Ripening Nodding Trillium Seeds

Our Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) seeds are ripening, the capsules are turning ruby red. We have about 16 plants in a clump underneath some Gray Dogwood that have spread significantly since we removed the European Buckthorn from the area.

We were fortunate to have a few 'patches' of significant natives when we bought our house, one being underneath some large oak trees where there is a good quantity of Bloodroot and Virginia Waterleaf and this other area with the Nodding Trilliums, Wild Leeks, Red and White Baneberry, and Fern species.

The previous homeowners never converted these patches to lawn or disturbed them too much, other than allowing invasive species to take hold. These plants have been very helpful in determining what native species to add back that grow in association with them.

My posting in June about Ant Dispersed Seeds talked about how Wild Ginger and Bloodroot seeds are dispersed by ants. Trilliums also fall in to that category having the same fleshy elaiosome that ants think are tasty caterpillars. They carry the seeds off to their nest, eat the elaiosome and dispose of the seed in their 'trash'.

What a great relationship between these spring ephemerals and ants to get the seed as far as possible from the parent plant and buried away from animals who would like to eat the seeds.

Nodding trillium is different from many other trilliums because as the common name suggests, the white flower hangs downward underneath the three leaves.

Like other spring flowering natives, the seeds are best sown right away outdoors before they dry out. As I mentioned before, we usually plant these types of seeds in triangular groupings, so when the first leaves emerge (two years after planting), we know not to weed or pull them out.

Nodding Trillium is native to northeastern North America. See map.

Native Plant of the Week: Big Bluestem ~ Andropogon gerardii

Other Common Names: Turkey Foot, Bluejoint

Big Bluestem is a staple in tall grass prairies. It is one of the tallest prairie grasses reaching heights up to 10 feet. It also has an extensive and deep root system which helps stabilize and enrich soils.

An extensive Big Bluestem biomass study was conducted in Minnesota, North and South Dakota. Read the study.

Big Bluestem is a very attractive narrow upright grass with showy seed heads that look like an upside down turkey foot (another common name for this grass). The stems alternate from a rosy pink to light blue-green between the nodes. The blades turn a brilliant orange in early fall.

Agriculturally, it is a grass that can be grazed by livestock in the spring and early summer so it was used by early farm settlers for pasturing. Later in the summer when it sends up seed stalks it becomes too woody for foraging.

According to Russel R. Kirt in his book Prairie Plants of the Midwest: Identification and Ecology, several Skipper Butterfly larvae feed on Big Bluestem including the Dusted, Ottoe and Beard-Grass skippers.

This photo is of a tall grass restoration in a Minnetonka, MN park which is dominated by Big Bluestem. It shows the beautiful fall color of the grass.

It is native to most of North America except for the western and northern states, provinces and territories. See map.

For more information on Big Bluestem, and to find out whether it is suitable for your area: USDA Plant Guide.

Discoveries Out & About: Liparis lilifolia

Large Twayblade ~ Liparis lilifolia

It was by pure chance I noticed this orchid in late May because it was late in the evening and the sun was low enough to be highlighting the plant.

I went back to the park the following day to photograph it and walked back and forth in the area about 8 times before finding it again. Needless to say these orchids are very inconspicuous.

I found these two pink flowering Large Twayblades as well as a smaller version with a light yellow flower. The most interesting thing is that I walk this trail almost every day and have never noticed them before and I consider myself pretty observant.

Early this spring, the City did an extensive prescribed burn of the park of the prairie area as well as a woodland ridge (esker) where this plant was found.

I would be curious to know if the burn was a contributing factor alone, or if the multiple years of buckthorn removal (cutting & late fall herbicide applications) have also contributed in the resurgence of these woodland orchids?

Any comments or insight welcome.

Native Vines in our Yard

We had several different native vines growing in our yard when we purchased our home. Native vines are an important component in plant communities providing food (berries and leaves) and cover to insects and birds.

Often homeowners get frustrated with vines because of their growth habit. When we have garden openhouses, visitors often ask how I control my Woodbine ~ Parthenocissus inserta (a relative of Virginia Creeper).

I utilize it as a ground cover until other woodland natives get established. I do check on it periodically throughout the summer so that it is not starting to climb up any trees or shrubs. I find it very manangeable and if need by I will thin it out once other woodland natives get established. I keep a large quantity of the vine growing on the fences in the yard.

Another vine we have is the Riverbank Grape ~ Vitis riparia which can grow 20 feet in one season. It can smother other native species around it so it is a vine that needs to be attended to regularly in the home landscape.

If encouraged to grow in the right situation it is a very attractive vine. I have seen people utilize it to grow over pergolas to provide shade.

We have this vine growing along our chainlink fence and it does a nice job of covering the fence. We often see migratory birds seeking cover beneath these vines on the fence.

The third vine in our yard is Virgin's Bower ~ Clematis virginiana. It is a fast growing Clematis and can reach 20 feet in one season as well. I found it growing underneath some Gray Dogwood and have since transplanted it to grow on large trellises on our garage. I cut it off in the spring at around 3'. We have cardinals utilizing the vine to build nests in.

Like most Clematis, it likes a slightly cooler spot to grow where its roots are well shaded. The one on the east side of our garage seems to thrive much better than the one on the west side.

A more recent addition to our yard is the Hog Peanut ~ Amphicarpaea bracteata. We did not plant this but it has started to show up in the restored partially shaded woodland areas in our yard. It is often mistaken for Poison Ivy having a similar arrangement of three leaflets but the Hog Peanut does not develop a woody stem like Poison Ivy.

The flower on hog peanut is a light pink pea like flower. Our hog peanut vines have yet to flower.

The last native vine in our yard that we did not introduce is the Smooth Carrionflower Vine ~ Smilax herbacea. The flower shown below is round and about 1" in diameter and has an odor like rotting flesh, the reason for its common name. This is not an aggressive vine and rarely grows more than 3 feet in one season. It has attractive dark green leaves and tends to thrive in dry soils and part shade. The fruit are dark blue berries arranged in an umbel like the flower.

A close relative to this vine which I have seen growing in our neighborhood is the Bristly Greenbrier Vine ~ Smilax tamnoides.

Here's a photo of the Smooth Carrionflower Vine flower. Don't get too close when in flower!

Native Plant of the Week: Butterfly Milkweed ~ Asclepias tuberosa

Other common names:
Pleurisy Root & Chigger Weed

What isn't there to like about Butterfly Milkweed?

For me, I love to see the bright orange flowers standing out in the middle of a prairie. This plant is a major attraction to all types of insects and one of the larval hosts to Monarch Butterflies.

When prairies were first converted to agricultural pastures, this plant was considered undesirable mainly because it was unpalatable and avoided by livestock. Large amounts ingested could be toxic to livestock. Farmers found it tough to eradicate because of its tap root and ability to propagate readily from wind blown seeds.

Butterfly milkweed makes a great addition to your garden or landscape. Because of the taproot, it prefers well drained lighter soils with medium to dry moisture. It will thrive in full sun and does okay in part sun but the amount of flowering may be diminished. It does not do well in heavy clay although Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin offers a Butterfly Weed for clay that I grew with good success at our previous house.

The plant was used by Native Americans as an herbal medicine and is now sold as an herbal remedy to treat bronchial and lung disorders but there is no scientific evidence to support this.

Butterfly milkweed is native to the U.S. and Canada. See map.
Image Source: USDA Plants Database

Bee Mimics

Several bee mimics have been spotted the past couple of weeks in the yard. They have all evolved to mimic the black and yellow coloring of bees or wasps.

The coloring of these harmless mimics sets off warning signals to birds that they're dangerous (stinging) and unpalatable.

These first two photos are of Syrphid Flies, which are common nectaring flies on flowers.

Flies are the most common bee mimics but there are a few black and yellow colored beetles as well as Clearwing Moth species that look like bumble bees.

This Snowberry Clearwing Moth (Hemaris diffinis) perched for me just long enough to get a photo. Clearwing moths are day flying moths, and fly and nectar similar to a hummingbird hovering above or beside the flower. It's an amazing sight to see them nectaring.

The last bee mimic sighted in the yard was a first for us - a Robber Fly (Laphria sericea). This hairy fly was not hard to identify as a fly with its two wings (bees have four), but to a bird above - I think they would think twice before considering having it for lunch.

Native Plant of the Week: Cup Plant ~ Silphium perfoliatum

Cup Plant is considered one of the best native plants for wildlife due to its size (cover & habitat), seed production (food), flowers (nectar) and capacity to hold water in its leaves that join together around the square stem.


It can reach heights of 10 feet tall or more in rich soil and abundant moisture. At the moment in our yard, it is almost at nine feet with the above average amount of rainfall that we've had this season.


The flower starts blooming in July and is bright yellow in color. It is several inches in diameter and makes a very nice colorful addition to the garden.

We see many types of butterflies nectaring on the flower, monarchs mid summer and tiger swallowtails in late summer. After a rainfall the leaves hold a significant amount of water and there will be many types of insects that will come and drink, as well as smaller bird species.


According to Prairie Moon Nursery's Website, "Cup Plant is quite easy to grow in average garden soil and in diverse prairie plantings in heavier or wetter soils. It can be readily started from seed by fall planting outdoors, or, if planted in spring, a period of 60 days of moist, cold stratification for 60 days is recommended prior to sowing."

Image: Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Cup plant seeds are quite large (almost the size of a sunflower seed) and provide a generous amount of protein to birds and other wildlife who seek out the seeds in fall. We often scare up many birds walking by our cup plant, the chickadees and gold finches especially in the fall.




Because of the large amount of growth and mass that the plant can create in one season, it has been studied as a possible perennial crop for use in the production of biofuel and carbon storage.
Two examples:

• In Germany
• South Dakota State University 

It has also been used as an alternative livestock forage crop.

Cup Plant is native to the Dakotas east to the Atlantic. See map.

Image Source: USDA Plants Database

Prairie to Woodland Wildlife Corridor with Grant Funds in 2010

As mentioned in the previous post, we received a Watershed District Grant in 2009 and this year in 2010. For our restoration this year we connected the southwest slope of prairie species to our back yard which is a dry shaded woodland.

This before photo shows how the site looked in 2004.

We again based our native plant selection on existing species in our yard as well as taking cues from our local parks.

For the prairie species, we studied a short grass prairie remnant at Purgatory Park about a mile west of us. Predominant species on this remnant are Little Bluestem, Whorled Milkweed, Stiff Goldenrod, Prairie Cinquefoil, Black-eyed Susans and Hoary Vervain.

This after photo is the same perspective as the above before photo with the prairie species just planted.

For the woodland area, we chose shrub and tree species all of which were existing in our yard - Chokecherry, Nannyberry Viburnum, Downy Arrowood Viburnum, Hackberry, Basswood and Paper Birch. The woodland herbaceous species were also existing - Yellow Violets, Penn Sedge, Early Meadow Rue, Virginia Waterleaf, Wild Geranium, False Solomon's Seal and Solomon's Seal.

We used composted leaves as a mulch between plants to help hold in moisture and add more organic matter until the new plants fill in.

Oak Woodland Brushland Restoration with Grant Funds in 2009

For the last two years we have received Cost Share Grants from our Watershed District for restoration projects in the yard. The Grants are awarded for projects that will improve water infiltration, reduce runoff, erosion and filter pollutants, and create wildlife habitat.

In 2009, we restored a portion of the southern part of our yard. Prior to applying for the Grant, we removed invasive species (Buckthorn, Garlic Mustard & European Bellflower) and non-native Common Lilacs from the area.

The area was relatively undisturbed and we had a significant number of native species that were surviving amongst the invasive species. We inventoried the existing native plants and researched what else would have been growing alongside these natives.

PROCESS

We reviewed historical records (Marschner Map) and the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota Field Guides to determine what type of pre-settlement plant community existed here. Our City's Natural Resources Department has also prepared very detailed information on the different plant community designations in our municipality. The plant community for our area was an Oak Woodland Brushland. As described in our 2009 City of Minnetonka Newsletter "Oak Woodland Brushland areas have a canopy more open than a forest but less than a savanna, with trees and shrubs adapted to the well-drained, dry and gravelly soils." Local parks with remnant woodlands were also very helpful in creating a planting list of what we intended to use in the restoration plan.

SITE
Our house in situated on a gravel esker, the result of glacial melt outwash. The restoration site has a southern sloped exposure with a fairly significant oak canopy so it is partially shaded. The soil is a gravelly sandy loam and very well drained.

Historically, these eskers were not farmed in our area due to the poor soil and slopes so this has left an undisturbed native seed bank. Because of this, we are fortunate to have native plants reemerging in the yard in areas that are no longer mowed.

If you are considering doing a restoration in your yard it is worth the time to do the research to determine the pre-settlement plant community, the geology/soil and the climatic conditions (sun, wind etc) so you incorporate the most suitable native plants.

Frogs & Toads

The Gray Treefrogs have appeared in the yard again this season. They have been chirping from the trees for the last couple of weeks but we did not spot one until last week. They often hang out on top of particular shrubs in our yard. One favorite is the Bronze Leaved Diervilla (Diervilla lonicera).


These tree frogs are very common in our area. They can be deceiving to identify because they readily change color based on temperature and humidity. I often find one hanging out under our birdbath in the dark and it will be shades of brown and gray. This bright green one in the photo was taken in full sun. They feed on insects and caterpillars.

According to Stan Tekiela in his book Reptiles and Amphibians of Minnesota Field Guide, most of the frogs with a woodland habitat overwinter under leaf litter or logs. Wetland frogs will burrow in the mud at the bottom of ponds. Another important reason to leave as many leaves as possible in your yard!

When we go outside after dark, there is plenty of movement under foot from the American Toads. They are busy hunting insects, slugs and spiders.

During the day we will find them seeking cover under the leaf litter and in the shade of our dense shrub plantings. The young adult toads are amazingly tiny and easy to miss, often not much larger than a pencil eraser in size.

The large diversity of native plants in our yard attracts more kinds of insects which in turn provides food for these amphibians (and birds).