The most recent USDA-NRCS plan for Wisconsin's WHIP program (WHIP = Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program) places oak savanna restoration at the top of the list and calls attention to a…

Yesterday I spent some time chasing down some turkey poults while mowing the Valley Prairie fire break. (The photo above is the best I could do with my pocket camera…

Cream gentian (Gentiana alba) is one of those great plants that we are now fortunate to have lots of at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. It is not common in Wisconsin and…

Kuhnia eupatorioides (false boneset) is a typical dry prairie species that is just starting to flower. We find it at Pleasant Valley Conservancy primarily on the south-facing slope where it…

Biennial gaura (Gaura biennis) is a prairie plant which in Wisconsin is found mainly in the southern counties. It does not appear often on prairie planting lists, but is an…

It is hard to believe that the Sandhill Crane Wet Prairie is only in its third growing season. We have had so many successes here, including the best Indian grass…

Today Kathie and I participated in a work party at Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie. The goal was to find the last sweet clover plants, those that had come up late…

This week Kathie and I went to Minnesota to attend the 21st North American Prairie Conference at Winona State University. This event, held every two years, brings together researchers and…

We are just finishing our "sweet clover season." This species, Melilotus alba, is a real problem in prairie restoration, but rarely a problem elsewhere. The photo here (by Matt Ziehr)…

Rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens) is now in full bloom at Pleasant Valley Conservancy. This is probably the most common orchid in dry sites in southern Wisconsin woodlands.We have only a…