Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Good News for a Change — Invasives

Carol Andrews, Past President of the Wild Ones Arrowhead Chapter in Duluth, Minnesota sent me this story and I couldn’t wait to share it. Researchers participated in a long-term project in the Arboretum at Pennsylvania State University which involved the removal of 18 invasive shrub species in 2009. As they monitored for any re-occurance of non-native species over the next seven years, they found an increase in native plant diversity through the passive regrowth of understory species and some limited regrowth of overstory trees through natural regeneration.*

A plant community made up of White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum), False Rue Anemone (Isopyrum biternatum) and a variety of ferns is indicative of a healthy understory.

Because this 42 acre tract of old growth forest known as Hartley Wood was near a municipal park and a large residential area, it had become overrun by non-native species (likely introduced by uncaring shoes, clothing and tires). Non-native invasive shrubs, as we’ve all witnessed, create a dense, greedy understory typically non-usable by native wildlife, while native shrub understory becomes part of a healthy and stable forest ecosystem shared by birds, insects and other forest wildlife.

* Regrowth of native overstory trees was not as observable not only because of length of time for regrowth, but also because of known deer browse. There was also the closed-canopy which limited light conditions during the growing season.

So what does this mean for us?

Regardless whether you’re working in an area which has been disturbed time and again by development or in an area which may be old field or an old growth forest, the findings of this research confirms the need to work in an area small enough and affordable enough to manage from one season to the next. Remove all invasive species all at once, and then plan to continually monitor that area for any regrowth of non-native species.

Volunteer painting the cut trunk of an invasive buckthorn tree with herbicide at the WILD Center.

In a totally disturbed and probably even filled area, developing a native habitat will require a lot of work because you’ll be “starting from scratch” — any native plant seed or root systems will likely have been buried or destroyed. But I’m thinking in an old field area, you might see regrowth of some pre-existing native species. I know we did when we first began eradicating the Wild Parsnip from the old field next to the WILD Center. But we didn’t wait for seven years. After the third season of treatment, we added to the already regenerating native species by seeding the site with prairie species.

In an old growth forest area, I think I’d do the same thing — remove all invasive species all at once from an area the size you can handle successfully, and then plan to continually monitor that area for any regrowth of non-native species. The cited research indicates that native ephemerals, ferns and other typical understory plants should regenerate on their own. If you’re not willing to wait long-term for complete regrowth, you can always supplement with plants purchased through a reputable native plant nursery or your local Wild Ones chapter plant sale.

Read the complete study Invasive shrub removal benefits native plants in an eastern deciduous forest of North America. See also photos.

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Some More Signs of Spring

Took a stroll around our very soggy yard over the weekend and this is what I found blossoming for the pollinators.

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Pollinator Syndromes

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.

See also Pollination.

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Doug Tallamy & Mariette Nowak to Speak in Stevens Point April 12, 2019

Great news! Nationally known speaker and Wild Ones Honorary Director Doug Tallamy will be a keynote speaker for the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention and Water Action Volunteers Symposium to be held April 10-12, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. Doug will speak on April 12th at 9AM.

Additionally, Mariette Nowak, Author of Birdscaping in the Midwest, Past Director of Wehr Nature Center, Milwaukee County and President of Wild Ones Kettle Moraine Chapter will be speaking later in the afternoon from 2:45-3:45PM.

The Keynote Presentation

With a conference theme of “Pay it Forward,” Dr Tallamy’s presentation argues we all can “pay it forward” to nature by including many more native plants in our domesticated landscapes. He will take a closer look at how nature can (and does!) provide for itself through the complex web of life which is most often based on the relationship between plants and insects. Whether at an “up north” cabin or in the middle of Milwaukee, our deeds will be multiplied and eventually will return to us in the form of a more diverse and resilient natural community.

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for nearly forty years. His research demonstrates the enduring connections between plants and the insects that feed on them. Though we may think of these insects as pests, they are in fact critical food sources for native birds and small mammals.

Dr Tallamy is the author of the best-selling garden book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writers Association. He also co-authored with Richard Darke The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, a how-to book to “enable you to create a garden that is full of life and that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.”

Birdscaping Your Shoreline Property

The Tennessee Warbler migrates through Wisconsin from the Canadian Boreal forest. It is often referred to as a “nectar thief” because it will pierce the base of a flower tube to get nectar and not exchange any pollen. Photo by Dave Nowak

Mariette will present ways to increase the variety of birds on your shoreline property by growing native plants which offer birds a natural habitat and a yearlong smorgasbord of berries, nuts, seeds and insects. By doing so, she’ll show you how you can play a vital role in preserving and enhancing native communities that support not only birds, but also other wildlife including butterflies, bees, and bats. By taking on this role, you become a steward of your piece of Earth and pay forward its diversity and beauty to future generations. 

To register See you there!

Wisconsin Lakes Partnership

Sponsored by the UW-SP College of Natural Resources, UW-Extension Lakes Department, the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership is made up of three partners: the Department of Natural Resources (which supplies scientific research, technical expertise and regulatory authority), the UW-Extension Lakes Program (which provides supporting educational materials and programs), and Wisconsin Lakes (which mobilizes citizens to be advocates for lakes).

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