The bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) is a common species associated with the oak savanna landscape. This species is also known to “invade” prairies, where it can, under appropriate conditions, become…

Restoration work on the Pleasant Valley Conservancy wetland has been underway for over 15 years. This work has been carried out by Craig Annen and his company, Integrated Restorations (IR).…

We have been burning oak savannas and oak woodlands at Pleasant Valley Conservancy for 20 years. In the early years we made lots of mistakes, as there were no sources…

Many of the invasive plants that we deal with in restoration ecology are rather unremarkable in appearance, so one doesn’t mind getting rid of them. But there are also invasive…

This is shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) time. At Pleasant Valley Conservancy, we had many sites where this species was remnant. Some even flowered before any restoration work, but lots had…

Oak woodlands need fire, and at Pleasant Valley Conservancy we try to burn our major oak woodland (Units 15 and 16) at least biennially. The big burn in November 2016 was…

It is easy to identify a tree as a member of the genus Quercus (“oak”), yet often difficult to distinguish a specimen at the species level. This is especially true…

Generally prairie burns in the fall are not too successful because grass, the principal fuel, has not yet fully cured. However, last fall was especially favorable for curing and prairie…

The little bluestem in our tallgrass prairie is so lush that the underlying growth pattern can’t be seen until it is burned. A close look at the burned half of…

Given the right fuel and weather, oak savanna burns can be as complete as prairie burns. However, there are times when unburned patches remain after burning is otherwise complete. Although…