In my July 23, 2011 post I discussed the success we are now having getting purple and white prairie clovers (Dalea purpurea and D. candida) established. White prairie clover is…

Most of the prairies at Pleasant Valley Conservancy are small (less than 5 acres), which means that they have lots of edges. Anyone doing prairie restoration will tell you that…

In a post two years ago, I showed that lousewort (Pedicularis lanceolata), a hemiparasitic plant, was infecting the sedge Carex trichocarpa and holding it in check. This sedge forms monospecific…

My interest in buckthorn growth and survival continues. Eventually this knowledge should lead to better understanding of how to eradicate this exceedingly undesirable plant. At Pleasant Valley Conservancy I have…

Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) is now in full bloom in our wet-mesic prairies (Barn Prairie, Valley Prairie). This is a species with an intense and distinctive color. It is apparently common…

For some years we have been trying to get woodland thistle (Cirsium altissimum) established in our savannas, and we are finally having some success. This biennial is the tallest native…

Most people know Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) as a wetland plant, but it turns out that it is also found in upland sites. I'm not sure why, and we…

One of the more fascinating savanna forbs is Giant False Foxglove (Aureolaria grandiflora), a member of the Snapdragon (Scrophulariaceae) family that lives hemiparastically on oak roots. The photo here, taken…

The bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is a long-lived tree throughout most of its range, but does not live forever. In 1997 we lost a 200-year old tree, and just last…