW– 2018–0149 in the subject line of the letter.

And don’t forget to let your congressmen know how you feel. Go to congress and don’t forget to identify Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OW–2018–0149 as the subject .

Pollinator Syndromes

April 10, 2019

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Coneflower (*Echinacea purpurea*). Native coneflowers make the perfect landing platform for pollinators.

Through evolution, plants and pollinators have adapted physical characteristics which allow them to interact successfully. These characteristics are often referred to as syndromes. “The flower type, shape, color, odor, nectar and structure vary by the type of pollinator that visits them.” Hence the reference to pollination syndromes. This means these characteristics can be used to “predict the type of pollinator that will aid the flower in successful reproduction.” (USFS)

Benefits of Predicting Pollinators

About 80 percent of all plant pollination is by organisms (wildlife). By knowing which syndromes attract which pollinators, farmers, crop growers and gardeners can plan the best combination of plants to make the most of the ecosystem services pollinators provide. Maximizing these ecosystem services allows

the plant to benefit from the intermixing of pollen from one plant to another to enable successful reproduction, and
the pollinator to benefit from the food resources it gathers as it travels from one plant to another to enable maximum nutrition.

Table of Pollinator Syndromes

The US Forest Service has put together a table of pollinator syndromes to help identify the potential plants with which pollinators may associate. This helpful chart will assist you in learning which flower traits attract different types of pollinators. See also Pollinator Syndromes by Pollinator Partnership.

On-Line Help Picking the Right Native Plant – Update

April 1, 2019

Chickadees feed 300+/- caterpillars to their chicks daily. Photo by Doug Tallamy. — Chickadees feed 300+/- caterpillars to their chicks daily. Photo by Doug Tallamy

There are good resources to help pick the right native plant for the right place on-line from nursery websites. There are also non-nursery on-line programs available to help with plant selection.

ON-LINE NATIVE PLANT SELECTION SOURCES

The newest on-line program I’ve stumbled across is the Ecoregional Planting Guides provided by the Pollinator Partnership entitled Selecting Plants for Pollinators. All you need do is enter your zip code. It’s a complete planting guide, but on page 16 begins a list of plant names that attract pollinators. There is also an smart app available for download.

Audubon has a program called Native Plants Database. It’s easy to use. Just put in your e-mail address and zip code and a number of tabs pop up showing lists of native plants, what they host, local resources for native plants and next steps. It also references butterflies, caterpillars and birds use.

Tiger Swallowtail on Cherry Tree. Native Prunus support 456 species of caterpillars. Photo by Doug Tallamy. — Tiger Swallowtail on Cherry Tree. Native *Prunus* support 456 species of caterpillars. Photo by Doug Tallamy

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center‘s Native Plants program has been around for a long time. This program asks for your state and a variety of site characteristics (habitat type, light, soil moisture, etc) and then brings up a list of suitable plants. It also includes a comprehensive database of native plants which includes a variety of information from description of blooms and leaves and growing conditions to benefits and distribution in the USA and Canada.

There’s also the NWF’s (National Wildlife Federation) Native Plant Finder program based on Doug Tallamy‘s research on which trees host which caterpillars. Here you also put in your zip code and it brings up appropriate native plants and butterflies and creates a list for you.

LOCAL PLANT SEARCH PROGRAMS

There are also many localized plant search resources. For example, the Missouri Botanical Garden has a program called Plant Finder. Although this listing includes non-natives, you can select for only Missouri natives by soil type, amount of light, height of plants, etc.

Monarch butterfly on New England Aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae). — New England Aster (*Symphotrichum novae-angliae*) is a favorite fall forb used by many pollinators including monarch butterflies.

The Morton Arboretum has an extensive Search Trees and Plants program for both natives and non-natives broken down by a variety of site information including the hardiness zones. It also allows you to select for landscape use and season of interest as well as growth rate. Don’t forget to select the native locale.

And the Grow Native website from the Missouri Prairie Foundation that includes a Native Plants Database for wildlife besides all the typical site selection criteria.

SPECIALIZED PLANT SEARCH PROGRAMS

Turk’s Cap Lily (*Lilium superbum*) grows in wet to well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Their Turk’s cap-like blooms have orange flowers with a green star in their center and are densely spotted with maroon. A gorgeous addition to any rain garden.

There are also sites devoted to plant selection for specialized gardens such as raingardens from the Central Ohio Rain Garden Initiative‘s Quick Guide to Native Plants for Rain Gardens. Or pollinators from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. See their Pollinator-Friendly Plant Lists. And for monarch butterflies such as the listing of Milkweed Species Beneficial to the Monarch Butterfly developed by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

If you are using other plant selection programs to help you design your gardens and natural landscapes, don’t hesitate to let me know by adding a comment to this post or by sending me an e-mail.