In an earlier post I discussed the hemiparasitism of wood betony and how it often acts on prairie grasses. I have now found a similar phenomenon in the related species…

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) is one of those trees you can love to hate, although because it forms heaps of pretty flowers and a nice perfume, many people love it.…

We have now moved into summer work mode. The photo shows our new group of summer interns together with our "regulars". The only person missing in the photo is Kathie,…

One of the "joys" of spraying buckthorn resprouts is that it keeps your eyes firmly fixed on the ground. While spraying in the savanna I flushed a brown thrasher. Since…

Our great spring burns were very successful in top-killing brambles, and for the past several weeks we have been spraying all the resprouts. Many of the bramble patches have actually…

This is the time of year when lots of prairie (and savanna) plants are just showing above ground. An important skill of the restoration ecologist is the identification of prairie…

Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie is one of southern Wisconsin's jewels, and I strongly recommend a visit in the next few days. Kathie and I manage this prairie for the Prairie…

Shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) is now in full flower all over southern Wisconsin. It is one of the great members of the early spring flora., with a C value of…

As described in a recent post, we are in an "all out" mode to eradicate brambles. However, this time of year lots of "good" plants are becoming well established, and…

We are in the midst of our major push on bramble control in our savanna areas. Because of our great spring burns, all the brambles were top killed but immediately…