Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Prairie Strips have Big Impacts on Pollinators and Water Pollution

Iowa State University initiated a program in 2003 which focuses on planting tallgrass native prairie strips in farm fields, benefiting soil, water and biodiversity. It is called STRIPS. The benefits determined so far can be found in their easy to read report Prairie Strips: Small Changes, Big Impacts.

Prairie STRIPS

The Science-based Trials of Row-crops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) program studies the effects of native tallgrass prairie on soil, water, and biodiversity on farms.

Photo of prairie strip courtesy of Iowa State University

Strips of native prairie of varying sizes have been planted on experimental and commercial farms. The strips are often employed in concert with other regenerative agriculture techniques such as cover crops and no-till practices. (Regenerative agriculture seeks to capture carbon in soil and above-ground biomass to reduce greenhouse gas accumulation and support soil health, water quality and native wildlife.)

After several years of data collection, the STRIPS team found including even a small amount of native prairie on a farm substantially improves water quality and nutrient retention, reduces erosion, and generates other benefits.

For example, in farmed watersheds, the addition of only “10 percent prairie reduced sediment export by 95 %, phosphorus export by 90 %, and nitrogen export by nearly 85 % in surface runoff water when compared 100 percent row crop watersheds.”

Tallgrass prairie is a diverse mixture of native grasses and flowering plants uniquely adapted to the climate and soils of the central United States. Prairie strips keep vital soil resources in crop fields. Deep-rooted prairie plants increase soil organic matter and improve water infiltration. The
plants’ stiff, upright stems slow surface runoff and help hold soil in place during heavy rains. (Prairie Strips: Small Changes, Big Impacts) Photo taken at Flint Hills Scenic Byway Wildflower Identification Garden

Further, after seven years, “an average of 51 native plant species were found in prairie strips, compared to 13 species found within the row crop areas.” These native plants, of course, provide habitat for birds, small mammals, bees and butterflies, and other beneficial organisms that cycle nutrients, increase soil fertility, and provide pest control and pollination services. Fields with prairie strips host “twice as many birds and bird species than those with 100 percent row crops.” (Prairie Strips: Small Changes, Big Impacts)

There is one concern, however. The Xerces Society is concerned about the results from farmers who are integrating the STRIPS program, but still using agricultural chemicals in the surrounding row crops. These chemicals could potentially harm pollinators and other organisms attracted to the prairie strips. The Xerces Society is monitoring this concern.

A really good article about the STRIPS program can be found at Civil Eats.

Wouldn’t it be grand if farmers would begin to reverse the loss of native habitat and biodiversity which has resulted because of modern-day agricultural practices, by simply adding some prairie strips to their fields? ‘Practical and beautiful as well!

The information above was reprinted in part from the Native Plant Conservation Campaign with permission from Emily B Roberson, PhD.

Thanks also to Sharon Bochner who brought a similar article to my attention.

   Send article as PDF   

Forest Fire causes Fungi to Grow

Fire-loving fungi are among the first organisms to appear on the forest floor after a fire, followed closely by mosses and lichens. Photo by Karen Hughes

With all the forest fires rampaging through the drought-stricken areas of the USA and Canada, there appears to be at least one other glimmer of goodness that comes from all this damage. I think we’re all familiar with the Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) from western USA, which requires fire to melt the resin from its serotinous cones so they can germinate. But there is also a fungi which becomes active and grows after a forest fire. It is called Pyrophilous.

A variety of club mosses (Lycopodium spp) appear on the stump and around it on the forest floor.

A study conducted by Daniel B Raudabaugh etal suggests that Pyrophilous taxas are endophytes of bryophytes and club moss, and also endolichenic fungi of lichens. What this means is that the Pyrophilous fungi which appear out of the ashes of a forest fire are apparently living patiently in the bodies of mosses and lichens just waiting for a forest fire to free them to grow.

Further investigation needs to be conducted to determine the extent and duration of the endophytic relationship – can it go on forever if there is no forest fire?

Other research has suggested that Pyrophilous fungi spores lie dormant in the soil or that they occur as mycorrhiza root pathogens or soil saprobes. Still other evidence suggests they might also be found in tree trunks or the tree canopies. However, there is still a lot to research about the Pyrophilous taxa.

A really good layman’s explanation of this phenomenon can be found in PhysOrg

Other Plants Requiring Fire to Germinate

Other pines which produce serotinous cones include the Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) aka Scrub Pine which grows in North Central and Northeastern USA and Table Mountain Pine (Pinus pungens) aka Hickory or Prickly Pine which grows in the Appalachian Mountains.

Another plant which appears after a forest fire in Northern California and Southeastern Oregon is the Baker’s Globe Mallow (Iliamna bakeri) aka Baker’s Wild Hollyhock. This flowering shrub needs the extreme heat of fire to germinate and produce its beautiful pink blossoms.

Vocabulary (in order of use):

Serotinous means remaining closed on the tree with seed dissemination delayed or occurring gradually.(Merriam-Webster)

Fungal endophytes are extremely common and highly diverse microorganisms that live within plant tissues, but usually remain asymptomatic. (Oxford Academic)

Endolichenic fungi are diverse groups of predominantly filamentous fungi that reside asymptomatically in the interior of lichen thalli. (ResearchGate)

Mycorrhiza is a a beneficial type of fungi that grows in association with most plant roots. … Mycorrhizae also release powerful enzymes that help dissolve nutrients such as organic nitrogen, phosphorous, and iron. Mycorrhiza may also be known as fungus root. (Maximum Yield)

Pathogen is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host. The term is most often used for agents that disrupt the normal physiology of a multicellular animal or plant. (ScienceDaily)

Saprobes are the group of fungi that act as decomposers, feeding on dead and decaying wood, leaves, litter, and other organic matter. To digest this they secrete enzymes that break it down. (Te Ara)

Thalli plural for tallus refers to the body of a plant that does not have leaves, stems and roots. In botany, historically, this term has been applied to algae, fungi and the various divisions of bryophytes. Although algae and fungi are no longer classified as plants, the term thallus has been retained to refer to the bodies of algae and fungi. (Botany Dept U of Hawaii at Manoa)

   Send article as PDF   

Sprezzatura in the Fall Garden

The following post by Stephpanie Walquist is reprinted from the West Cook Wild Ones website. I found her  description of the beauty of the fall prairie wonderfully refreshing.

Flanked by the bronze stems of the faded Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata), the Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) sets off the earthy tones of prairie sprezzatura.

Rembrandt, an Old Master who used earth tones to offset golden light, used a technique he termed sprezzatura, meaning apparent carelessness. In the spirit of artistic and environmental sensibilities, let us native gardeners unite under this term.  Allowing the gardens to stand during fall and winter, we might appear careless about the gardens, but instead we are intentionally caring for biodiversity.

If we cut everything down, where would Bumblebee sleep? The “unsightly” holes? Reminders that Monarch caterpillars were there. Photo by Stephanie Walquist

Standard gardening wisdom says to cut everything down when things start to die. This would be a loss–nothing to look at as well as the devastation to the animals that depend on our yards. Instead of cutting our plants down because they do not conform to conventional garden aesthetics, it’s time to unlearn that habit of seeing and learn to appreciate these plants and their colors as they prepare for winter. We are in good company, like the Old Masters, or Piet Oudolf, designer of Lurie Gardens. Let’s revel in the glorious golds, maroons, vermillions, siennas, and umbers that decaying plants offer us.

This attitude might be a relief too if you’ve felt like you failed because you didn’t have fall interest or winter interest and feel like you have to work hard to get plants that have structures to rival flowers all year long. The good news is that if you have plants around you, you already have fall and winter interest.

Let’s change our aesthetics, our idea of what’s beautiful. We could start to look at the yellows of Common Milkweed with a new appreciation while expanding our color vocabulary. Right now, the leaves on my milkweed are chartreuse with some at the top a glowing gold as they hold the sunlight. Later, they will be more of an ochre as the sun moves overhead.

Leaves are a beautiful dusty vermillion. Photo by Stephanie Walquist

Brown is a beautiful color–there are so many shades of it, and when the light hits brown leaves, they can look purple or red in hue. The stems and leaves on White Snakeroot are a gorgeous russet color. Some of the milkweed stems are a toasted almond color, with the veins becoming more mahogany. The Rose Milkweed leaves are a dark ivy green with mottling of plum and rose hues. It just takes a few moments to start to see the beauty in decaying plants.

These colors are produced by chemical pigments, adding an extra layer of interest as we look at different plants and notice what their fall colors are once chlorophyll production begins to subside. The Common Milkweed’s yellow is an outcome of xanthophyll and carotenoids. But Rose Milkweed usually turn wine-colored, which is the result of anthrocyanins. Does that impact Monarch caterpillars? Science and art always end up overlapping.

As the fall progresses, and plants begin the process of shutting down, let’s challenge ourselves to see the beauty in the autumnal palette of decay, making way for winter, readying for spring.

   Send article as PDF   

Sign-Up for Wisconsin Landscape Pesticide Registry by February 1, 2020

The Landscape Registry allows Wisconsin residents to be notified 12 hours before commercial pesticide application businesses apply pesticides to neighboring property. If you wish to be included in the 2020 season, you must enroll in the Wisconsin Landscape Pesticide Registry by February 1, 2020. If you do not take the steps below, your registration will expire. If you no longer want advanced notification, no action is required.

Follow these steps:

  1. Log into https://mydatcp.wi.gov/Account/LogOn using the email and password you used last year. If you do not remember your password, click the “Forgot Password?” link to reset it.
  2. Click on the “Registries / Lists” tab.
  3. Click the “Landscape Registry” link. A video with instructions for signing up online is linked from this page.
  4. On the screen “1. Applicant Information” verify your contact information and home address are correct. A valid phone number is required.
  5. For screen “2. Additional Addresses” you may enter a mailing address if yours is different than your home address, e.g. PO Box.
  6. Register properties you want advanced notice of on screen “3. Select Parcels.” Properties registered last year will be listed below the map. Confirm each address that you want to continue receiving advanced notice. Add or delete properties as desired. To register new properties start by entering your home address in the pop up box and a blue dot will be placed on the map in front of your home. Register notification properties by clicking the “Add Parcel from Map” or “Add Parcel Manually” button, and then enter the address. Do this for each property you want to register. Click on the map to get address information for parcels. After adding your parcels click submit.
  7. Your registration will be confirmed on screen, “4. Complete”. You can then log out. You will receive a confirmation email that lists each property that you register.
  8. You can log into your MyDATCP account until the Feb. 1 deadline and repeat these steps to add more properties.

If you do not want to register online request a hard copy application form from datcplandscaperegistry@wisconsin.gov and return the completed form via USPS mail by Feb. 1.

The above notice is reprinted in part from the DATCP notice dated 11-1-2019.

   Send article as PDF