Recent Posts
Fire on Purpose
“It’s a dance, choreographed by the wind, conducted by Amanda … Fire artisans wield drip torches, and dry grasses bow to the flames. Lyrics are the radio chatter: ‘copy that’ and ‘I see your smoke’ and ‘winds are changing’ and ‘flames are coming your way’ and ‘spot fire’ and ‘I need water” and ‘tie it…
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Our New Website
This year, Brad Thome completed the update of our Pleasant Valley Conservancy website. Perhaps the fourth iteration, the site is packed full of useful information on oak savanna restoration in Wisconsin. And more. I want to point out some of the website’s features and navigate with you past hurdles and into some good stuff. You…
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Bird Checklist
In June, 2023, I created a bird checklist for Pleasant Valley Conservancy. Amy Staffen had just completed our annual breeding bird survey, and I was motivated in addition after looking at several lists submitted to eBird. Our annual “workers’ bird lists” and many breeding bird surveys conducted by Roma Lenehan over the years provided most of the…
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Leaf Stories
Winter Trees ”…having prepared their buds against a sure winter the wise trees stand sleeping in the cold” (William Carlos Williams, 1883-1963) While our web pages were migrating to the new site this past fall (thank you Brad Thome), I was tasked with coming up with a more “modern” leaf logo. I decided that an actual…
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Cattail Control
“We stand at the edge of the marsh at day’s end, watch it swallow itself.” (Found haiku inside the poem, Marsh, by Hans Ostrom) “Even when you think the ground is solid, it probably isn’t.” Amanda Budyak Control of cattails in wetlands is important and hard work. I do not have the stamina to participate,…
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Ruby-throated Hummingbird Stories
Arrival I first spotted the hummingbird at our cabin on May 9. It was flying in circles at the corner of the overhang, where, over many years, Kathie has hung the sugar feeder. The feeder had not yet been hung, but the hungry migrant was reminding us where to put it. The little jewels have…
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Pale Indian Plantain
“Nevertheless, she persisted.” Mitch McConnell of Elizabeth Warren, 2017 Pale Indian Plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium, formerly Cacalia atriplicifolium*) has been variously described as “conspicuous but rare” by Iltis and Cochran, “a problem” by Tom Brock, “aggressive” and “perhaps not suitable for small plantings” by Prairie Moon Nursery. Plants for a Future calls it “somewhat invasive.” We…
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Hi
Thanks for putting this report together. We are going to continue our cattail control at Wildland.
Mark and Sue
That’s great. Challenging work…