https://www.prairie-scapes.com/work daily 0.75 2017-02-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486046952005-0ZKOU7ITOZAKW1HLU88C/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486049733185-0SNPRQGTY9YYGU6CS204/image-asset.jpeg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486084053826-DYPC8BQWDCX7HICDM4T3/O%27Keefe+copy.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1485970332845-GAX4UTMS0WEQRSOZF882/Torok+photo+3+copy.jpg Home https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog daily 0.75 2019-04-02 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2019/4/2/prairieburn2 monthly 0.5 2024-09-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1574354283402-ZAPPHS58MFVG8GL83FME/burn+in+wetland.jpg Blog - Prometheus on the Prairie Burning a wetland has many benefits, among them is burning off years of accumulated Cattail growth. Here the guys are out on a wetland while here is still ice, on which we created a firebreak to manage the burn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1554217288244-4BODL277AU4AHKP445C1/Steve+prescribed+burn.jpg Blog - Prometheus on the Prairie Me overseeing a burn at Kleinfelter Park, St. Joseph. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/11/14/the-window-is-closed monthly 0.5 2018-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1542205888331-9OA2Z13XF1Q4DZURRG57/plugs+in+greenhouse+edited.jpg Blog - The Window is Closed After six months of growing native grasses and wildflowers in flats on these tables, it is a sad sight to see this space emptied. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1542206548020-AI8DI0YZFXS2OB697C11/plugs+covered+with+leaves+edited.jpg Blog - The Window is Closed We covered the flats with leaves we had raked and brought back from one of our woodland seeding projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1542206044848-H3E513QN5UT4ECG46JJ3/plugs+uncovered+edited.jpg Blog - The Window is Closed Friday, November 9, the day we moved the flats from the greenhouse out to the staging area, reached a high of 15 degrees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1542204735542-DLSUMMVMJGI9UFT6YAEA/drill+seeder+on+trailer+edited.jpg Blog - The Window is Closed The larger seeding sites are seeded with this no-till drill seeder, which I load on this trailer and haul to the various sites. The smaller sites we till or disk and seed by hand. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/10/10/october-the-great-exposer monthly 0.5 2018-10-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539184211900-FAXWOOXD0KMTOLZOLOI3/turfgrass+edited.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats The turf grass, in this case, Fescue, is also thriving in these cool temperatures. This is why it is said that fall is a good time to fertilize your lawn, as the active plant takes in the nutrients. The prairie behind it is pretty much shut down, except for the odd goldenrod here and there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539189708454-1SQRKWA0WOFGGSS63Q2T/commons+tilled+and+seeded+1.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats This is an area on our farm that I seeded toward the end of September some years ago. This is a large area and we had no intention of installing a sprinkler system. We seeded it in a fescue mix, which is a grass that grows slowly, crowds out the weeds better than Bluegrass, and, once established, does not need to be watered. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539175564116-HZKX1K9BCUM2P3BP3HLI/Buckthorn+10-9-18+edited.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats Here we see the Reed Canary grass again, quite active, in front of a Buckthorn shrub in the woods. Its dense, green color suggests that is is very active right now. Its activity is not directed toward growth, but toward storing nutrients for the winter. It is not putting out new foliage, but rather gathering carbon from the air and soil and storing it as sugar so that it not only survives the winter, but gets a jump in spring. Hence the success of this invasive, non-native shrub, Buckthorn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539184001359-5YPQTH37J6GGEV4N6TIQ/alfalfa.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats Here, in the foreground, is a remnant of native Switchgrass which is pretty much dormant, though some of the Bromegrass around it is still active. The alfalfa in the background is very much a cool season plant. It is thriving in this these 40-degree, wet conditions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539190116528-A2GFO029VIAMTEAPH5NC/commons+in+the+following+spring.JPG Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats Here is a photo taken the following spring, probably after I fertilized it, which I did only once (the fescue does well on its own in time, and does not need fertilizing in the long term). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539189868567-RRY34T0JUN1ZWXVIW66G/commons+reseeded+2+copy.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats Here is the same area, probably photographed in October that same year. One sees the grass coming up on its own. It should also be said that the weeds are not germinating in the fall, and so very few weeds came up in this seeding. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539175365958-IFY3EO8PDQWX0DZIANWL/Sedge+meadow+edited.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats This is a sedge meadow that we walked through yesterday to check where the firebreaks would go for a future burn. The sedges (a native wetland plant) have gone dormant, with the exception of some cordgrass in the middle. But note the Reed Canary grass in the lower right part of the screen. It is thriving in the cool temps of mid-October. Reed Canary grass, an invasive species, is definitely a cool season grass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539175191045-O6D6C02ZJCWMJOGCQI87/new+England+aster+edited.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats The Asters, native wildflowers, are perhaps the coolest of the cool season natives. They are the last of the wildflowers to bloom, and do so in September and October. Without them, the prairies would go dormant and lose their color somewhat earlier, perhaps ending on a Goldenrod note. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1539183877519-5LU0KPBYU8LJV6MC7P6S/corn.jpg Blog - October: Separating the Sheep from the Goats There’s the dreaded Reed Canary grass again, still green on the roadside, whereas the corn, perhaps the quintessential warm season plant (originated the the warm climate of Central America), has been dormant for some time now. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/9/2/plugs-and-pollinators monthly 0.5 2018-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535890380405-CVHJBCCDFM96DJMBFLPM/Jeff+shoveling+sand+resized.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators This is part of a larger project in which the homeowners are restoring their property to woodland natives, all which will be done by seed. But this plot, which is highly visible, we decided to do with plugs. We put down several inches of sand to suppress weed growth and to put the plugs into. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535891394290-WQBPFZTMUQ97GYPFWOA4/planting+plugs+at+Persches+resized.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators By inserting approximately 1.25 plugs every square foot, we saturate the area with natives, which should out-compete the weeds and will eventually reproduce themselves, filling up the area with native vegetation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535890990631-3WF4HORMAFIM38YSZ455/planting+plugs+edited.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators The homeowners know that these will need to be watered for four weeks or so. But after that the plugs will have rooted into the soil below and will do well on their own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535890026642-AOSGXKI0I4P3KARBC4E4/monarchs+in+grove+resized.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators Though at a distance, you can see the branches of this spruce tree full of monarchs, hanging like bats in the shade of the grove. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535889793762-BTXAEL0V7C4BQMT9Q7PQ/Goldenrod+resized.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators I took this photo a couple weeks ago when the Stiff Goldenrod was in full swing. Had I taken a close-up photo, you would see that these plants were not only full of monarchs, but bees as well. you can see the bees on the flower toward the bottom of the screen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535891111024-JYEZ13L1TW7HOCO0NOC5/Perch+shoreline+resized.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators Here is another project where we removed all the old landscaping and replanted the area with plugs Conventional landscaping, with its landscape fabric and mulch, is doomed to eventual renovation for two reasons: plants don't do well when their roots are covered with fabric, and cultivars (or hybridized plants) generally cannot reproduce themselves. As a result, over time, the vegetation of conventional landscapes get thinner and thinner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1535891794828-F5T60ZYKHTP56LEDHMAW/Jacobson+Woodland+edited.jpg Blog - Plugs and Pollinators https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/8/5/a-sunday-morning-walk-through-our-dew-covered-prairie monthly 0.5 2018-08-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498295371-HAGSBXEV39S82ACFFI8G/spent+cone+flower+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie The petals of the Purple Coneflower are fading, but the seed heads endure. Their darkness, size, and symmetry (indeed mathematical symmetry) add to the visual texture of the prairie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498658026-5X141YKTE4QSSSJBLRXE/Culver%27s+Root+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie We could use more white in the prairie this time of year. And that is what the Culver's Root flower provides. I seeded this prairie about eight years ago, and this is the first year that the Culver's Root has shown itself this dramatically. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498792069-XKHIIYZK8IKVFSQNFW3W/commons+1+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie This is an elevated view of the prairie in our commons. I like the contrast between the uniformity of the turf grass, and the naturalness of the prairie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498932058-1RPVJ435EEIY27NQUHTU/Goldenrod+is+coming+in+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie The beginning of the flowering of the Goldenrod (behind the Purple Coneflower shown here) marks for me the turning point of the prairie and the seasons. Plants are mellowing, focusing less on growth and more on seed dispersal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533499103817-6JR6ZY0V09JSPQN84TU6/future+Oak+Savanna+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie A photo and a side note: we have never done justice to this small cluster of seven Bur Oaks. I mowed and sprayed this area to begin preparing it for a reseeding of Oak Savannah grasses and wildflowers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533497828138-U5J0AHGJ73B350MFZTHO/yellow+cone+flower+1edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie Granted, part of what makes the Grey Headed Coneflower an exceptional flower is that it blooms for a long period of time. It staggers its heads so that as one fades, others come into bloom. You can see that in this photo--those that are past their bloom and those heads that are just beginning to blossom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498436339-2CE62OK4US5Z9N87SRSQ/White+Wild+Indigo+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie It is hard to believe that such an exotic looking plant as the While Wild Indigo is native to our midwestern and Central Minnesotan prairies. Notice its seed pods darkening above it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498141861-VA2RNV5EPP9QI1Z1TQ2M/dotted+blazing+star+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie Who could argue with the brilliance of color and the symmetry of the Meadow Blazing Star? Just as the Grey Headed Coneflowers begin to fade, the Meadow Blazing Star starts its bloom. Of course it stands out nicely from its yellow background. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1533498560679-AUBJ55DLHJICPZUXK97X/compas+plant+edited.jpg Blog - A Mid-Summer Morn's Walk through the Prairie The height of the Compass Plant, shown here, is up to seven, sometimes even eight feet tall. Such contrast adds to the beauty of the prairie. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/7/8/meet-the-usual-suspects monthly 0.5 2018-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531049404231-JYLPNJ2CVCSDB8CSOY1D/Canada+Thistle+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects One of the more challenging weeds is Canada Thistle. It spreads through its roots and by seed, creating swaths--which can become vast, if left unchecked--of thistle. You can see some of the plants in this patch are getting ready to seed out already. The grasses you see around this patch of Canada Thistle are cool season natives that were seeded last year such as Canada Wildrye and Slender Wheatgrass. They are the first to establish themselves in a newly-seeded prairie, but eventually, over a period of several years, give way to the warm season grasses such as Little Bluestem and Blue Gramma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531049961342-GU8T4HD4IX37RTR1L9TG/Mullen+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects The Mullein in this prairie was not common, but it has the potential to spread. You can see its seeds at the top of the plant. It's a strange, exotic-looking plant that came from Greece, so I recall reading. One gets a good sense of the native grasses we slogged through to get to the weeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531052075966-GAW7KAE2F46FUX9GV4PO/guys+weeding+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects Here we are with our bean hooks going after the small patches of individual weeds. It's hard work but quite satisfying know the weeds will not be seeding out this year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531049677318-VAJGBKVJG31YD9D2N0RM/Bull+Thistle+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects This is Bull Thistle. Its stem is larger and thicker than Canada thistle and its needles are longer and more menacing. One finds the solitary Bull Thistle plant in a prairie, unlike the large patches characteristic of Canada Thistle. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531050633031-ODYFJ520P9YY9M3DS78K/wormwood+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects This is Wormwood. It has a lighter color and is in the Sage family. It has a nice smell but can be very invasive and hard to get rid of. I took this photo from the cab of my tractor as I was mowing it with a flail mower. There were a couple areas that were covered with it on this project. It's very fibrous and hard to cut with a bean hook, so for the sake of efficiency, these would be areas to mow. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531049537688-S1JDRM7TVB0ZEV1FD843/Burdock+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects There was some Burdock in this prairie down in the lower, wetter areas. It's a big, strong plant that puts out seeds that are the size of a marble and stick to your clothes as you walk through them. It comes by many names, but where I grew up in Southern Minnesota, it is called "Cocklebur." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531050109347-RCGBJ6UUOEK3K9TJ5TU9/Curled+Dock+2+edited.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects Curled Dock is also a prolific weed. It's seeds have an interesting texture and color, especially in the late summer when it's ready to seed out. It is said that one plant can put out 10,000 seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1531050887405-OX6Y13M94DLB6FEAUI46/bean+hook.jpg Blog - Meet the Usual Suspects For the individual weeds or small patches, we use a bean hook. It's a simple tool but very effective for cutting weeds at the base with minimal strain to one's back. The blade is the curved piece of metal, so the cutting happens by pulling the tool. It allowed us to cut the weeds but leave the natives standing. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/6/24/early-summer-flowers-begin-to-bloom monthly 0.5 2018-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529877957111-IQ8BW6WZTRVYRCPX8VNQ/butterfly+milkweed+2+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom Perhaps the most dramatic early summer wildflower is the Butterfly Milkweed. It's one of the very few orange native wildflowers and of course is a great pollinator. With it you see the Purple Prairie Clover, another very nice early summer flower. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529878708005-TNH2TYOPZDNJ3SVHC02D/prairie+thistle+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom Even though it is not colorful yet, I thought I would include this photo of a Compass Plant. They are larger plants that have anise flower in later summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529878131856-2B031XKM604OSVALL3SE/OxeEye+Daisy+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom Of the yellow flowers, the Oxe Eye Daisy has much brilliance and size. You can see some Purple Coneflowers behind them, but still pale in color. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529878267846-UE6KPXGYPUHCV75L3GFQ/hysop+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom Hyssop is a very nice lavender colored flower and is a very long-blooming plant, beginning in late June and continuing until late August. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529878354713-CLG1MGQORGUWCP8OS0H6/Swamp+Milkweed+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom Common Milkweed is in the same family as Butterfly Milkweed, but they are quite different in appearance. The Swamp Milkweed's mauve color adds something to the mix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529879082880-850ELRBE28L74BD1NHWC/Hoary+Alysym+resized.jpg Blog - Early Summer Flowers Begin to Bloom I thought I would include two ubiquitous weeds of early summer: Hoary Alyssum (the white one), and Goat's Beard (the yellow one). They show up when soil is disturbed, such as when a new prairie is seeded. This prairie plot was seeded last spring. Tilling the soil brought up a host of these weeds, which we often see in first and especially second year prairies. These two plants will decline next year in these spots as both are annuals (that is, they live for just one year). https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/6/17/the-war-against-turf-grass monthly 0.5 2018-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529274055801-DCFFIBBJHGUWCLZ82D51/Rajkowski+1+resized.jpg Blog - Turf Grass is not the Only Option This homeowner used to mow this, and three other equally large areas, totally over four acres of mowing. She hired us to put it in prairie and now, instead of spending half of her Saturday mowing, she now enjoys the wildflowers of her prairie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529272194768-S0K7USNGVIZYS94QJ10F/Steve%27s+front+2018.jpg Blog - Turf Grass is not the Only Option There was a time when I mowed all of this as turf grass. After a few years, and having gone through one old tractor and mowing deck, I decided enough was enough. We seeded this in a pollinator mix on Friday, though it took a while to prepare these sites. I left a path of turf grass winding through the middle of it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1529242400486-1HJWRGENP6VOQJ9V2DD0/Walescko+project+resized.jpg Blog - Turf Grass is not the Only Option Here is a photo I took two days ago of a lawn of a homeowner in the country (you can see a shadow of me photographing it). Up until now, they have been mowing some 2.5 acres, and doing so for decades. If you look closely, you can see the lighter green where the grass will be saved as paths. The rest will finally be put in pollinator, or prairie, plots. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/6/3/faq-a-la-prairie-wheres-my-prairie monthly 0.5 2018-06-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1528027654620-4SZVJQ436BMGUOXIE44L/Jay+Bachus+1+resized.jpg Blog - FAQ: Where's My Prairie? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1528026625184-NVX943S0M0TA8HRJLK0L/anderson+screen+shot+circled.png Blog - FAQ: Where's My Prairie? https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/5/27/the-parade-begins monthly 0.5 2018-05-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527419343113-1BOQM4RSNAQL8TPP2LA0/Lupines+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527419555742-DBFYH71CZAUOUBML8MPJ/Lupine+not+burned+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527420809767-SQOD1QWSTVQ5BEGWVESZ/Siberian+Elm+in+Prairie+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527419819031-42O5FXTUCQB6YTXG384D/Golden+Alexanders+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! Golden Alexanders are another very nice early spring flower https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527420253097-PWCL6QQ6E275TF0KX6IP/Siberian+Elm+1+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527420590035-TVPFTHOUIVBNPJEDFER4/Siberian+Elm+3+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! Here is a closeup of a Siberian Elm that has begun dropping its seeds. Its leaves look like the American Elm, only much smaller. Its seeds look like a miniature fried egg (sunny side up). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1527420430754-NPIH6TJARI4LCJ4Q9FH1/Sibereian+Elms+2+resized.jpg Blog - The Parade Begins! https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/5/20/jethro-tull-a-source-of-constant-inspiration monthly 0.5 2019-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1526821258839-OU96NHDXRRCHXGQ1XN15/coulter+resized.jpg Blog - Jethro Tull: a source of Constant Inspiration https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1526821551744-6TXE077DA4EAXFTIHEIV/tractor+seeder+with+field+resized.jpg Blog - Jethro Tull: a source of Constant Inspiration https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1526821399667-6MMEQJVPCO3WIBNO0HMX/back+side+of+disk+resized.jpg Blog - Jethro Tull: a source of Constant Inspiration https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/5/13/prescribed-burn-season monthly 0.5 2018-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1526209827607-VFM97EW1XRCPUAIAD57T/Merke+burn.jpg Blog - Prescribed Burn Season Jeff and me out on a burn. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/5/6/the-window-is-small-and-closing-quickly monthly 0.5 2018-05-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525603973606-R72LN42GYG2VV6CL71R9/potted+oaks+in+field.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly The straighter Bur Oaks get either potted for later use, or balled and burlapped, after which they can be planted at any time. Paul, an employee, is digging holes in the background where the smaller and straighter ones will be transplanted. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525604564484-N3PI7GHLN39RPBY05BEX/carrying+tree2.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly Here's a photo taken years ago of a balled and burlapped tree that we are about to plant in the yard of the house behind. Our tree spade, which allows us to ball and burlap, allows us to dig up the trees before they become active, and then plant them throughout the rest of the spring, summer, and fall. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525603240254-OR8ZZ5YED06NCGSFDYTS/burn.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly We burn the prairie plots around the farm, and the prairies we have installed for customers. The burns enhance the soil, set back the weeds, and promote growth of the native plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525604161945-QU79463ITYNLQP26TLC1/tree+spade.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly We use a tree spade to cut the roots of tree roots. This allows us to keep the soil on the roots or, in effect, take the soil with the tree. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525603840593-032VSUHKL2DGPYQ0EUUM/whips+in+ground.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly These crooked sticks in the ground are Bur Oaks. It's hard to grow a straight one, so we plant many of them and then go through them when they get to a certain size, separating the crooked ones from the fairly straight ones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1525603586761-BYF6GPVOO8U6LGD13KGL/Bur+Oak+bud.jpg Blog - The Window is Small and Closing Quickly At the tip of this Bur Oak branch you can see the buds beginning to swell. That means this tree is active, and yet we have many of them that we need to ball and burlap, pot, or transplant. So we hustled on Friday, May 4th, to get this done, thinking that by Monday, it may be too late to dig up trees. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/27/spring-in-full monthly 0.5 2018-04-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827379221-XAW0PDV6XMGJXO1751RL/purple+coneflower.jpg Blog - Spring in Full Here is a Purple Coneflower poking through the duff. Chances are this one germinated last year and was covered with snow in this state. Notice the bits of Bluegrass around it that are greening up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827957597-INWVZLK2MSOGB3MAHXZQ/Bur+Oak.jpg Blog - Spring in Full Usually the Bur Oak buds are beginning to swell by this time. But this year, there is not much happening with this Bur Oak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827871264-0H9QNQXVPK72DX35XO4M/Eldeberry.jpg Blog - Spring in Full Elderberry, which is a native shrub, is budding out. Notice the ice on the pond in the background. By yesterday afternoon, that ice was mostly gone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827669681-GMSSFUZCCDOA6ZN6EP2T/Yellow+Coneflower.jpg Blog - Spring in Full The Yellow Coneflower (or Grey-Headed Coneflowers) are just beginning to germinate. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827810713-ZBGEW6EJQNRVSLXJ5CPL/Freeman+maple.jpg Blog - Spring in Full The Red and Silver Maples are budding. This is a Freeman Maple, a cross between a Red and Silver Maple. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827486922-LUHQZ5MP4JZGBPAFU84S/Monarda.jpg Blog - Spring in Full Here is a Monarda plant making its way. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524827565955-R7FUHOO396Y01OVFLECT/little+bluestem.jpg Blog - Spring in Full Here's a clump of Little Bluestem we pulled up, only to see that nothing on it is turning green. It's a warm season plant and needs warmer days and nights before it will become active. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/20/shaken-not-stirred-pin-oaks-in-spring monthly 0.5 2018-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524224958212-1V2Z04FISNQR51EZKJ7N/Pin+Oak+April+19+edited.jpg Blog - Shaken, Not Stirred: Pin Oaks in Spring This photo of a Pin Oak was taken yesterday, April 19th, just behind our greenhouse. Pictured under it is Jeff Evander, an employee. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1524225198004-RU64H1C9TAX1FO5DZUDY/Pin+Oak+Shaken+edited.jpg Blog - Shaken, Not Stirred: Pin Oaks in Spring As you can see, after shaking the tree, 90% of its leaves are now on the ground. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/15/greenhouse-goings-on monthly 0.5 2018-04-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523826171530-3D8TBAN5DRHT24YBK3KY/greenhouse+outside.jpg Blog - Greenhouse Geekout One of the challenges of growing plants in a greenhouse in Central Minnesota is how to deal with snow. If this were a hoop house, meaning a greenhouse with just a plastic sheet cover, we would have to be running the heater so that the snow would melt and run off. Without the heat on, the snow might accumulate and collapse the roof of a hoop house. Because this is a polycarbonate greenhouse, it can withstand a lot of snow before it would collapse, which means we don't have to run the heater. Polycarbonate is a thick plastic material, much like plexiglass, but has channels that run through it like corrugated cardboard. These channels give it strength and add insulation value. I took this photo on Sunday, April 15, during a break in the 3-day snow storm. The temperature outside was around 32 degrees. But even though there was dense cloud cover, the temperature in the greenhouse was about 50 degrees, even without running a heater. Those temps inside the greenhouse had the effect of melting the snow that accumulated on the roof. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523827157653-CCGV87W2CL14QP47WNAK/trays.jpg Blog - Greenhouse Geekout Each one of these pots has been filled with a potting mix, and then seeded with wildflower or native grass seeds. Even though they've been watered, some for a month now, only the cool season plants are germinating. This time of year, with the sun getting higher, the temperature in a greenhouse will get over 100 degrees. So, we must have a thermostatically controlled ventilation system that kicks in to prevent overheating. Oddly, a big challenge to managing a greenhouse is keeping it from overheating. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523828288193-O055HZ7BVE5VTBW11HVR/lupine.jpg Blog - Greenhouse Geekout This flat was planted with Lupine seeds in March. Lupine is a cool season plant, which means it geminates and thrives in cooler temperatures. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/12/whats-not-happening monthly 0.5 2018-04-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523534984332-84P5SX4KF0OK3R70I3NC/dandelions+edited.jpg Blog - What's not Happening I took this photo in the greenhouse yesterday, April 11, 2018, which serves as a reminder of what it would look like outside. On an average year, dandelions would be beginning to bloom about now, reaching full bloom in the third week of April. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523535637830-VAGA8XF19UWBIWYR5YV9/westernchorusfrog-ptriselg.jpg Blog - What's not Happening Taken from https://www.pca.state.mn.us/living-green/frogs-minnesota Minnesota's DNR has recordings of the various frog sounds at the above link on their website. It is well worth a listen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523534624689-7RZXYGO5BQSL8EG4SZ39/pin+oak+edited.jpg Blog - What's not Happening I took this photo yesterday, April 11, 2018 of a Pin Oak in our grove. By now, it would have dropped all its leaves. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/8/april-frost-photos monthly 0.5 2018-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523190096433-C7EIQU3JQI1JLRZ7O6LL/kluesner+house+in+background.jpg Blog - April Frost Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523189523965-92OVNGF66MVJPD3HRJ4U/house+in+April+edited.jpg Blog - April Frost Photos https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1523190042555-3PFUNBRVPNOX91WWNI7G/coneflowers.jpg Blog - April Frost Photos https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/4/4/april-is-the-cruelest-month-ts-eliot monthly 0.5 2018-04-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1522881116870-LSHCQ9EG0NILUKCDOS1K/male+silver+maple.jpg Blog - Silver Linings and Silver Maples Courtesy of Illinois WildFlowers     https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1522879704550-5Z6LQ474DYSVKQBSTJBZ/Silve+Maple.jpg Blog - Silver Linings and Silver Maples I wish I could have photographed this Silver Maple with all the snow around it, but I had to look pretty much straight up to capture the buds on this tree on the edge of St. Joseph. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/28/pasque-flower-first-native-wildflowers-to-bud monthly 0.5 2018-03-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1522236332601-CIPH8C3LA446XJ7YW30Q/Pasque+Flower+resized.jpg Blog - Pasque Flower: First Native Wildflowers to Bud Pasque flowers make good companions with Tulips, which you see in this photo, taken March 20 in St. Joseph. The Tulips are the maroon-colored plants, and the Pasque Flower is the white, fuzzy plant to the back right. Pasque flower is one of the first flowers to bloom in the spring, often coming up while there is still snow on the ground. Look for it on south facing slopes in dry to average sandy soil, typically in scattered clumps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1522236957136-7VUJI3BG7SSTEW2I5ATH/pulsatilla-nuttaliana+early+spring.jpg Blog - Pasque Flower: First Native Wildflowers to Bud Pasque flower is a very delicate, leaning when the wind blows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1522237173442-LA8K7SWU7UWU6B31NPNB/pulsatilla-nuttalliana+late+spring.jpg Blog - Pasque Flower: First Native Wildflowers to Bud https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/24/red-winged-blackbirds-return monthly 0.5 2018-03-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521901533279-GPR30LJ39OROAK464G5P/male+red+winged.jpg Blog - Red Winged Blackbirds Return Few sounds are more welcomed than the Red Winged Black Birds "o-ka-leeee," which has multiple translations. It translates into English as "spring is here!." In Red Winged Blackbird language it means "This is my territory. Stay out!" It is helpful to be bilingual if you live in a neighborhood with these fellows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521904287090-9ZQVV5T6D03ARO4BHB2S/wetlands+2.jpg Blog - Red Winged Blackbirds Return From this vantage point we watch the Red Winged Blackbirds defend their nesting sites around the pond in the distance. They do so by strafing unsuspecting passersby (I won't say dive-bombing because they are not dropping a payload; it's more like they are firing machine guns). They are very intimidating for those of us on the receiving end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521903798449-9VM142JRERJPNRSQAUNS/female_red_wing_.jpg Blog - Red Winged Blackbirds Return Female Red Winged Blackbird (photo by R Hays Cummings, Miami University) https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/21/willows-and-aspen-are-budding monthly 0.5 2018-03-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521632370451-XJRP9ROMVFH95YJG2NW9/katkin+staminate.png Blog - Willows and Aspen are Budding Male catkin of Pussy Willow getting ready to pollinate. Photo from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521633691233-46EZDKGIE98DE0F54Q7B/Quaking+Aspen+resized.jpg Blog - Willows and Aspen are Budding This photo of the buds of a Quaking Aspen was taken in St. Joseph, Central Minnesota, on March 17, 2018 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521635330355-O13Y6I3S1KMQ27VEOURC/quaking+aspen+catkin+3.jpg Blog - Willows and Aspen are Budding The catkin of a Cottonwood, though this is what they look like on the Poplars and Quaking Aspens as well. Photo from Austinbotany.wordpress.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521631100233-UKUA1F0NQEEMZ2FTJDA6/Pussy+Willow+edited.jpg Blog - Willows and Aspen are Budding I took this photo of a Pussy Willow on March 19th, 2018, on our property in Central Minnesota   https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/17/what-makes-buckthorn-bad monthly 0.5 2018-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521295988048-FSEP4K5FG0FP3RKYGUCI/three+oaks+2.jpg Blog - The Problem with Buckthorn The three Bur Oaks of our wetland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521307358293-KVZ36K9N6VO7WSUMM0JN/buckthorn+berries.jpg Blog - The Problem with Buckthorn Buckthorn berries are attractive to certain birds, which eat and spread the plant. The berry producing plants are the ones we go after first. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521297630453-JNCLMO2S3WZVO5OQIH53/spraying+buckthorn+2.JPG Blog - The Problem with Buckthorn This is a photo I took of Jeff, an employee, who cuts Buckthorn with a brush cutter and then sprays the stump with an herbicide right after cutting. If the stump is not sprayed, the plant will eventually come back with a vengeance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1521295024430-K8QNZEV1MT5I0VP2ZD8L/Screen+Shot+Buckthorn2018-03-17+at+8.56.00+AM.png Blog - The Problem with Buckthorn Buckthorn's signature is its scaly bark, thorns, and shiny leaves. It was introduced by Europeans who used it for hedges. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/13/sand-hill-cranes-return monthly 0.5 2018-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520945327265-ZX6EVQIHUI4NZZA5WDLU/sand+hill+cranes+4.jpg Blog - Sand Hill Cranes Return Sand hill Cranes on the Platte River (photo by Evan Barrentos, The Prairie Ecologist) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520944650535-WQPCFCHO7A0C47DG0O3J/sand+hill+cranes+first+sighting.jpg Blog - Sand Hill Cranes Return This is a bit of a "Where's Waldo?" photo in that the cranes are inconspicuous. Indeed, I hope you can spot them (hint: through the triangle made by the tree branches). But that is partly the point. When one lives on an open landscape, a habit of scanning the horizon ensues. One never knows when we'll catch a glance of a deer, coyote (which is rare, but we hear them and so know they are there) or, in this case, a pair of Sand Hill Cranes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520949897678-MDME7KQLIWR0MRSN9OGH/sand+hill+crane+in+snow+wetland.jpg Blog - Sand Hill Cranes Return One of our Sand Hill Cranes crying out in the wetland on a previous snowy arrival. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520948185978-8LGOYKF0AGLOA7HGZLSD/grazing+on+prairie.jpg Blog - Sand Hill Cranes Return Sand Hill Cranes grazing on our prairie where it meets the wetland. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/8/burr-oaks-on-our-80-acres monthly 0.5 2018-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520596526994-Z35VSVD0VOTBIE9KPCEZ/oak+by+pond.jpg Blog - Bur Oaks on our 80 Acres This Bur Oak is easily three feet in diameter, making it a two hundred year old tree. It has grown in a lower, wetter part of our land. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520536803034-AUYNY8VOTOAGXB7PD1TV/steve+next+to+tree.jpg Blog - Bur Oaks on our 80 Acres This Bur Oak was about my height when we built our house in 1987. That makes it at least 35 years old. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520596869211-1NUO7VT4M4FX6S3YV9NH/oak+savanah.jpg Blog - Bur Oaks on our 80 Acres This cluster of Bur Oaks is unusual on our property. I assume a squirrel collected and stored acorns from the nearby Oak in the previous photo. Together they make up a nice little savanna in our wetlands. Because their acorns may have all come from the same tree, they are all of the same family, and therefore sharing similarities in structure, which I look for when I walk by them. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/3/4/plants-that-provide-color-in-winter monthly 0.5 2018-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520175238605-IYLX5S6V5GE95HJ5BP87/eastern+red+cedar.jpg Blog - Native Plants that Provide Color in Winter Few plants get a worse rap than the Eastern Red cedar. I grow them in my nursery and can't tell you how many customers scoff at them, sometimes refering to them as "scrub brush." Their virtues are several: they attract birds like no other tree, providing dense structure and stability for nest building. They are the only plant I can think of that appears to turn from their rusty summer color to a deeper green in the winter. We used one as a Christmas tree last year and, I swear, it turned greener after we cut it down and brought it in the house. They do best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. They make for a wonderful plant in a prairie, complementing the grasses and wildflowers with height and texture.     https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520174809321-7MC9VJ1BYRP6O6UWVZTL/dogwood.jpg Blog - Native Plants that Provide Color in Winter Of course the red of the dogwood gives a very nice color in late winter and early spring. Pruning your dogwood will generate new shoots, and it is the new shoots that are the most red (while the older ones turn and stay green). A good time to prune them, or cut them down so that they re-sprout, is in late winter or early spring. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1520173952982-PKJTP9SLFQGRSZ8LOJ24/red+oak.jpg Blog - Native Plants that Provide Color in Winter I love the look of Pin Oak leaves on the trees in winter. It is as though they're saying, "What's the rush? Spring foliage won't be coming until, well, spring." So, in the process they provide us with interesting texture and color on the horizon. I have a tree nursery. I deliver and plant balled and burlapped trees. I must say, I rarely get a request for a Red Oak or Pin Oak, the assumption being that they are Oaks, and thereby slow growing. But this is not the case in the Red Oak family. They grow as fast as anything. The White Oaks, on the other hand, grow slowly. But they live up to 200 years and more. Their cragginess, for lack of a better word, gives them a beauty all their own. They could be regarded as an ornamental tree, justifying their existence for sheer beauty alone (and not just for their utility in providing shade). https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/2/27/winter-landscapes-2 monthly 0.5 2018-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519822027842-1HE8HR3PDN71S3FMKI05/gall+on+goldenrod.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes 2 It is not unusual to see these "Galls" on Goldenrod stems. In winter they add a glossy/waxy texture to the prairie. These galls are called by the Goldenrod Gall Fly, which injects it's larvae into the stem of the Goldenrod plant, providing food and shelter until the larvae hatch. Other insect species are known to eat the fly larvae in the gall before they hatch. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519823403479-V282SUKZENSNVAWKVTG1/Maximillian+Sunflower.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes 2 This lone Compass Plant is much more noticeable in winter and provides nice contrast to the shorter plants. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519821838988-4DOWZ98KTZP1HZ06T97Y/milkweed.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes 2 This Milkweed husk adds texture to the winter landscape. Moreover, these husks have been completely divested of their seed, meaning they've been distributed out into the prairie, waiting for the freeze/thaw of spring to bring the seed out of dormancy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519823016085-D8ZWAB7RPLU9O9198ZHJ/Goldenrod.gall_.fly_.dorsal.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes 2 The Goldenrod Gall Fly is quite small, not a good flyer, and lives a short life. They exist throughout all of North America. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/2018/2/24/winter-landscapes monthly 0.5 2018-02-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519495865099-DIV0ZPZ42DRDS47Q94JX/Grey+Headed+coneflower.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes The Grey Headed Coneflower here provides not only texture to the landscape, but food for birds. The heads you see in this photo that are not round are what remains after the birds have eaten the seeds. Interestingly, the stem is strong enough for small birds to perch upon, allowing them to eat the seeds. Since we started this prairie some 22 years ago, wildflowers are popping up throughout the farm, due to the birds spreading the seeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519563045452-R8HM3KUSMZH64HSOSIDN/Cat+Tail.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes February is the month that one can see the cattails seed out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519496885295-EJGR5J371KVDS8N1BC46/monarda.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes It seems the birds don't care for the Monarda seed as much as they do the Grey Headed Coneflower. Nevertheless, Mondarda flower heads create a dappled effect upon the landscape as well as provides some foliage, one of the few plants that keeps its leaves through the winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519496451619-6X2612I0P6LLJ00U1RGJ/Cord+grass.jpg Blog - Winter Landscapes Grasses too have interesting texture in winter, when they are dried out. This was taken right after a five-inch snow fall, but the grass is still upright. Particularly attractive is the Cordgrass, the grass that has the long, slowly curving downward blades. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/invasive+plant+management monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/native+plants+in+winter monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/migratory+birds monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/Central+MN++Phenology monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/winter+landscapes monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/category/Oak+Savanna monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Purple+Prairie+Clover monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Purple+Coneflower monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/hoary+alyssum monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Oxe+Eye+Daisy monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Luppine monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/cool+season+plants monthly 0.5 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https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Eldeberry monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/dandelion+blooming monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Aster monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Why+Pin+Oaks+keep+their+leaves monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/no+till+drill+seeding monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/thistle monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Lupine+germination monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Bur+Oaks monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/fescue monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/agricultural+revolution monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/pollinators monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/tree+transplanting monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/hoar+frost monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Grey+Headed+Coneflower monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/catkins monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Early+summer+native+Wildflowers monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Goldenrod monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/pussy+willow monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/bird+migration monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/snow+on+the+prairie monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/herbicides monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Butterfly+Milkweed monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Meadow+Blazing+Star monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Eastern+Red+Cedar monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/turf+grasses monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/goldenrod+gall+fly monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/prairie+restoration monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/nature monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/tree+pollination monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/balling+and+burlapping monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Golden+Alexander monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Dogwoods monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/red+winged+blackbird monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Freeman+Maple monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/prairie+plugs monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/low+maintenance+grasses monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Invasive+species monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/White+Wild+Indigo monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/tree+potting monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Robert+Mueller+special+investigation monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/FAQ monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/seed+drill monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/blog/tag/Oak+Savanna monthly 0.5 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/new-cover-page daily 1.0 2017-02-02 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/woodlands-1 daily 0.75 2021-03-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486127373436-KTZ61VCP2VFVKCID2RPJ/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands The Oak Savanna is a biome that has evolved in the midwest since the last Ice Age some 12,000 years ago. It is characterized by a canopy that provides less than 50% shade in the summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486127631590-COSNAVXE4HEWCMPPDA6R/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands Bur Oak is the signature tree of the oak savanna. It is in the White Oak family, and can live more than 200 years. It is among the longest living plants in the midwest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1616160590417-7WZSHIQPTZTLCLOXZSHA/Mulched+field+at+JOHNSON%27S+resized+copy.jpg Woodlands For bigger projects, we use a Loftness forestry mulcher to clear woodlands. The mulcher head makes quick work of chipping vegetation, reducing it to wood chips that will eventually be left to decompose or will be burned off before we seed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486128854114-A1PA5WMIRH54EI99LTAF/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands After clearing a thick understory of invasive plants such as Buckthorn and Honeysuckle, native plants came back on their own, seen here in this photo. Such sedges (the grass-like plant) and Columbine (the three-leaved, flowering plant) are natives that make for a wonderful ground cover in a woodland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486129385633-5IRJMUUUSKHG984JCZ5O/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands Buckthorn is an invasive plant that will take over a whole understory of a woodland or Oak Savanna, leaving it inaccessible to human and non-human creatures alike. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486129663837-OUGE5TNNP0Z0PXDS50FB/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands Preparing the soil for seeding in an Oak Savanna such as this takes time. We sprayed this plot the year before, burned it the following spring, sprayed two more times during the course of the summer, and burned the debris in the fall before seeding it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486130625755-MEDYYQVHLMFYSXZNVGK9/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands Restoring a woodland begins with an act of the imagination as it often hard to see through a dense understory what potential lies there. As this illustration suggests, clearing the understory, thinning out the canopy, restoring the ground cover, and creating paths can make the woodland part of your residential landscape. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486127888536-B1569LL479Z6ZBLODYT3/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486128242925-I0IKF88288HO3GKKH5PC/image-asset.jpeg Woodlands The deeply-fissured bark of the Bur Oak, which functions like the ribs of a radiator, has evolved as an adaptation to fire. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/prairies daily 0.75 2018-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1519499762953-OB7JTFE8388CCZL6YI44/New+Holland+tractor%3Aseeder.jpg prairies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486061175135-MIOF8QQ38FV1P4SIWSVB/image-asset.jpeg prairies This design was for the Episcopal House of Prayer on the edge of the Saint John's Abbey property. The green represents areas that we seeded in fescue--a low maintenance turf grass--that made up the paths and several open spaces, and the brown represents areas that we seeded in native grasses and wildflowers. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486064238626-IE0MOUH4QDRDBR5RYQ8K/image-asset.jpeg prairies Our three-layered approach involves native grass seed on the bottom layer, wildflower plugs on the second, and more structural plants (often potted) on the third, or top, layer. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486079593972-0OTP8WG8HIH4WRV8NGYM/image-asset.jpeg prairies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486648754527-KL9N6Z1BH8QEVY7IUKJY/image-asset.jpeg prairies Most turf grasses are high maintenance--requiring watering, fertilizing, herbicides, and mowing. Despite this, most yards are seeded with turf grass. Prairie, or pollinator, plots give us a wonderful alternative to the exclusively turf grass landscape. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487685186943-SFE2BKBRFQVV2S8FQRGZ/image-asset.jpeg prairies Seeding prairies requires specialized equipment, such as no-till drill seeders. We use the Kasco Eco Drill for smaller, lower, and wetter projects (see above), and a Great Planes no-till drill for CRP seeding and larger projects. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486083294899-UBQCYRF8HCRM2YINN5PI/image-asset.jpeg prairies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486082520800-IKENELQI8EPCIC3P0AW9/image-asset.jpeg prairies https://www.prairie-scapes.com/buffer-strips daily 0.75 2017-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486122097957-A1B4843YLE730PU9FYQV/image-asset.jpeg Shorelines, Rain Gardens, Wetlands Eliminating Reed Canary grass is the first step in restoring a wetland to native plants. At Klinefelter Park in St. Joseph, we began by spraying the Reed Canary grass with Glyphosate. We continued spraying the grasses throughout the summer before we burned and seeded this wetland in the fall of 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487077367861-V16NUI7K8M9VHZF14807/image-asset.jpeg Shorelines, Rain Gardens, Wetlands Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from lawn fertilizers can cause overstimulation of aquatic plants and algae. They choke each other out and then use up oxygen as they decompose. Excessive algae also blocks light to deeper waters, preventing oxygen from being created. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486123158084-MLTBEC2ZNLRVAUTJT5AR/image-asset.jpeg Shorelines, Rain Gardens, Wetlands Turf grass has its place, but overuse neither filters runoff nor prevents shoreline erosion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486385431468-W6XOXIZXUC94FDXZ2MWI/image-asset.jpeg Shorelines, Rain Gardens, Wetlands We had this pond dug and, over time, seeded it with wetland grasses and flowers--Cord Grass, Indian Grass and Goldenrod. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487078220979-49QYB5P2HE6LB90ZRQCK/image-asset.jpeg Shorelines, Rain Gardens, Wetlands These buffer zones reduce mowing and lawn maintenance, filter contaminants, provide habitat, and stabilize the soil both upland and along the water's edge. Illustration by Steve Heymans. https://www.prairie-scapes.com/our-philosophy daily 0.75 2017-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486056500725-8RMHA6FJBFP8QJMZ6L90/rothsay+prairie+2+copy.JPG Philosophy Photo by Steve Heymans of a virgin prairie outside the city of Rothsay, Minnesota. This was taken in early July, just as the Purple Prairie Clover was starting to bloom. One is hard-pressed to find a weed in this prairie. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486057342565-OKDYHUUUJEKWXDJT2A1Z/image-asset.jpeg Philosophy In conventional landscaping, landscape fabric, which then is covered with mulch or rock, is used to prevent weeds from coming up. Unfortunately, covering the earth around perennials is deleterious to the plant. If the landscape fabric was not installed, the exposed soil between all the plants would invite weed habitation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486383610858-SS1DX9LNEBFN8DFLPEXR/image-asset.jpeg Philosophy This prairie plot was done exclusively by seed in poor soil conditions. There are very few weeds in this plot, and the homeowners have not weeded it since it was seeded (in 2011). The only work the homeowners have done is to cut it down at the end of the season. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1486055458965-JYVYHC0YXU1BTPZ1LNOD/image-asset.jpeg Philosophy photo taken by Chris Helzer, The Nature Conservancy https://www.prairie-scapes.com/contact-1 daily 0.75 2018-02-28 https://www.prairie-scapes.com/agricultural-buffer-strips daily 0.75 2017-02-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487079670975-6GPS7CLJVQM93D0RECSL/image-asset.jpeg Agricultural Buffer Strips On this project, we seeded natives into these berms on the edges of ponds designed to hold and filter water before it runs into the lake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487079329476-86TE085BSYZAHNKGB3XX/farmer-looking-at-river-bank-erosion.jpg Agricultural Buffer Strips Vegetation on this riverbank would both prevent erosion as well as filter nutrients from the adjacent field. This is an extreme example of what the buffer law intends to prevent https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5890a886cd0f685b13dacf15/1487079892294-6ZHZHV6KAKIP2X6ERNXD/image-asset.jpeg Agricultural Buffer Strips