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Donna VanBuecken

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Search Results for: pollination

New Books

May 5, 2017

There are several new books on native plants and pollinators.

  • Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide. Includes trees, shrub and perennial plant profiles for the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast Regions. A comprehensive guide illustrating the bees that occur in north-central and eastern United States and southern Canada ​In-depth profiles of 27 bee genera covering the life cycles, habitats, diet, foraging behaviors, crops pollinated, nesting lifestyles, seasonality, and preferred native forage plants.”

A good companion book to Heather’s Pollinators of Native Plants. “A comprehensive book illustrating the specific relationships between native pollinators, beneficial insects, and native plants. Organized by plant communities, the book profiles over 65 perennial native plants of the Midwest, Great Lakes region, Northeast and southern Canada and the pollinators, beneficial insects and flower visitors the plants attract.”

A lovely community of native plants made up of Wild Quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), Royal Catchfly (Silene regia), Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)
  • Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees: Gardening Alternatives to Nonnative Species by Wild Ones members Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz. “This is a complete reference book with 448 pages and 484 color photos. Aside from specifying ornamental attributes, the authors include “Nature Notes” to indicate species of butterflies, birds, and other pollinators that are attracted to the native shrub or tree. The previous book on native plants by these authors was an award-winning best-seller.”

A good companion book to Charlotte and Bernie’s The Midwestern Native Garden – Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants. “The authors provide a comprehensive selection of native alternatives that look similar or even identical to a range of non-native ornamentals. These are native plants that are suitable for all garden styles, bloom during the same season, and have the same cultivation requirements as their nonnative counterparts. Plant entries are accompanied by nature notes setting out the specific birds and butterflies the native plants attract.”

  • New guide to Wisconsin’s native plants This free publication prepared by the Natural Heritage Conservation Program of the WDNR includes recommendations for landscaping and natural community restoration. “Landowners who want to boost wildlife habitat on their property — whether in a city lot or on hundreds of acres in the country — now have access to resources to help choose native plants that can thrive where they live, benefit a wide variety of birds and other wildlife, and promote water quality. Get started today!”  I was privileged to participate in the updating of this guideline, so I know it was developed with a lot of heart and passion.

 

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Cultivars vs Native Plants

April 3, 2017

You’ve heard me say before that nativars are cultivars of native plants. They are not native plants. As I was browsing through the Prairie Moon Nursery’s Native Gardeners Companion  recently, I ran across this very excellent case for using native plants, not cultivars or nativars (pg 13). See if you agree.

Unintended Consequences

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum). That’s a stem of Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) to the right.
[Read more…]

Rusty Patched Bumblebee Endangered Listing on Hold

February 22, 2017

Prior to President Obama leaving office, he issued an Executive Order to place the Rusty Patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis) on the Endangered Species List. It’s listing was to take place February 10th. One of  President Trump’s first actions was to delay all regulations that weren’t in effect prior to his inauguration for 60 days. Hopefully, the bumblebee’s designation will take effect on March 21st.

A Ghost In The Making: Searching for the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee from Day’s Edge Productions on Vimeo.

The Rusty Patched Bumblebee which is so important to the maintenance of our ecosystems has declined dramatically since the 1990s. It used to buzz from the East Coast and throughout much of the Midwest, but now buzzes in small, scattered groups in only 13 states. [Read more…]

Solar Power and Wildflowers

January 2, 2017

Eastern Meadowlark. Photo by Steve Maassen.
Eastern Meadowlark. Photo by Steve Maassen.

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has recently signed a bill (HF 3353) which encourages planting native grasses and forbs (wildflowers) in and around new solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities. Solar projects now not only will provide clean energy, but will also support pollinators like bees, butterflies and other insects, and also a variety of song birds and grassland birds like the Eastern Meadowlarks and Grasshopper Sparrows, which are listed as declining in Minnesota.

Besides the obvious benefits of providing much needed habitat, there will also be the added agricultural benefits of reduced stormwater runoff, added organic matter and increased pollination. What better win-win situation could there be?

Want to know the details about the program, and especially the rebates? Learn more. If you’re a Minnesotan, here’s where to go to apply.

To read about Minnesota’s Value of Solar Policy.

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Donna VanBuecken