New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) is now in full bloom and we have a lot of nice examples on our ridge-top savanna (Unit 11A). This Unit is especially interesting because…

Yesterday we had a nice visit at Pleasant Valley Conservancy from Paul West, his family, and friends.  Paul played a major role in the early days of Pleasant Valley Conservancy,…

Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is one of the "bad guys" in southern Wisconsin, and many restoration projects spend a lot of time attempting to eradicate it. We had lots of…

The year 2013 was a great year for pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) and 2015 seems to be another good year. Pale purple coneflower patch on a dry lime prairie…

Wood lilies (Lilium philadelphicum) are blooming now but you have to be quick or you will miss them. Last year we had more success than usual at Pleasant Valley Conservancy,…

In a recent discussion with our summer interns, the topic turned to the movement of invasive species into Pleasant Valley Conservancy from surrounding lands. Good question. PVC is an island…

Right now is peak season for the flowering of spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) in southern Wisconsin. This interesting plant finds a niche in the flowering sequence between the earlier lupine and…

When Kathie and I purchased (in 1980) the property that has now become Pleasant Valley Conservancy, we were not aware of its potential value as a natural area. Even when…

We've been visiting the Driftless area of western Dane county for many years but it has only been in the last dozen years that we have been seeing turkey vultures.…

Aspen is one of those plant species that you can either love or hate! It has extensive commercial value, and its fall color is greatly prized in the Rockies. But…