How long does it really take to get rid of invasive brush?
We first cleared the South Slope of Pleasant Valley Conservancy in 1998-1999. We instituted an annual burn program almost immediately, although some of the areas were hard to burn (not…
What happened to our fall burn weather?
At Pleasant Valley Conservancy we have been doing major burns in both the spring and the fall since 1999. Here is a link to the complete burn record. I just…
October is a great time to basal bark buckthorn in prairie and savanna remnants!
Even a single stem of buckthorn stands out among all the brown senesced native species. Killed yesterday Killed in 2013 Killed in 2015 Killed in 2008 If it's green this…
How viable are our hand-collected seeds?
Kathie and I often discussed the quality of our collected seeds. Would they grow when planted? Would the seeds germinate? Seed germination tests are not that hard to do and…
New England asters and Monarch butterflies
This is the time of year when the last brood of Monarch butterflies is stoking up for their long journey to Mexico. Asters and goldenrods are the principal nectar sources,…
The gentians: fringed and otherwise
This is the time of year for gentians. As poet Emily Dickinson so aptly put it, gentians come with the frosts, although with global warming since Dickinson’s time, it has…
2018 Survey for Bur Oak Blight at Pleasant Valley Conservancy Update 9-30-2018
Update Sept 30, 2018 The report below was written on Sept 23. Since then, lots more trees are showing symptoms of bur oak blight. Many are large trees, including some…
Establishment of compass plant (Silphium laciniatum) in prairie and savanna habitats
Compass plant (Silphium laciniatum), an icon of the tall grass prairie, is one of the first prairie species to disappear upon grazing (see Curtis quote at the end of this…
Oak savanna restoration: a case study
This link leads to a Power Point that describes succinctly procedures for restoring an oak savanna area. Kathie and I presented this some years ago at a North American Prairie…
Learning about weeds: a personal account
At Pleasant Valley Conservancy we have dealt with weeds in our prairie remnants, our restored oak savannas, and in the prairies we have planted in former agricultural fields. Each situation…