Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Flower Stalks for Bee Nests

One of the things I learned from Heather Holm's recent participation in the Fox Cities Book Festival was to leave the flower stems from my prairie plants standing for use by the solitary bees for their nests. What a novel idea! Heather suggested cutting the stems of the prairie plants at about 12  … [Read more...]

More Yellows of a Late Summer Prairie

Late summer is a great time to see all the yellow blooming forbs of the prairie. Although this year between the hot humid weather, the bugs and now the rain storms, some of the plants are getting pretty beaten up, I managed to catch a few more good shots. See what you think about these…. See … [Read more...]

Tall Ironweed (Vernonia altissima)

I have many favorite native plants for many reasons, but one of the Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) plants which grows in my wet mesic prairie is a special favorite. Over the years, my Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter has conducted plant rescues in conjunction with the widening of Wisconsin Highway … [Read more...]

Yellows of a Late Summer Prairie

Late summer is a great time to see all the yellow blooming forbs of the prairie. Although this year between the hot humid weather, the bugs and now the rain storms, some of the plants are getting pretty beaten up, I managed to catch a few good shots. See  what you think.... *I noticed the … [Read more...]

Parsnip Predator

In response to my earlier post on Wild Parsnip, Wild Parsnip - Another Non-Native Look-Alike,  I got an e-mail from Wild Ones friend Tim Lewis who reminded me about the Parsnip Predator. Tim wrote, "I have this tool and I use it to sever the roots of small trees, dig up some sturdy plants and to dig … [Read more...]

Establishing and Maintaining Native Meadows Podcast July 24th

I had the pleasure of hearing Larry Weaner speak many years ago when I was still pretty much of a novice with natural landscaping and native plants, so I am pleased to learn he will be part of a podcast on Establishing and Maintaining Native Meadows in the Eastern USA on Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at … [Read more...]