WO Journal Winter 2022 1

WINTER 2022 • Journal • VOL. 35, NO.
4
Cover Photo: Laura Stellmacher
A voice for the natural landscaping movement.

• 1 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org
NOTES F R OM T H E P R E S I D E N T
Giving thanks for Promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices

to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, resto-
your hard work ration and establishment of native plant communities

NATIONAL OFFICE WILD CENTER
2285 Butte des Morts Beach Road
Neenah, WI 54956
By Sally Wencel Phone: 920-730-3986
Email: info@wildones.org
Greetings, Wild Ones, and best wishes for a NATIONAL STAFF
CONTACT INFORMATION
fruitful and healthy holiday season. I am pleased Executive Director
to write my last president’s letter, partly because it Jennifer Ainsworth • 920-730-3986
means I am passing the reins to our capable next Sally Wencel execdirector@wildones.org
Brand & Communications Manager
Board President, Loris Damerow, and partly because I often find it hard to Katie Huebner • 920-730-3986
khuebner@wildones.org
express my thanks to you for all your hard work and commitment to the
Membership Coordinator
Wild Ones’ mission. Rachel Jaschob • 920-730-3986
rjaschob@wildones.org
We are wrapping up another year of remarkable growth in membership,
Chapter Liaison
extending our reach to our friends, neighbors, policymakers and current Lisa Olsen • 920-730-3986
lolsen@wildones.org
and future leaders. I don’t know about you, but it feels to me like people
Administrative Assistant
are hungry for solutions to worsening climate change, and our message of Cara Nagy • 920-730-3986
sustainable landscaping gives people real and achievable ways to do their cnagy@wildones.org
IT Manager
part. We have commissioned 10 new geographically specific native garden David Kryzaniak • 920-730-3986
designs that will be published soon on the Native Garden Designs website. david@wildones.org
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Native Garden Designs webinar series is expanding to include these President
new designers discussing the climate issues their designs address. More Sally Wencel • 423-313-3620
Please leave a message after the tone
information will be shared soon about how you will be able to access these president@wildones.org
helpful videos. Make sure you spread the word! Vice President
Loris Damerow
We lost renowned ecologist and myrmecologist E. O. Wilson almost a vp@wildones.org
year ago. He was a voice for preserving ecosystems and a thought leader. Secretary
Rita Ulrich
A quote attributed to him sums up how I see Wild Ones: “You teach me, I secretary@wildones.org
forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.” Treasurer
Karl Ackermann
When we work and volunteer within our communities, we make a more treasurer@wildones.org
lasting impact. Through our chapters and as individuals (thank you, partners Board General Counsel
Jim Poznak
at large), Wild Ones members involve people at all levels, from preschoolers Board Members
to retirement center residents, in projects that demonstrate the importance of Marty Arnold, Michigan, 2022
Loris Damerow, Michigan, 2024
native plant landscapes to improving the environment. Eric Fuselier, Arkansas, 2024
I’ve enjoyed hearing from you about your many community projects, Michele Hensey, Pennsylvania, 2024
Holly Latteman, Ohio, 2022
especially when you tell me how you have changed your neighbors’ and Jim Poznak, Illinois, 2024
Carrie Radloff, Iowa, 2022
policymakers’ minds about the importance of native plants. Sometimes Matthew Ross, Michigan, 2024
the “hook” is when bird lovers see more frequent and diverse birds in their Pam Todd, Illinois, 2022
Honorary Directors
midst; sometimes it’s the new butterflies and bumblebees. You’ve told me Neil Diboll, Wisconsin, Lifetime
how when you’ve helped people remove exotic pest plants, they see new Lorrie Otto (Deceased), Lifetime
Doug Tallamy, Delaware, Lifetime
wildflowers emerge. I appreciate your stories and they give me hope. I Heather Holm, Minnesota, 2024
Donna VanBuecken, Wisconsin, 2022
thank you. Larry Weaner, Pennsylvania, 2025
Finally, I humbly ask that you consider supporting Wild Ones in your Established in 1977, Wild Ones is a national not-for-profit
annual giving. As Wild Ones grows, we face greater demands for resources organization of members who teach the benefits of grow-
ing native plants and work together to grow and restore
and support. With your generosity, we are better able to provide you with the natural landscapes.
tools you need to get — and keep — your community involved. Wild Ones’ definition of a native plant:
A native plant is a species that occurs naturally in a
particular region, ecosystem and/or habitat and was
present prior to European settlement.

WINTER 2022 • VOL. 35, NO. 4
5 News
7 Member garden
10 Bird losses
18 The Bower
24 Climate change impacts prairies
27 Board of Directors
30 Prairie State designation
35 Photo contest winners
40 Plant a pocket prairie
47 Native garden designs
53 Chapter news: Habitat for Humanity
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 journal@wildones.org
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 Roger and M. Rebecca Anderson • Cindy Crosby
use rights. Manuscripts and illustrations are welcome; Wild Ones does not pay for articles, photos Eric Fuselier • Katie Huebner • Holly Latteman
Deb Lebow Aal • Peter Lesica • Jillian Neece
or illustrations. For guidelines for submitting material, contact editor or see Wild Ones website. Mackenzie Seymour • Lucy Valichtka
Sponsors: Contact Wild Ones National Office for rates and schedule.
— Design/Layout —
Kevin Rau
Copyright © 2022 by Wild Ones.
— Copy Editor —
Alyssa Pritzl
Wild Ones Journal
Online version: ISSN 2472-5900 — Proofreader —
Print version: ISSN 1551-9155 Mariette Nowak

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ARIZONA
Specially trained dogs are
using their noses to locate
endangered orchids in Ari-
zona deserts, Axios Phoenix
reports.
NEWS
AC R O SS TH E NATION
Trained scent dogs Circe and Muon helped research- discovered in milkweed samples. Every sample con-
for 92 different pesticides,
including insecticides, fun-
gicides, herbicides and the
synergist piperonyl butoxide.
Out of the 92 pesticides
tested, 61 compounds were
ers locate several orchids, known as Canelo Hills la- tained at least two pesticides, and certain plants con-
dies’-tresses (Spiranthes delitescens). tained more than 25 chemicals.
The orchids are an important part of the desert
ecosystem, but they grow in ciénegas, a type of desert PENNSYLVANIA
wetland that is disappearing because of the western Pennsylvania has created three new state parks in the
megadrought. Chesapeake Bay watershed, largely possible due to reve-
The plants have been endangered since 1997; re- nue from natural gas fracking operations on state forest-
searchers plan to collect some of their seeds so they can land, The Bay Journal reported.
grow and reintroduce them. Big Elk Creek State Park, containing 1,712 acres, was
once owned by the du Pont family. It features 190 acres
NEVADA of floodplains, 600 acres of woodlands, 100 acres of na-
Photo: Barbara A. Schmitz
Every store-bought milk- tive grass meadows, 800 acres of farmland and 3.5 miles
weed sample tested in a of Big Elk Creek.
recent study contained Susquehanna Riverlands State Park was purchased
multiple toxic pesticides, from a family that accrued the riverside woodlands and
placing monarchs reliant farm country over 100 years. It includes nearly 1 mile
on these plants in harm’s of shoreline along the Susquehanna River and 1.5 miles
way at a time the species along the Codorus Creek. It connects with an adjacent
can ill afford any further 1,041-acre nature area owned by the Lancaster Conser-
loss to its population. vancy.
A study published in Vosburg Neck State Park is mostly forested and
Biological Conservation includes a remnant of a canal system from the 1800s, a
found that many retailers historic cemetery and a tunnel on an abandoned rail-
are dousing their “wild- road. It is wrapped inside an oxbow bend of the Susque-
life-friendly” plants with hanna River’s North Branch.
pesticides that put this
vulnerable species in WISCONSIN
further danger. Monarchs nectar on swamp milkweed A dozen Wisconsin monarch butterflies that emerged
“That was the most (Asclepias incarnata). A recent study from their chrysalises two months later than normal, got
shocking part,” said showed that store-bought milkweed a big lift from FedEx.
lead author Christo- tested contained multiple toxic pesti- The monarchs, neatly packaged in an insulated
pher Halsch, a doctoral cides. Testing was conducted by pur- FedEx box, made a 1,600-mile overnight journey from
student at University of chasing milkweed plants at 33 different Appleton International Airport to a home in Mission,
Nevada, Reno. “The fact stores spanning 15 states. Texas, to catch up with fellow monarchs already in
that plants labeled as potentially beneficial or at least South Texas on their migration to Mexico, according to
friendly to wildlife are not better, and in some cases, The Post-Crescent.
might be worse than other plants available for purchase. The shipping cost $130 and was paid by Friends of
This research sheds light on how pesticides may impact Butterfly Gardens Inc.
western monarchs, but many other butterflies are facing Jack Voight, president of the nonprofit organization,
even steeper population declines, and pesticides are said $130 is a small cost to save 12 monarchs, which
likely one driver.” otherwise would be in peril on their flight to Mexico at
Testing was conducted by purchasing milkweed this time of year due to a lack of nectar along the way
plants at 33 different stores spanning 15 states. A sample and the potential for freezing temperatures.
of each plant was cut after purchase, and then sent to The monarchs were found as eggs by Alicia Griebe-
the lab for chemical analysis. Screening was conducted now on her and her husband’s property in the town of
Dale where she had planted seven varieties of milkweed
to attract monarchs.
Get high-quality, local ecotype native plants to your members and local
community by partnering with Johnson’s Nursery on your next plant sale!
Does your Wild Ones chapter want to hold an • Free, professionally-designed website
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help with that! • View, research, and pay securely online
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Johnson’s Nursery has created an online plant
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Member Garden
Susan and Kei Pang
St. Louis (Missouri) Chapter
All photos courtesy
Susan Pang
By Barbara A. Schmitz
If there is one thing certain about
Susan and Kei Pang, it is that they
are serious about being ecologically
friendly, from building a new home
for themselves, to creating a native
landscape that is home to many
insects, birds and other animals.
In 2016 the Pangs hired the ar-
chitect who designed the Mid-Amer-
ica Buddhist Association in Augusta,
Missouri to custom design their
Creve Coeur, Missouri home, Susan
said. “At the outset, we knew that
we would build a climate-adapt-
ed landscape to match the climate
adaptations built into the house like
solar and geo-thermal, 2x6 framing
with higher R factor insulation, 5/8
drywall throughout and a metal roof
to start the journey of the rain being
escorted to rain gardens.”
In 2017-18, they started working
on their landscaping. “We rented
A monarch butterfly nectars on New England aster on the Pang property
machines for digging trenches and
rain garden basins and berms,” Susan new home is that she didn’t have to home. That, she said, was an “or-
said. “We hired someone to operate rip things out. “The bulldozer did deal,” dealing with maintenance.
the equipment and help with the that,” she said. Pang said she always had a plan
digging, but much of the work we Reading articles about native in her head for their landscape. “I
did ourselves.” landscaping and becoming a Wild just knew how it was going to work,
A Master Gardener since 2010, Ones member helped fill in her but I never wrote it down.”
Susan said she really started to knowledge about things she didn’t At first her husband Kei didn’t
understand the importance of native know. understand her passion for natives
plants and habitats after being as- But she knew one thing: “Every and why they were doing what they
signed to the Litzsinger Road Ecology landscape is unique, and every per- were doing. But now he understands
Center. That experience, along with son has different experiences,” Susan and has done “a lot of shoveling and
the experience she gained by plant- said. digging” to convert their property
ing natives at their previous home, The Pangs also knew there were into a paradise for pollinators, insects
helped her to come up with ideas for things they didn’t want on their prop- and other animals, Susan said.
their Creve Coeur property. erty, such as an irrigation system, Their own property is just a little
The biggest difference at their which they had at their previous shy of 1 acre, but they also care for

Member Garden
Susan and Kei Pang Left, top: Another example of a healthy border of
Pang recommends they have realistic
elderberry shrubs keeping invasives at bay. Left,
expectations.
bottom: Fences add accent borders and protect
habitats from domestic pets. Above: The Pang “Our philosophy is that when we
prairie in the first year. While it looks bare, it was get rid of something, we aggressive-
filled in with transplants and heavily seeded. ly and abundantly plant and seed
the area and keep it up,” she said.
About the garden “In our situation, the best natives
to plant were things that grow like
• Susan and Kei Pang’s property is located in honeysuckle, such as elderberry or
Creve Coeur, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri.
sumac. They sucker and shoot out
The city derives its name from Creve Coeur
rhizomes … and have a huge roots
Lake, which is shaped like a broken heart.
web under the ground.”
• Their property is home to lots (hundreds or That heavy abundance helps to
perhaps thousands) of native plants and has keep the plant or plants you don’t
earned St. Louis Audubon Society’s Home
want at bay, she said. Still, she does
Silver, Gold and Platinum honors. It includes
a honeysuckle sweep one or two
three rain gardens, a frog pond, a prairie,
times a year to get rid of the few
woodlands and a permaculture area.
the property of a neighboring garden plants that somehow survive.
chapel, bringing their total bit of • Susan’s favorite wildflower is wild quinine Pang said their landscaping fol-
heaven to 3 acres. (Parthenium integrifolium) because the white lows the lay of the land.
“Our native plant area is the flowers bloom for quite a long time and the
“Our house sits higher than the
entire property plus several acres be- foliage is large and bold. But she also likes
downward sloping majority of the
prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) and
hind our home where we managed land, so this naturally lent itself to
purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata).
to eradicate a 50-year infestation of rain gardens,” she said. “The rainwa-
She says: “Basically, it is hard for me not to
bush honeysuckle over the course of ter is channeled off the metal roof,
love most plants as I get to know them and see
several years,” Pang said. They hired their wonders up close, after spending years into the gutters, downspouts and
someone to “root dock” the several watching them grow and seeing the butterflies, under the pavement to three basins.
acres because “it was the healthi- moths, birds and insects they attract. It is The higher ground consists of a
er way to protect the animals and gratifying to see finches eating the seeds from drought-loving prairie and there are
desirable plants we wanted to keep,” coneflowers and even from sweetgum trees!” woodlands on the periphery. Also,
she said. “Even with the bush hon- • The Pang yard is often visited by monarchs, we put in a special area that I call
eysuckle, there was still some neat hawks, owls, fox, deer, wild turkey, squirrels, a permaculture area where garden
plants worth preserving like sassafras tree frogs, toads, many kinds of song birds and food scraps are fed to compost-
and elderberry.” and insects including bees and spiders. ing worms, eliminating the need for
For others dealing with invasives, excessive landfill waste.”
Member Garden
Susan and Kei Pang
Above, left: The Pangs planted additional native perennials under shrub colonies to add even more a community of people to start a
protection from aggressive invasive plants. Above, right: Paths throughout the Pang yard help with chapter. I’ve done projects there for
maintenance and make for more pleasurable walks.
fun, such as putting bat boxes in the
Pang said she learned about we have many organizations like the Whitney Preserve, but I know if I put
permaculture in 2018 while studying Sustainable Backyard Network, St. my heart and soul into this, we could
in Guatemala for five weeks. “Being Louis Audubon Bring Conservation really get it going.”
immersed in it got me interested in it Home, Shaw Nature Reserve, Grow Susan said she feels nature
… and made me realize how import- Native and the Missouri Prairie Foun- rewards us, and she wants others to
ant it is to reuse resources like coffee dation, Master Gardener and Master experience that same feeling.
grounds and to make compost with Naturalist programs … and of course “I feel like we’re doing something
table scraps.” Wild Ones is a national organization for nature, and doing a lot for our-
She said you don’t need to spend with many opportunities to continue selves,” she said. “Native landscaping
a lot of money to do it — you can learning.” is a spiritual experience for me.”
use old trash cans – and you’ll find it These groups not only help with For instance, Pang said she has
turns into beautiful black soil without learning, but many also offer seed many bees in their yard, but she’s
doing much. swaps or hold plant sales, allowing never been stung by one.
Pang said she also asks neighbors you to save money, she said, as you “If you become comfortable in
if she can have their leaves, which she transform your property. your garden, then the garden be-
uses for composting. “I always leave Lastly, Pang recommends people comes part of you,” she said. “I’m
the leaves and have never raked, and read books about natives, such as part of that landscape and that land-
just allow them to decompose.” “Garden Revolution by Larry Weaner. scape is part of me.”
She’s also placed signs on her While the Pangs belong to the
property to educate her neighbors St. Louis Chapter of Wild Ones, they Editor’s Note: We’d like to fea-
ture members’ native gardens,
and others that her property has also spend time in other states that
large or small, in upcoming
native plant gardens. Again, it helps have chapters and are even starting issues. If you’re interested in
people to understand her landscape a seedling chapter in South Dakota sharing your native garden, send
is intentional, she said. where they own land. four to six high-resolution pho-
People new to native landscap- “The whole state doesn’t have tos, as well as a brief description,
ing should join like-minded organi- a Wild Ones chapter,” Pang said. to journal@wildones.org. Please
zations, Pang recommended. “We’re “We spend a significant amount of include your contact information
so we can follow up.
fortunate that in the St. Louis area time there, so we are trying to build

North America lost more than a quarter of its
breeding birds between 1970 and 2019, including
losses among blue jays, which are important seed
dispersers. This male Cyanocitta cristata, was
seen in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York.
is during the short period when

they’re a seed moving across the
landscape,” says lead author and
visiting Assistant Research Scientist
at the University of Maryland Evan
Fricke. Fricke says that plant com-
munities are attempting to shift to
higher latitudes or higher elevations
to adapt to a warming climate, as
well as shifting ranges in response
to changing precipitation patterns.
“If there are no animals available to
eat their fruits or carry away their
nuts, animal-dispersed plants aren’t
moving very far.”
Fricke said this study is the first
to quantify the scale of the seed-dis-
persal problem globally. The study
showed seed-dispersal losses were
Bird losses
especially severe in temperate regions
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
across the globe, including North

America — where other research led
hinder plants’ by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has

documented the loss of 3 billion birds
since 1970. About one in four blue
adaptation jays (Cyanocitta sp.) have been lost

in North America, for example. Blue
jays play a key role in dispersing the
to climate seeds of oak and pine trees.

“The [Fricke] study is a vivid illus-
change
tration of the interconnectedness of
living systems, and how the decline
of one species can have impacts that
ripple across an entire ecosystem in
ways we would never have imag-
ined,” says Ian Owens, director of
By Gustave Axelson pace with climate change has been the Cornell Lab. “It’s this effect that
More than half of plant species on reduced by 60% due to the loss of people are referring to when they talk
Earth rely on animals to disperse mammals and birds. The research- about the risk of ‘ecological collapse.’
their seeds. New research published ers mapped the contributions of It’s also another example of how our
in the journal Science this year seed-dispersing birds and mammals incredibly deep knowledge of birds
warns that the vital thread of many worldwide, and then compared maps can reveal an even broader pattern:
ecosystems is fraying, with the loss of seed dispersal today with maps birds as the canary in the global eco-
of birds and mammals inhibiting the showing what dispersal would look system coal mine.”
ability of plants to shift their ranges like without human-caused extinc- Reprinted with permission from the
and adapt to climate change. tions or species range restrictions. Spring 2022 issue of Living Bird mag-
The study showed the ability “Some plants live hundreds of azine, published by the Cornell Lab
of animal-dispersed plants to keep years, and their only chance to move of Ornithology.

In the face of change, how you
can make a difference for birds
Photos by Holly Latteman

Left: A cedar waxwing in a tree on a Wild Ones Columbus nature hike. Right: Indigo bunting.
By Holly Latteman age others to take action and be Community scientists can help
Feathered friends bring some- part of the solution. researchers by contributing their
thing special to our natural world, If you are familiar with the sightings to datasets like Project
whether it be the cheery song of an birds in your backyard, you may FeederWatch or eBird. Sightings can
American robin, the chipping of a have noticed that some years bring then be used by various researchers
sparrow, the numerous calls of the large groups of the same species. to understand how climate is chang-
northern cardinal, the bright color The cause for this is food availabil- ing the patterns of birds.
of a migrating warbler or the sight of ity and it’s driven by shifts in the Providing habitat and food are
a raptor flying above. These are just climate. In certain years, trees will other ways that you can make a
some of the many birds you may “mast” or produce large quantities positive change for our feathered
encounter on your next hike. of seed. Masting occurs generally friends. Planting native plant species
When you are aware of nature, by region, requiring specific climate provides critical habitat and food
a new world opens for you. Now, conditions for trees to store enough that allows bird species to thrive.
imagine that world without the glo- energy to produce large quantities Native plant species support a vast
rious noise or striking appearance of of seed. When trees produce lots amount of life. One oak tree can
birds. How quiet would our outside of seed they provide food for large support hundreds of caterpillar and
world be? How dull would the bare quantities of birds. moth species, which many young
tree branches be? However, when the opposite nestlings depend on. While insects
Climate change is affecting occurs, birds will migrate to other are critical to the successful fledging
the world around us in more ways locations in search of food. This of many nestlings, they are not the
than we can even imagine. Species sequence of events is referred to only essential food source.
are becoming less numerous, rare as an irruption. Perhaps the most Native plants that produce seeds
or shifting ranges in response to common irruptive species are pine and fruits are also an important part
climatic variables. Education and siskins, red-breasted nuthatches and of the equation. Climate change
research are more important than snowy owls. While scientists are is impacting these delicate inter-
ever in understanding the scope of researching the patterns of irruption actions at every level with great
the problem. As conservationists, years and masting, you can play an complexity. Shifts in the timing of
our message is critical. We encour- important role in data collection. insect emergence and bird migra-

tions concerns many biologists studying phenology.
Without food resources, pairing and mating to recover
populations cannot occur.
Climate change is also affecting nesting patterns
of migratory species. Unprecedented cold snaps and
unpredictable weather can affect the success of a new
nest or nestlings, causing yet another decline. Howev-
er, there is hope and we can make a difference.
As climate change impacts the food groups birds
depend on — insects, seeds and fruits and berries — it
is important to maximize your impact. You can make
a difference by planting prairie species that flower at
different times to promote seed or berry availability
throughout the fall/winter seasons, or planting only
native species that promote a flourishing ecosystem.
Creating and preserving a habitat that supports
a changing ecosystem is vital to the mission of The
Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. The Arboretum
seeks to fulfill the mission set forth by founders Bee-
man and Bertie Dawes, “enriching lives through the
conservation of trees, nature and history.” One of the
focuses of that mission is to create a habitat that sup-
ports a changing climate. Each year, The Arboretum
collects native seeds in order to restore large areas of
prairie, wetlands or woodlands. Each restoration or
reforestation area poses a different research question.
Understanding how climate affects different plant and/
or tree species is one of the overarching themes of this
research.
The Dawes Arboretum sustainably collects seed
from the southern areas of a plant species’ range. This
ensures that as climate predictions of warming tem-
peratures occur, the plant already has an advantage in
the extremes it can tolerate. Sustainable collecting of
seed is another critical tenet of creating a habitat. The
Dawes Arboretum follows a collection policy contain-
ing rules on how much seed to collect in any given
area, and the storage/processing of the seed in order to
promote the best possible germination. Sustainable col-
lecting allows for you to collect a few seeds to create a
new habitat, while also leaving seeds for the birds that
depend on them in the fall and winter months.
While climate change looms, it is important to
focus on the actions that we can take to improve the
outcome. A few of these actions include educating
ourselves on the climate research initiatives that are oc-
curring, creating native habitat that supports the largest
diversity of species, and contributing to community sci-
ence by closely observing the natural world around us.
We all have the power to make a difference for birds
and the world they depend on.
Holly Latteman is the science and conservation man-
ager at The Dawes Arboretum, a Wild Ones National
Director and president of the Wild Ones Columbus
Top to bottom: Baltimore oriole; Carolina wren; White-crowned sparrow (Ohio) Chapter.

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Part 4 of a 4-part series
Broadening our focus:

Optimizing how we use native plants
By Eric Fuselier
For many people, the term “heavy
metal” brings to mind bands such as
Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden or Me-
tallica. But in the fields of chemistry
and environmental toxicology, heavy
metals take on a completely different
meaning.
The heavy metals of concern to
us today are those that are found
naturally in the earth. These heavy
metals are often mined and then
concentrated as a result of human
activities, where they can enter plant
and animal tissues through different
forms of exposure.
While small amounts of some
heavy metals, such as iron or zinc,
Photo: Tom Potterfield, Flickr

are essential for certain biological
processes to be carried out, this
isn’t the case with all heavy metals.
Some heavy metals such as lead are
highly toxic in any amount, while
others, such as copper, are toxic only
if taken in excess or encountered in
certain forms. Once in the body of a
living organism, toxic heavy metals Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a hyperaccumulator of both cadmium and lead. However, since it is an
can bind to and interfere with vital herbaceous species, its aboveground biomass will die back each year and redeposit any heavy metals it
biological processes. extracted back onto the soil surface.
One of the ways humans and
wildlife are exposed to toxic heavy drinking of contaminated ground- How it works
metals is through contaminated soil. water, or through the food chain Unlike organic contaminants, heavy
Soil can become contaminated with (soil-plant-human and soil-plant-ani- metals cannot be broken down to
heavy metals through a variety of mal-human). Exposure to toxic levels make them less toxic. Because of
means, from smelting operations, of heavy metals can have adverse this, methods different than those
leaded gasoline and paint, wastewa- effects on human health, such as previously discussed in this series
ter irrigation, and by land applica- decreasing our immunological of articles will need to be used to
tion of fertilizers, pesticides, animal defenses, impairing our mental facul- remove these elements from contam-
manures and sewage sludge. ties, and increasing our risk of upper inated soil.
Soil is a major sink for heavy gastrointestinal cancer. The first step is to identify native
metals and can pose risks and Phytoremediation using the “Big species that can colonize metallif-
hazards to both humans and the Four” native warm season grasses of- erous soils. Heavy metals generally
ecosystem, through such means as fers one potential solution for reme- produce toxic effects on most plant
physical contact or direct ingestion diating soil contaminated with some species, making it difficult or im-
of contaminated soil, through the of these heavy metals. possible for them to survive in these

soils. Adverse effects that heavy
metals have on plants include low
biomass accumulation, chlorosis of
leaf tissue, inhibition of photosynthe-
sis, altered water balance or altered
nutrient assimilation, all of which
can ultimately cause the plant to die.
However, some plant species have
evolved physiological mechanisms
that enable them to tolerate metal
toxicity, allowing them to grow in
soil contaminated with heavy metals.
“Accumulator” species are those
plant species that can absorb metals
from the soil into their tissues. In
order to do this, the metal must first
be dissolved into a solution that the
plant roots can absorb. Once this
has happened, the plant roots can
then absorb the solution, along with
the heavy metal. Once absorbed, the
plant must then surround the heavy
metal and bond it chemically to an
organic compound (a process known
as chelation) to both protect itself
and make the metal more mobile.
Once the metal has been chelat-
ed, the plant can then transport the
metal to a location where it can be
stored safely. The transportation stage
is the most critical since the heavy
metal is most likely to damage the
plant during this process, and the
plant must adapt to any damage the
heavy metal causes. Once the heavy
metal has been transported, it is then
stored in a location where it cannot
damage the plant, typically within
the vacuoles of the plant cells.
“Hyperaccumulator” species are
similar to accumulator species, but
can absorb extremely high levels of
heavy metals into their tissues due to
having overdeveloped metal trans-
port systems. In hyperaccumulators,
Photo: Jennifer Briggs / USFWS
heavy metals are most often stored in

the vacuoles of the cells within the
leaves of the plant.
With these adaptations in mind,
there are two phytotechnological
mechanisms that we can make use
of when trying to improve the quality
of soil contaminated with heavy
metals: Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) is an accumulators of copper and can be used to lower copper levels
in soils where concentrations are too high for food production.

• Phytoextraction refers to the tracted back onto the soil surface. If Once the accumulator or hyperaccu-
absorption and uptake by plants of switchgrass is used to extract cadmi- mulator species have had sufficient
large amounts of inorganic contam- um or lead from the soil, the abo- time to extract heavy metals from the
inants such as heavy metals, and to veground biomass will need to be soil, the plants are then harvested
the translocation of these contami- harvested at the end of the growing and burned into ash. This ash is then
nants into the aboveground parts of season and disposed of in such a smelted to produce a metal. This
these plants. With this technique, way that is safe and meets applicable exciting new field of research offers
consider using hyperaccumulator environmental regulatory standards. a potential alternative to existing, en-
species, or accumulator species with We should be mindful of this vironmentally destructive, opencast
a high growth rate that produces a characteristic of switchgrass when mining practices, and holds potential
high quantity of biomass. For these planting it in locations where lead for the extraction of ore bodies that
species to effectively remediate soils or cadmium contamination in the are currently uneconomical to mine
contaminated with heavy metals, soil is likely to occur. Sources for by conventional methods. With ex-
the plants must be harvested after cadmium in the environment can isting technology, research indicates
an adequate period of growth that include fertilizers, sewage sludge, that phytomining nickel shows great
allows them to accumulate the metal nickel-cadmium batteries, smelting promise as an economical technique
contaminants in sufficient quantities, operations, pigment production and for reclaiming this metal because
and then be removed and disposed metal plating. of the ease with which nickel can
of in a manner that is in accordance Sources for lead in the environ- be extracted from soil. Perhaps with
with local, state, and/or federal envi- ment include batteries, ammunition more research, other metals will
ronmental laws and regulations. For and industrial facilities. Soils near become more economical to phyto-
herbaceous species this means har- old gas stations and in ditches along mine as well.
vesting the plant at the most optimal roadways that have been carrying
Conclusion
time during the growing season to heavy traffic well before the ban on
Improving soil quality, especially
maximize the uptake of soil con- leaded gasoline in 1996 often have
topsoil with heavy metal contami-
taminants before the above-ground elevated levels of lead in the soil.
nation, is yet another application of
portion of these species begin to And many older homes built be-
phytoremediation in which native
decompose and return the elements fore 1986 still have lead pipes and
plants can help improve environ-
to the soil. plumbing fixtures installed, and lead-
mental quality. By employing phyto-
• Phyto metabolism refers to the based paint on the walls. The soils
extraction techniques, many types of
uptake of heavy metals by plants fol- around these old homes are often
heavy metals can be removed from
lowed by the incorporation of these contaminated with lead.
the soil to reduce ecological harm
heavy metals into their tissue as Copper is a plant micronutri-
and prevent adverse health effects to
nutrients. At low levels, some heavy ent; however, it can be toxic when
humans and wildlife.
metals such as copper, nickel and concentrations are high. Soil can
The emerging science of phy-
zinc are nutrients that are essential become contaminated by copper
tomining provides hope that perhaps
for plants to carry out their physio- from pesticide residues and smelting
we’ll soon see a day when remedi-
logical processes. Depending on the operations. But since copper is a
ating soil contaminated with heavy
heavy metal(s) contaminating a soil, plant micronutrient, phytol metabo-
metals has evolved into an econom-
phyto metabolism may be an effec- lism using accumulator or hyperac-
ically viable industry. Perhaps soon
tive technique for soil remediation. cumulator species can be feasible in
we’ll see a day when certain Super-
situations where the concentration
However, not all metals are fund sites are seen as a lucrative op-
of copper in the soil is not so high
equal in their ability to be extract- portunity to restore the environment.
that it inhibits the ability of the plants
ed from soil. Some metals such as
to grow. As it turns out, big blue- Wild Ones National Board member
nickel can be extracted quite easily,
stem (Andropogon gerardi) and little Eric Fuselier is an environmental
while phytoextraction of other heavy
bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) scientist at Olsson, where he con-
metals such as cadmium and lead
are both accumulators of copper and ducts environmental impact studies
can take decades or even centuries.
can be used to lower copper levels and works with civil engineers and
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
in soils where concentrations are too landscape architects to minimize
is a hyperaccumulator of both cad-
high for food production. the environmental impact from the
mium and lead. However, it’s worth
infrastructure projects they design.
noting that since switchgrass is an Phytomining
Fuselier chartered the Wild Ones
herbaceous species, its aboveground Phytomining is a technique that uses
Ozark Chapter in 2020, and current-
biomass will die back each year and high-biomass plants that accumulate
ly serves as chapter president.
redeposit any heavy metals it ex- metals to be reclaimed for reuse.
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The sculpture “Phases”, by Melanie Serkes, is
mimicked by this monarch joined by a native bee
enjoying the field thistle in the meadow.
Bill and Jane Allis have always been

nature lovers. That’s why they origi-
nally chose their 36-acre property in
rural, bucolic Perry County, Pennsyl-
vania back in 1976. With a 6-acre
meadow surrounded by mature
hardwood forest, the property was
the perfect place for them to build a
house and raise a family.
“Back then,” Jane says, “we
mostly focused on growing vegeta-
bles and tending chickens, geese,
The Bower:
A native garden and sculpture park
goats and sheep. Everything was having a public space at a private the property is situated.
done organically, as it still is today.” residence, with pathways designed “We learned so much through
In 2002, they ventured into city to lead visitors across the property this process,” says Bill. “Visiting
living for a brief spell when the chil- while protecting their privacy. It also other sites to get ideas, and learning
dren were grown, but the land called helped them focus on what they about the geology and history of the
them back home at retirement. wanted to emphasize, including region all enriched our plans for The
For most people, retirement highlighting the Ridge and Valley Bower. We were excited to share
means time for well-earned relax- Region of the Appalachians where what we learned.”
ation. But Bill and Jane instead threw
themselves into a novel adventure
creating The Bower, a native garden
and sculpture park in Shermans
Dale, Pennsylvania.
“It started with wanting a few
sculptures for our meadow,” Bill
says, “and quickly morphed into
wanting to share our love of nature
and art with school kids, and then
why not open to the public?”
Bill knew the value of consul-
tants, having spent a career consult-
ing as an environmental engineer,
and so they enlisted the help of the
landscape architect firm of Oehme
Van Sweden to create a master
plan for their property. This process
helped them address the issue of
This bronze sculpture, “Heron,” by Hungarian
artist Bertalan Andrasfalvy, is situated among the
rainwater pools and wetland plantings.

As they finalized the plan, the to the pathway through the mead- field thistle (Cirsium discolor) and
Allises became more intent on cel- ow. The gardens feature a variety various goldenrods (Solidago spp.) to
ebrating native plants and creating of “communities” of native plants flourish. A sunny and dry meadow
a habitat for insects, birds and other that are compatible and suit the site. golden groundsel variety was even
native creatures. Golden groundsel (Packera aurea), discovered to be growing, sparking
“We went to a conference put pussytoes (Antennaria plantiginifolia), the excitement of Ethan Dropkin,
on by New Directions in American blue false indigo (Baptisia australis), plant specialist at LWLA, as it seems
Landscape (NDAL) with Larry Wean- slender mountain mint (Pycnanthe- to be an unusual hybrid.
er Landscape Associates (LWLA),” mum tenuifolium), wild bergamot They decided to simply embel-
says Jane. “We knew right away that (Monarda fistulosa), hairy alumroot lish the existing meadow with drifts
they were the perfect group to trans- (Heurchera villosa), purple coneflow- of added forbs and grasses, such as
late the ideas of the master plan into er (Echinacea purpurea), Rudbeckias blue false indigo, sundrops (Oeno-
a truly native landscape throughout (Rudbeckia maxima and R. fulgida), thera fruticosa), blazing stars (Liatris
the property.” (Coincidentally, Wean- Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virgini- aspera and L. pycnostachya), moun-
er is a Wild Ones honorary director.) cum), asters (Aster oblongifolius and tain mints (Pycnanthemum spp.),
In late fall 2020, just after the 10 A. macrophyllus) and grasses, such big bluestem and rattlesnake mas-
carefully selected sculptures com- as little bluestem (Schizachyrium sco- ter (Eryngium yuccifolium). Where
missioned by the Allises were situat- parium), big bluestem (Andropogon ground was bare or disturbed, LWLA
ed, 8,000 native trees, shrubs, forbs gerardii) and prairie dropseed (Spo- specified a seed mix that was plant-
and grasses went into the ground. robolus heterolepis), are just some of ed in the fall.
A sinuous dry stacked-stone wall the mainstays in various seasons. “In one area of the meadow,
by artist Thea Alvin forms the anchor The Allises had maintained we added a matrix of plants last fall
for the public space and is embraced the meadow in a way that allowed
on both sides by native plant gardens native grasses like little bluestem and A dry stack sinuous stone wall titled “The Kiss,” by
for both sun and shade. The gardens purpletop (Tridens flavus), as well as Artist Thea Alvin, amidst the native gardens wel-
comes visitors to The Bower. Sculptures by Dina
continue along the side of a small forbs such as a wealth of butterfly
Wind are nestled into the wall curves and a kinetic
lawn area for events and lead one weed (Asclepias tuberosa), native
sculpture by Jeff Kahn is in the background.

Creating habitat through plantings of trees,
shrubs, forbs and grasses has brought in many
new non-human visitors to The Bower, including
this indigo bunting.
to hasten the process along toward
more native species,” Bill says.
“We were delighted to see foxglove
beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
and Ohio spiderwort (Tradescantia
ohiensis) dotting this area early this
summer.”
Jane says: “In many of the places
we’ve visited, either the landscape or
the sculpture is the focus. We want-
ed to have them enhance each other
and have equal sway.”
Each sculpture is carefully sited
into the landscape. Some of the
artists have created pieces, such as
“Pollen” and “Mariposa,” which
highlight the focus on nature.
One monumental piece, ”Ridge &
Valley” by Rebecca Rutstein, is a
9-foot by 67-foot Corten wall, with
cutouts representing the ecoregions
of Pennsylvania.
With no natural water on the
have also created their own land art says Bill. Located close to the state
property, Bill created a series of
pieces, including a stumpery along capital Harrisburg and surrounding
wetland pools that collect rainwater
the woodland trail, which shelters 10 communities, and only a few hours
during storms and host frogs, toads
types of native ferns and a few native from Philadelphia, Baltimore and
and dragonflies, as well as attract
azaleas. Creative use of cleared Washington, The Bower has drawn
and provide water for bats and other
branches and vines create walkway visitors from a wide area.
wildlife. The pools are planted with
guides and sculptural mounds. “Visitors make an appointment
wetland plants and a special wetland
The Allises opened The Bower in on the website and have the place
seed mix. Forbs such as queen of the
May of 2021. to themselves during their appointed
prairie (Filipendula rubra), swamp
“We got great local press, and time,” says Jane. “Visits are free and
milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), car-
we were booked until closing in Oc- family friendly. We have educational
dinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), Joe
tober within weeks that first season,” materials available for visitors on na-
Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum),
and a variety of sedges, rushes and
ferns adorn the banks. An abstract
sculpture called “Heron” finds a
natural home here.
Like most plant lovers, the Allises
didn’t rest on their original plantings
and have added a huge mixed shrub
drift to help combat invasive stilt-
grass and provide shrub habitat for
birds. They planted additional wood-
land plantings last spring. The Allises
The huge steel panel by Artist Rebecca Rutstein,
“Ridge and Valley,” celebrates the region of the
Appalachians where The Bower is located and cre-
ates a backdrop for a meadow filled with butterfly
weed and rudbeckias.

Mid-summer is peak time for the native flower gardens at The Bower. The backdrop of mature trees and shrubs frames the gardens here.
tive plants and the artists, including “We’ve met some amazing ding was held in September. Plan-
Wild Ones brochures.” people, from beginners, to long-time ning for next summer’s workshops is
Jane and Bill say they try to greet native plant enthusiasts,” says Jane. already underway.
all visitors and have delighted in “We all share our knowledge, our While Bill and Jane are tired at
meeting so many like-minded native successes, mistakes, tips, our plants the end of each day, whether they’ve
plant enthusiasts. and seeds. We’ve connected with been busy hosting visitors, weeding,
Over the winter of 2021-22, the Master Gardeners, bird lovers, hikers spraying deer repellent, dealing with
Allises enjoyed many webinars to and others who want to learn more. invasives or tending to pathways and
learn more about native plants, bees, It’s been a great experience so far.” trails, they know they are incredibly
wasps and butterflies. One webinar Their second year of being open lucky.
focused on Wild Ones’ mission. Jane to the public brought additional “We are living a dream and
notes that “a light bulb went off that adventures at The Bower. Several bus meeting so many committed people
it seemed like the perfect extension tours arrived early in the summer. who share our interest in supporting
of our own goal of encouraging Larry Weaner’s NDAL held an all- the natural world,” Jane says. “And at
others to plant natives to start a Wild day landscapers’ workshop in July, the end of the day, we get to sit back
Ones chapter.” with Bill and Jane helping to host and enjoy this enchanted landscape
They launched the South Central and discuss how their landscape has and the beauty of all these amazing
Pennsylvania chapter last spring, evolved. A children’s sculpture work- native plants and pollinators hard
serving 11 counties in their area, and shop and a foraging workshop were at work. If you are ever in the area,
now have more than 60 members. also in the mix, and a micro wed- please schedule a visit!”

Missouri Wildflowers
Nursery
3 Over 400 species.

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Native Plants
Volunteers help with

the native plant
program at the J.C.
Reuthinger Preserve
in Perrysburg, OH.
wcparks.org/volunteer
wcparks.org

GROWING FOR AN
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Izel Native Plants gives Each year, we seem to shatter the previous year’s records, and 2022 was
you access to the no exception. Temperature extremes increased, as did flood events and
inventories of leading prolonged droughts. How do we protect our gardens and plan for an
wholesale growers uncertain future? Follow best practices:
from the Midwest,
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Understand your land. Start with
and Southeast. Many of what you have, not what you wish
the species and cost- you had. Is your soil rich, or poor,
efficient sizes these acidic or alkaline, well drained or
growers produce never water retentive? Are you planting
reach garden centers in full or part-sun, shade or part-
or retail outlets—they’re
shade? Learn about what grows in
your ecoregion.
typically available only
to wholesale account
Maximize the use of available
holders.
water. Create berms and swales
to keep water from running off
and to minimize erosion. Redirect
downspouts into rain barrels or
into rain gardens designed with
plants that are adapted to both
periods of drought and inundation. Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master)
Right plant, right place. This

cannot be stressed enough. Choose plants that are adapted to your
growing conditions, instead of amending those conditions to suit the
plants.
Izel’s website makes Diversity and repetition. By diversifying the number of species in your
these options available garden, and growing those species in larger numbers, you increase their
to gardeners without chances of survival in the face of adversity.
professional credentials
or the need to set up an Plant densely and in layers. Nature abhors a vacuum. Reduce space
account. between plants and create a ground layer of living “green mulch” to
lessen weed pressure and water evaporation.
izelplants.com
Making smart choices with best practices will help
your garden become more resilient in the face of
2022 Retail Sales Award the uncertainty ahead.

Research shows climate change
negatively impacts prairies
By Mackenzie Seymour
Native prairies are herbaceous-dom-
inated ecosystems that are essential
to carbon storage and biodiversity
conservation, creating important
habitats for local wildlife and rich soil
that serves as a natural water filtration
system. Prairies are also important
for cultural purposes as many species
are used as food and clothing sources
for indigenous peoples. Unfortunate-
ly, the historical extent of prairies in
North America has been greatly de-
creased due to agriculture and urban
Photo: Barbara A. Schmitz

expansion, and the remaining prairies
are under constant threat.
At the same time, winter tem-
peratures are becoming more unpre-
dictable and variable throughout the
U.S., resulting in fluctuating warm
and cold extreme events. In general, Climate change is a stressful time for native prairie plants. A recent UW Oshkosh research project indi-
winter is a stressful time for native cates that many native prairie plants can survive moderate temperatures, but not the extreme tempera-
prairie plants, as water inside the tures climate change may bring.
plants can freeze and damage cells
and tissues. Therefore, these plants project in the lab of Assistant Biology
have adapted by developing meth- Professor Laura Ladwig that investi-
gated the ecological impact of winter
ods of cold tolerance.
climate change on seed germination
Additionally, under typical
in native prairie plant species in
winter weather conditions, a layer
Wisconsin. The goal was to measure
of snow acts as an insulator for the
cold tolerance of different prairie
plants beneath; but warmer winters
species to discover whether or not
result in less snowfall. Therefore, na-
seed dormancy strategies at this
tive prairie plants’ tissues and seeds
critical stage in plant life could help
could undergo damage from expe-
predict which native species may
riencing colder temperatures than
benefit or be damaged from cold
they typically are used to. Overall,
temperatures.
warmer winter temperatures may
not provide a sufficient insulating Our research focused on using
layer of snow for some overwintering 12 common native prairie species,
plant species, so knowing the cold including great blue lobelia (Lobelia
tolerance of different plant species siphilitica), Illinois tick trefoil (Des-
Photo: Laura Ladwig
can help us understand which spe- modium illinoense), grass-leaved

cies may be more likely to disappear goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia),
with an increase in winter tempera- prairie sundrops (Oenothera pilosel-
ture swings. la), Virginia mountain mint (Pyc-
For the 2021-2022 school year nanthemum virginianum), heart-leaf
at the University of Wisconsin golden Alexanders (Zizia aptera), Mackenzie Seymour works in a biology lab on her
Oshkosh, I assisted on a research prairie alumroot (Heuchera richard- research of native prairie plants.

licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
Photo: Andrew C, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo: I, Bokske, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/
Above, left: Great blue lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica; Right: False sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides.
sonii), common milkweed (Asclepias at all under this condition. This is of later stages of life, such as older
syriaca), harebell (Campanula ro- important to note as the effects of cli- plants and overwintering tissues,
tundifolia), pale corydalis (Corydalis mate change progress and tempera- to get a better understanding of the
sempervirens), false sunflower (He- tures become more variable in the cold tolerance level in mature plants.
liopsis helianthoides), and heartleaf winter time. The data suggests that Some important long-run applica-
four o’clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea). many native prairie plants can sur- tions could include future research
Our main research questions vive moderate cold temperatures, but on strategic methods on how to
included investigating whether cold not the extreme temperatures climate maintain biodiversity of prairies
tolerance varies among the species change may bring. It is also import- within Wisconsin.
and if cold tolerance is associated ant to note that some species had Overall, this research project
with germination requirements. difficulty germinating under normal highlights the importance of studying
Another interesting question posed conditions, and careful consideration the cold tolerance level of native
is whether cold stratification, or the is needed to determine which prairie prairie species as climate change
required time of cold temperature species to use in future research. progresses. These are the beginning
exposure needed to stimulate ger- There was no clear link between steps in knowing and understand-
mination, affects the level of cold cold stratification requirements and ing the impact that winter climate
tolerance of each species. cold tolerance, as species with vari- change can have on native prairies
We exposed sets of each species’ ous cold stratification requirements so that scientists and researchers can
seeds to four temperatures ranging experienced the same pattern of be better prepared to come up with
from 26 to -26 degrees Celsius, and germination levels. Therefore, cold solutions to preserving these essen-
monitored germination success in stratification cannot be used as a tial habitats within our ecosystem.
the lab for two weeks. In order to prediction factor for understanding
the cold tolerance of these types Mackenzie Seymour graduated in
gain reliable data, we set up six trials
for each species. of plants. Additional research is May 2022 from UW Oshkosh with
Overall, cold tolerance varied needed to find a more easily mea- a bachelor’s degree in biomedical
among the different species. The surable indicator that predicts cold science. She currently is the experi-
coldest temperature was most det- tolerance levels. ential learning and marketing coordi-
rimental for seed germination, and Future research projects could nator at Burpee Museum of Natural
several species failed to germinate include measuring the cold tolerance History in Rockford, Illinois.

NEW DIRECTIONS IN THE
AMERICAN LANDSCAPE
NDAL.org
Ecology-based Landscape Design Education

Developed by Larry Weaner
Winter 2022-2023 Course Series
Connecting people and nature since 1990

Photo by Larry Weaner

Wild Ones announces newly
elected Board of Directors
By Katie Huebner Wild Ones chapter. We felt obligated ternal grants, the most recent of which
to carry on the legacy that they had supports the Resilient Moorhead
Wild Ones is proud to announce the
started. We still send the previous initiative. Resilient Moorhead, which
results of our recent board of direc-
owners pictures every season and he co-founded in 2019, brings togeth-
tor’s election: all seven of the can-
ask questions about things we find er stakeholders to promote collabo-
didates received over 51% of votes
on the prairie. The previous owners rative efforts to increase community
cast by members and will be seated
even wrote a poem about the joy the resilience in the city of Moorhead.
on the board for 4-year terms starting
prairie had provided them and had a One focus of this group has been to
on Jan. 1, 2023. Current board mem-
copy framed for my wife and I to be promote the planting of native pollina-
ber, Pam Todd, was re-elected and
a constant reminder about how the tor gardens across the city.
the remaining six candidates will be
prairie brought us all together and “This is a special passion of
new additions to our board.
provided years of joy. mine – I’ve turned parts of my yard
Read more about our newly
What is your vision for Wild Ones’ into native plant gardens, planted
elected board members below. All
future?  a demonstration garden on city
these individuals bring a passion for
I am excited to help Wild Ones con- property, and led numerous teams
our mission, a wealth of valuable
tinue to grow and spread knowledge of my students in advocating for
experiences and a variety of knowl-
and raise awareness of the beauty, eco-friendly landscaping,” Ken said.
edge that will help move the critical
joy and benefits that native plants “I’m originally from Rhode Island
work of our organization forward. 
can bring to our world.  and have lived in four states and four
Thank you for taking part in our
countries, including years living in
recent election and for your contin- Favorite native plant 
Taiwan and China, which sparked a
ued support of Wild Ones. My wife and I both love our three
deep interest in facilitating cross-cul-
Kentucky coffeetrees (Gymnocladus
tural understanding and working for
Carl Bahneman dioicus) in the prairie. They are beau-
equity. I love exploring the diversity
Carl recently tiful and from talking to the previous
of nature and human communities,
retired from owners, they are not easy to grow
and I really love birds!”
30+ years in the even though they are native to the
financial ser- Midwest. What inspired you to become in-
vices industry volved in Wild Ones? 
and received Ken Foster I love seeing, experiencing and cre-
his master’s certificate in nonprofit Ken is a profes- ating gardens that provide the things
administration. Carl learned every- sor at Concordia that insects and birds need to thrive.
thing he knows about plants, flowers College in north- And these gardens make life better
and trees from his wife, Sue, who is western Minne- for humans, too.
a Master Gardener. This year was the sota, where he What is your vision for Wild Ones’
first time they had beehives in the teaches courses future?
prairie, and they are looking forward in environmental studies and political Wild Ones is the premier organiza-
to some good honey.  science. He also serves as director of tion promoting native landscaping
What inspired you to become in- community engagement and chairs and I’m looking forward to continu-
volved with Wild Ones? the President’s Sustainability Council. ing to spread the joy of native land-
When my wife and I bought our For 12 years, Ken has led sustainabil- scaping throughout communities,
current home, we intended to ity work at Concordia, including the while also attracting more members
downsize, but we were immediately development of the college’s first-ever of the younger generations and peo-
excited about the half-acre prairie. Climate Action Plan. ple from diverse backgrounds. 
The sellers had nurtured the prairie He has also successfully secured Favorite native plant 
and had been involved in their local two major sustainability-focused ex- Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) 

Lisa McNeil the flowers, separating/moving After living in Florida for eight years,
With an under- plants, the accidental underfoot … I returned to my home state of Mich-
graduate degree you immediately know you encoun- igan and wanted to connect with
in accounting tered the beautiful anise hyssop. organizations focused on ecology
and graduate and the environment. I enrolled in
degree in orga- Carolyn Miller the Michigan Master Naturalist pro-
nizational devel- Carolyn received gram and learned about Wild Ones.
opment, Lisa has been a business her bachelor’s I immediately signed up, started
consultant for more than 30 years. degree in botany attending meetings and never looked
She helps small businesses and and plant pathol- back. I was thrilled to be involved
nonprofits identify areas restricting ogy from Michi- with an organization that informed
growth and shift into their goals for gan State Univer- and encouraged people to use native
the future. sity. She is currently working on her plants and protect the unique habi-
Lisa is also a wife, mom and master’s degree in biology at Miami tats we have.
grandmother who uses her love of University (Ohio), where her focus What is your vision for Wild Ones’
the outdoors to recharge, inspire is developing innovative ways to future? 
and educate. As a child, Lisa’s own inspire urban residents to landscape To continually promote the appre-
grandmother had her wandering the with native plants to help support ciation, diversity and importance of
outdoors, instilling in her the need native pollinators. native plants. It is through education
for preservation, conservation and She also currently serves as the that we can all create and preserve
stewardship. She was recognized in plant recorder for Michigan State native landscapes.
Arizona as a Master Gardener before University, spending much of her
moving to Wisconsin in 2002, where time mapping and recording data for Dave Neu
she fell in love with the beauty of the all the trees and shrubs across more Dave has a
Midwest. Lisa and her husband Tom than 5,000 acres of campus. Prior to bachelor’s de-
have been working the last 5 years to this position, she was curator of plant gree in wildlife
convert their property back to area collections at the Naples Botanical management,
natives. They have now taken on Garden (Naples, Florida), where she biology and
the role of inspiring their grandchil- was involved in procuring plant ma- resource man-
dren to preserve, conserve and love terial for a major garden expansion. agement from the University of
cultivation.  After returning to her hometown Wisconsin-Stevens Point, as well as
What inspired you to become in- of Grand Rapids, Michigan, she be- additional credits in education from
volved with Wild Ones ? came involved with the Wild Ones the University of Wisconsin-Green
When Tom and I decided to trans- River City – Grand Rapids Chapter. Bay. He received a certificate in
form our property back to only During this time, her quest to learn landscape design from the College of
natives and non-invasive plants, more about and promote native Lake County and is a Master Gar-
we needed help, we needed edu- plants took flight. Upon relocating dener.
cation, we needed a community of to Lansing, Michigan, she became Dave has worked in natural re-
like-minded individuals…we found the program coordinator for the sources throughout the Midwest for
Wild Ones. My love of the organi- Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter and more than 35 years in government,
zation’s mission and the heart of the currently coordinates the chapter’s nonprofits and businesses. He cur-
leadership drew me to contribute my native plant sales. rently owns NatureSpace, a native
education and talents to further the In addition, she is president of landscape consulting business, and
mission.  the Wildflower Association of Mich- has an Illinois real estate broker
igan and the recording secretary license specializing in rural proper-
What is your vision for Wild Ones
for the Michigan Botanical Society. ties. Since 2015, Dave has been a
future? 
When she’s not botanizing or trans- member of the Sustain Libertyville
I would like to see Wild Ones create
forming unproductive lawns into Commission for Libertyville, Illinois.
mutually beneficial collaborations
productive pollinator habitat, she In addition, he is the sustainability
to bring awareness and change on a
can be found spearheading efforts coordinator for the Village of Grays-
municipal level.
to remove invasive plants from local lake, Illinois.
Favorite native plant  habitats. Growing up, Dave spent sum-
Anise hyssop (Agastache foenicu-
What inspired you to become in- mers at the family’s property in
lum). Not only is it beautiful, but it
volved with Wild Ones? northern Wisconsin. “My grandfa-
is also fragrant. Crushing the leaves,
ther, parents and other family mem- agement. She received a joint MBA/ partnerships with key organizations,
bers instilled in me an interest and MPP degree from Wharton and the clarified the relationship between
respect for nature,” he said. “This Harvard Kennedy School and her national and chapters, identified new
led to my long and varied career in bachelor’s degree from Stanford. sources of revenue, and increased
natural resource management. Every- One of her career highlights was digital and social media engage-
where I’ve lived, I’ve utilized native having the opportunity to be a Ful- ment. In this future, Wild Ones will
plants in the home landscape. On a bright Fellow in Thailand. be more effective at delivering on
larger scale, I’ve planned, restored What inspired you to become in- its mission: to promote environmen-
and managed tens of thousands of volved with Wild Ones?  tally sound landscaping practices to
acres of native habitats on public I am a passionate “plant mom” and preserve biodiversity.
and private lands.” novice gardener. After recently tak- Favorite native plant
He also has expertise in partnering my first landscape design course, Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea
ships and program management.  I discovered the native plant move- quercifolia)
What inspired you to become in- ment and have since read Doug
volved with Wild Ones? Tallamy’s book “Nature’s Best Hope,” Pamela Todd
I wanted to be able to have a wider participated in webinars on local Pamela Todd is
influence and impact through spread- native plants, and consulted with the co-found-
ing the message of the value of native friends and neighbors on native plant er of the Wild
plants in the landscape. Wild Ones is selection. I’m inspired by Wild Ones’ Ones West Cook
the “go-to” organization dedicated to mission and love the member-based (Illinois) Chapter.
native landscapes, and it seemed like model that is connecting people She is the author
a natural fit for me. across the U.S. in their local commu- of “The Blind Faith Hotel” (Simon
What is your vision for Wild Ones’ nities and on local native plants. And and Schuster, 2008), a novel about
future?  I just love the name “Wild Ones.” a young girl who is sentenced to
It’s inspiring to see the membership What is your vision for Wild Ones’ community service at a prairie pre-
grow every day and new chapters future?  serve. Her book was a co-winner of
forming. We need to build upon I envision a future where Wild Ones the 2009 National Green Earth Book
this strong base of individuals and has chapters in all 50 states (plus Award for Young Adult Fiction, an
expand to corporate campuses and the District of Columbia and U.S. ALAN pick for December 2008, and
other larger properties. I’d like to territories), grown and diversified was awarded an Illinois Arts Council
work on increasing corporate-level its membership base, established grant. She works as an education-
sponsorships and project funding. al strategist for Global Genes, an
umbrella nonprofit for rare disease
Favorite native plant 
advocacy groups.
Get social with
In the spring, I am always excited
Pam and her husband, Donn,
by the appearance of Virginia blue-
live in Michigan where they are
bells (Mertensia virginica), followed
by wild geranium (Geranium mac- Wild Ones! restoring the 80-acre farm that has
been in their family for 140 years.
ulatum). One that always makes
They have a son, three daughters and
me smile is purple poppy mallow
three grandchildren.
(Callirhoe involucrata). I could go on
and on!  What inspired you to become in-
facebook.com/wildonesnative volved with Wild Ones?
Leah Pollack The hope of saving all that we love. 
Leah is a part- What is your vision for Wild Ones’
ner in McKinsey instagram.com/wildonesnativeplants future? 
& Company’s Wild Ones will continue experienc-
Public and Social ing strong growth geographically
Sector practice in and at the membership level as they
the Washington, youtube.com/wildonesnativeplants spread the message that we can all
D.C. office. Since joining McKinsey, impact biodiversity and sustainability
she has worked with a diverse set in our own landscapes.
of clients on a range of topics from Favorite native plant
strategic planning to change man- twitter.com/wildonesnatives Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

linkedin.com/company/wild-ones-native
Illinois’s Prairie State designation
has long history
Weston Cemetery Nature Preserve in McLean County is a remnant of unplowed original prairie. More than 70 species of forbs and nine grasses have been recorded
and bloom sequentially from March to November on this 4-acre site.
By Roger and M. Rebecca Anderson and meadows, but never would have level to gently rolling landscapes,
seen such great treeless expanses. often residuals of glacial activity.
Why is Illinois called the Prairie
Explorer Louis Joilet wrote, These landscapes allow fires to burn
State?
“No better soil can be found, either extensively if they become dry. Vege-
If you heard this question, what
for corn, for vines or for any fruit, tation of grasslands is mostly annu-
would you think it means? You
whatever.” It appeared to be easily ally produced finely dissected leaves
would probably wonder which way
settled, because one would not have and stems of grasses, other grass-like
the question was meant. First, why
to spend years removing trees and plants such as sedges and reeds, and
did people call the area “prairie”
stumps in order to plant crops (How- annually produced stems of flower-
and later the “Prairie State”? Second-
ard 1972). ing plants known as forbs, like mints,
ly, how did the landscape become
The second question is of great- goldenrods, asters and sunflowers.
prairie?
er interest to ecologists and nature This above-ground vegetation dies
To answer the first question,
enthusiasts. North American prairies annually during the dry season, au-
historians tell us that the first Euro-
are the result of glacial history, land- tumn and winter, and once ignited,
peans to visit and later colonize the
scape, climate, fire, and animal and burns quickly and easily.
Midwest were French explorers, trad-
human activities. Dry seasons are the result of
ers and missionaries. “Prairie” is a
In 1950, Carl O. Sauer, a ge- climate patterns. In North America,
French word meaning “meadow” or
ography professor at the University three major air masses control cli-
“field.” Non-indigenous people who
of California, Berkeley, published mate of the grasslands: Polar, Pacific
traveled to the land between what
“Grassland Climax, Fire and Man” in and Gulf air masses. Polar air masses
we now call Lake Michigan and the
which he laid out the basic under- bring cold, dry winds from the north,
Mississippi River were French traders
standing of grassland ecosystem an “Alberta Clipper.” The Pacific air
seeking to buy animal pelts from
formation. Grasslands, including the mass brings moist air from the Pacif-
the people they encountered. They
prairies of North America, occur on ic Ocean to the west coast of North
would have recognized grasslands

Letcher Basin is a reconstructed prairie along the Mackinaw River owned by ParkLands Foundation. About 45 plant species have been established from seed on 125
acres. Reconstructions are less diverse than original prairie remnants.
America, passes over three mountain of the climate variation from west to unglaciated probably contributed
ranges (Coastal, Sierra and the Rocky east, the grasslands of North America species to the mix. The glaciated
Mountains), dropping moisture over were labeled by ecologists as short landscape was extremely fertile with
each, to become dry by the time it grass prairie, mid-grass prairie and a mix of pulverized limestone and
passes the Front Range of the Rockies. tall grass prairie. Illinois was largely windblown loess, or fine soil parti-
Pacific air masses blow from west to dominated by tall grass prairie, with cles blown from the retreating gla-
east, dropping little moisture on the grasses reaching 6-8 feet tall, that cier. After the receding glaciers left, a
land east of the mountains on North over 7,000 – 10,000 years formed succession of landscapes followed as
America’s short-grass prairies. By the the famous deep black topsoil that the climate alternated between warm
time weather fronts reach the Mid- doomed its existence, and was even- and cool, wet and dry. The prairie
west and Illinois, additional moisture tually replaced by corn and soybean resulted from the trend to a warm-
has been added to the mix since agriculture. er, drier climate. Within the prairie
winds also blow from south to north A large area of central and north- region, higher moraines were left by
from the Gulf of Mexico. Illinoisans ern Illinois, the Grand Prairie region, the glaciers’ annual move forward
know to expect rain after the tropical is very flat, scraped by the most and retreat. Moraines and river and
storm fronts travel up the Mississip- recent glacier, the Wisconsin glacial stream channels provide protection
pi River Valley. The Gulf air mass period, that ended about 10,000 and variation of the landscape today,
adds moisture to the remnants of the years ago. Where did the prairie and have supported forests and
Pacific air-mass. The farther east from species come from? Researchers are savannahs, because of the protection
the Front Range of the Rockies, the pursuing this question. from fire.
greater the annual rainfall. Areas near the front of the glacier So far we have attributed the
Where more rain falls, the prairie may have harbored species that prairie with flat to gently rolling land,
plants, especially the grasses, grow migrated to newly exposed land. a dry season, and finely dissected
taller and more robust. As a result Regions of the continent that were vegetation that dries annually. What

A controlled burn on a restored prairie leaves a black surface and some unburned residue. Most of the smoke particles come down with the next rain.
else is needed to make a prairie? The from the heat of fast moving prairie set fires because prairie fires are
answer is fire and grazing animals. fires. beautiful. Without fires, the grass-
Fires were historically started After a fire, the dark, ash-covered lands are encroached by shrubs and
by lightning, but the presence of soil surface absorbs more heat from trees that are not suitable habitat for
humans was likely the predominant the sun than unburned dried veg- grazing animals. Prairies encroached
source of fire ignition. In the eastern etation. Warmer soil makes plants by woody vegetation have become
part of the tallgrass prairie, lightning regrow faster. Minerals that were tied the most difficult management issue
storms also produce rain that extin- up in dried vegetation are released for current stewards of restored rem-
guish fires. The climate east of the to be recycled in new growth. Trees nant and reconstructed prairies.
Mississippi River produces enough have been top-killed and the prai- Grazing animals and grasses
annual rainfall to support forest rie is healthier after fires. Freshly probably evolved together. Grasses
vegetation. Only the nearly annual greened vegetation attracts grazing with silicon in tissues appeared in
fires prevented trees from taking over animals, including the premier mam- the fossil record about the same
the prairie. In trees, actively growing mal of historic prairies, bison. time as mammals appeared with
cells — cambium — are under the Indigenous residents of the high-crowned teeth suitable to chew
bark and in the root crown, above prairie set fires to improve preferred the tough grasses. The growing tips
ground, exposed to the killing effects grazing areas and attract animals of grasses that are protected from
of fire. The annual growth of grass- they hoped to hunt. They set fires fire are also protected from grazers
es and forbs on the prairie die after to kill trees, control insects like flies that eat the above-ground leaves
summer, leaving protected growing and mosquitoes, drive game ani- and stems. Many species of plants
tips and buds below the soil surface. mals, encourage new growth on the respond to being grazed by growing
Even a few centimeters of soil is prairie, ease travel and protect living more quickly and robustly, replacing
enough insulation to protect buds areas and crops. But they likely also the lost tissues with more vegetation.

Fight continues to save Bell Bowl Prairie
By Jillian Neece continuing with the Rockford airport’s ongoing ex-
pansion plan. Based on the airport’s design proposals,
The fight to save Bell Bowl Prairie is still on, more
Geosyntec engineers are proposing small changes to
than one year after the Chicago Rockford Interna-
the airport’s design that would meet the needs of the
tional Airport halted construction of its $50 million
expanding airport, while minimizing impacts to Bell
cargo expansion. The planned construction included
Bowl Prairie.
a 100,000-square-foot air freight facility, storm water
Their plan would involve combining several of
detention basins, ramp expansion as well as a service
the airport’s proposed design alternatives. The report
road, which would run through the Bell Bowl and
noted that it is possible to shift the proposed cargo
threaten the prairie and its ecosystem.
building to the west, where there is ample land area to
The ancient prairie is home to indigenous plants
accommodate the 1 million square-foot building. The
and endangered wildlife, like the rusty-patched
proposed plan would also route the road around the
bumblebee. According to the Rock River Current, the
prairie and reduce the speed limit on this road to meet
airport now says it won’t go forward until a federal
safety guidelines.
review is complete. However, it’s unclear when that
process will wrap up. Jillian Neece is the community organizer of the Bell
During the Save Bell Bowl Prairie meeting on Sept. Bowl Prairie and with the Friends of Illinois Nature
8, employees with Geosyntec Consultants present- Preserves.
ed a solution to preserving Bell Bowl Prairie while
Research has demonstrated that bi- ly altered by the influx of Europeans underground organs. As below-
son, the keystone species of prairies, who converted most of the prairie ground and aboveground portions
prefer to eat grasses and leave most to agricultural and settlers’ use. The die and decay, they greatly enrich
forbs standing uneaten. Prairie resto- earliest colonists from eastern Ken- the soil with organic matter. But
ration is recently focusing on restor- tucky, Tennessee and western Virgin- turning over the thick prairie sod was
ing animals such as bison to large ia entered the unglaciated southern an almost insurmountable obstacle
prairies. In Illinois, bison can be seen portion of the state. This familiar to early prairie farmers, until 1837
by the public at The Nature Conser- landscape suited mostly hunters and when John Deere, in Grand Detour,
vancy’s Nachusa Grassland, Franklin trappers from forested areas. They Illinois, invented the self-scouring
Grove, and Midewin National Tall- migrated northward along finger-like moldboard steel plow.
grass Prairie, near Wilmington. traces of forest along the major As counties were settled, one of
Restoration of prairies helps the waterways, initially avoiding larger the first industries to develop was
myriad invertebrates and vertebrate tracts of prairie. They needed water clay tile manufacture for draining
animals of the prairie as well as the for livestock, personal use, water the seasonally wet prairies com-
beautiful plants. Application of con- wheels, and as a source of power. mon throughout much of the Grand
trolled burns in urban environments Timber was needed for fuel and Prairie region. The combination of
is often difficult, but it is frequently building materials. The large tracts drainage tiles and the moldboard
used to improve and maintain small of prairie exposed the settlers to the steel plow began the conversion
prairies. Usually done in the spring, undesirable force of winter storms. of prairie to cropland. However,
the fires kill woody vegetation and Ironically, many of the earliest even though settlers learned of the
also discourage exotic invasive spe- settlers believed that prairie soils fertility of the prairie soil and could
cies that grow earlier than natives. were infertile. Familiar with life in raise large crops, many of the larger
Introduction of herbivores is more the forest, some thought that soils prairies remained unsettled because
difficult, because most remnants are that appeared incapable of support- of the lack of transportation to move
too small. ing trees surely would not be pro- crops to distant markets. With the
Historic Illinois was 60% tall- ductive for crops. However, rather coming of the railroads in the 1850-
grass prairie, while timbered land, than being infertile, a characteristic 60s, there was a rapid conversion of
including forests, woodlands and of these grasslands is that about the prairies to cropland. During this
savannas, comprised most of the two-thirds of the plant biomass is period, about 3.3% of the prairie
remaining vegetation. The prairies of located beneath the surface of the was plowed each year and by the
pre-settlement Illinois were drastical- soil in the form of roots and other late 1800s, most of the prairie was

gone. Documented objections to
this dramatic conversion apparently
were few.
As the prairies were converted to
an agricultural landscape, fires that
had swept nearly annually across
the prairies in pre-settlement times
were actively stopped by the settlers
who viewed them as a threat to their
economic security. According to
Gerhard (1857), “The first efforts to
convert prairies into forest land were
usually made on the part of the prai-
rie adjoining timber ... three furrows
were plowed all around the settle-
ment to stop the burning of the prai-
ries...,whereupon the timber quickly
grows up....” An increasing number
of plowed fields and roads acted as
firebreaks. Cessation of these nearly
annual conflagrations served to fur-
ther the demise of the prairies. Many
of them were converted to savanna
or forest by invading tree species
that were no longer restricted by the
periodic fires.
Railroads were established
before the landscape was extensive-
ly disturbed and the rights-of-way,
which usually extended for 100 feet
on either side of the track, were
fenced to keep out livestock. In
addition, the railroad rights-of-way
formerly were managed with peri- Big bluestem, or turkey-foot, is one of the dominant grasses on prairies.
odic fire, as well as many accidental
fires, limiting the invasion of woody prairie, particularly in the Grand smaller than they physically appear.
species. In the last 30 or more years, Prairie Natural Division, is in pi- Marginal areas in pioneer cemetery
many of the remnant prairies along oneer cemeteries, a fitting resting prairies have higher exotic species
the railroads have disappeared or place for some of the finest examples numbers, lower native plant diversi-
become degraded as a result of fire of prairies remaining in much of the ty, and among the native species, a
absence, extensive herbicide use, heavily agricultural parts of Illinois. more ruderal composition.
and other disturbances, such as Whether these small remnants of Roger and M. Rebecca Anderson
installation of fiber optic cables or our tallgrass prairie natural heritage are members of the Illinois Prairie
vehicle trespass. Furthermore, many can persist in isolation is a subject Chapter of Wild Ones. Roger is also
of the railroad lines have been of ongoing research. Small prairies an emeritus distinguished university
abandoned. Frequently, these aban- actually appear to be practically professor of ecology.
doned rights-of-way, often the only
local remnants of native prairie, Read more
have been purchased by the adja-
cent landowner, plowed and con- • Prairies in the Prairie State
verted to cropland. Nevertheless, • Evolution and Origin of the Central Grassland of North America: Cli-
some prairie persists along railroad mate, Fire and Mammalian Grazers
rights-of-way, although much of it
has been degraded. • Vegetation Ecology and Change in Terrestrial Ecosystems”
Another important refuge for

Wild Ones Photo Contest Winners 2022
David Silsbee’s “Misty Morning” was the Best in Show

winner in the 2022 photo contest. Silsbee, of the Moun-
tain Laurel (Connecticut) Chapter, took it as he canoed
on a North Wayne, Maine pond early in the morning as
the fall colors glowed through the mist. The photo also
took first-place honors in the Scenery category.

Courtney Denning, of the Dayton Area (Ohio) Chap-

ter, took third place in the Fauna with Flora category
with “Bloodshot on Bloodroot.” She writes: “I spotted
this little 17-year cicada on a bloodroot leaf during the
emergence in the summer of 2021. I was surprised that
our neighborhood did not have the large numbers of
near-deafening cicadas that nearby cities had. So I was
happy to spot this cicada and two of its friends in our
small shade garden.”
David Silsbee, of the Mountain

Laurel (Connecticut) Chapter, took
Judith Bechtum,
first place in the Fauna with Flora
of the Prairie
category with “They’re All Mine.”
Edge (Minneso-
He writes: “The cedar tree outside
ta) Chapter, took
my window provides endless hours
honorable men-
of entertainment as the waxwings,
tion in the “It’s
bluebirds, sapsuckers and oth-
Alive” category
er birds gorge themselves on the
with “Peekabo.”
berries and squabble over the best
This tree frog
branches.”
was found in a
paintbrush cac-
tus in Webster,
Minnesota.

Betty Jenewin, of South Shore (Mas-

sachusetts) Chapter, took second
place in Flora with “Coneflower.”
The photo was taken in Worcester,
Massachusetts.
Morgan Meador, of the Ozark Laura Stellmacher, of the

(Arkansas) Chapter, took first place Menomonee River Area (Wisconsin)
in the Flora category with “Ozark chapter, took third place in the Flora
Trillium in Full Bloom.” category with “Frozen in Time.” This
photo of a willow tree was taken
in Hartland, Wisconsin and is also
featured on our cover.

Courtney Denning, of the Dayton Area (Ohio) Chapter,

took second place in the Public Landscaping category
with “Blue Skies at Lurie Garden.” She writes: “I am
inspired by Piet Oudolf’s naturalistic planting style and
his combination of native and nonnative (but non-in-
vasive) plants in his designs. After visiting this garden, I
read more about naturalist garden design and focused
on planting groups of a single native plant species en
masse in my gardens.”
Barbara DeGraves’ “Redbud blos- Diana Kuklinski,

soms and Tree Swallows” took sec- of the Arrow-
ond place in the Home Landscaping head (Minnesota)
category. DeGraves belongs to the Chapter, took
SoKY chapter; the photo was taken second place
in her backyard in Bowling Green, in the Pollina-
Kentucky. tors category
with “Saucy, the
Painted Lady.”
The photo was
taken in her
backyard in Bem-
idji, Minnesota;
the painted lady
is on a purple
coneflower (Echi-
nacea purpurea).

Neal Bringe’s “Colorado Aspens

at the Peak of Fall Colors” earned
second place in the Scenery cat-
egory. Bringe, of the Front Range
(Colorado) Chapter, wrote: “I hiked
up a rocky mountainside to get this
high view just a little while before
it started to rain. Everyone that I
shared this picture with was amazed
at the rich array of colors that the
aspens provided throughout the vast
landscape. What a gift.”
Bette Kauffman, of the Western Gulf

Plain Chapter, took first place in
the It’s Alive category. She writes:
”I was riding in a flat-bottom boat
with about a dozen other sightseers
on a swamp tour. We were weaving
between cypress and tupelo trees
when the boat turned toward a
more open area. Suddenly we were
so dazzled by the sun streaming
through the Spanish moss that we
almost didn’t see the ‘gator on the
log. I shot one frame before it slid
into the water.”

to N
NEW AT
IVE
S
Simple tips
to plant
a pocket
prairie
By Cindy Crosby
I’ve been a Master Gardener for
many years. But my gardening expe-
rience more than two decades ago
was limited to the usual suspects.
Tomatoes. Antique roses. Daffodils. I
didn’t know much about prairies or
native plants. After hiking the local
preserves in my new home in the
Chicago region in the late 1990s, I
realized there was a whole suite of
plants I wasn’t acquainted with. They
were part of the “original garden” of
my new home state of Illinois — tall-
grass prairie grasses and wildflowers.
All photos courtesy Cindy Crosby

I wanted to know more.
Looking for help, I joined Wild
Ones of Greater DuPage, and was
introduced to the fascinating world
of Illinois native prairie plants.
Although our suburban yard was
small — less than a quarter of an
acre — the idea of planting a small Buying plant plugs instead of planting from seed makes it easier to distinguish between native prairie plants
collection of prairie plants, some- and emerging weeds in your pocket prairie the first season.
times called a “pocket prairie,” was
still daunting. How should I prepare Observe at the rear of your yard might be the
the soil? Would I have to burn? What Before you plant, observe. Which perfect backdrop to a pocket prairie.
plants should I choose? And in my parts of your yard receive at least Or could you place short, well-be-
manicured subdivision, how could I five hours of sunshine? Which haved natives around your patio?
plant a pocket prairie without upset- portions are in the shade or partial Think about the “hell strip,” that
ting my neighbors? shade? What areas stay wet and piece of lawn between the sidewalk
What I discovered is this: It’s not where is it bone dry? and road that some subdivisions
difficult to plant one, once you know Look for unexpected spaces have. Does your township allow
a few useful tips. Over the past two Where might you site your pocket gardens there, and if so, is there a
dozen years, my prairie plantings prairie so it can be enjoyed? Think maximum plant height? Also consid-
have given me endless joy. You can about some unusual places to plant. er if you would be able to reach your
plant a pocket prairie, too. It doesn’t What about your entryway? Perhaps planting with a hose from your water
have to be overwhelming. Take it there is an unused strip of lawn by source? If not, you can do as I did.
one plant at a time. Here’s how to your driveway that might become Buy more hose!
get started. an oblong prairie planting. A fence The possibilities for planting
pocket prairies are endless. One of
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NEW AT
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Consider more than just blooms; many prairie
S
natives are beautiful in seed as is this blazing star
(Liatris aspera). Crosby’s pocket prairie in Glen
Ellyn, Illinois.
the most striking native plantings in

my village is in a cul-de-sac, where a
central planting area of dirt in the as-
phalt hosts a mix of natives and a few
nonnatives that provide color and joy
to pollinators. Another neighbor who
lives on a busy street corner uses the
“triangle” space to make a beautiful
pollinator planting mix of natives and
nonnatives. Both are good uses of
often-overlooked spaces.
Plant selection
The most difficult part of planting a
pocket prairie may be choosing the
plants you want, especially the first
year. So many possibilities!
One way to begin is to think
about the four seasons. Summer
prairie natives are what come to
most people’s mind when they select
plants — butterfly milkweed (Asclepi-
as tuberosa), pale purple coneflowers
(Echinacea pallida), or even larger
plants like white wild indigo (Baptisia
alba). All beautiful choices. But also
think about spring prairie wildflow-
ers such as prairie smoke (Geum
triflorum), golden alexanders (Zizia
aurea), shooting star (Dodecatheon
meadia), wood betony (Pedicularis
canadensis) and the native violets
roses, add endless winter interest. from different natives will add more
(Viola sp.). They offer spring color
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) interest. A diversity of both bloom
and something for the early emerg-
holds its seed into winter and cap- and foliage will be pleasing through-
ing pollinators. Autumn is ripe with
tures snow and ice in beautiful out the year.
possibilities. Plant an array of asters,
patterns. Its leaves look like curled Preparing the site
a few of the well-behaved golden-
butterscotch ribbons held above the How big should your pocket prairie
rods (Solidago speciosa is a favorite),
snow. Little bluestem (Schizachyri- be? It’s tempting to put in too large
and the later blooming blazing stars
um scoparium) keeps its gorgeous a prairie when you first get started.
(Liatris sp.), to name a few.
reddish hues long into the colder But even a 3-by-5-foot bed can be a
If you think about winter when
months. Plan your pocket prairie for source of endless pleasure, or a few
you plant — and if you don’t cut
four-season interest and color, no plants along the patio or front entry
down your natives in the autumn
matter how small your planting is. sidewalk. Consider starting small,
— you’ll enjoy the standing seed
Unlike some traditional garden then adding and expanding to your
heads of wild bergamot (Monarda
plants, prairie natives may only plantings each year. A prairie of any
fistulosa). The gray-headed cone-
bloom for a short time. Consider fo- size is going to require watering,
flower (Ratibida pinnata) seeds will
liage color, texture, shape and plant weeding and nurturing, especially in
scent your hands with lemon as you
structure to be as important as the the early years. You want your plant-
rub them between your fingers. Wild
blooms. Some foliage is colorful in ing maintenance to be a pleasure,
quinine’s (Parthenium integrifolium)
late autumn, and the variety of seeds not a dreaded chore.
pewter seeds, almost like small

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NEW AT
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A simple sign or even a metal butterfly will help
S
your neighbors appreciate your pocket prairie and
understand your intentions.
Unlike vegetable gardening,

where you need to do a lot of soil
amending it’s fairly easy to prepare
the ground for a small pocket prai-
rie. I like to use a hose to outline
the spot I want to plant in order
to see how it will look. The hose
will also help you think in curves,
which are usually more pleasing to
the eye. Then, strip the turf with a
sharp-edged shovel. Or, lay down
cardboard, weighted with bricks or
stone, for about six weeks or over
the winter, to kill the grass and make
turf removal easier. Most suburban
soils are fine for the majority of prai-
rie species. I sometimes buy a bag
or two of topsoil to lighten my yard’s
heavy suburban clay, but it’s usually
not necessary.
Most importantly, check resourc-
es to determine if the plants you are
interested in need well-drained, wet
or dry soil in sun or partial shade be-
fore you buy them. This will help you
put the right plants in the best places.
Seeds? Or plants?
It’s a tough choice between plants
and seeds, and there are advantages
and disadvantages to both. If you’re a
beginner and planting a small pocket
prairie, I’d recommend buying plant
plugs. It’s instant gratification, and
much easier to weed and maintain
when you can see what you planted, plants that look best massed, like know how to safely do it yourself.
compared to trying to distinguish prairie smoke. Plant your plugs clos- Making friends
first-year seedlings grown from seed er than you might think, so the plants Neighbors who don’t understand
from emerging weeds. The downside can support each other as they do in what a prairie is may believe your
is that plant plugs are more expen- the wild. pocket prairie is a sign of neglect
sive, and first-year plant plugs must Burning love instead of progressive thinking. In my
be faithfully watered throughout Pocket prairies will do just fine book, “The Tallgrass Prairie: An Intro-
the first growing season in order to without a prescribed burn. Consider duction,” I wrote a chapter “How to
survive. And, of course, you have to mowing or hand cutting dead foliage Plant a Prairie in Your Yard (Without
put them in the ground, which can in the early spring, after the overwin- Upsetting the Neighbors).” It’s mostly
require considerable labor. Some tering insects have emerged. If you about making good plant choices
species are only available as seed, expand your pocket prairie to a larger and inviting your neighbors to love
so you may want to start these plant prairie planting at some point, check your planting. The key is engaging
plugs yourself. with your local Wild Ones chapter people with the prairie by appealing
Consider buying plugs in threes about how to obtain a prescribed to something they enjoy or recognize
or fives of a species so you have burn permit. Use a trained profes- as “good” and keeping your pocket
some “drifts” of color, especially for sional or undergo training so you prairie well-maintained. So:

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NEW AT
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This neighbor’s cul-de-sac planting blends a diver-
S
sity of native prairie plants for a beautiful autumn
display in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
• Start small. When you put a

small prairie planting in your front,
side or backyard, the neighbors may
hardly notice and you’ll be able to
keep up with maintenance. Expand
it a bit each year and they’ll gradu-
ally get used to the idea of a pocket
prairie, and you’ll see how much
maintenance you enjoy doing. I
began with a pocket prairie in the
backyard many years ago, and only
recently planted prairie in the front.
You can even mix prairie plants with
traditional garden plants. Stealthy!
• Use signage and wildlife
symbols. This might be as simple as
a Wild Ones Native Plants sign or a
Monarch Waystation sign (assuming
you include some milkweed) close warding show-stoppers if integrated home in the Chicago region, I’m still
to your planting. Most people enjoy well. Good first impressions are like- planting prairie flowers, 24 years
birds and butterflies. A metal butter- ly to be made by plants with colorful later. Planting prairie plants is a boon
fly garden ornament will help neigh- flowers or ornamental aspects. to pollinators and wildlife, and when
bors understand you have a pollina- • Beauty with a border. When a done well, a bonus to your neigh-
tor garden, which is a much easier pocket prairie has a clearly delineat- borhood and community. Start small,
sell than a prairie. A bird feeder, bird ed edge (rocks, bricks, garden edg- and be a part of making a difference.
bath or functional or decorative bird ing, mowed lawn) your neighbors Why not get started planning your
house incorporated into your plant- will see it as a garden that is cared pocket prairie today?
ing will help others understand you for. They won’t worry so much about
are gardening for wildlife.  your yard and think, “There goes the Cindy Crosby is an author, compil-
• Plant “ambassador” species. neighborhood!” er or contributor to more than 20
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia • Bouquets. Take bouquets of books, including “The Tallgrass Prai-
hirta), pale purple coneflowers, prairie wildflowers and grasses as rie: An Introduction” (Northwestern
downy phlox (Phlox pilosa), prairie gifts to your neighbors. I fill recycled University Press); “Tallgrass Conver-
coreopsis (Coreopsis palmata) and jars wrapped in colorful tissue paper, sations: In Search of the Prairie Spirit”
butterfly milkweed are plants peo- tied with twine or ribbon, to good (with Thomas Dean, Ice Cube Press),
ple recognize as “beautiful” and are effect. Many prairie wildflowers and and most recently, “Chasing Dragon-
somewhat familiar to them because grasses look excellent in bouquets flies: A Natural, Cultural and Personal
of their traditional garden cousins. (think of rattlesnake master (Eryngi- History” (Northwestern University
Little bluestem and prairie dropseed um yuccifolium), asters and prairie Press). Cindy has been a prairie stew-
(Sporobolus heterolepis) are fairly dropseed seed sprays. These arrange- ard for the Schulenberg Prairie at The
well-behaved, lower profile plants ments are a welcome change from Morton Arboretum for more than a
that pave the way for interested the tired bouquets of roses, chry- decade, and coordinates the dragon-
neighbors to see a prairie as some- santhemums and daisies most folks fly monitors at Nachusa Grasslands,
thing that adds to the value of the are used to receiving, and a chance a TNC site in Franklin Grove, Illi-
property rather than a “weedy mess” to introduce them to some native nois. She is a member of Wild Ones
as some of the larger plants situated plants. Greater DuPage Chapter. Her blog,
in a front yard may be perceived. Ready to begin? Tuesdays in the Tallgrass, describes
Taller bloomers with rampant growth Adding prairie to my yard has been her adventures in gardening and the
that lean or look weedy to untrained a process that has grown — no natural world each week. She mixes
eyes (I’m looking at you, cup plant pun intended — over time. After natives and traditional garden plants
(Silphium perfoliatum)) may get you putting those first native plants into in her small suburban yard in Glen
in trouble, although they can be re- the ground when we purchased our Ellyn, Illinois.

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Wild Ones expands Native Garden
Designs program
By Katie Huebner Lafayette (Louisiana), Greensboro, talented designers from around the
Las Cruces, Philadelphia, Portland, country to produce these outstand-
Wild Ones launched its Native
Princeton, Tucson and Washington, ing designs: 
Garden Designs program in 2020
D.C. Once released, these designs • Ann Autrey, of Tapteal Native
by introducing nine native garden
(in addition to the original nine) will Plants, (Columbia River Basin De-
designs for the ecoregions of Boston,
be downloadable from Wild Ones’ sign) 
Chattanooga, Chicago, Denver/Front
nativegardendesigns.wildones.org • Scott Calhoun, of Zona Gardens,
Range, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St.
website.  (Tucson Design)
Louis, Tallahassee and Toledo. The
All the designs in the program • David Cristiani, of Quercus LLC,
designs are free for the public to use
were created using a standard resi- (Las Cruces Design)
and were created by designers local
dential template (170’ wide by 70’ • Donna Giguere, of Donna Giguere
to each region.
deep) including front, back and side Landscape Design, (Portland Design)
Another facet of the program was
yards, and adhere to the following • Amy Heilman, of The Living Gar-
the development of a new digital/
criteria: den, (Grand Rapids Design)
print publication on the how-to of
• include 15+ straight species native • Rebecca Marquardt, of Revery
native gardening, entitled “Creating
to the design’s ecoregion. Landscape Architecture, (Grand
Your Own Native Garden Designs.”
• encourage the use of multiples of Rapids Design)
All these resources, supported by a
plants rather than “specimen” plant- • Lisa McDonald Hanes and Ju-
grant from the Stanley Smith Horti-
ings, to be consistent with building lie Snell, both of Tend Landscape,
culture Trust (SSHT) in 2020, sought
attractive pollinator gardens. (Princeton Design)
to demonstrate that gardening with
• incorporate native plants that pro- • Preston Montague, of Preston
native plants can be attainable for
vide habitat and food for wildlife. Montague Studio, (Greensboro
gardeners of all skill levels, promote
• feature staggered bloom times Design)
wildlife and yield beautiful results.
throughout the growing season. • Donald Pell, of Donald Pell Gar-
Wild Ones is proud to share that
• include considerations for soil, dens Landscape Design, (Philadel-
we are expanding this impactful
moisture and sunlight. phia Design)
program in 2022-23 with addition-
• contain plants that are generally • Larry Weaner, of Larry Weaner
al support from SSHT. In October
available for purchase in the specific Landscape Associates, (Washington,
of this year, Wild Ones provided
ecoregion. D.C. Design)
chapters with a new print publi-
• are accompanied by a plant list • Dona Weifenbach, of Louisiana
cation, “Climate Resilient Land-
that provides a quick preview of the Coastal Protection and Restoration
scapes,” a guide which focuses on
diversity and beauty of the native Authority (retired), former owner
the critical positive impact native
plants incorporated in the design. of Sunset Landscaping, (Lafayette
landscaping can have in the face of
• include instructions for following a Design)
climate change. Chapters were also
phased installation approach. 
replenished with additional copies of Stay tuned! We will be sharing
Once the designs are available,
the “Native Garden Designs” guide information soon regarding our
we hope you will share them with
in the hope that both publications forthcoming Native Garden Designs
anyone you know that resides in
would become integral tools in chap- Video Series which will feature
these regions and could use help
ter member recruitment efforts.  Q&As with the designers of each of
getting started on their native garden
In early 2023, Wild Ones will the new plans.
journey. 
be debuting 10 new native garden Thank you for partnering with us
Wild Ones had the pleasure of
designs for the ecoregions of the to help save the Earth, one yard at a
collaborating with the following
Columbia River Basin, Great Lakes, time.

Photo: Lisa Olsen
How to
make
bark
butter
Recipe and directions courtesy of
Wild Ones member Arthur Clifford,
Front Range (Colorado) Chapter
Bark butter is a great winter treat for
birds and squirrels. It is high in cal-
ories and fat, helping birds endure
frigid temperatures. It is also easy to
make and a fun project to do with
children over the holiday season.
In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan
over low heat, combine 1½ cups
each of the following ingredients.
Allow the lard and peanut butter to
liquify completely before blending
in the remaining ingredients:
• Lard
• Crunchy peanut butter
• Unmedicated chick feed starter
(check online or a local feed store)
• “No Mess” bird seed (use a food Bark butter on quaking aspen snag bark (Populus tremuloides). The dead and dying trees are left standing in
a habitat garden to boost wildlife value.
processor to yield a smoother mix-
ture as desired) ter” holders. The woodpeckers will cation site to catch excess that falls
• Whole oats (not instant) happily enlarge these for you from during this process. A paper towel is
• Corn meal season to season. You can also pur- also handy.
Recipe makes approximately 6½ chase a two-by-four and drill ½-inch An old baking tin tacked to
cups. Store in a cool place or in a holes 1” deep into it and fasten it the top of a fence post or wedged
refrigerator in a reusable covered onto suitable objects. securely between branches can also
container. This is NOT for human Remember this mixture will serve as a feeder.
consumption.  Label appropriately. leave oily stains. And if you live in TIPS
APPLICATION a rural area, all bird feeders will • To thicken or thin the mixture,
Smear bark butter with a spatula on attract wildlife, including bears! It add cornmeal or peanut butter as
fence tops or into the cracks and is best to put out suet or bark butter needed.
bark of tree trunks. once you are sure bears are hiber- • You may also incorporate surplus
I have a dead tree in my yard nating.  native seeds from previous collec-
that I have trimmed and allowed Apply with gloved hands or tion years. Adding older seeds to
to stand just for the birds. Into this with a spatula. Keep the container bark butter is a great way to channel
I drilled 1” deep holes randomly with your mixture in contact with those seeds back into the food web.
across the surface to serve as “but- the surface and below your appli-
• 48 • Wild Ones Journal • Fall 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 3 • wildones.org

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Photo by Pxhere
Why do leaves have different shapes?

All maples have lobed leaves.
By Peter Lesica the complete division into leaflets. environments.

It was about 30 years ago that I Many botanists have found a strong Plants with narrow leaves also
went to Costa Rica to get my first correlation between entire-margin have more of a boundary layer when
experience in a tropical rain forest. leaves and wetter habitats. compared to those with broader
I took some books and thought I The main hypothesis to explain leaves, and they have the same ad-
would be able to at least identify this correlation is that lobed leaves vantage in xeric habitats.
the trees. Fat chance! have a greater margin to surface area Interestingly, plants living under
Although there were dozens ratio; i.e., they’ve got more edge for water, the wettest possible envi-
of different tree species in mature each square inch of surface. Leaves ronment, tend to also have narrow
forests, their leaves all looked the thin down at their edges, so if a leaves. But in this case, the increased
same — broadly lanceolate with en- leaf has more of a “boundary layer” boundary layer helps the plants cap-
tire margins and elongated tips (drip relative to the interior, it can stay ture more CO2, an essential mole-
tips). Although our temperate decid- cooler on hot days and will lose less cule for photosynthesis. Think of wa-
uous forests have far fewer broad- water to evaporation. Of course this ter buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis)
leaved (dicot) trees, these often have doesn’t matter if you have access to or numerous species of pondweed
distinctive shapes and are easy to tell lots of water, but it can be useful in (Potamogeton).
apart. So what’s going on? drier habitats. Think of it this way; Another obvious leaf-shape trait
As it turns out, botanists have wearing gloves (lobed) will not keep is the presence of toothed margins,
been trying to figure out the func- your hands as warm as wearing mit- which have been shown to be more
tional differences between the tens (entire margin), even if they are common in temperate forests com-
various aspects of leaf shapes for a made of the same material. Lobed pared to tropical forests. Veins go
long time, and there are a number of leaves also have fewer small veins all the way to the tip of the teeth in
different, but not mutually exclusive, because they have less area than if toothed leaves, but rarely go to the
ideas. The most obvious trait of many they had entire margins. As a result, very edge of an entire-margined
temperate forest trees compared to water moves more easily in lobed leaf. Thinner leaves are more like-
tropical rain forest trees is lobing or leaves; it’s another advantage in drier ly to have toothed margins. This is

possibly an adaptation to keep them
from folding or rolling up. Like lobed
leaves, thinner leaves can stay cooler
on hot days.
In addition, toothed margins of
woody dicots increase in colder cli-
mates. This is thought to be the case
because the teeth have been shown
to be photosynthetically active earli-
er than the rest of the leaf, so toothed
leaves can begin making carbohy-
drates earlier in the spring, which
is advantageous in a cold climate
with a short growing season. Finally,
there is conjecture that spiny-toothed
leaves may deter herbivory.
For instance, Montana has only
14 native deciduous tree species.
So how do those 14 native trees
match the above hypotheses? Bur
oak (Quercus macrocarpa) has lobed
leaves, and boxelder (Acer negundo)
and green ash (Fraxinus pensylvanica)
have compound leaves with leaflets.
All of the remaining 11 species:
red alder (Alnus rubra), water and Keys to leaf morphology; Source: Pinterest
paper birches (Betula occidentalis,
B. papyrifera), narrow-leaved, black in both cool-wet as well as drier moist forests, while several live oaks
and plains cottonwoods (Populus environments. occur in very dry habitats and have
angustifolia, P. balsamifera, P. deltoi- The problem is that climate is entire-margin leaves. Many of these
des), quaking aspen (P. tremuloides), only one, albeit an important one, live oaks have thick, waxy leaves that
bitter and pin cherry (Prunus emargi- driver of leaf shape. A lot simply persist for more than one year. So
nata, P. pensylvanica), narrow-leaved depends on genetic heritage. All the climate-related trends are simply
willow (Salix amygdaloides) and maples have lobed leaves and all generalizations suggesting that leaf
American elm (Ulmus americana) — elms have toothed leaves, regardless shape is, to some extent, adaptive.
have toothed leaves. of whether they occur in warm-and- It’s something to notice when you’re
The fact that none of those trees wet South Carolina or cool-dry Utah. out botanizing.
have entire-margin leaves suggests There are also other adaptations This article was written by Peter
that Montana does not have a warm at play. While the red and white Lesica and first published in Kelseya,
and moist climate. But you know oaks many are most familiar with the newsletter of the Montana Native
that if you live there. All three of the have lobed leaves, some occur in Plant Society in 2020.
trees with lobed or compound leaves
occur east of the Divide, mainly in Additional reading
the eastern half of the state. Many,
but not all of the trees with toothed • Ferris, K. G. 2019. Endless forms most functional: Uncovering the role of
natural selection in the evolution of leaf shape. American Journal of Botany
leaves, such as quaking aspen and
106: 1532-1535.
paper birch, are found at higher ele-
vations or in cool, moist sites. • Givnish, T. J. 1987. Comparative studies of leaf form: assessing the rela-
However, there are a number tive roles of selective pressures and phylogenetic constraints. New Phytolo-
of species that don’t match the gist 106 (Suppl.)
predictions. American elm occurs
only in extreme eastern Montana • Zohner, C. M., E. Ramm and S. Renner. 2019. Examining the support–
and has toothed rather than lobed supply and bud-packing hypotheses for the increase in toothed leaf mar-
gins in northern deciduous floras. American Journal of Botany 106: 1404-
leaves like ash or oak. River birch
1411.
is equally common across the state

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all supportive of local food webs, helping to make our
ecosystem healthy, while bringing beauty to your garden.
Our knowledgeable staff can assist you with your garden
needs.
@redbudnative.com 904 N. Providence Road, Media PA

Fox Valley Area Chapter
donates native plants
to Habitat for Humanity ER NEWS
homeowners PT
CHA
By Lucy Valitchtka receive marked with a tab and high-
lighted so they know how to care for
Habitat for Humanity helps people
the plants. In addition, copies of our
to build or remodel a home they can
Wild Ones Fox Valley Area program
call their own. And for the last four
booklets are included for any re-
years, the Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin)
cipients interested in attending our
Chapter of Wild Ones is making sure
programs or becoming members.
those new homeowners know about
Habitat for Humanity has re-
native plants by donating a variety of
sponded with photos of the smiling
natives to two families each year.
recipients holding their plants.
I have been interested in native
The chapter’s cost for the 18
plants since I was president of the
plants has ranged from $64.80 to
Wisconsin Garden Club Federation
$117. The chapter calculates the
in 2007-2009. My goal as president
total donation based on each plant’s
was to raise enough money from do-
wholesale price.
nations to seed a new prairie at the
A 2019 thank you from the Hab-
Appleton Memorial Park Gardens. I
itat for Humanity president and chief
did meet my goal, and to learn more
executive officer shows our efforts
about native plants, I joined the Wild
are appreciated and worthwhile. The
Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter.
letter read: “Thank you for your do-
One of the next steps in my na-
nation of plants for Habitat families!
tive plant quest was to encourage the
Every item helps us assist families in
Paper Valley Garden Club to donate
our program. Whether it is materials ,
native plants as a civic project for
services rendered, or another form of
the then-new Greater Fox Cities Area
donation, all of us are working toward
All photos courtesy Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity homeown-
the same goal. We all want a world
ers. They agreed, but the club only
where everyone has a decent place to
devotes three years to a particular
live. Thank you for helping us move
project and then chooses a new one.
one step closer to our objective.”
Since I didn’t want to discontinue
With climate change affect-
this project, I approached the Wild
ing our lives today, it is even more
Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter to take
important to realize what really
over the effort and donate plants to
benefits our Earth. Native plants are
the new homeowners from its annual
part of the answer. If the Habitat for
plant sale.
Humanity families who receive our
With guidance from Habitat for
plants have success with their plants,
Humanity, we donate plants to two
it benefits all.
families each year. I choose three
plants each, for spring, summer and Lucy Valitchtka is a member of the
fall blooms, and usually forbs. Grass- Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin) Chapter
es could be an option, as well. of Wild Ones.
This year I focused on pollinator At right, from top: Kimberly Lambert in Kaukauna shows where she will place the native plants donated
plants. to her by the Fox Valley Area (Wisconsin) Chapter of Wild Ones; Ethan was excited with the Fox Valley
When I take the plants to Habitat Area (Wisconsin) Chapter’s donation of native plants, and anxious to see all the butterflies that might
for Humanity, I also include Prairie stop in his yard to nectar; Sondra was a 2022 recipient of native plants, thanks to the Fox Valley Area
Nursery catalogs with the plants they (Wisconsin) Chapter of Wild Ones.

Front Range demonstration gardens
educates public in Metro Denver HA
PTER N
EW
C
S
By Deb Lebow Aal and Mary Hinton
Wild Ones Front Range (WOFR)
Chapter members in Metro Denver
have promoted demonstration gar-
dens as a way to educate the public.
The Ekar Farm Demo Garden is one
example.
Ekar Farm is a nonprofit farm in
central Denver that donates all its
produce to people in need. It had
only vegetable crops and a fruit-pro-
All photos by Deb Lebow Aal

ducing orchard until the farm’s lead-
ers reached out to WOFR’s officers in
early 2021. It was a natural partner-
ship – to build soil, feed the human
community and feed our natural
ecosystems. With more than 6,000
volunteers and visitors a year, Ekar
provided WOFR a great opportunity
to reach the public with their native
plant message.
One volunteer recalls: “So in
we went, with just a few WOFR
volunteers. We started with 900
square feet of unirrigated clay soil,
alfalfa and weeds. We began with
plants we already had from a failed
attempt at a pollinator garden, such
as Helianthus maximiliani (Maximil-
lian sunflower), Mirabilis multiflora
(Colorado four o’clock) and Gaillar-
dia aristata (blanket flower). Weed
removal was not fun, requiring brute
force and pickaxes. We put down
a layer of cardboard, then mulched
with pea gravel for meadow areas
and with shredded leaves for prairie
areas featuring native grasses.” Top left: We started with all weeds; put down cardboard and then two types of mulch - pea gravel and
The volunteers laid out a central wood mulch, for different sections. Top right and above: The gardens at mid-season.
path, the only area covered wiith
landscape fabric. Hoping one day The group is incredibly proud of ageable garden size is important and
to apply for an Audubon Rockies the results. that magic happens,” the volunteer
Habitat Hero designation, they “We learned that partnership with said. “The soil after one season was
added a water feature with a locally an established organization with a improved, weeds grow — no matter
sourced Colorado boulder. Dozens like-minded mission is very helpful, how often you weed — and WOFR
of additional native plants were help from consistent and knowledge- was able to educate many, many
added in 2022. able volunteers is essential, a man- visitors on native plant basics.”

CHAPTER ANNIVERSARIES
Mark Your Calendar Includes anniversaries between August-October
DECEMBER Chapter Years
Native American Heritage Month Madison, Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Menomonee River Area, Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Dec. 5 St. Cloud, Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
World Soil Day St. Louis, Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Arrowhead, Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Central Wisconsin, Wisconsin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Dec. 12, 5 p.m. CT
Central Upper Peninsula, Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . 21
National Board of Directors Meeting Greater Cincinnati, Ohio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
All Wild Ones members are invited to attend virtual Lexington, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
national board meetings. River City-Grand Rapids Area, Michigan. . . . . . . . 15
Click for the Zoom meeting link at https://members. West Cook, Illinois. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
wildones.org/board-meeting-link/ Front Range, Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
JANUARY Southeast Missouri, Missouri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Jan. 5 South Shore MA, Massachusetts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Louisville, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
National Bird Day
Middle Tennessee, Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How about planning to add more bird-friendly Chesapeake, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
plants this growing season? Keweenaw, Michigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Western Pennsylvania Area, Pennsylvania. . . . . . . . 1
Jan. 10 Mohawk Valley, New York. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Save the Eagles Day Northeast Ohio, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Mid-South, Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Jan. 28 Capital Region NY, New York. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
National Seed Swap Day South Bend, Indiana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Visit www.wildones.org/connect/chapters/ for a link
to your chapter’s website to see if there is a seed
swap near you. OHIO NATIVE
HABITAT NURSERY
FEBRUARY
Located in NE Ohio
National Bird Feeding Month
Don’t forget to incorporate plants with edible seed-
pods or berries in your landscaping. • High-quality trees, shrubs, perennials, and wildflowers
• Project specific orders welcome
Feb. 2 • Plugs and pots ideal for large scale restoration and CRP projects
World Wetlands Day • Rain garden kits available
Feb. 27, 5 p.m. CT

National Board of Directors Meeting
All Wild Ones members are invited to attend virtual
national board meetings.
Click for the Zoom meeting link at https://members.
wildones.org/board-meeting-link/
Feb. 27 – March 3
National Invasive Species Awareness Week Contact Information
Jason McKenney, President | jmckenney@ohio-nhn.com | (440) 487-8318
30628 Detroit Road, #280, Westlake, Ohio 44145 | www.ohio-nhn.com

SINCE 1982
THE LARGEST SELECTION OF NATIVE PLANTS
prairiemoon.com • 507-452-1362

NEW AFFILIATE MEMBERS Simply Bee Conservation Maureen Ruben
Includes affiliate members who https://simplybeeorganics.com/ Mohawk Valley
joined between August-October Tyler Stellern
Front Range Danielle Bell
Coffeyville Neighborhood Initia- Menomonee River Area
tive: Fresh Start Youth Garden Rubus Landscape Architecture
https://www.coffeyvillesreawaken- http://rubuslandscape.com/ Margot Monson
ing.com/ Crystal Gaudio Big River Big Woods
Peggy Steele Mountain Laurel
Partner At Large Connecticut College Arboretum
RENEWING AFFILIATE MEMBERS https://www.conncoll.edu/the-arbo-
Jannett Lueiro Includes affiliate members who retum/
Charlotte Piedmont renewed between August-October Maggie Redfern
Mountain Laurel
Sweetfern Lloyd Library & Museum
https://www.sweetfernna- www.lloydlibrary.org Oak Brook Park District
tivegardens.com/ Greater Cincinnati bgibellina@obparks.org
Deborah Ballem Bonnie Gibellina
South Shore MA Lost River Cave Greater DuPage
rho@lostrivercave.org
Riverwood Nature Center Rho Lansden Shaw Nature Reserve
https://www.riverwoodnaturecenter. SoKY jsieradzki@mobot.org
org/ Jen Sieradzki
Kimberly Anderson Melville Kennedy St. Louis
Partner At Large North Oakland
LIFETIME MEMBERS
Pollinator Patches, LLC Donna Baker-Breningstall (August-October)
https://www.allthepollinators.com/ Front Range Tamara Hayter, NoVA Seedling
Richard Farrell
St. Louis
River Valley District Library IN MEMORIAM

https://www.rivervalleylibrary.org/ Bruce and Diana Baldi, Upper Ohio Valley Seedling Chapter, auto acci-
Teri Schwenneker dent
Quad Cities
Abe Kelley, Appalachian Highlands
Falon’s Sprinkle Kindness Inc. Martha Lunz, Milwaukee-North
Shannon Morris
Pennsylvania Ridge & Valley (Seed- Carol Phelps, River City – Grand Rapids Area
ling)
Joy Buslaff, Milwaukee-Southwest-Wehr (See obituary in Fall 2022 issue)
Real People Media LuAnne Thompson, Milwaukee-Southwest-Wehr
https://www.realpeoplemedia.org/
Rebecca Glotfelty
Keweenaw Carol Phelps, 85, the founder and first president of
the River City Chapter of Wild Ones, died on July 10,
Pelican Park, Recreation District 2022.
#1 After a career as a manager for AT&T, Carol turned
http://www.pelicanpark.com
Louisette Scott her focus to volunteering. She had a passion for natural
Pontchartrain Basin (Seedling) resources and devoted her time and energies to The
Grand Rapids Audubon Club, the Land Conservancy of
University of Illinois West Michigan, the Western Michigan Environmental
Jack Zinnen Action Committee and Kitchell Lindquist Dunes.
Central Illinois (Seedling)
Phelps was a member of the Kalamazoo Chapter
Midwest Native Plant Society, Inc. of Wild Ones for several years before deciding in 2007 that Grand Rap-
https://www.midwestnativeplants. ids needed its own chapter. She enthusiastically gathered a small group
org/ and served as chapter president for two years before stepping down and
Kathy McDonald volunteering in an advisory capacity.
Greater Cincinnati The River City-Grand Rapids Area Chapter recently celebrated 15 years.

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WINTER 2022 • Journal • VOL. 35, NO.

A voice for the natural landscaping movement.

Giving thanks for Promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices

your hard work ration and establishment of native plant communities

• 2 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Wild Ones Journal

• 3 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

LOCALLY 150+ NATIVE PLANTS AVAILABLE

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• 4 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 6 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 7 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 9 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

is during the short period when

across the globe, including North

hinder plants’ by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has

adaptation jays (Cyanocitta sp.) have been lost

to climate seeds of oak and pine trees.

• 10 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Photos by Holly Latteman

• 11 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 12 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Contact us for a free quote

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• 13 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Broadening our focus:

Photo: Tom Potterfield, Flickr

• 14 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

heavy metals are most often stored in

• 15 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• Wildlife Pond Construction

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Check out our

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA We only ship to Northeastern U.S.

• 17 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Bill and Jane Allis have always been

• 18 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 19 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 20 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

• 21 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

3 Over 400 species.

Volunteers help with

• 22 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Right plant, right place. This

• 23 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Photo: Barbara A. Schmitz

can help us understand which spe- modium illinoense), grass-leaved

• 24 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons.

• 25 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org

Ecology-based Landscape Design Education

Winter 2022-2023 Course Series

Connecting people and nature since 1990

• 26 • Wild Ones Journal • Winter 2022 • Vol. 35, No. 4 • wildones.org