Wolf Hunting Legislation in the Upper Midwest

In case folks are interested, it looks like both Minnesota and Wisconsin are taking a serious look at having a wolf hunting season. Take a look at these articles: Wisconsin State Journal Article and MNN's Article on Minnesota

Winter and Your Plants

From what I've seen on Facebook and at the garden centers, folks are itching to get back out into their yards and do some gardening. However for those of us in the Upper Midwest, winter just finally set in. There's been cold wind and snow to shovel, so it's hardly the right time to be out in the yard tending our flowers.

So if we aren't tending to our plants, what's happening to them out there in the cold? What good is winter anyway?

Vernalization is the process which enables our annuals to flower after prolonged periods of cold temperatures. In other words, some of our plants would not be able to flower without the winter. Perennials and some trees also need a prolonged period of cold to break dormancy and enable flowering. wiki

Stratification and Scarification is the process which enables certain kinds of seed to germinate. The cold temperatures can scarify seeds because of how water/moisture behaves when the temperature changes. The expanding and contracting of the moisture can scarify the outer shell of the seeds helping them to germinate. For other plants the cold weather is more like a trigger. The seeds "know" that after X number of cold weeks, followed by warmer temperatures that it's time to come out. We can accomplish this by stratifying our seeds in the refrigerator or by planting seed in the fall.

Snow is also important to plants in the winter. While the upper portion of many plants is dormant during the winter, roots are still active. The roots receive insulation and moisture from the snow, which help to keep the plant alive.

In other words, while we feel trapped inside, the environment is doing a good job tending to our native plants all winter long.

Defining a Healthy Lawn

Many American home owners have an idea about what a healthy lawn looks like. It's probably somewhere between a half acre to an acre lot covered in turf grass. The grass is kept neatly short, mowed in tight rows, perhaps there are a few other plants in the yard. Maybe they've planted some evergreen bushes or boxwoods in the front, perhaps tulips flower early in the Spring and later peonies and lilies open. During the Summer potted petunias, geraniums, and impatiens are planted, and the yard features a Colorado Blue Spruce and whatever shade tree was cheapest, likely a Norway Maple. Perhaps the yard gets treated twice per year to prevent weed growth.

Is the image above truly a healthy yard?

To answer the question, take a moment to think about what makes an ecosystem healthy. Keep in mind that while your yard may not be the Great Outdoors, it is in fact outdoors. By what standards do we measure a healthy environment? One of the best indicators for health is biodiversity; in other words how much life can outside sustain.

Keep in mind that life in this sense means a lot of things that people forget about or overlook. Plants, fungus, and insects are all forms of life that have their place outside. The yard which the typical home owner imagines lacks the biodiversity needed to call the yard healthy.

If you are interested in improving your lawn's biodiversity there are some really easy steps which you can take:

1. Stop treating your lawn - dandelions, wild violets, chicory, and clover aren't bad for your lawn. While if not totally kept, some of these "weeds" can get tall and somewhat unsightly, but they also have some benefits such as soil aeration, nitrogen fixing, and providing food for butterflies, bees, and finches.
2. Raise the blades on your mower. Let gross grow a little longer. This will not only help prevent it from getting burnt in the summer, but it will also allow it to seed itself as well as providing some cover for insects and small animals.
3. Don't worry too much about the bugs. While a hornets' nest over your front door or termites in your house should probably be dealt with, my general rule when the bugs are outside is to leave them alone. Not only do insects provide food for birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, but some also provide beneficial services to plants like pollination.
4. Plant something (preferably something native). While there is an appeal to having some flat, open, useable green space; many people do not make use of their entire yard. Plant a variety of plants in your yard. In the Midwest, prairie wildflowers, sedges, and grasses will all do well. Also native oaks, maples, and birches make for excellent additions to a lawn; these trees provide food and shelter for a variety of insects, birds, and mammals.

If you aren't sure how healthy your yard is, take some time to survey what you see. Do you see bees and butterflies in your yard often? When is the last time you had an amphibian in your yard? How many different species of bird visit your lawn? These are all indicators of your lawn's health. The amphibians are an especially good indicator as their porous skin can make them vulnerable to changes in the environment. There has been a nationwide decline in pollinators so active bee and butterfly activity in your yard is a good indicator that you are doing something correctly. Just remember, a truly healthy lawn is one that supports the most life.

American Toad near Our Compost

Winged Wednesday - Attracting Birds: The Basics

Over the past couple of years, I've gone through a number of different feeders, types of seeds, and done a lot of experimenting trying to discover the secrets of attracting a good variety of birds to our yard. This Winged Wednesday, I'll share with you some of the lessons learned and little tricks that seemed to make a real difference.

Step: 1 is identifying what type of birds you want to attract. This will determine what types of seed you will need to purchase and what types of feeders you'll need to hang. Here are some common birds which you may want attract.

1. Northern Cardinal
2. American Goldfinch
3. Blue Jay
4. House Finch
5. Purple Finch
6. Dark-eyed Junco
7. Chipping Sparrow
8. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
9. White-breasted Nuthatch
10. Downy Woodpecker
11. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Step: 2 is identifying what kinds of food they eat. Here are some common types of seed, listed with the birds which are generally interested in them.

1. Safflower Seed - House Finch, Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco, Purple Finch
2. Sunflower Seed - Black-capped Chickadees, Carinal, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Purple Finch
3. Peanuts - Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker
4. Nyjer - American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove
5. Suet - Downy Woodpeckers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Black-capped Chickadees

Step: 3 find the correct feeder for the seed and the birds. Some birds cling to the tops of flowers to eat seed like Goldfinches. Other birds feed off the ground like Dark-eyed Juncos, and others dig into the bark looking for grubs and stashing nuts.

1. Tube and sock feeders work great for birds that like to cling. We've had a lot of success with these feeders and Nyjer seed for feeding Goldfinches.
2. Tray and hopper feeders work great for birds who want to land while they feed. We use both of these kinds of feeders for both Safflower and Sunflower seeds. The Mourning Doves, Cardinals, and House Finches seems to appreciate this.
3. Wire mesh is often present on tube and some hopper feeders, this allows birds to cling and take some larger seeds like peanuts or sunflower. Our Nuthatches, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, and Jays all seem to enjoy this setup.

Step: 4 Identify pests which may include Starlings, House Sparrows, or Squirrels. There are easy steps you can take to prevent pests from driving away the birds or from damaging feeders, but I'll explain these in a separate post.

White-breasted Nuthatch on a Peanut Feeder

Cardinal on a Sunflower Hopper Feeder

Goldfinch on a Nyjer Sock

Wildlife Photograph Contest

Just want to give folks a heads up, the Wisconsin Humane Society has posted information about their 2012 Photo Contest.

Seed Preview 2012 Part 2

When last I posted about the seed available for 2012, I focused my attention on the local "box" store, Farm & Fleet. While Farm & Fleet has a surprising variety of seed available through the Livingston Seed Company, I knew I needed to make it out to a "real" garden shop.

A couple of weeks ago, we noticed that Jung Garden Center was advertising that their 2012 seeds had arrived. It was time to pay Jung a visit. Along an entire wall of the store, one can find seed packets for a huge number of plants. Over three quarters of it is vegetable or herb seed; it's a fantastic selection if you are planning to grow your own food. However, this is not our current objective.

Annual and perennial seed packets make up the remaining quarter of the wall. Most of which was annual seed for a variety of invasive plants. The perennials which were available from Jung included invasive plants: like Delphinium, Fox Glove, and Hollyhocks. Jung also had some native plants as well like: Purple Coneflower, Butterfly Milkweed, and Missouri Primrose (this plant was unique to Jung). They have their own cultivar of Lupine, Tutti Frutti.

The real bonus to shopping at Jung is that they carry seed from the Prairie Future Seed Company. It's on a rotating stand and appeared to be fairly picked over, as I only found empty rungs for plants like Cardinal Flower and Joe Pye Weed. This rotating stand had seeds for a cornucopia of native plants including: Blazing Star, Ox Eye Daisy, Goldenrod, and Compass Plant. I picked up some seed incorrectly labeled "Turk's Cap Lily". The scientific name on the package is Lilium Michiganense which means it's actually Michigan Lily, and I picked up some Wild Columbine seed.

While Jung as a seed company isn't providing a lot in the way of native perennials on their own, at least they are catering to those who are interested by selling seed from Prairie Future. If you are looking at replacing your invasive plants, it's a good stand to check-out. The common and scientific names are posted with images of each plant. Selecting some native lilies and irises to replace invasive varieties is made simple, other than needing to start from seed. I'll post about my progress with the lily seeds some time later.

Blue Flag Iris

Michigan Lily

Learn More About Your Ecoregion

When starting to landscape with native plants, people may face an odd problem. Because so much native habit no longer exists, they may not have any idea how to get started. What plants are native? What plants are cold tolerant? Drought tolerant? Sun vs. Shade? What did the old ecosystem look like before it was developed?

There are some pretty neat resources you can tap into online to answer many questions which you encounter when starting to landscape with native plants. Many of these can be found posted to the blog in the upper-right corner under "Native How To". Today I'd like to focus on some other online resources which can be fun to play around with.

The USDA Plant Zone Hardiness Map is an excellent resource to check before making any plant purchases. While this blog focuses on the Upper Midwest, the climate has considerable variability, ranging from a 5b in parts of Illinois and Wisconsin to a 2b in northern Minnesota. This means that plants which might survive the winter in LaSalle-Peru, IL will be toast in Duluth, MN. Take for example, the American Sycamore; while its native range covers much of the Midwest, people in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the U.P. may want to consider other trees when landscaping.

Following this point, take a look at the World Wildlife Federation's Wild Finder This interactive map breaks the world up into ecoregions. The Midwest contains regions such as: Southern Great Lakes Forests, Central U.S. Hardwoods, Central Forest Grasslands, Upper Midwest Forest Savannah, and the Western Great Lakes Forests. When comparing the two maps, you may notice that the Central Forest Grasslands fit nicely in Zone 5 in Illinois and Iowa; while the Upper Midwest Forest Savannah fits into Wisconsin's Zone 4. This should hardly come as a surprise, but it is a clear indicator that the plants you find growing natively correlate to the type of weather you have.

Once selected, each ecoregion has a story you can view by clicking on "Story & Photos". You can also find a "More Details" button. For example, the story on the Upper Midwest Forest Savannah specifically calls out stands of oak and maple. Unfortunately however, it does not provide more details on specifically which kind of oak or maple. Many people have maple trees in their yards, but many of those maples are Norway Maples as opposed to Sugar, Silver, or Red Maples. The search from the WWF was setup primarily to help you identify native animals, which can be listed after selecting an ecoregion.

The USDA offers a State Search whereby you can enter a Common Name (such as "oak") and select a state (such as "Wisconsin"). The search will bring up a map or in this case maps which show the native region for the genus or the various species. For example, the Southern Red Oak is native to Illinois but not to Wisconsin.

While these maps and searches are excellent tools for getting started, don't be afraid to speak with the folks at your local garden shop. In my experience, they are often friendly and helpful.

Feathered Friends in the Winter

Come winter in the Upper Midwest many of our backyard friends leave for warmer weather. We won't see the Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, Indigo Buntings, Baltimore Orioles or Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks. Even the Wisconsin state bird, the Robin, is all but gone (Note that some sightings will show up on ebird from time to time).

While many birds have left for better weather, a number of our friends remain despite the cold and snow. Now they need foods which are high in calories and oils. Being sure that you have suet, sunflower seed, peanuts, and safflower seed to support them will not only help the birds survive but help attract them to your yard or garden.

If you are wondering which of our backyard friends have stuck around; here's a short list:

1. American Goldfinch
2. Northern Cardinal
3. House Finch
4. Mourning Dove
5. Black-capped Chickadee
6. White-breasted Nuthatch
7. Downy Woodpecker
8. Red Bellied Woodpecker

While many of our usual visitors leave during the cold, others should visit your feeders during the winter. Here are some visitors you may notice during the colder months:

1. Purple Finch
2. Dark-eyed Junco
3. Evening Grosbeak
4. Red Crossbill
5. Red-breasted Nuthatch

Here are some pictures of our winter friends.

Purple Finch

Dark-eyed Junco

Red Bellied Woodpecker

UW Arboretum Native Plant Sale 2012

Just a heads up for those interested. The Friends of the UW Arboretum have announced the dates for this year's native plant sale. They have also posted the pre-order form so you can purchase shrubs and flats of wildflowers ahead of time. This is an excellent way to get a hold of native plants, some of which can be hard to find. So take a few minutes to browse the selection.

1. When?
• Order Pick Up is on May 10, 2012
• Plant sale is on May 12, 2012
2. How?
• See the pre-order form
• See last year's list of available plants for purchase on the day of the sale.
3. More information can be found at the Arboretum's site

Here are some of the plants we're looking at purchasing:

Winterberry

Nannyberry

Cardinal Flower

2012 Seed Preview: Part 1

It's mid-way through January, which means stores are starting to stock up on the seeds for 2012. Last year, when we started our wildflower garden in the back, I purchased both seeds and plugs for a variety of native plants including: Blue Lupine, False Indigo, Black-Eyed Susan, Butterfly Milkweed, Prairie Coneflower, Purple Coneflower, and a few others. Most of my purchases last year were made at one of three locations: Farm & Fleet, Jung Garden Center, and Kopke's Greenhouse, so I figured I'd start at these stores again in 2012.

For Part 1, I'll address what's available at Farm & Fleet. Farm & Fleet isn't necessarily geared towards landscaping with native plants, but if you carefully comb through their selection you can find some good options for your garden. It's important to note that they did not appear to have their full stock of seeds out yet, as the only brand I could find was Livingston.

I successfully found some seed to supplement my current plants. In case anything I planted last year fails to come back, I figured picking up a few packs of seed would be a good idea. I found the following:

1. Butterfly Milkweed
2. Black-Eyed Susan
3. False Indigo
4. Purple Coneflower

I had already identified other plants which I wanted to add to our wildflower garden. Specifically I was planning on adding: Bee Balm, Cardinal Flower, Joe-Pye Weed and Lance-leaf Coreopsis. I was only able to find the Bee Balm and Coreopsis.

I did some digging around to see what else they had, but nothing else really caught my eye. They had a variety of different types of sunflower, many of which are not native to the Upper Midwest, some Lupines in a variety of colors (not blue), Baby's Breath, Cosmos, Foxglove, Bachelor's Button, and Blanket Flower (with Blanket Flower being one of the few natives I noticed).

I also picked up some extras while seed shopping at Farm & Fleet, which will help me get things started for the spring. I picked up some Columbine seed (We had some growing wild, so I figured I'd add some additional plants). I picked up a some soil, some biodegradable pots, and a plastic container to get my seeds started.

I left Farm & Fleet with a lot of stuff, but I hadn't spent much money. This is the reason I often return. I can't always find everything I'm looking for here, but I can usually find some of what I'm looking for and at better prices than what I'll get at a true garden shop. I recommend taking the time to browse their seed selection carefully and find the native plants for which you are looking.

Butterfly Milkweed

Purple Coneflower

Bald Eagle Watching Days 2012 in Review

We headed out to Sauk Prairie this morning to checkout the Bald Eagles on the Wisconsin River. The morning started out with a presentation by the DNR and International Crane Foundation about conservation efforts in the state to support the Bald Eagle population. The presentation started with an overview of the initial raptor decline from the use of DDT, then moved onto the success of conservation efforts and the booming eagle population, and then transitioned into a warning about the use of lead in fishing line sinkers and hunting ammo. Apparently the vast of majority of eagle deaths currently are lead related, and it was suggested that the hunters and fishers in attendance transition to non-lead based supplies.

The next presentation was from the Raptor Center of the University of Minnesota. They brought four raptors to demonstrate the differences between hawks, owls, falcons, and eagles. The birds of choice for the presentation can all be found natively in Wisconsin.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Peregrine Falcon

Great Horned Owl

Bald Eagle

Our next stop was down by the river where the Raptor Education Group Inc. (REGI) released three rehabilitated eagles into the wild. It was also here where we got our first glimpse of the eagles in the wild on the river. Many were taking advantage of good fishing near the dam. In total we probably saw about a dozen eagles.

Some Eagles

Eagle over the dam

Another Eagle

Bald Eagle Watching Days 2012: Enjoy Nature Away from the Yard

Just wanted to do a quick a post about Bald Eagle Watching Days in Sauk Prairie. They technically started tonight, but most of the action is scheduled for tomorrow including a Bird of Prey Show and an Eagle Release.

Take a look at the Ferry Bluff Eagle Council's site for more details.

If we get some good pictures, we'll be sure to post them.

Native Plants to Add Color in the Snow

Since it finally snowed, and I had to get the shovel out; I figured talking about plants that create interest through the winter would be spot on.

There are a number of plants indigenous to the Midwest that can tough out the cold and add some color to an otherwise white landscape.

1. There are plants that can give your yard a splash of red as they retain their fruit in the winter.
• Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) - This shrub / tree will lose it's foliage but should retain its berries. We have two of these, and the birds didn't seem particularly interested in the berries.
• Highbush Cranberry (viburnum trilobum) - This fairly popular shrub may also retain its berries. We also have two of these. Ours did not berry this year. In order to have success in fruiting, you need both male and female plants, so it's recommended that you multiple. We'll be adding a few more in the spring.
• American Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) - This holly will loose it's foliage, but as its name indicates should provide red berries through the winter. We plan to add a couple of these when we do our front yard in the spring.
2. Keeping your yard green in the winter is easy with the addition of some evergreens.
• Eastern White Pine, White Spruce, Balsam Fir, and Eastern Red Cedar are just some of the evergreens native to the upper Midwest (note that popular Blue Spruce, which is native to the US, is not native to the Midwest).
• Common Juniper (Juniperus communis) - This plant comes in a variety of cultivars with silly names because no one wants to buy a common plant. It's native to the most of the US and can be grown as a shrub or a tree.

Winterberry

Highbush Cranberry

The Problems of a Warm Winter

It's no secret that the winter has been unusually warm, but what does that mean for our plants?

Here's what I've seen so far:

1. Whatever pansies I did not successfully pull, have bloomed.
2. The rose bush which I hacked back to the ground is taller than my knee.
3. The Asiastic Lilies successfully seeded, I know this because there are small lilies shooting up from the ground.
4. Our Highbush Cranberries have some new growth as well.

So far most of the native plants have not tried to come to life. Although we have a Black-Eyed Susan that never really went dormant, it's still kind of green. With the expected 1-3 inches of snow on the way, I'm somewhat concerned that the upcoming cold snap may damage my plants; although if it wipes out the remaining invasives it'll make life easier in the spring.

Replacing Invasive Plants

Invasive Plants - Non-Native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (as defined by the USDA)

Why replace your invasive plants?

1. They do not tend to provide food for native insects
2. Because they aren't eaten by the native insects, they do not provide food for native wildlife like birds
3. If they fruit or seed, they may not provide food for native wildlife like birds
4. They may require more care (fertilizer, water, pesticides, etc)
5. They may not be appropriate for your USDA zone, and they may die
6. Invasive plants eventually escape our lawns and may degrade our local environments

Doug Tallamy presents other benefits of working with native plants and details some problems caused by invasive plants in his book, Bringing Nature Home.

Our yard contained a lot of Asiastic Lilies. They are quite popular, and they look like this:

I really like the look of my invasive plants, what should I replace them with? This will be the focus of many the posts, but here are some quick wins whereby you can replace your invasive plants with similar native plants:

1. Asiatic Lilies - Replace with Wood Lilies (Lilium philadelphicum), Michigan Lilies (Lilium michiganense), or Turk's Cap Lilies (Lilium superblum)
2. Purple Butterfly Bush - Replace with Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), Pink Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), or Narrow-leaf Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

We left the irises and tulips in tact for now. They were a gift from our current neighbors to the previous owners, and I don't have the heart to take them out. The tulips are also my only early bloomers, as I already pulled the daffodils. But these could be replaced with native early blooming flowers as well.

What We Started With

Everyone has to start somewhere. We started here:

The Front

The Back

Our house is about 60 years old. The previous owners removed multiple Red Cedars or so I'm told. So the yard started with no trees. In the front, they planted Asiastic Lillies. These were also planted along the south side of the house. Also in the front, we found a Rose Bush, two Purple Butterfly Bushes (buddleja davidii), and a Black Eyed Susan.

There were also some other perennials in the back and on the side: tulips, irises, and daffodils. There is also an evergreen of unknown origin in the planter on our stoop. Other than perennials, we found some annuals which had been left and seeded themselves: petunias, marigolds,and pansies.

As the backyard seemed like the best location to start experimenting, we decided to start there. Knowing that in time, we'd remove nearly everything the previous owners had planted and replace these plants with a variety of native plants.

Welcome to Wisconsin Nature at Home

Greetings,

After having a hard time tracking down a centralized location for practical and interesting information for landscaping with native plants in the Upper Midwest, I decided to start to this blog.

After purchasing a home and reading Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, my wife and I attended the Wisconsin Garden Expo and created a plan to naturalize our new yard.

This blog will bring together some of the resources we've relied on (which you can find under Nature How To), share some of the lessons we've learned, and share of our successes.

Enjoy.