Category: Wildlife | Accent on Natural Landscaping

Labor Day 2019

September 2, 2019

Labor Day is a good day to reflect on life and the work we put into maintaining our natural environment when sometimes people all around us seem to continue be so unconscious of its importance. Take the time to get outside today and just savor nature and the web of life of which we are so blessed to be a part.

There are a few Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) in my prairie which didn’t get knocked down by the fallen trees. Two Goldfinches are enjoying a late summer treat of seeds before they start shedding their bright yellow colors. The one to the right is kind of hidden by the Cupplant blossoms, but if you look closely you’ll see its tail pop out. Hope you’ve been enjoying your three-day holiday, just like these guys certainly are!

An Experiment with Non-Native Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’

August 23, 2019

There is a large area of non-native Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ between our deck and our patio. They were there when we bought the house and they stay pretty well confined to this area, so I leave them. My husband thinks they’re pretty. I guess I do too, BUT — they do not seem to feed any insects.

In this short video you can see insects buzzing around the goldenrod (Solidago sp) and the Spotted Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), gathering nourishment, but no insects are visiting the Goldsturm. I will occasionally see an insect land on a Goldsturm blossom, but they only circle the brown center disk and then fly away to the nearby native species (which have invaded!). They don’t seem to gather any nectar or pollen from the Goldsturm.

Pros and Cons of Nativars or Cultivars

Two migrating species, the Monarch (*Danaus plexippus*) and Painted Lady (*Vanessa cardui*) butterflies getting some last minute nectar on a very windy day, September 20, 2017. The Painted Lady is sitting just above the birdbath. Notice the *Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’* in the photo. Neither butterfly was interested in this cultivar; only the native New England Aster (*Symphyotricum novae-angliae*).

There are pros and cons to be cited about cultivars of native plants or nativars. Certainly in the case of the Goldsturm, they are very beautiful with their glossy bright yellow-gold petals and dark brown center disk. They bloom for a very long time. And because they are a cultivar of the Rudbeckia, they thrive without much TLC adapting to almost any soil and light conditions.

However, the cons are more serious for wildlife. I’m not a botanist so I don’t know why insects aren’t visiting this plant for nourishment. I do know, however, when horticulturalists tinker with native plants to develop a desired characteristic, the result can change pollen quality or quantity. It can also change the availability of the nectar. Sometimes it is absent; sometimes it just can’t be accessed by wildlife.

Last year was the first year I saw any birds visiting the Goldsturms. Two Goldfinches stopped to check out the seed, but didn’t stay long and I didn’t see them come back. I assume the seed was not to their liking. Here is another con — cultivars are often sterile which means they don’t produce seeds for wildlife to eat.

For more thoughts on this, you might like to read a nicely written article on this subject by Rhonda Fleming Hayes entitled Plants for the garden: native vs. native enough. Thank you Julia Lundmark Vanatta for bringing this article to my attention.

National Water Quality Month

August 14, 2019

With all the flooding we’ve experienced around the country this year (and around the globe), it’s important we think about water quality. So it is a fitting reminder that August is National Water Quality Month. As native plant enthusiasts however, we already know we are doing our part to maintain water quality.

Compared to the roots of the non-native Kentucky bluegrass (far right), prairie plants and grasses have an extensive root system which helps absorb moisture and prevent erosion. See also Root of the Matter. (Graphic by Janet Wissink)

Native Plants and Water

Native plants — planted in the right place — do not require artificially provided potable water from a hose to survive. With their intense, sometimes very long, root systems native plants draw all the water they need from the soil in which they grow. These splendid root systems also serve to reduce water runoff by allowing the water to percolate deep into the soil instead of running directly to a nearby storm sewer, ditch or paved road. Some of these amazing root systems also serve to cleanse contaminants from the runoff preventing this pollution from getting into our natural waterways.

So besides providing habitat for our wildlife species, native plant enthusiasts are also providing a water quality service all year round and not just in August. Pat yourselves on the back! You deserve an atta-boy!! You deserve our thanks!!!

What to do to maintain Water Quality

See

August is National Water Quality Month

Dogwoods – Part 1

August 5, 2019

The other day my husband John and I were having breakfast on the deck, overlooking the prairie, and he asked “are those red things on the dogwood berries?” Nope, they were not, but from a distance the bright red stems left from the Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) fruits sure did stand out.

Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

I love the distinctive branching pattern of the Pagoda Dogwood. It branches horizontally in a distinct tiered appearance, growing much wider than it is tall. It reminds me of a Japanese Garden.

Like all dogwoods, it has clusters or panicles of four-petaled flowers in the spring which form berries or drupes. Its berries are bluish-black in color with red flower stalks or peduncles. It’s clusters of creamy white flowers are flat-topped. They ripen in July. Later in the fall, the dark green oval leaves, which alternate on the stem (unlike other dogwoods), turn a lovely shade of reddish burgundy. It can handle full sun, but also likes part shade.

Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

I love all the dogwoods, but I think Gray Dogwood is my favorite. It’s white, dome-shaped clusters of flowers in the spring, followed by white berries on those beautiful red stems in summer are so striking. Unfortunately, the berries don’t last long once the birds find out they’re ready for harvesting!

That grayish bark stands out amidst its lance-shaped leaves which grow opposite each other on the branch. Like all dogwoods, each leaf will have three or four curved veins per side which are slightly parallel to the curved edges of the leaf. They are dark green on top and lighter green and hairy on the bottom. In the fall, the Gray Dogwood leaves will turn a sort of purplish red in color.

A Great Border Shrub

Gray Dogwood (*Cornus racemosa*) is a good shrub for a border or a hedgerow.

We have Gray Dogwood growing at the back (south boundary) of our prairie, where it gets lots of sun. It makes a great border and as I’ve already mentioned in a previous post, is an important element of any hedgerow. It is striking mixed in with American Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum tirlobum), Wild Plum, Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea) and some Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) for good measure. All these native plants seem to do well in the sometimes soggy soil of the back boundary of our prairie.

Fauna

Any of the dogwoods are a great nectar and pollen source for a huge variety of insects, as well as a food source for many more insects, larvae and caterpillars. Birds nest in their dense branches which are opposite branching. Their berries are eaten by a variety of birds and small animals and its leaves and branches are eaten by Cottontail Rabbit and White-Tailed Deer. It is very definitely a highly desirable plant for any well-intentioned habit.

If the conditions are just right, sometimes the dogwoods have blossomed twice for us during the year. That’s an extra treat for both us and the birds.