SPRING 2016, VOLUME 17, ISSUE 2

A PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

Native Plant to Know Prairie Nymph Herbertia lahue subsp. caerulea by Stephen Johnson and Mary Stark near sunrise and collapsing soon after settled into the genus Herbertia. Even noon. Only when the flowers are open there it has been shifted from lower Prairie nymph (Herbertia lahue subsp. can you spot the plant in the tallgrass varietal to higher subspecies status. caerulea) is a delicate, early flowering prairie. Prairie nymph is generally member of the Iris family. In Greek Herbertia, named for the early 19th considered to be native to the mythology, Iris is the personification century British bulbous plant expert Gulf coastal prairie, but of the rainbow and the messenger of William Herbert, has had a transitory retired Louisiana the gods. We like to think that the taxonomic past. For a long time, it was botanist Charles ephemeral structure and transient in the genus Alophia, but later genetic Allen suggests that nature of prairie nymph’s pretty flower studies clearly showed that prairie it may be a embodies the essence of the nymph was not related to plants in garden escapee. mythological nymph transported to that genus. Then, to avoid the grasslands of the New World. confusion with the moss This diminutive plant typically bears genus Herberta, prairie flowers from March to May in the nymph was transferred tallgrass prairies and to genus Trifurcia. nearby pine woods of Fairly recently south Louisiana and the plant adjacent southeastern Texas. Its pale violet-lilac flowers can be seen hovering above a green background of grasses. The emergence of prairie nymph means that spring is here and summer can’t be far behind. The tight accordion-pleated leaves are indistinguishable from the surrounding grasses when viewed from a distance. The 30 centimetre (one STEPHEN JOHNSON foot) tall floral scapes terminate in a narrow spathe, typical of the Iris family, containing between two and ILLUSTRATION BY three flowers, opening successively over a span of nearly a week. Each flower lasts but half a day, unfurling Continued on page 15 The Blazing Star is... Editorial The Blazing Star is published quarterly (April, August, November, February) by We are often told that the best things in life are free. The old adage (or was it a the North American Native Plant Society song?) is very true, and our pollinators come to mind as one of the best examples (NANPS). Contact [email protected] of this idea. I would argue that these busy invertebrates freely provide the world’s for editorial deadlines and for advertising most important ecological service, ensuring the continued reproduction and rates. The views expressed herein are survival not only of the vast majority of plants, but also organisms that depend on those of the authors and not necessarily those plants for survival. That includes you and me. those of NANPS. Our native pollinators, however, are in grave trouble. The well-publicized dive in The North American Native Plant Society the population of bees, as well as butterflies like the monarch, is an alarming trend is dedicated to the study, conservation, in North America (and beyond), and poses a threat to economies and the cultivation and restoration of North environment. America’s native flora. In Ontario, where I live, something that would have seemed unimaginable a few Spring 2016 decades ago – the extinction of many native bee populations – is now a distinct Volume 17, Issue 2 possibility, unless significant and immediate action is taken. Last year, to its credit, ISSN 2291-8280 the Province of Ontario announced changes to the Pesticides Act that include reducing the proportion of neonicotinoid-treated crops. Given the direct link Editor: Irene Fedun between neonics (the shortened form of the pesticide name) and bee death, this is a Production: Bea Paterson commendable first step in support of pollinators. This past winter, Ontario released Proofreader: Eileen Atkinson Printed by: Guild Printing, the Pollinator Health Action Plan Markham, Ontario (http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/pollinator/actionplan-draft.htm) for public comment. This document lays out the issues relating to pollinator decline and © North American Native Plant Society outlines potential future actions. Images © the photographers and Its strengths notwithstanding, the action plan is overly timid on at least two illustrators, text © the authors. fronts that are critical to the survival of our pollinators. The first of these is All rights reserved. pesticides. The link between pesticide use and bee mortality is well established. As North American Native Plant Society, an example, around half of the 100+ registered pesticides approved for fruit crops formerly Canadian Wildflower Society, in Ontario are toxic to bees. This, along with the research linking neonics to bee is a registered charitable society, no. mortality, is one smoking gun that we can target and dispense with. The systemic 130720824 RR0001. use of pesticides creates undue harm to our environment and influences the entire Donations to the society are tax- food chain, including humans. Now is the time for our lawmakers to invest in creditable in Canada. strong regulations that phase out – not simply reduce – these known chemical NANPS Membership: offenders. CAN$25/YEAR WITHIN CANADA, The second critical piece is habitat. The loss of pollinator habitat has been US$25/YEAR OUTSIDE CANADA identified as a prime cause of native pollinator decline. The perpetual dwindling of Join online or send cheque or money natural areas and ecosystems due to road construction, residential and industrial order to North American Native Plant development and farm practices, such as the removal of hedgerows, has forced bees Society, Box 84, Stn D, Toronto, ON and other pollinators to the brink. M9A 4X1. Creative incentives are needed to re-create and preserve pollinator habitat on Telephone: (416) 631-4438. both public and private lands. This should include expansion of Ontario’s E-mail: [email protected] Greenbelt, research and funding Web: www.nanps.org. Facebook: www.facebook.com/nativeplant for pollinator-friendly farming Twitter: @tnanps practices, greater education of landowners and new enforced Board of Directors: regulations to protect pollinator Honorary President: James A. French habitat and native plant Vice-President: Adam Mohamed communities. Secretary: Miriam Henriques Unless we collectively change the Treasurer: Janice Keil ways in which we manage our Colleen Cirillo gardens, fields and wild spaces, our Bill Ford Alison Howson native pollinators may soon face Alice Kong extinction. The changes seem like a Myles Mackenzie small price to pay to keep them CHARLES ISCOVE Matey Matov healthy and able to continue with Howard Meadd their free, life-sustaining services. HOTOGRAPH BY Harold Smith P Myles Mackenzie Bumble bee on fragrant hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) NANPS board member

2 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 NANPS EVENTS

NANPS ANNUAL PLANT SALE: so sign up today. Please register through Eventbrite (North Discover the Wonder and Beauty of Native Plants American Native Plant Excursion to Warsaw Caves). If you Saturday, May 7, 2016, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. are paying by cheque, register with [email protected] and Markham Civic Centre, 101 Town Centre Blvd., send your cheque to NANPS, Warsaw Caves Excursion, Box Markham, Ontario 84, Stn. D, Toronto, Ontario, M9A 4X1. No cash please. Native trees, shrubs, forbs, ferns, sedges, grasses, all supplied Please indicate your location so we can arrange by NANPS-approved ethical growers. Knowledgeable carpooling. We look forward to seeing you on June 11. volunteers will be on hand to provide help with your gardening decisions. NOMINATIONS STILL OPEN FOR NANPS TORONTO PLANT SALES AWARDS East End Saturday, May 14, 2016, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. The NANPS Conservation Award recognizes the Artisans at Work, 2071 Danforth Ave. at the Woodbine extraordinary contribution of an individual or group to the subway conservation, protection or restoration of the natural heritage/flora of North America at the community, regional, West End provincial, state, national or continental level. Deadline for submissions is May 31, 2016. Sunday, May 29, 2016, noon – 4 p.m. NANPS Garden Awards recognize and celebrate the Christie Pits Park at the Christie subway station amazing gardens that support diverse habitat and shared accommodations for our native flora and fauna. Deadline for submissions is July 31, 2016. EXCURSION TO WARSAW CAVES Visit nanps.org for more information and to make your CONSERVATION AREA nomination. Saturday, June 11, 2016, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $30 (includes carpooling mileage and gas charges, admission, honorarium for hike leader) NANPS NEEDS A TREASURER PLEASE NOTE: Limited to 15 NANPS members. Can You Stick To Your Budget? This outing – a collaboration between NANPS and the Except When Buying Native Plants? Peterborough Field Naturalists (PFN) – will take us to Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, a beautiful and glacially Then We Need You! significant site east of Peterborough. It is located in the Indian River Valley, a former glacial spillway with karst Responsibilities for this volunteer features, cliffs, caves, alvars and a variety of woodlands. The position include reporting to the river disappears underground for several hundred metres.

We’ll examine a variety of habitats for plants and talk about board, making deposits, tracking HAROLD SMITH the effect of the topographical features and geological receipts and invoices, providing history on the vegetation. financial documents to the HOTOGRAPH BY Our guide will be Mike McMurtry, who has recently bookkeeper and meeting with our accountant. NANPS has P retired from the Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources Peterborough. The NHIC is audited financial statements. Attendance at some but not all Ontario’s conservation data centre tracking biodiversity and monthly board meetings is required. Liaise via Skype when Species at Risk. Mike is active in the Field Botanists of necessary. Duties to commence November 2016. Ontario and the Kawartha Land Trust. He is presently compiling a list of flora for Hastings County. This will be a valuable opportunity not only to learn If you are interested or know a strong candidate, please about vegetation in karst landscapes but also to meet other contact Janice Keil [email protected] or Harold Smith NANPS members and those involved in PFN, which [email protected]. celebrated its 75th anniversary last year! Please bring hiking gear (including rainwear), binoculars, lunch and good cheer. NORTH AMERICAN Due to the fragile nature of the protected site, NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY participation will be limited to 20 people in total (15 www.nanps.org NANPS members, 5 PFN members). First come, first served,

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 3 Through the Seasons with American Ginseng and its Companions

by Madison Woods americana) and bellwort (Uvularia camera goes with me to the woods to sessifolia) soon join the party. document their arrival. This particular In early spring when the ground still Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum habitat draws me with a passion snuggles under blankets of snow and thalictroides) unrolls its unearthly bordering on addiction. leaves, the American ginseng (Panax coloured fronds before the ruckus of Ginseng usually unfurls in late quinquefolius) habitat companions are spring. It takes full advantage of April. Sometimes, if winter has been already beginning to stir. One of the broken sunlight reaching through the mild and spring comes early, it can first plants to bloom in shady Ozark mostly bare branches before the trees unfurl as soon as mid-March. This has hollers* in Arkansas is harbinger of become fully clothed in leaves. Later in never happened at our Wild Ozark spring (Erigenia bulbosa). After that, the season I won’t even be able to find Nursery, but others have reported to and in overlapping simultaneous it behind and beneath the usurper me that they’ve seen it that early. As a MADISON WOODS MADISON WOODS HOTOGRAPH BY HOTOGRAPH BY P P

American ginseng three-prong, unfurling on Day 1 in late April Same three-prong unfurling on Day 2

successions, come more delightful black cohosh (Actaea racemosa). frequent habitat companion of spring bloomers. Bloodroot When these flowers arrive, I begin ginseng, goldenseal (Hydrastis (Sanguinaria canadensis) covers the the vigil for American ginseng even canadensis) unfurls along the same rocky hillsides with fragile white though I know it’s too early. I watch schedule. blossoms. Dutchman’s breeches for it to photograph the process of By mid-April, the goldenseal, doll’s (Dicentra cucullaria), with its little unfurling and to check on the eyes, a.k.a. white baneberry (Actaea pantaloon blooms, often flowers populations in our colonies. But pachypoda) and blue cohosh are before the bloodroot. Yellow trout mostly I watch for it because these blooming. Giant Solomon’s seal lilies (Erythronium rostratum) carpet plants feel like old friends returning (Polygonatum commutatum) has the ground alongside the creek. Rue from a vacation and I enjoy being unfurled and flower buds dangle anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), there to welcome them home. I have beneath the leaf fronts now too. false rue anemones (Enemion hundreds of photos of the same plants Pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) are biternatum), liverworts (Anemone from year to year and yet each year the sporting immature flowers. By now,

4 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 American Ginseng Conservation Status American ginseng has tightly closed green berries forming. Flowers are still In Arkansas, American ginseng buds. opening, a few at a time. The pawpaw populations appear to be stable By the end of April the ginseng is flowers have now matured to a and the Arkansas State Plant fully unfurled and has well-formed gorgeous burgundy. Board licenses “any person, flower bud clusters. Here in the Mildew often forms on both wild business, or corporation who digs, Ozarks, our ginseng flower clusters and wild-simulated ginsengs when harvests, sells, or exports wild or remain low on the plant and don’t rise we’ve had a very wet spring. It usually artificially propagated American much over the leaf plane. Flowers doesn’t hurt the plant but sometimes ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)”. begin to open in mid-May, inviting the berry stalk withers and drops However, there are 10 states that pollination visits from tiny insects. By prematurely. To minimize spreading have declared the plant as part of the end of May there will be a few the fungus, don’t touch the plants or the Endangered species scale from brush against them Special Concern in Connecticut, while walking past. Massachusetts, North Carolina In spite of this and Tennessee to Endangered in fungus, the plants Maine and Rhode Island. The reproduce well Committee on the Status of enough on their Endangered Wildlife in Canada own and I try not (COSEWIC) has designated to interfere. The American ginseng as Endangered fungus rarely in Canada. affects ginseng’s low-growing undergrowth in some places. Clearing habitat some of the excess from an area I companions intend to wild-simulate might reduce although the fungal growth. But generally I do sometimes a light nothing, except protect the existing white fuzz forms forest, and let nature recover on her on lower stalks if own. The ginseng still thrives in the the spring has shady enough spots. been unseasonably Sometime around mid-July the wet. ginseng berries will begin to turn red. Most of the The berries continue to ripen Ozarks have been throughout the summer. By heavily logged and September, most have fallen to the the resulting heavy ground but a few still cling. MADISON WOODS undergrowth At this time of year the plants begin blocks air flow. showing their age. They develop spots Our property was and holes. Sometimes a prong will HOTOGRAPH BY P last logged about break off. If it’s been a dry summer, Day 3 20 years ago and we they may be yellowed. September 1st still have too much Continued on page 6

Prince Edward County Field Naturalists Original Art by Native Plant Sale Brigitte Granton Saturday, May 28th, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Acrylic, Oil and Ink. Macauley Mountain Conservation Area Commission work by request. 224 County Road 8, Picton, Ontario visit www.brigittegranton.com

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 5 Continued from page 5

marks the beginning of harvest season Madison Woods lives way off the beaten * In the southeast mountains of the here in Arkansas. My sons usually go path in northwest Arkansas with her United States, “holler” is an out to do the harvesting, but they’ll husband, horses, chickens, cats and Appalachian English term used instead only dig a few roots for our household dogs. She and her husband own Wild of “hollow” to denote a small rising use. Ozark, an American ginseng nursery and valley between two mountains or hills, My interest lies less in the harvest, nature-based business which produces often containing a creek. and more in the stewardship, books, workshops and crafts. Visit documenting and sharing of WildOzark.com. information about American ginseng. And I do enjoy using it in the kitchen. I love to grind a little of the dried root and add it to my home-roasted coffee. I’ll add 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 millilitres) to the grounds before brewing a half a pot. Sometimes I’ll just keep a small piece of the root in my mouth to chew on throughout the day. It increases my focus and energy levels, without making me jittery. I’ve also used it experimentally in some of the ointments and balms I make with other herbs. Studies on the benefits of ginseng are promising (http://umm.edu/health/medical/altm ed/herb/american-ginseng). By the time October rolls around, most of the ginseng will be yellow. I MADISON WOODS found a still-green plant here and there last year at this time but some HOTOGRAPH BY had already died back. I could not find P a standing seedling anywhere, but I Same three-prong with ripe berries in July. did find some that were shriveled and dried near the mother plants. In November the only plants I could find were thoroughly dried. Anyone hunting for roots in the late fall would need to know exactly where to dig or have a very good eye – finding the dried stems among the fallen tree leaves can be a challenge. The berries that escape being eaten by mice, wood thrushes or wild turkeys will settle down beneath the leaf litter to wait. In the first year, the fleshy berry decomposes and exposes the bare seed. In the second year after falling, if conditions are right, it will sprout and the cycle begins again. Plants at least three years old produce berries every year, but seeds take two MADISON WOODS seasons to sprout. So there’s always one generation lying in wait as the

previous year’s sleeper seeds become HOTOGRAPH BY seedlings, unfurling for the first time. P Different three-prong, yellowed and wilting in October

6 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 Spring in my Colorado Garden

by Evan Cantor is that it? Is winter over already? later. Well of course it isn’t, and we know First in line is a sand lily In this madcap world of instant it. Still, we wonder. As mild days come (Leucocrinum montanum), everything, there are things still worth and go, bona-fide winter roars south transplanted from private property the wait: opening presents on from Alberta with the geese and we almost 30 years ago. It disappeared Christmas morning, opening night of finally don our sweaters and snow- altogether in the first hot, dry years of a new Star Wars movie or even the boots. Thaws bring out muddy hiking the new millennium and I almost latest installment of Game of Thrones. boots and turn the high-country snow forget it was there, but heavy spring The embrace of delayed gratification is into wet cement. But come the end of snowfalls re-invigorated it. It now emerges between flagstones on a re- directed garden path between cactus and shrubs representing the plains and foothills interface. Sand lilies are among the first blossoms on the mesa meadows just west of town. Sadly, it’s impossible to capture the sparkling iridescence of the white petals in a photograph. You have to take off your spectacles and stick your nose right into these EVAN CANTOR EVAN flowers to deeply appreciate their beauty. HOTOGRAPH BY P As the sand lily Golden banner fades, the creeping hollygrape a sign of maturity and patience. Every February, the first crocuses pop up in (Mahonia repens) comes into its own. gardener who ever lived possesses this the valley. Hybridized domestics, these Hollygrape is one of several quality, for planting requires patience. little fellows still possess the wisdom ubiquitous creepers native to And for every gardener, the arrival of to open their blossoms only when the Colorado’s montane zone and in my spring is a payoff very much like a sun shines. Their native Colorado garden it thrives beneath a cover of child’s Christmas morning reward. cousin, pasque flower (Pulsatilla quaking aspens and gambel oaks In Colorado’s “valley” – the plains patens), waits patiently for May. (Quercus gambelii). The common along the eastern edge of the Front February is only the beginning of name is a misnomer on two counts. Range mountains – spring starts its what passes for spring here. March is Although the leaves resemble holly, it seasonal tease only a few weeks after our snowiest month and April the is in no way related. Likewise, the little autumn’s arrival. When the last leaves second snowiest. The first signs of dark-blue berries resemble drop in October, knocked off by early spring in my native garden must huckleberries far more than they do snow and chinook winds, balmy survive these blizzards. Catkins come grapes. They are edible, but very tart, breezes return. Beneath grey, heavy out on the quaking aspens (Populus and are sometimes collected for jams solstice clouds, you can’t help but take tremuloides) around April Fool’s Day or jellies. Prodigious bouquets of a deep breath, look up and wonder, and the native flowers arrive a little bit Continued on page 8

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 7 Continued from page 7

yellow blossoms are accompanied by private property and represent the green berries which turn blue by late plains variety dominant in the semi- summer. Hollygrape is unperturbed by arid foothills of the southern Rockies. cold and blooms right through late The blossoms are a bright yellow, spring snowfalls. which reddens slightly as they fade. Alongside the hollygrape, a carpet of Prickly pear is such an enthusiastic pink and white flowers appears in my garden participant that I am left with montane grove. This is creeping phlox no other choice but to prune it with a (Phlox hoodii). Numerous species of shovel. Eminently edible once the creeping phlox share the plains and spines are removed, prickly pear is dry foothills of Colorado’s Front eaten in many forms and contexts. Range mountains. Since my specimens The other cactus in my prairie zone originated in a nursery sometime is a hedgehog (Pediocactus simpsonii).

during the 1990s, I cannot identify This particular specimen was rescued CANTOR EVAN them with certainty. That, however, from a construction site at the edge of does not detract from the lovely town by Boulder’s Open Space & HOTOGRAPH BY

display. Parks Division. The hedgehog cactus is P Another early riser is golden banner a little, barrel-shaped column of (Thermopsis rhombifolia). This small spines often found hiding among shrub is sometimes called spreading prairie grasses, causing the unwary to golden bean, golden pea or false Penstemon of uncertain species jump up with barbs in their backsides lupine. The Latin binomial derives (is it that tall or did you actually sit on from the Greek words thermos, for likely the most cold-tolerant of all it?). I have only made this error once. lupine, and opsis, for resemblance. cacti on the continent. Opuntia’s range Once was enough! Over the years, my Fields of these butter yellow blossoms extends from Mexico and Florida to specimen has happily produced barrel thrive in open meadows on prairie British Columbia and Ontario. My after barrel and is covered with mesas and under sunny forest specimens were transplanted from greenish-yellow blossoms in spring. canopies in the montane zone. A member of the pea family (not a lupine), golden banner is mildly poisonous, producing inedible pea- like pods. I am attempting to establish it at the fringes of my own little montane zone. Another cheerful foothill and plains flower I’ve planted is western wallflower (Erysimum asperum). This member of the mustard family indeed has some mustard-coloured blossoms. The jolly clusters range from butter yellow to ruddy orange. It is listed in catalogues as either a biennial or a perennial. I’m hoping the wallflower will flourish in my dry prairie meadow, but I won’t know until spring. As always, it takes patience. As the days get longer and the sun grows hotter, the two species of cactus in my prairie zone are stimulated.

Plains prickly pear (Opuntia CANTOR EVAN polyacantha) is a member of one of the most widely spread cacti families HOTOGRAPH BY

in North America. Hybridizing quite P easily with others of its genus, it is Wallflower

8 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 Like the prickly pear, the blossoms stay closed until warm sunshine encourages them to open. In the far corner of my prairie zone, up comes what I think is fuzzy- tongued penstemon (Penstemon eriantherus). I rescued these specimens from a neighbour when she was getting ready to tear up her whole yard and re-plant. The previous owner had an enthusiasm for native plants, but when she left the yard reverted to mostly noxious, overbearing weeds. Of the over 400 varieties of penstemon in North America, all are distinguished by the funnel-shaped flowers, two lobes above and three below. They are also known as “beard-tongues” because the lobes sprout fuzzy hairs. My transplants feature lovely pink blossoms and thick, nearly succulent, CANTOR EVAN leaves. “Volunteers” appear constantly in HOTOGRAPH BY my garden. In my effort to maintain a P “native plants scheme”, I pull hearty Hedgehog cactus colonizers like alfalfa (Medicago sativa), salsify (Tragopogon sp.) and mistaken for cactus, yucca indeed has Once summer is upon us in earnest, dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). sharp points at the end of each leaf the heat wilts these flowers and the They may be naturalized, but they’re blade, but is a humble member of the spring burst of growth slows down. not native and, in my garden, they will agave family. Yucca was tremendously Perfect miniature red leaves on the attempt domination if not kept on a useful to native American populations, gambel oaks turn a dark olive and leash. One spring-blooming volunteer, providing both fibre and food. ruddy jewel-like aspen leaves tremble however, has earned my approval. It’s Roasted yucca root resembles sweet bright green, back-lit by the western a mint from the Lamiaceae family, potato and has found a place in sun. Once again, we wait. Late summer indicated by the square stems, but I’ve fashionable Latin American cuisine. and autumn bring a last burst of been unable to identify it. The As for Colorado blue columbines colourful tansy-aster efflorescence. blossoms are atypical. Instead of (Aquilegia coerulea), I’ve tried to The first signs of winter appear above clumps of small blossoms at the upper maintain them beneath my aspens and the tree line in mid-August, sometimes leaf axils or the funnel-shaped tubes of oaks, but they don’t seem to care for it burying alpine flower gardens at most in this family, the blossoms are here. The problem may be in the soil 12,000 feet and beyond (3,700 metres) star-shaped with four petals and a composition (leftover construction beneath several feet of snow. Winter prominent pistil. It’s a happy volunteer fill) or perhaps the summer heat on crawls downhill in Colorado, from the I’m reluctant to evict. our southwest exposure at this alpine tundra to southern prairie step- Towards the end of spring, the yucca elevation (5,500 feet or 1,700 metres) by-step, and so we repeat the process, (Yucca glauca) sends up its stalks. If is too much for them. It is strictly complete with the occasional warm, I’m lucky, mule deer wandering in the against the law to transplant wild breezy glimpse of the rebirth to come. neighbourhood will leave the buds ones. Nineteenth-century enthusiasm alone long enough for them to open in for Colorado blue columbines nearly Evan Cantor is a musician, artist and early summer. The buds and flowers wiped out the species in short order, gardener living in Boulder, Colorado. are a very pale yellow and almost glow so they were protected and proclaimed Spring is always an exciting time as his in the dark, especially in the twilight the state flower. I have not seen any native garden wakes up from winter hours, like natural neon to roaming specimens in nurseries in recent years, slumber. When will the first aspen deer. The deer will even defoliate but I’ll certainly search again when I catkins appear each year? entire stalks of blossoms. Often find the opportunity.

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 9 Tiny Insect vs. Mighty Tree: Confronting the Threat to Eastern Hemlock by Michael Henry resulted in the functional extinction of appreciate the implications. HWA was hemlocks, meaning they no longer found in Great Smoky Mountains I believe our memories are framed by play an important role in the ecology National Park in 2002 and within a trees. Maybe it’s the shady avenues of the forest. This is a huge shift decade an estimated 80% of the where we walked as children or a because hemlocks create very different hemlocks in the park were dead, spreading oak tree that including important gave us shade for a old-growth forests, like picnic. For me, as for the Cataloochee Valley, many northerners, my where some hemlocks memories of wilderness were 500 years old. parks and cottages dwell When I visited in 2014, in the deep shade of where groves of ancient eastern hemlocks that hemlocks had once commonly grow along stood, there was nothing the shores of lakes and but dead snags shedding streams. The hemlocks bark and sending large offer a cool shady spot branches crashing to the on even the hottest day. ground 10 stories below. Or they give temporary In a few decades, the respite from a rain only record of these once shower as the drops magnificent forests will work their way through be logs sprouting the canopy, offering a hemlock varnish fungus few dry minutes to and our living or written watch rain curtains memories. When I first sweep across a lake. heard about hemlock Later, heavy drops woolly adelgid as a continue to fall from a botany student in the hemlock for an hour 1990’s, it seemed far after the rain passes and away, someone else’s the sun breaks through. problem. Now it’s on my These are memories and doorstep, having already associations that I hope spread through half of my children will carry hemlock’s natural range. into adulthood. I’m HWA has been

MICHAEL HENRY concerned that they may adapting to cold climates be the last generation to as it spreads; every know hemlock in the killing freeze in winter HOTOGRAPH BY

P landscape. It sounds simply makes the melodramatic and I Hemlock forest in Algonquin Park surviving adelgids more hope it is, but the threat resistant to cold. There to hemlocks should not be habitats from hardwood trees, have been detections as far north as downplayed. providing cool shady areas in summer Ontario and Michigan, though in both The threat comes in the form of a and relatively snow-free areas in cases the infestations are thought to millimetre-long (.04 inch) sucking winter. When hemlocks were removed have been eradicated. Whether that’s insect from Japan called Hemlock from riparian areas by HWA, studies true or not, it’s only a matter of time – Woolly Adelgid (HWA). HWA found that stream temperatures HWA moves at an average rate of 15 commonly kills eastern hemlock increased as much as three to 10 kilometres (nine miles) a year, carried (Tsuga canadensis) trees within a degrees Celsius (five to 18 degrees by wind, birds and humans. Wind decade of its arrival in a forest. For Fahrenheit), which can be disastrous moves the insect from tree to tree context, think Dutch Elm Disease or for cold-water species such as Brook within a stand, birds carry it from Chestnut Blight. Where the adelgid Trout and Brown Trout. stand to stand, and humans afford it has become established in many parts I had to see the effects for myself in occasional huge leaps of hundreds of of the southern Appalachians it has the Great Smoky Mountains to fully kilometres when it hitches a ride on

10 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 nursery stock. these trees will end up dying, but The word “cathedral” is often used As HWA moves north into the last hopefully a population of beetles will to describe old-growth hemlock strongholds of hemlock, it seems to be established that can control HWA forests such as those found in Cook move and kill trees a little slower in in the remaining forest. There is Forest, Heart’s Content and Tionesta the colder climates. However, we anecdotal evidence that this is working in northwestern Pennsylvania – some should not be complacent. Mark in some places, but while biocontrol is of the most spectacular old-growth Whitmore, an extension associate with one of our best hopes to keep hemlock eastern hemlock forests that still exist; Cornell University, has been watching the spread in upper New York State, and is concerned. “HWA was first detected in the Finger Lakes area in 2008,” he says, “and here we are just six years later and there’s already mortality showing up in one of the first locations we found. And it has spread in a spotty manner over a very wide area, all the way to Buffalo and throughout the Finger Lakes.” What worries Whitmore most is the thought of HWA arriving in the Adirondack Mountains. MICHAEL HENRY “Right now it’s in the Finger Lakes, where the HOTOGRAPH BY forests are not contiguous,” P Hemlocks killed by Hemlock Woody Adelgid in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina he says. “We have old- growth resources we’re looking at trying to protect in the on the landscape, it is far from certain. hemlocks in Cook Forest tower as high Finger Lakes, but I look at places like One of the problems is just getting as 44 metres (144 feet) above the the Adirondack Mountains which have enough beetles. Last year Whitmore forest floor. In 2013, the adelgid was a huge amount of hemlock, and by the was only able to buy 330 Lari beetles, first found in Cook Forest and the time it gets into there I won’t be able but he has been rearing them on Allegheny Plateau, but it was not to do anything.” Whitmore’s allies in HWA-infested hemlock hedges. found by chance. Park staff and the fight against HWA are insecticides What we need is more time. volunteers had been waiting for it, used as a temporary measure and a Jurisdictions such as Michigan, actively monitoring the trees, and they tiny beetle named Laricobius nigrinus, Ontario and Quebec are best placed to detected the infestation early on. affectionately called Lari, a specialized preserve hemlock in their forests What’s more, a working group of HWA predator introduced from the because they can learn from governmental and non-governmental west coast. everything that came before. One organizations had been planning a Systemic insecticides can protect thing we should have learned by now response. The state budget to preserve individual trees for years after is to avoid salvage logging of hemlock, hemlock jumped from $17,000 to treatment. This buys some time for a practice that has killed more almost $500,000 in one year, funding forest managers trying to establish hemlocks than HWA. Salvage logging detection, insecticide treatments and Laricobius nigrinus and other lowers the likelihood of preserving biological control. Donald Eggen, biological control agents that protect genetic resistance to adelgids, which from Pennsylvania’s Department of trees when the chemical protection appears to exist in some trees, Conservation and Natural Resources, wears off. The idea is to leave a subset although it is very rare. Another hard- sees hope in the new strategy. “We will of the trees untreated to grow the learned lesson is to prepare for HWA be able to preserve the eastern population of predators. Most likely before it arrives. hemlock,” he says. “Will they be as

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 11 abundant everywhere 10 or 15 or 20 managers, and NGO’s, which are http://www.eddmaps.org/ontario/ and years from now? No, they will be working collaboratively on early at the Canadian Food Inspection highly impacted. But they will survive detection and response plans. Ontario Agency. One other way you can help is as much as cold winters will allow.” land managers and organizations to plant hemlock from native plant After HWA was detected in Ontario interested in the working group can nurseries that grow it on site. Planting in 2012-2014, various levels of contact Kathleen at locally grown hemlock preserves the government, non-governmental [email protected]. genetics and prevents movement of organizations (NGO’s) and Early detection and containment of HWA on nursery stock. Mark landowners responded. One initiative HWA in the fragmented forest Whitmore recommends planting was the formation of an HWA land landscape of southern Ontario may hemlock hedges to use as predator manager working group inspired by buy us the time we need for control rearing sites before adelgids arrive (for the partnership in the Allegheny measures to come to fruition before some reason hedges work better than Mountains. Kathleen Ryan, who is adelgid makes the leap to Muskoka individual trees). The North American organizing the effort, explains, “David and Algonquin Park, where it may be Native Plant Society maintains a list of Puttock from Silv-Econ read about the unstoppable. Ancient Forest nurseries at High Allegheny Collaborative Exploration & Research is working on http://www.nanps.org/index.php/plant Hemlock Conservation Partnership in mapping hemlock in southern Ontario -sources/other-sources. Pennsylvania, and wondered whether and locating high-value forests that we could do something similar here. should be a conservation priority. You Michael Henry is the author of Ontario’s We contacted them and they were very can learn more about this effort and Old-growth Forests and an ecologist with helpful, sharing their approach and early detection in Ontario at Ancient Forest Exploration & Research. lessons learned.” The working group http://www.ancientforest.org/hwa/. He lives in Peterborough, Ontario, where now includes conservation authorities, You can also get information and he’s keeping an eye on his local hemlock regional, county and private land report sightings of HWA at forests.

Specializing in container grown Trees & Shrubs native to Ontario

(705) 466-6290

[email protected] MARK WHITMORE MARK

www.notsohollowfarm.ca HOTOGRAPH BY P Design & Consulting services available by OALA member Hemlock Woody Adelgid can be recognized by its woolly egg sacs.

12 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System

by Peter Kelly Hamilton Conservation Authority), lands using a sustainable approach one university (McMaster University) that balances natural ecosystem health Consensus is difficult to achieve. and three non-profit organizations with responsible human appreciation Individuals often disagree and groups (Royal Botanical Gardens, Hamilton and activities.” of people disagree even more. That Naturalists’ Club and the Bruce Trail said, what are the chances that nine Conservancy). How do these partners with organizations, each with a different The EcoPark System is located in differing goals and agendas agenda, could reach consensus on one of Canada’s biological hotspots, work together to fulfill the anything? home to almost 1,600 species of flora mission? and fauna, including over First, they created a working 50 Species at Risk such as governance model. Each partner red mulberry (Morus contributed funds to the operation of rubra), eastern flowering the EcoPark System secretariat, which dogwood (Cornus florida), includes a coordinator who ensures butternut (Juglans cinerea) that everything runs smoothly. A and American columbo management committee (consisting of (Frasera caroliniensis). Yet it one representative from each partner is surrounded by urban organization or agency) meets

DAVE DEJONG DAVE development including monthly to make ground-level four cities and towns with a decisions while a governing council combined population of (consisting of one senior HOTOGRAPH BY P over 700,000 (not including administrator from each partner) Smokey Hollow's Great Falls is located in the vast Cootes to rural areas). The threat of meets twice annually for higher level Escarpment Eco-Park System. urban encroachment on decision-making. Funding dollars that these significant natural support project staff and project Welcome to the Cootes to lands was the impetus behind devising implementation come from granting Escarpment EcoPark System, a a plan of action that could provide agencies like the Friends of the network of natural lands nestled permanent protection for them, create Greenbelt Foundation, Ontario within Ontario’s Greenbelt at the natural corridors and offer Trillium Foundation and the Province western end of Lake Ontario and opportunities for recreation and of Ontario. created by a partnership of nine land- education. Involvement in the Cootes to owning agencies and organizations. Conversations between the Escarpment EcoPark System is The EcoPark System is framed by the stakeholders began in 2006, but the voluntary. Inclusion of natural lands Niagara Escarpment to the north and vision of these early meetings did not in the system is also voluntary. a wetland complex known as Cootes become a reality until 2013 when the Partners may leave at any time Paradise to the west and south. The nine partners signed the (although this has yet to happen) and partnership that created it includes memorandum of understanding to partners may add or remove lands at three municipalities (City of formally establish the Cootes to any time. It is important to recognize Hamilton, City of Burlington and Escarpment EcoPark System. Its that individual partners still manage Halton Region), two conservation mission is to “collaboratively continue their properties outright and that the authorities (Conservation Halton and preserving and enhancing the natural Continued on page 14 GrowGrow Wild!Wild! Native plant nursery, landscaping and ecological services GIVING NATIVE PLANTS www.grow-wild.com A PLACE TO GROW Home: 705.799.2619 3784 Hwy 7, (Paul Heydon) Omemee, Ontario Cell: 416.735.7490 www.LongPointLandTrust.ca (by appointment only) [email protected]

NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 13 Continued from page 13

existence of the partnership doesn’t between Cootes Paradise and the initiatives that can maintain the impose any restrictions on the Niagara Escarpment. At the same time natural features of their properties. management of the lands by the another 22 hectares (54 acres) were Some of this work can be initiated or individual partners. acquired, including a spectacular completed by staff and volunteers. The next important step in the freshwater ravine and the adjacent Landowners can learn about process was to produce high-level pioneer cemetery. In 2013, a 15- invasive species and their control, management plans. Regardless of hectare (37-acre) property, that protection and enhancement of stream partner ownership, all natural lands became the Eileen and John Holland banks to improve water quality and have been partitioned into six groups Nature Sanctuary, was donated reduce erosion, protection and of “heritage lands” and holistic outright for inclusion in the EcoPark enhancement of forest environments overarching plans are being prepared System by a local business owner in and habitat creation projects like for each. Partner staff, regional memory of his wife. pollinator gardens or stormwater stakeholders and the public (through It’s obvious to the stakeholders that management. Sometimes, landowners meetings and open houses) provide much of the land within the EcoPark learn about the native plants and input and feedback. System will never be protected animals with whom they share the through acquisition. Some of the lands land and gain an understanding of How do the partners have already been developed and how their property fits into the local “preserve” natural lands? development has been approved on landscape. The idea behind the How are the natural lands others. A significant proportion of the stewardship program is that small “enhanced”? lands will remain private; there will actions or projects on multiple Permanent protection of natural always be a strong human presence. properties can make a difference over lands comes through land purchase, But lands in private hands can also the landscape as a whole. land donation or conservation contribute to the vision. In the fall of The next step is a community easements held by one of the partner 2014, the Cootes to Escarpment Eco- stewardship program that promotes a agencies. Land acquisition is facilitated Park System was launched with sense of community responsibility. In by a part-time land securement landowner outreach as a significant this model, landowners and business coordinator. Since 2013, 89 hectares component. The Eco-Park stewardship owners will work together as local (219 acres) have been acquired by the technician is working to foster stewards on properties within the partners, including the purchase of a ecological stewardship and EcoPark System, not necessarily 17-hectare (43-acre) property in conservation within the community of because they own the lands in December, 2015 that established a private EcoPark System landowners, question but simply because these continuous corridor of natural lands providing them with advice about projects will enhance their local

14 NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY SPRING 2016 environment and provide a collective Hamilton benefit. Burlington Spring and fall workshops and Trails events run by the stewardship Council, an program, such as selecting and early working planting native seeds, invasive species group of the identification, pollinator garden EcoPark design and insect hotel building have System, been well-attended. Restoration evolved into projects such as tree and shrub an

planting, pollinator habitat creation, independent PETER KELLY invasive species removal and live organization staking of stream banks have been to consolidate held on partner lands using volunteers and build a HOTOGRAPH BY P and other environmental and well- Volunteers planting a meadow at Clappison Woods. stewardship groups. One overarching connected theme for 2015 restoration projects trail network communities inside and outside the was the creation of Mottled Dusky within the protected lands for network and politicians at every level Wing butterfly habitat. This butterfly recreational trail users while of government. A lot has happened, is Endangered in Ontario. It deposits conserving natural ecosystems. The but it’s only the beginning. The its eggs almost exclusively on New trail network will be community conservation and recreational benefits Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) and supported, community accessible and of this unprecedented partnership will restoration efforts have included a model of progressive recreation and be felt for generations to come. planting many of these shrubs. sustainable tourism. The partnership isn’t just focused The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark Peter Kelly is the coordinator of the on the preservation and enhancement System is unique in eastern North Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System. of natural lands. Recreation is America. Enthusiastic support has He was formerly the executive director of important too. So much so, that the come from multiple partners, the North American Native Plant Society.

Continued from page 1 – Prairie Nymph

Recent genetic studies relayed by iris plant was becoming increasingly basal leaf form or, more likely, is expert Peter Goldblatt in his book difficult to find. dormant. One time, with a friend, The Iris Family suggest that the gulf In our experience, prairie nymph we found a small population of a coastal Herbertia lahue subsp. caerulea adapts fairly well to container culture. dozen plants, 85 to 92 centimetres represents a rather odd case in the In Iowa, the plants usually initiate the (33 to 36 inches) tall, alongside big annals of plant geography. Prairie flowering process in mid- to late bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) plants. nymph is virtually indistinguishable February. We place them outdoors One prairie nymph had finished from its very close relative H. lahue when night-time temperatures stay flowering a day or two before we subsp. lahue endemic to central Chile. above 40°F (four degrees Celsius). found it. This indicates that H. lahue Goldblatt hypothesizes that the gulf Outdoors the plants occasionally subsp. caerulea is capable of flowering coastal plants may have been produce new floral scapes and flower in August and early September and introduced after Christopher again in May. Pot culture outdoors has can be much taller than the typical Columbus landed on Hispaniola its drawbacks: The plant bulbs are too form. This suggests it is still adapting in 1492. often unearthed by squirrels searching to the coastal prairie where it may Whatever its provenance, prairie for nuts. Green aphids that attack carry the message of autumn’s arrival nymph is quite rare. It only occurs grasses also favour Herbertia where as well as spring’s. in seven parishes in southwestern they are adept at hiding in the Louisiana. We found the largest unassailable pleats of the leaves. Stephen Johnson enjoys the thrill of grouping of about 30 plants at The species is commonly known as discovering plants. Mary Stark shares Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge in early flowering and short-statured, but that thrill and enjoys finding connections southeast Texas in 1996. A friend from can still offer some surprises. between plants, mythology and Lafayette, Louisiana sent us several Ordinarily in late summer in south literature. bulbs six years ago. He told us the Louisiana, prairie nymph exists in

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