Juneberry (Amelanchier arborea), also called serviceberry, is in flower now. This is one of the handsome early-flowering shrubs (small trees) of our area.We used to have a few of these…

I don't like night burns but sometimes they are necessary. Last night Kathie and I participated in a night burn at Madison Audubon's Goose Pond Sanctuary.Yesterday had been so windy…

We have been waiting two weeks for the right conditions to finish our planned burns for the spring season, and finally today we found them! These were all oak woodland…

If you have been following this blog, you know that I am a big fan of herbicide treatment of woody plants by the basal bark method with Garlon 4. This…

I find it interesting that a number of plant species get an early start by growing in the bare zone around the bases of trees, especially our large oaks. There…

We generally wait until we have burned a unit before we plant it. This ensures that the area is bare and the seeds will reach the soil.Yesterday, a fine sunny…

Yesterday I spent some time surveying those areas that we have already burned, including both the prairies and savannas. It doesn't take long this time of year, especially with a…

Last Monday during our big prescribed burn there was a fairly large fire whirl (also called a "dust devil") in the middle of the Pocket Prairie. I didn't see it,…

Most prescribed burns have a few mop-up elements, but savanna burns often have lots. This is because there are almost always dead logs or standing dead trees that, despite the…

Today (March 29, 2010) we did more large prescribed burns. We did savanna and prairie burns at Pleasant Valley Conservancy, and prairie burns at Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie. Both of…