I stumbled across a link to this video while editing the Oak Savanna page on Wikipedia. Well worth watching this 8 minute video. Although the species are different in Oregon…

Those battling weeds in natural areas can't help being depressed as they drive along and see large populations of enemy plants. Late summer is especially bad as these weeds start…

Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie State Natural Area is always one of the great sites for the showy butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), but this year is especially nice. I counted 180…

Although it may take a while, it is possible to replace smooth brome with a high diversity of native prairie species. In the early days of our restoration work on…

Sweet clover (Melilotus alba; M. officinalis) is probably the most expensive weed that we deal with in prairie restoration work. In contrast to garlic mustard and reed canary grass, the…

On Saturday, June 21, 2014, a butterfly field trip (24 participants) was held at Pleasant Valley Conservancy led by Ann Thering and Kathie and Tom Brock. This trip was held…

Wood lilies are blooming now but you have to be quick or you will miss them. This year we have been more successful than usual at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. They…

New aspen growth years after the original trees have been eliminated Even years after an aspen clone has been eradicated by girdling, scattered root suckers may appear. For instance: the…

Present distribution of two species of invasive clones at Pleasant Valley Conservancy The GIS-based map above shows the distribution of two invasive species that are especially difficult to get rid…

Last Tuesday we had a visit from USDA-NRCS soil scientists who are doing a detailed study on soil/plant relationships on bluff prairies in the Driftless Area. This project, under Soil…