Home is Where the Habitat Is

By Hannah Texler,

Wild Ones meeting

March 15, 2016

My house when I moved in 20 years ago from rural Wisconsin

• Simple initial goals:

• Experiment with living in the city

• Enhance quality of life – put down roots

Amur maple hedge, blue spruce in the front, and a big decaying deck and turf grass in the back.

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• As gardens became established, I became entranced with all of the wildlife that showed up, and my focus changed to increasing habitat and adding ecosystem services.

Why garden with native plants? • Native plants do not require fertilizers and don’t need

pesticides.

• Native plants require less water than lawns and help prevent erosion. The deep root systems of many native Midwestern plants increase the soil's capacity to store water. Native plants can significantly reduce water runoff and, consequently, flooding.

• Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife.

• Native plants are beautiful and increase scenic values!

Image courtesy of Matthew Shepherd, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

To begin: boulevard garden – first in the neighborhood!

• Spring

• Summer

• Make it attractive

• Flowers in all seasons

• Follow the laws (<36 inch height)

• Surround with landscape timbers

• Change it up when plants don’t do well or that are too agressive

• City planted bur oak

Next – tackle the empty back yard – formerly turf grass, deck, and hostas

• Tear out the deck, add curving brick walkway and patio

• Create vegetable garden

• Plant prairie garden

• Add a rain garden

• Add native trees and shrubs

• Set a new goal – all plants are native to Ramsey County or edible to humans

• Major mistake – rototilled, resulting in invasive quack grass

Spring view of prairie garden

Late summer view of prairie garden

Early summer view of prairie garden – northern bedstraw in bloom, flowering spurge, little bluestem, stiff goldenrod – note many textures.

Early summer - wild rose, meadowsweet in bloom.

• Nannyberry, American hazelnut, Virginia waterleaf, early meadow rue – small shade garden against the garage

• Vegetable and herb garden in foreground, prairie garden in background, pagoda dogwood tree at left.

Next project – butterfly garden and rain garden in front of house

Early fall view – tall coneflower, ironweed, grey goldenrod, giant hyssop, little bluestem, butterfly weed in butterfly garden; cardinal flower, and bottle gentian in rain garden.

Most recent – custom short to mid-grass prairie garden on hillside

• South-facing slope

• Included neighbor’s slope

• Black plastic , followed by scraping and fall planting

• Cover with jute woven cloth to prevent erosion, seed loss

• Purchased seed from sources as local as possible

Success! About 20 species present so far.

• Summer of first year

• Black-eyed susan dominated

• Now much more diverse

• Summer of second year (2015)

Diversity of yard to date

• 6 native tree species

• 11 native shrub species

• 80 plus species of native wildflowers, grasses and sedges

• 13 kinds of vegetables

• Five kinds of herbs

• Four kinds of fruit (blueberries, sour cherries, strawberries, red raspberries)

• Bees, butterflies

• Birds

• Mammals

• Endless variety!

Wildlife Highlights • American painted lady butterflies on

pussytoes in spring • Multitudes of robins on serviceberry and

pagoda dogwood in early summer

• Hundreds of native bees (and non-native honeybees) spring, summer, fall

• Monarchs on milkweed and blazing star in summer

• American goldfinches on tall coneflowers and western sunflowers in fall

Expansion

• 4 neighbors have planted boulevard gardens and other native wildflower gardens, increasing habitat

• 2 community gardens in the neighborhood incorporate native wildflowers

• Spreading the wealth through contributing plants to friends and colleagues

Hamline-Thomas community garden

Horton Park Native Wildflower Gardens • Oak savanna, prairie, and shade gardens; over 60 native tree

species and 100s of volunteers and neighborhood fans

Polyphemus moth – Wild Ones tour!

Thinking like an ecologist: Landscape Ecology

• Learn about nearby natural areas, parks, and native gardens to find out how you fit into the landscape

• What native animals reside in your area? What native birds migrate through your area in the spring and fall? How can you help provide food and shelter for them?

Brown thrasher

Plant Community Ecology

• What plant community would have existed on your site in the past? Are there remnants on your land or nearby?

• What are your site conditions?

• Slope

• Soil type

• Soil moisture

• Shade

Oak openings and barrens

River Bottom Forest

Oak openings and barrens

Prairie

Big Woods - Hardwoods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory)

Wet Prairie

Prairie

Wet Prairie

Wet Prairie

Big Woods - Hardwoods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory)

Wet Prairie

Big Woods - Hardwoods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory)

Big Woods - Hardwoods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory)

Wet Prairie

Wet Prairie

Big Woods - Hardwoods (oak, maple, basswood, hickory)

Lakes (open water)

Conifer Bogs and Swamps

Wet Prairie

Wet PrairieWet Prairie

Lakes (open water)

Lakes (open water)

Lakes (open water)

Wet Prairie

Lakes (open water)

1850s vegetation in the Hamline Midway neighborhood (from Marschner map)

Species Ecology

• Choose species native to your area

• Consider pollinator needs and the needs of other animals

• Choose plants that will be adapted to your site, and ideally will not be invasive and will not be too difficult to grow

White bear sedge in a diverse native shade garden in St. Paul Hummingbird visiting blazing star

Photo by Sparky Stensaas

Genetic Ecology • Choose native species, not cultivars

• Choose plants and seeds that are as close to local as possible

• Please do not purchase state-listed rare plants (…..it’s illegal and may harm native populations)

Indian grass – native species, not cultivar

Prairie shooting star - endangered

Sources of information on gardening and landscaping with native plants

• DNR website

dnr.state.mn.us/gardens/nativeplants

• Board of Soil and Water Resources website

bwsr.state.mn.us/native_vegetation

Presettlement Vegetation Map

• Also see Minnesota Biological Survey county maps at:

dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/maps

• PDF of presettlement vegetation map

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/natural_vegetation_of_mn.pdf

Native Plant Community Field Guides

Native Plant Community class fact sheets on the web at:

dnr.state.mn.us/npc

Species Lists for Terrestrial and Palustrine Native Plant Communities in East-Central Minnesota

www.greatrivergreening.org/plant_communities.asp

Sources of Information

Scirpus atrovirens Willd. Dark green bulrush 10 1 10

Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth Wool-grass 10 1 10

Panicum virgatum L. Switchgrass

Ferns and Fern Allies

Thelypteris palustris Schott Northern marsh-fern 50 5 250

Onoclea sensibilis L. Sensitive fern 30 8 240

Equisetum arvense L. Field horsetail 40 3 120

Ophioglossum pusillum Raf. Adder's-tongue 30 3 90

Equisetum pratense Ehrh. Meadow horsetail 10 5 50

Exotic Invasive Species - Do Not Plant

Agrostis gigantea Roth Redtop 90 7 630

Poa pratensis L. Kentucky bluegrass 50 5 250

Phalaris arundinacea L. Reed canary-grass 30 3 90

Sonchus spp. Sow-thistle 20 3 60

Phleum pratense L. Cultivated timothy 20 2 40

Hieracium kalmii L. Hawkweed 10 3 30

Trifolium hybridum L. Alsike clover 10 3 30

Vicia villosa Roth. Hairy vetch 10 3 30

Plantago major L. Common plantain 10 1 10

Trifolium repens L. White clover 10 1 10

Trifolium pratense L. Red clover 10 1 10

Verbascum thapsus L. Common mullein 10 1 10

State Listed Rare Species - Do Not Plant Without a Permit

Habenaria flava var. herbiola (L.) R. Br. Tubercled rein-orchid E 20 2 40

Cypripedium candidum

Muhl. ex

Willd. Small white lady-slipper SC 10 1 10

Scleria triglomerata Michx. Tall nut-rush E 10 1 10

Cindy Lueth, MN DNR