Iron Weed

They don't call Vernonia noveboracensis Iron Weed for just any odd  reason.  It is tough as iron.  Blooming beautifully despite the severe  drought we are experiencing here in East Central Illinois. We had been vacationing out West.  We grew more and more concerned with the lack of rain reported back home.  When we did return we found a parched and brown lawn, some dead shrubs, but as expected, the prairie plants were blooming, liatris, butterfy weed, sunflowers, and rattlesnake master to name a few others.  One noticeable difference in the prairie is the grasses, mostly Big Blue, Switch and Indian.  They are not nearly as tall as in previous years, but still green and growing.

Echinacea tennesseensis

If you can find this endangered plant for your garden, make sure you plant it away from the more common Echinacea purpurea. Otherwise, it will be crowded out. This plant is growing with others of its kind amongst Prairie Dropseed grass in the flower bed along the walk to the front door of our home. The only problem is the gold finches which pluck off some of the petals, disfiguring the flower. The finches also eat the seeds as soon as they appear. Echinacea tennesseensis has petals that turn upward not downward like Echinacea purpurea..

Pollinators

No rest for the pollinators this Sunday afternoon at Habitat Home.

Bumblebee on yellow wild indigo Baptisia sphaerocarpa

Pearl crescent on mouse ear coreopsis Coreopsis auriculata nana

Summer azure on golden alexander Zizia aurea

Trout Lily

So many of the spring ephemerals are blooming now.  Today I found several Trout Lilies in bloom.  Most sources claim that the yellow flowering variety is more common, however, the ones at Habitat Home are white.  The flower is extremely sensitive to the sunlight and will turn on its stalk to follow the sunlight.  At night it nearly closes.  Another interesting feature is the mottled leaves which some say look like a trout, hence the name Trout Lily.  But others call this the Dog-tooth "Violet"because the petals look like dog's teeth.  I think violet is very misleading and so it is Trout Lily to me or Erythronium albidum  to really identify it.

Bluebells

The river path is awash in bluebells Mertensia virginica

Bluebells go thought several color changes as they grow.  The first to emerge are the deep blue purple buds.  The buds then open into blue bells but not before they shift though various shades of pink to turn this beautiful bright shade of blue.  Occasionally one can find a bluebell with white flowers.  Notice in the photo above that our beavers are still around..

Giant Swallowtail

We have noted the bottlebrush buckeyes (Aesculus parviflora) previously, but have never posted about this frequent visitor to them, the giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). This largest of Illinois butterflies (4 to 6 inch wingspan) goes through two generations in Illinois and then overwinters as a chrysalis. They feed on a variety of vegetation found at Habitat Home, including these bottlebrush buckeyes, milkweed, clover, and phlox. They are a beautiful sight as they make their "hopping" flight way across the yard. Note: the photo above is one of those that is worth clicking on to open up a higher resolution version to ponder in more detail; for example, it looks like the butterfly's proboscis has passed behind or right through the flower.

Apple Trees

We have three standard apple trees on our property. Like the cicadas (see previous post) the apples are unusual this year. This is the first year that we have apples on all three trees. The trees were planted in 1993. Previously, all have born fruit but not all in the same year.

Since all the trees are producing fruit this year I may just have an opportunity to harvest some apples this year. There may be enough for the deer, raccoons, squirrels, birds, possums, skunks and us!

Iris and Golden Alexander

After seeing how iris was invading the cemetery in the prior post, I spent the day removing iris from several natural areas at Habitat Home. I love iris, they are beautiful and so easy to grow. But they are not native and look rather out of place in a native habitat area. They can wander about and form large patches eliminating the native plants. I removed any iris from the large native areas that are being restored to native habitats (savanna, prairie and the meadow).

The iris in the above photo, however, is in a front bed planted with both natives and exotics. This iris blooms at the same time as the Golden Alexander, Zizia aurea. That is all it does, it looks lovely while they are both blooming. It adds no value for birds or insects or mammals. Even the deer leave iris alone. I wish I could.

Prospect Cemetery Prairie

Thanks to a recent Facebook post from Grand Prairie Friends, we decided take a short ride to Paxton to see some spring prairie flowers. The site is right off the road and one enters though the unlocked memorial gate. There is no path so we just wandered about the cemetery complete with old grave stones lying about. The site has a serious Day Lilly and Iris problem which is being worked on. It was so enjoyable to see plants that once were native to this area that, sadly, one seldom sees any more.

prairie phlox, Phlox pilosa

false toad-flax, Comondra umbellata

yellow star-grass, Hypoxis hirsuta

wood betony, Pedicularis canadensis

hoary puccoon, Lithospermum canescens

This site is a reminder of what we have lost. It was sad to see the barren adjacent farm field, the plastic factory across the street, the landscapes of the neighborhood homes and the neglected tombstones lying about. All signs of what our society is up to, except for some folks at Grand Prairie Friends who make an effort to maintain some of the few remaining high quality prairie remnants in our area. The folks at Habitat Home thank you.

Wolf River Apple Tree

Our three apple trees are loaded with blossoms this year. These are the blossoms of the Wolf River Apple tree. We also have a Honey Gold and a Lodi apple tree. All three apple trees are standard size trees which we planted in 1993. They are reminders of an idea of having an orchard at one time. I am however glad that we did plant them. They do provide food for many animals and birds and add beauty to the site.

Marcescent oak leaves

Even in today's blizzard with snow and 35+ mph wind gusts, the oak leaves are still hanging on. Withered and dry they are, but they will not fall off till spring when the spring buds push them off. Marcescent leaves, leaves that hang on even though they are dead, are a characteristic of younger oak tress. This particular tree was planted about 20 years ago. That is young for an oak tree. Another characteristic of marcescent leaves is that they occur on the lower branches as exemplified here. There are various theories about why certain trees, mostly oak, hornbeams, and beech do this and but not a lot of research has been done.

Green Dragon

Doesn't look like much does it? But I was so excited to receive these bulbs.  These are what will hopefully produce green dragons (Arisaema dracontium) this summer. Green dragons are similar to jack-in-the-pulpits, however the green dragons bloom later in the summer, are taller and have beautiful large foliage. Neither or these plants were growing here when we bought the property. I have introduced jack but had a difficult time finding any green dragons. A friend dug up these bulbs from his yard and suggested that I plant them in a shady damp location. The middle bulb is younger and hopefully will also produce a flower. The bulbet on the left was removed from the large bulb on the right and planted separately in an experiment to see what it will produce. They are all planted in the woods along the river where it frequently floods. The bulbs are not eaten by animals as they contain a toxic substance, calcium oxalate. But insects visit the flowers and many animals eat the berries. The foliage, unusual flowers and bright red berries of the green dragon are a beautiful addition to any moist shady area.

Invasive Plants

What are invasive plants?
Alien or "exotic" plant species are those which have been introduced by some non-natural process (primarily human transportation and/or planting) into an environment in which they did not naturally evolve or spread. Some exotic species are able to thrive outside their normal zones, and those termed "invasive" are capable of aggressively competing with native species to the point of displacing them. To accomplish this, invasives tend to exhibit very strong vegetative growth, abundant long-lived seed production, a high degree of germination, and rapid maturation to seed-producing capability. While there can be overlap, the term "invasive plants" generally refers to natural areas management, and is distinct from the more legal designation "noxious weeds" applicable to economic impact in agricultural systems and regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Why should we worry about invasive plants?
Invasive plants can have a tremendous negative influence on balanced ecosystems of soil, water, plants and animals. They can crowd out primary or even sole source species of food or hosts for a variety of insects, birds, mammals, and other organisms, and can restrict wildlife movements and natural migration patterns. The long term effect can often be a significant reduction in the diversity of species occupying a local or even regional ecosystem, in some extreme cases leading to native species extinction. Such a reduction in diversity can place both terrestrial and aquatic habitats and their occupying animal populations under great stress. Government agencies and local park districts charged with enhancing and preserving natural habitats face rising costs in their efforts to remove invasive plants and reduce their spread.

What can we do about them?
At Habitat Home, we follow a few simple rules.  First, we try not to introduce exotic plants of any kind, using only native plants in both our natural areas and in the landscaping around the house.  By the way, we consider the house landscaping to be just another case of the natural areas management we are doing in the prairie, savanna, and riparian corridor areas of the property.  Second, we actively remove invasive species as we find them.  And find them we do!  It is a never ending process.  The biggest problem species at Habitat Home are bush honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), and yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis).  Mowing helps, especially for the olives, but we cut the clover and honeysuckle and spray the honeysuckle stumps with a small amount of glyphosate (for example, Roundup).

Indiangrass

What a majestic beautiful plant Indiangrass Sorghastrum natans is. Or perhaps it just seems so because it is the last plant of the tall grass prairie plants to bloom and therefore just looks better than its neighbors. It is now a glowing golden color and will remain so throughout the winter. It is the tallest of the grasses in our prairie, reaching well over six feet tall. Indiangrass is often a co-dominant species with big bluestem, and usually sparser. In our prairie these two grasses are in separate areas so it will be interesting to see how they do develop together. Curently there is a very healthy stand of Indiangrass.

Rose Hips

Rosa carolina produces  beautiful rose hips every year if you leave the pink flowering  roses on the plant.  These rose hips are actually a structure called achenes, an urn shaped receptacle that contains the fruits of the plant.   Rose hips are sought after by deer, rabbits, squirrels and birds all winter long.  Rose hips are very high in Vitamin C and can be used in Jellies, jams, and to make tea.  The best time to harvest the hips are after the first frost but leave plenty for the wildlife.

Migrating Monarchs

Last year, we removed most of the bush honeysuckle from the edge of the path adjoining the woods at the northwest corner of the bottom field near the orchard. This year, this cleared area is awash with volunteer brown-eyed susans (Rudbeckia triloba) and wingstem (Actinomeris alternifolia, image below). While we routinely observe Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) through the summer, this area has been visited by hundreds of monarch butterflies in the past two weeks; at any visit to the site now there are usually 20 or more present, both on the flowers and in the trees. These images were taken in the early evening, essentially standing still and rotating in place.

Monarchs (the State Insect of Illinois) are present in the state all summer, having up to three broods. But those that have become adults by September are ready to migrate south, either to the gulf coast or all the way to "traditional" breeding grounds in the highlands of central Mexico. These fall migrant Monarchs were born in Illinois or points north into southern Canada, probably three or more generations removed from their ancestors that left the winter roosting grounds last winter/spring. They have never made this trip south before, yet somehow they know when and where to travel. As many as 300 million will congregate in Mexico's Transvolcanic Plateau. How and why they pull off this feat is a mystery. Monarchs are the only butterfly that has such a fixed migration pattern; the migration behaviors of other butterfly species are much more erratic.

It's nice to see all these flowers still blooming and providing these Monarchs with some nectar as a source of energy for the next leg of their long flight ahead!

 

 

Trumpet vine

Campsis radicans is doing a fine job of attracting hummingbirds this summer with the large number of flowers it is producing. With its lovely orange flowers, lush foliage, and interesting seed pods this is a very ornamental native vine to grow. However, the vine is very aggressive and can take over an area, so be careful where you plant it. Often in the country one sees it growing in full sun on sign posts and old fence posts where it freely creeps over the whole fence. In addition to attracting hummingbirds, several insects are attracted to the flower, and a variety of songbirds will nest in the tangle of branches where they are hidden by the dense foliage.

Hairy grama

While in Colorado, I was able to do a lot of hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The wildflowers and grasses and even mushrooms were all in abundance due to the amount of moisture the area has received this year. Perhaps the most delightful sight for me was this field of Hairy grama that is shown above. It is an interesting native Rocky Mountain grass and one that is not readily established in the Midwest, although we have a similar grass here: side oats grama. I was lucky to see Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta) blooming in its natural setting and even see the tiny seeds.

Grayhead Coneflower

Ratibida pinnata, a native coneflower, is making quite a show this year. I scattered seeds several years ago. Those seeds germinated, grew and produced abundant seed. The self seeded plants are now growing in the meadow, the savanna and the prairie. It is growing tallest in the prairie where it competes with big blue stem and Culver's root. This plant at the top of the photo is reaching upwards to 6 feet. The plants in the drier savanna area are only about 4 to 5 feet tall. The flower heads start off green then brown and finally mature turning gray and the bright yellow petals fall off. Seeds are eaten by some birds, the flowers are a source of nectar and pollen for many insects and the leaves are browsed by some mammals.

Culver's Root

Veronicastrum vriginicum is an interesting native plant, especially now that it is blooming at Habitat Home. The plant shoots straight up, produces lovely whorled leaves and then flower spikes in great abundance. The abundance helps attract many insects; bees, butterflies, wasps, and bumble bees seem especially fond of the flowers. The common name comes from Dr. Culver, a physician in the eighteenth century who popularized the use of the plant for digestive problems and constipation. The plant grows in partial shade but it is also found amongst the tall grasses in our mesic prairie.