SPRING 2020 • Journal • VOL. 33, NO. 1 Cover Photo: Adele Helmle
A voice for the natural landscaping movement. Working toward the next four decades of growing native plants and restoring natural landscapes. • 1 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT
Promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, resto- ration and establishment of native plant communities NATIONAL OFFICE WILD CENTER 2285 Butte des Morts Beach Road Neenah, WI 54956 Phone: (920) 730-3986 Email: [email protected] NATIONAL STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION National Office Director Elaine Krizenesky • 920-730-3986 [email protected] Membership Manager Janet Rothe • 920-730-3986 [email protected] Office Specialist Jessica Buettner • 612-280-1825 Wild Ones President Rita Ulrich [email protected] BOARD OF DIRECTORS I was recently reminded of a question I was asked some time ago: Why President Rita Ulrich • 612-280-1825 would it be such a big deal if the monarch migration disappeared? I must [email protected] admit, I was a stunned by that question. This person clearly didn’t see the Vice President intrinsic value of saving one of the great wonders of the natural world. Never Denise Gehring • 419-705-1017 [email protected] mind, the bigger picture. Secretary As Wild Ones members, you know the issue is not just about one spe- Susan Hall • [email protected] cies. Or even all insects. It’s about preserving the biodiversity of the natural Treasurer world. It’s about native plants and the interactions with insects and other Rick Sanders • 406-219-4275 [email protected] fauna that are dependent on biodiversity. Seeds for Education Coordinator The popularity of monarch butterflies does gives them a special role. [email protected] Nothing conveys the importance of native plants to the survival of wildlife Website Coordinator quite like the monarch. It is recognized and loved around the world, and its [email protected] specialized requirement for milkweed is now widely understood. It’s a won- Board Members Marti Agler, Tennessee, 2022 derful illustration of just how essential native plants are to all insects. And it’s Ellen Folts, New York, 2022 a great segue to talk about how plants and insects are the basis for the entire Janice Hand, Montana, 2020 Matthew Ross, Pennsylvania, 2020 food web, including ours. Karen Syverson, Wisconsin, 2020 I visited monarch overwintering sites in Mexico a few weeks ago. It Pam Todd, Illinois, 2022 wasn’t my first trip to see them, but each time, I see, learn and experience Sally Wencel, Tennessee, 2022 new things. Honorary Directors Neil Diboll, Wisconsin, Lifetime Standing on a steep incline in the Sierra Madres Oriental mountains Lorrie Otto (Deceased), Lifetime of east central Mexico, I was closer to the roosting trees than I have been Doug Tallamy, Delaware, Lifetime Donna VanBuecken, Wisconsin, 2018-2022 in the past. I watched the monarch covered trees along with the rest of my small group. We shot photos, marveling at the extraordinary sight, quietly Established in 1977, Wild Ones is a national not-for-profit taking it in. organization of members who teach the benefits of grow- ing native plants and work together to grow and restore The perfect time to shoot video came when a break in the clouds al- natural landscapes. lowed the sun to warm the monarch roosts. Thousands of monarchs took Wild Ones’ definition of a native plant: flight. And that is when I heard it. A soft sound, the gentlest rustling, filling A native plant is a species that occurs naturally in a particular region, ecosystem and/or habitat and was the air. Everyone was watching the sky. I grinned. Finally! My pictures were present prior to European settlement. going to be blurry because my legs were wobbly and so was the tripod, but I didn’t care. I heard the monarchs flying! — Rita Ulrich
• 2 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org SPRING 2020 • VOL. 33, NO. 1
5 Seeds for Education 7 Member Garden 14 Native Plant Strips 18 Good Bugs 23 Where Have All the Birds Gone? 25 Bringing Nature Home 30 Golf Course Prairie Plants 32 Student Memberships 33 Annual Appeal
Wild Ones Journal Wild Ones Journal is published regularly by Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes. Views — Editor — expressed are the opinions of the authors. Journal content may be reproduced for nonprofit Barbara A. Schmitz educational purposes as long as the Journal is credited as the source. Individual articles that [email protected] carry a copyright are the property of the author and cannot be reproduced without the author’s (Please indicate topic in subject line.) written permission. No artwork may be reproduced, except to accompany its original companion — Contributing Writers — text, without written permission of the illustrator or photographer. Contact editor if in doubt about Mike Fahle • Jessa Finch • Denise Gehring use rights. Manuscripts and illustrations are welcome; Wild Ones does not pay for articles, photos Andrew Pfisterer • Susie Van de Riet or illustrations. For guidelines for submitting material, contact editor or see Wild Ones website. Catherine Zimmerman Sponsors: Contact National Office for rates and schedule.
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• 3 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org LaceWing
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• 4 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Wild Ones awards 9 Seeds for Education grants
By Denise Gehring Illinois We wish to thank the Seeds for The Wild Ones Lorrie Otto Seeds for Pollinator Prairie and Rain Garden, Education judges who volunteered Education program awarded nine Douglas-Hart Nature Center and significant time and expertise to SFE grants out of 39 applications Charleston Middle School, Charles- evaluate this year’s SFE applications: from 25 states this year. Since it ton, Wild Ones Partner-at-Large Marti Alger, Tennessee; Elisabeth began in 1997, SFE has connected School Pollinator Garden, Eliza- Anderson, Ohio; Mike Brondino, thousands of children with nature beth Meyer School, Skokie, DuPage Wisconsin; Pat Brust, Wisconsin; close to home in educational native Chapter Melanie Coulter, Ohio; Wanda De- gardens and habitats. Waard, Tennessee; Diane DeYonker, Thank you, Wild Ones members Supporting Pollinators Garden, Cris- Ohio; Cathy Downs, Texas; Ellen and chapters, who have given gen- to Rey St. Martin College Preparato- Folts, New York; Jamie Forbush, erously to this worthwhile outreach ry School, Waukegan Ohio; Denise Gehring, Chair, Ohio; program. Through 2020, Wild Ones Minnesota Susan Hall, Texas; Janice Hand, SFE has provided funding for 272 Community Garden Native Pollina- Montana; Amy Heilman, Michi- natural learning landscapes involv- tor Space, FAIR School at Pilgrim gan; Laura Klemm, Wisconsin; Rob ing preschool-12th graders. Winning Lane, Plymouth, Twin Cities Chapter Krain, Ohio; Lisa Lemza, Tennessee; SFE projects receive up to $500 for Missouri Michael LeValley, Michigan; Kate native plants and seeds. Student Led Native Pollinator Gar- Mason-Wolf, Ohio; Kevin M. Mow- Each SFE application is evalu- den, The Summit School, Springfield ery, Missouri; Joanne Overstreet, ated by three judges who score the Tennessee; Dan Parratt, Ohio; Matt proposal and provide comments New York Ross, Pennsylvania; Karen Syverson, to improve the landscape plan and Pollinator Learning Garden, Apala- Wisconsin; Kim Lowman Vollmer, native plant selections. To be fund- chin Elementary School, Apalachin Illinois; Tessa Wasserman, Missouri; ed, an educational project must Wisconsin and Sally Wencel, Tennessee. incorporate active learning by youth Chain Exploration Center Native If you are interested in becom- that includes ecological concepts, Plant Garden, Waupaca School Sys- ing an SFE judge for next year, email regional native plants/seeds, a tem, Waupaca, Central Wisconsin [email protected]. designated planting site, sustainable Chapter plan and community involvement. If within 30 miles from an SFE project, Wild Ones chapters and PALs may serve as advisers. Some larger Wild Ones chapters have their own SFE program to expand the reach of Wild Ones. Congratulations to the winning 2020 SFE projects: California Protecting Biodiversity in the Bay Delta Region, Mno Grant Elementa- ry School, Antioch Colorado Pollinator Paradise, Hotchkiss Ele- mentary and Middle School, Hotch- kiss Students help plant a native garden at Graham Elementary and Middle School in Columbus Ohio, which was awarded a SFE grant in 2018. • 5 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Students pose for a silly group photo in front of the newly planted butterfly garden at Graham Elementary and Middle School. Ohio students create butterfly garden Two second grade classes at Graham Elementary and The students are helping maintain the garden, pull- Middle School (GEM) created a butterfly garden at their ing weeds weekly and watering as needed. She recom- Columbus, Ohio school in 2018, thanks to a Lorrie Otto mended you assign student groups tasks daily so they Seeds for Education grant. The native nursery partner know ahead of time what is expected of them. In addi- was Natives in Harmony and the Wild Ones Columbus tion, that allows students to complete a variety of tasks. chapter acted as a resource. Her other recommendation is to put down newspaper to In her year-end report, project coordinator Krsna-Jivani deter weeds from growing. Ziyard said the 22 students who planted the garden felt In addition, Ziyard said many teachers at the school like they were contributing to helping the butterflies. have begun considering how they can utilize the garden The students planted swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus in their classrooms. moscheutos), anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum), Rid- dell’s goldenrod (Oligoneuron riddellii), showy goldenrod CHAPTER ANNIVERSARIES (Solidago speciosa), purple coneflower Echinacea( pur- purea), orange coneflower Rudbeckia( fulgida), New En- Green Bay, Wisconsin ...... 29 years gland aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), wild ber- Fox Valley Area, Wisconsin ...... 26 years gamot (Monarda fistulosa) and prairie blazing star (Liatris Lake-To-Prairie, Illinois ...... 24 years pycnostachya). Kalamazoo Area, Michigan ...... 21 years “Digging the weeds and putting down the mulch Mid-Missouri, Missouri ...... 20 years excited the kids the most,” she wrote. “They also really St. Croix Oak Savanna, Minnesota ...... 17 years enjoyed seeing butterflies attracted to the garden.” Northern Kane County, Illinois ...... 11 years Illinois Prairie, Illinois ...... 10 years North Oakland, Michigan ...... 10 years Wild Ones announces photo contest Prairie Edge, Minnesota ...... 6 years Share the beauty of native plants and scenery by Big River Big Woods, Minnesota ...... 5 years entering the Wild Ones 2020 Photo Contest. The contest, open to Wild Ones’ members, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS includes five categories: flora, scenery, pollinators, Bonnie O’Leske, Partner At Large natural landscapes and Wild One’s mission-related projects. Our more youthful members under the age Glenn Teschendorf, Madison (Wisconsin) Chapter of 18 can submit photos in the youth division. Kickapoo Mud Creek Nature Conservancy, Rock Stay tuned for more information on entering the River Valley (Illinois) Chapter contest in our Summer Journal issue.
• 6 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Member Garden The Fischer property came with a pond with native plants growing around the perimeter like southern Rich and Pat Fischer blue flag iris Iris( virginica shrevei). Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin) By Barbara A. Schmitz “We did observe interesting All photos courtesy Rich and Pat Fischer Rich and Pat Fischer say they got in- shrubs, trees, and plants growing terested in native plants by accident. in the undeveloped areas and our Editor’s Note: We’d like to feature But it’s been no accident on how first introduction to native — and native gardens, large or small, the two have become champions for invasive — plants was researching in upcoming issues. If you’re Wild Ones and the natural landscap- the plants we found already growing interested in sharing your native ing movement. on our land,” he says. garden, send four to six high- In 1997, the couple moved from Pat says they had goals in mind resolution photos, as well as a their tiny Appleton, Wisconsin lot when they decided to move to the brief description, to to a 10-acre property in the nearby country: to connect with nature, [email protected] or Town of Clayton. improve the quality and appearance [email protected]. Please “The property around the house of the property with landscaping, include your contact information was almost a blank slate, with very attract birds and butterflies, and so we can get in touch with you. little formal landscaping and just plant a vegetable garden and some a few trees,” Rich says. The area fruit trees. behind the house included a fenced But they were naïve, they admit, when they saw the Fox Valley Area horse pasture, open meadows, a and learned by trial and error. Many display booth at area garden shows. pond, a navigable waterway and a things didn’t grow well. Then in 2001, “We learned about the beauty cattail wetland. they learned about the Wild Ones of native plants and how beneficial • 7 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Member Garden Rich and Pat Fischer About the Yard Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin) • The Fischer’s home is located in the Town of Clayton, a short drive from the WILD Center. Their 10-acre property includes a fenced horse pasture, open meadows, a pond and navigable waterway and a cattail wetland. • A wild native area of about 1 acre already existed when they moved in, containing grasses and forbs and, unfortunately, some reed canary grass. They started adding native areas first around the house and garage, and from there added other larger areas, such as a 120-foot by 20-feet planting in the front. • About 50-100% of their plants are currently native, depending on location. • One of their favorite native plants is bottle gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) due to the vibrant electric blue color and its rarity. The plant requires the native bumblebee for pol- lination as the bumblebee is the only insect strong enough to break into the enclosed blue bulb looking for nectar and pollen.
A eastern tiger swallowtail nectars on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in the Fischer front yard.
evergreens, oaks, maples, ash and elm. After hearing Doug Tallamy speak, they planted a black cherry, which is an important food source to many insects and birds. Their wetland area has many cot- tonwood, elm and green ash trees. They even have one large elm in the middle of the horse pasture that they they are to our environment,” Rich years were discouraging with little have been treating with trunk injec- says. “We also found there are many new growth, but a greater variety of tions every three years for the past native plants that can flourish in our new plants continued to emerge and nine years. problematic clay soil.” spread after those early years. “It looks very stately and healthy,” Intrigued, they attended the Since 2002, the Fischers have Rich says. “All the other elms grow WOFVA chapter annual conference, incorporated more native plants into to about 15-20 feet high and then and by 2002, were chapter mem- perennial gardens and foundation die of Dutch elm disease.” bers. plantings around the house and ga- He also fears for their green ash That same year, they dove into rage. These plantings contain a com- trees as the emerald ash borer is their first prairie planting, about a ¼ bination of native Wisconsin plants already in the county, as well as acre that they seeded with a mix of and nonnative plants, like hostas, adjoining counties. The entire state is native grasses and forbs, later adding daylilies, iris and peonies. part of the federal EAB quarantine. plugs. “It is a triangular section locat- They also have many native trees A number of years ago, Rich ed in the back of the property nes- and shrubs on the property, includ- stopped mowing a large section of tled between the horse pasture and ing dogwood, sumac, hawthorn, their front yard, about ¼ acre in the wetland,” Rich says. The first two highbush cranberry, and a variety of size. “It was my way of lessening the
• 8 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Member Garden Rich and Pat Fischer Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin)
Left: Rich and Pat Fischer’s windspinners help maintenance of mowing and wasting spring has arrived when they ap- provide beauty in their landscape, even during the fossil fuels, as well as wasting my pear,” Rich says. winter. Above: A windspinner created by Pat sticks time,” he says. The Fischers admit they made out among the colored wildflowers in their yard. They over-seeded that area with some mistakes along the way; one native seed collected from generous was putting in plants they liked, away or was eaten by birds. That WOFVA members in winter, and despite them not being right for their first spring, the only things that grew in spring they inserted native plug heavy clay soil. were the cover crop, Canadian rye, plants and mowed paths, which are “Do a soil test and find out if black-eyed Susans, and the few na- decorated with their hand-crafted your soil is alkaline or acidic be- tive plants that we plugged in.” welded metal sculptures that both cause plants favor one or the other,” If they were to do this planting have made over the years. Rich says. Look at where you get the over again, they said they would kill “After about eight years, it is most sun and shade, and then add the area for one growing season, not starting to look pretty good,” Rich plants that thrive in those conditions, do any tilling and seed the area on says. “It gets better looking every he adds. top of the first snow and let nature year.” “Try to focus on what grows in do its work. All the native plants mean their your area,” Pat says. “Take a long- In planting their perennial beds property is a haven for pollinators range view, focus on smaller efforts and gardens, they had the most and other animals. and try not to do it all at once. Use a success and least work with the fol- Pat says they have the usual vari- more measured approach.” lowing general approach: 1) Define ety of backyard birds — chickadees, For their first big planting, the the shape of the planting with a mourning doves, goldfinches, spar- ¼-acre triangle prairie, they tilled piece of rope; 2) Mow the turf grass rows, woodpeckers, cardinals and the soil several times and applied down as far as possible; 3) Spray so on — but they also regularly see several courses of glyphosate to kill herbicide in two week intervals to hawks and crows, and occasionally the weeds. kill all grass and weeds; 4) After the a turkey, eagle or turkey vulture. “At “We purchased a high-diversity grass is dead, lay down a thick layer night we hear owls hooting and this native grass and forb seed mix for of newspapers (6 layers) and weight summer and fall, we had a baby owl clay soil and mixed this seed with with rocks or mulch; 5) Plant plant screeching for food in our swamp wood shavings and seeded the area plugs; 6) Cover area with 4 inches almost every night,” she says. by hand in the fall,” Rich says. “We of mulch; and 7) Water regularly un- The killdeer is one of their had very little snow cover that year til plants became established. favorite visitors, though. “You know and we feared all of our seed blew For those who want to avoid
• 9 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Clockwise from top left: Rich walks to their back prairie with two granddaughters while teaching them to appreciate nature; The Fischer house looks like it is being eaten by a gigantic common milkweed; Pat watches to make sure a controlled burn in their wetland area stays in control; Rich Fischer helps with spring cleanup at the WILD Center. He also serves as a team leader when high school students come to the Center to work on buckthorn eradication. He and Dave Edwards have also planted many trees on the Center property, which is also home to one of his metal sculptures; Pat and Rich Fischer volunteer at the May 2018 Wild Ones Fox Valley Area plant sale, sorting customer orders so their plants are all ready to go when the customers come to pick them up. chemicals, they recommend smoth- to work smarter, not harder. native plants growing around the pe- ering the area to be planted with The Town of Clayton has dis- rimeter like blue flag iris Iris( virgini- newspaper or cardboard for one cussed dredging the navigable water- ca shrevei) and queen of the prairie growing season. They also recom- way that runs through their property, (Filipendula rubra),” he says. “When mend joining a Wild Ones chapter, and the Fischers are doing their best we first moved in, I was so proud of participating in rescue digs and shar- to stay involved in discussions so myself for pulling out all the ‘purple ing seeds with other members. they can have a say in how the work loosestrife’ around the pond. That They learned a lot about na- is done. That means they attend town is until I showed Pat – she promptly tive plants by reading books, and board meetings and stay in touch reprimanded me for ripping out all Rich also went back to school to get with board supervisors. “Our goal is the native blue vervain. an associate’s degree in landscape to lessen the impact on the property “That is when I realized I need- management, then becoming an and the natives we have planted and ed more education on plant species Outagamie County master gardener the wildlife it supports,” Pat says. and plant recognition,” he says. 19 years ago. Rich stresses that it’s not just im- “Belonging to Wild Ones has been And as they age, their motiva- portant to learn about native plants, a wonderful educational experience tion to reduce yard maintenance but invasives, too. “The property and has really helped us become increases, causing them to seek ways came with a pond … that had some better stewards of the land.”
• 10 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org CREATING RESILIENT PLANTINGS
A dramatic shift in gardening is underway as we move Izel Plants is a unique, away from the practice of planting lone specimens isolated user friendly e-commerce by seas of mulch. A more resilient approach takes into solution to the challenge of sourcing native plants. By account that plants do not combining the inventories grow in isolation and that their of wholesale growers interactions help them thrive. across multiple regions, Nature abhors a void and will we can offer over 400 try to fill in empty spaces. species, mainly as plugs, throughout the growing By being proactive in the seasonseason.. process, combining species that have coevolved together and layering them, we create more resilient plantings that reduce overall maintenance and weed pressure. This will inherently produce more
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• 11 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org NEWS ACROSS THE NATION
Photo: Wikimedia Colorado may become COLORADO the first state to rein- troduce an endangered Voters will decide at the ballot box in November if the species, gray wolves, state should capture and release wolves in western Col- at the ballot box. orado by 2024, National Public Radio reported. According to the coalition backing the plan, it’d be GEORGIA the first time that voters — in any state — would decide Georgia’s roadside wildflower program has been up- whether to reintroduce an endangered species. dated to require that all trees and other plants used to Sportsmen’s groups and wildlife managers see the beautify Georgia’s roadways be native to Georgia and plan as an assault on a tradition of North American grown in a Georgia nursery, the Native Plant Conserva- conservation, which has long let bureaucrats manage tion Campaign reported. wild animals based on science and public input. Propo- The Georgia roadside wildflower program is sup- nents believe that the same model can’t be trusted to ported in part by the Georgia Department of Transporta- help predators like wolves, which are often seen as a tion sale of native plant license plates. threat to hunters. Federal plans to delist gray wolves as an endan- NORTH CAROLINA gered species have added an urgency for initiative The North Carolina legislature adopted legislation (SB backers. The Trump administration proposed the rule 606) last summer prioritizing native plant species in change last March. If it goes forward, states would Department of Transportation roadside plantings. The make their own decisions about how to manage the bill passed unanimously showing overwhelming bipar- predators. Gray wolves have already been delisted in tisan support, the Native Plant Conservation Campaign the Northern Rocky Mountain states. reported. In passing the law, the North Carolina legislature rec- FLORIDA ognized the critical ecosystem services that native plants A new study from the University of Florida has found deliver to human societies and economies. The bill also that planting native wildflowers on golf courses not reflects understanding that “[g]ardens and landscapes only benefits pollinating insects, but also supports composed of native plants require little or no fertilizers, natural pest control and therefore saves time, chemicals soil amendments or pesticides and use less water, and and resources, the Native Plant Conservation Campaign planting, cultivation and preservation of the state’s native reported. plants provide a natural link to wild land while present- Researchers established wildflower plots on three ing beauty and benefit and instilling a greater apprecia- golf courses in northcentral Florida. They then com- tion for North Carolina’s natural heritage.” pared the number and diversity of pollinators and other This is not the first such initiative in the U.S. A 2017 flying beneficial insects in flowering plots with that of New Jersey law requires that native plants be used to turfgrass plots. Compared with turf, wildflower plots landscape roadways. In addition, the Federal High- increased the number of pollinators and beneficial way Administration and the U.S. Forest Service recently insects, including those that act as natural biocontrol by developed the Ecoregional Revegetation Application to consuming pest insects. Also, greater native wildflower guide the selection of locally adapted native plants for diversity led to increased natural biocontrol services, federal roadside revegetation. allowing for reduced pesticide use.
• 12 • Wild Ones Journal • Spring 2020 • Vol. 33, No. 1 • wildones.org Restoring the native landscape
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