Although we often have trouble getting satisfactory prairie burns done in the fall of the year, this year has been an exception. The prairie grasses have all cured early and the…

The fall weather this year has provided good conditions for small prairie burns. See my post for a general discussion of fall prairie burns. Walking Iron Prairie, part of the…

Why is it so hard to get a good prairie burn in the fall? Update 11-1-2016 See bottom of this post ****************************************************************** It would be nice if prairies could be…

This has not been one of our better years for fall color. The last half of September was cold and rainy, and it has only been in middle of October…

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) is a common invader in the early stages of prairie or savanna restoration. It can't compete in well established native areas, but comes in quickly on bare…

Spiranthes ovalis is a relatively uncommon member of the Orchid family. In Wisconsin it is a Special Concern species with a C value of 10. The Wisconsin Herbarium has a…

The Labor Day field trip at Pleasant Valley Conservancy has become a tradition. The first Labor Day trip was held in the 2005 and we have held one every year…

Hybrid cattail (Typha X glauca) is a highly invasive species that has become a major threat to wetlands in North America. Last year I discovered in the PVC wetland some…

We have three Overlooks at Pleasant Valley Conservancy (East, Rocky, and Far), and all three have prairie remnants. The “Far Overlook” is the most interesting because it opens out into…

Although the term “savanna” has been defined in various ways (Scholes and Archer, 1997), for the present discussion a savanna is considered a wooded area with herbaceous groundlayer (or understory)…