spring 2003 minnesota plant press

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Minnesota Plant Press The Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter Volume 22 Number 3 Spring 2003 Monthly meetings Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 3815 East 80th St. Bloomington, MN 55425-1600 952-854-5900 6:30 p.m. — Building east door opens 6:30 p.m. — Refreshments, information, Room A 7 – 9 p.m — Program, society business 7:30 p.m. — Building door is locked 9:30 p.m. — Building closes Programs The MNPS meets the first Thursday in October, November, December, February, March, April, May and June. Check the Web site for more program information. MNPS Web site http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/biology/mnps e-mail: [email protected] May 1: “Rainwater Gardens,” by Fred Rozumalski; Plant of the Month: Malaxis unifolia (green adder’s mouth), by Otto Gockman. June 5: “Shoreline Landscaping,” by Peter MacDonagh; Annual plant sale. Prepare native plants now for June 5 sale Do you have extra native plants that you can bring to the MNPS sale? If you dig and pot them in May, they will have time to adjust to their pots and become strong transplants. Each plant in the sale must be potted and labeled. They must be from your garden or raised from seed. It is illegal to take them from the wild. Volunteers who help with the sale and those who bring plants comprise the first two groups in the line to choose plants. For more information or to volunteer, call Gerry Drewry at 651-463-8006. The sale is the annual MNPS fundraiser. Caution! Not every shrub is buckthorn by Karen Schik Restoration Ecologist, Friends of the Mississippi River Concerned citizens have done an excellent job in recent years of getting the word out about buckthorn. It seems that awareness is very high, and there has been a virtual tidal wave of eager volunteers attending dozens of buckthorn removal events throughout the Twin Cities area. So what could be wrong with that? Nothing! It’s all great, except for one very important thing. In our eagerness to rid our woodlands of this invasive shrub, we are often removing some of the very native shrubs we are trying to protect and nurture. Janet Larson, a professional native plant landscaper and self- proclaimed buckthorn buster, has observed several buckthorn removal projects that resulted in a virtual clearcut of the shrub layer. Gone were the species that most closely resemble buckthorn, like black cherry, American plum and pagoda dogwood. But also gone were hawthorn and bitternut hickory, which bear little resemblance to buckthorn. It became clear to her that we need to get the word out to be careful. If you are overseeing a removal project, make sure that your crew can positively identify buckthorn in all stages. If there is any doubt, a knowledgeable person should flag the site prior to cutting. Flag the native shrubs in a dense buckthorn stand so they are not cut. The following description may be helpful in distinguishing buckthorn from other species. Common buckthorn has ovate-elliptic leaves that are smooth on both surfaces and have minute teeth on the margins. They vary from rounded to pointed on the tip, and the leaf surface appears slightly wavy. The veins curve so they are almost parallel to the leaf margin. Leaves are alternate or sub-opposite. Compare the leaves to similar species to identify distinctive characters. Plum, for instance, has straighter veins and double-toothed margins. Pagoda dogwood has entire (smooth) leaf margins. The veins also curve like buckthorn, but follow the leaf margin all the way to the tip. Buckthorn leaves remain on the plant well into the fall, when most other trees and shrubs have dropped their leaves. Buckthorn bark is gray to brown with prominent, horizontal, lighter- colored lenticels. I recognize the bark also by a very slightly bronzy Continued on page 5

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Page 1: Spring 2003 Minnesota Plant Press

Minnesota Plant PressThe Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

Volume 22 Number 3 Spring 2003

Monthly meetingsMinnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Visitor Center, 3815 East 80th St.Bloomington, MN 55425-1600

952-854-5900

6:30 p.m. — Building east door opens6:30 p.m. — Refreshments,

information, Room A7 – 9 p.m — Program, society business7:30 p.m. — Building door is locked9:30 p.m. — Building closes

ProgramsThe MNPS meets the first Thursday in

October, November, December, February,March, April, May and June. Check theWeb site for more program information.

MNPS Web sitehttp://www.stolaf.edu/depts/biology/mnpse-mail: [email protected]

May 1: “Rainwater Gardens,” by FredRozumalski; Plant of the Month: Malaxisunifolia (green adder’s mouth), by OttoGockman.

June 5: “Shoreline Landscaping,” byPeter MacDonagh; Annual plant sale.

Prepare native plantsnow for June 5 sale

Do you have extra native plants that youcan bring to the MNPS sale? If you digand pot them in May, they will have timeto adjust to their pots and become strongtransplants. Each plant in the sale mustbe potted and labeled. They must be fromyour garden or raised from seed. It isillegal to take them from the wild.

Volunteers who help with the sale andthose who bring plants comprise the firsttwo groups in the line to choose plants.For more information or to volunteer, callGerry Drewry at 651-463-8006. The saleis the annual MNPS fundraiser.

Caution! Not everyshrub is buckthornby Karen SchikRestoration Ecologist, Friends of the Mississippi River

Concerned citizens have done an excellent job in recent years ofgetting the word out about buckthorn. It seems that awareness is veryhigh, and there has been a virtual tidal wave of eager volunteersattending dozens of buckthorn removal events throughout the TwinCities area. So what could be wrong with that? Nothing! It’s all great,except for one very important thing. In our eagerness to rid ourwoodlands of this invasive shrub, we are often removing some of thevery native shrubs we are trying to protect and nurture.

Janet Larson, a professional native plant landscaper and self-proclaimed buckthorn buster, has observed several buckthorn removalprojects that resulted in a virtual clearcut of the shrub layer. Gonewere the species that most closely resemble buckthorn, like blackcherry, American plum and pagoda dogwood. But also gone werehawthorn and bitternut hickory, which bear little resemblance tobuckthorn. It became clear to her that we need to get the word out tobe careful. If you are overseeing a removal project, make sure thatyour crew can positively identify buckthorn in all stages. If there isany doubt, a knowledgeable person should flag the site prior to cutting.Flag the native shrubs in a dense buckthorn stand so they are not cut.

The following description may be helpful in distinguishingbuckthorn from other species.

Common buckthorn has ovate-elliptic leaves that are smooth onboth surfaces and have minute teeth on the margins. They vary fromrounded to pointed on the tip, and the leaf surface appears slightlywavy. The veins curve so they are almost parallel to the leaf margin.Leaves are alternate or sub-opposite. Compare the leaves to similarspecies to identify distinctive characters. Plum, for instance, hasstraighter veins and double-toothed margins. Pagoda dogwood hasentire (smooth) leaf margins. The veins also curve like buckthorn, butfollow the leaf margin all the way to the tip. Buckthorn leaves remainon the plant well into the fall, when most other trees and shrubs havedropped their leaves.

Buckthorn bark is gray to brown with prominent, horizontal, lighter-colored lenticels. I recognize the bark also by a very slightly bronzy

Continued on page 5

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Two wildflower fieldtrips planned for MaySpring Wildflower Weekend

Jason Husveth has organized a weekend wildflower trip to the WhitewaterState Park and Whitewater Wildlife Management Area in southeastMinnesota Friday evening, May 9, through 1 p.m. Sunday, May 11. Forabout four hours on Saturday morning he will lead a hike up a ravine in theWhitewater Wildlife Management Area. Morel and wildflower hikes willbe held from 1 to 3 p.m. Dave Palmquist, park interpreter, will give a talk atthe visitor center on the history of the Whitewater River Valley at 4 p.m. At8 p.m. Saturday there will be a slide presentation at the interpretive centeron morel mushrooms. There may be an evening walk to some goat prairiesor limestone bluffs or a spring amphibian walk. Sunday morning there willbe another wildflower/morel walk.

Group Camp Site 1 has been reserved MNPS. For additional informationand to register, go the society’s Web site, www.stolaf.edu/depts./biology/mnps.Spring wildflower walk

Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., botanists and MNPS boardmembers Jason Husveth and Douglas Mensing will lead a spring wildflowerwalk in the Louisville Swamp portion of the Minnesota Valley NationalWildlife Refuge. They will explore a floodplain forest, maple-basswood

forest, wet meadows and dry prairies.Attendees should bring their ownwildflower guides, hand lenses,magnifying glasses, a sack lunch andwater. The walk is co-sponsored bythe society and the refuge. There isno charge.

The tour will start promptly at 9a.m. at the main Louisville Swamptrailhead, about 4.5 miles south ofShakopee. To register or for moreinformation, contact Jason Husvethat [email protected] orDouglas Mensing [email protected]

‘Art in Bloom’ is wildWildflowers/Wild Flowers is the

theme of the 20th annual “Art inBloom” exhibit at the MinneapolisInstitute of Arts April 30 - May 4.C. Colston Burrell, a landscapedesigner and former active MNPSmember who moved to theSoutheast, will speak at 9:30 a.m.May 2 on “Nature Meets ZonalDenial: a Tale of Two Gardens.”

Conferencesand symposiaNative Orchid Conference

A Native Orchid Conference willbe held on the Bruce Peninsula inOntario, Canada, June 14-18. It willinclude two days of presentations atMcMaster University in Hamilton,Ontario. The last three days of theconference will include field trips onthe Bruce Peninsula, about 100 milesnorth of Hamilton. The peninsula andFlowerpot Island at its tip arelegendary places for botanizing andbirding. There are 43 species ofnative orchids documented on theBruce, which makes it one of therichest North American native orchidareas outside of Florida. Informationis at www.OrchidWeb.orgNatural Areas Symposium

A free symposium, “Landscapingand Maintaining your Natural Area,”will be held July 9 at Arneson Acres,4709 West 70th St., Edina. It issponsored by the Edina GardenCouncil and League of WomenVoters of Edina. Three of thespeakers are current or incomingMNPS board members — JanetJohnson, Dianne Plunkett Lathamand Douglas Mensing. Otherpresenters are Arlene Savory ofSavory’s Gardens, Edina, and BobHuffman, Prairie Restorations,Information is at www.lwvmn.org/LocalLeagues/Edina

Native Plant Summit VIINative Plant Summit VII,

“Planning Native Landscapes —Urban and Rural,” will be Sept. 16 –18 at the Best Western DoublewoodInn, Fargo, ND. Information is atwww.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/ngpsrm

Invasive Plants SymposiumAn Invasive Plants Symposium

will be held Sept. 27 at Madison,Wis., during the Natural AreasConference. The symposium is co-hosted by the Invasive PlantsAssociation of Wisconsin.Conference updates will be posted atwww.naturalarea.org

New MNPS boardmembers elected

Shirley Mah Kooyman, DanielMielke and Dianne Plunkett Lathamwere elected to the MNPS Board ofDirectors at the March meeting.Their terms are for 2003 - 2005 andwill begin in June. Karen Schik waspreviously appointed for 2003 – 2005to complete Don Knutson’s term.Retiring board members areSecretary Meredith Cornett, EthanPerry and President EstherMcLaughlin. The new board willelect officers at its June meeting.

Shirley Mah Kooyman is adulteducation manager for the MinnesotaLandscape Arboretum. DanMielke’s property includes marshesand ponds in McLeod County. He isalso involved in restoring a 29-acreprairie and creating a 25-acrewoodland on his uncle’s farm.Dianne Plunkett Latham, a memberof the League of Women Voters andthe Edina Garden Club, is leading thebuckthorn battle in Edina.

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Traffic, season of year affect impactsof harvesting in aspen forests

Abstract of a talk by Alaina L.Berger at the Feb. 6, 2003 meeting.She is community forest ecologist,Minnesota Department of NaturalResources Metro Region.

We investigated the impacts ofdisturbance, as a primary factorinfluencing tree regeneration,diversity and floristic composition ofunderstory vegetation, in clearcutsites within aspen-dominated covertypes in northern Minnesota.

We explored disturbance effects forareas with high, intermediate, andlow disturbance levels (i.e.,harvesting traffic), as represented bysoil compaction and overstoryremoval. We also explored the effectsof disturbance timing (summer orwinter harvest) on the vegetation. Wecharacterized understory vegetationwithin sites using five 60-square-meter plots along the disturbancegradient: landings (high disturbance),skid trails (intermediate disturbance),and areas off the skid trails (lowdisturbance).

Within-site impacts mixedResults indicated that within-site

disturbance patterns created byclearcut harvesting were quiteheterogeneous. Soil properties andregeneration densities varied withlevel and timing of disturbance.Understory species composition andrichness also varied with level ofdisturbance. High disturbance levelshad high richness values, in partbecause of a high proportion ofruderal species.

In general, species compositionwithin the high and intermediatelevels of disturbance (landings andskid trails) was similar. Thecomposition of these two levelsdiffered from that of the low

disturbance level plots (off skidtrails), indicating that simple trafficdid not impact vegetationcomposition as much as anestablished skid trail. The impacts ofdifferent disturbance levels resultedin the same general pattern,regardless of harvest timing.

However, the sites with greaterspecies richness on low disturbanceplots (winter-harvested sites) wereless altered (maintained greatervariability in composition) than thesites with lower diversity (summer-harvested sites), which is relevantwhen we consider that the initial andremnant understory vegetation ofharvested sites has a large role in therate of recovery of the plantcommunity.

Spatial layout importantWe hypothesize that the areas with

least disturbance might act toenhance the rate of recovery byproviding a source of interior forestspecies to re-colonize the site. Theresults suggest that it is important tolimit not only the amount and levelof disturbance, but also to considerthe spatial layout, thus maintaininga spatially connected network ofremnant forest patches large enoughto contain interior forest species.

In summary — harvesting, evenclearcutting, is a complexdisturbance, and generalizationsabout the response of understoryvegetation to clearcutting have to bemade very carefully. Clearcuttingleads to a complex matrix ofdisturbance levels.

Landings, skid trails vulnerable Landings and skid trails are highly

disturbed, thus understory vegetationon these areas shifts toward invasive,

pioneer species, typically grasses andsedges. Thus, landings and skid trailsmight facilitate establishment ofinvasive species that have thepotential to invade undisturbedportions of the sites later.

Areas not in skid trails and landings(most of the site) are less affected andmaintain a more stable vegetationcommunity. In the long term, asstands develop, this stability mightallow for reintroduction of species onskid trails and landings that weredisplaced during harvesting.

Winter harvest sites more stableThe sites selected for winter

harvest have intrinsically higherunderstory vegetation diversity thansites harvested in summer, likelybecause of soil moisture conditions.In addition, the disturbance relatedto harvesting, as measured by soilcompaction, is less on sites harvestedin winter. Together, these factorsresult in a more stable vegetationcommunity on sites harvested inwinter.

There are a many questions wecannot address through such aretrospective study. We haveinitiated a second phase of the projectset up as a case study in which thepre-harvest conditions, harvestingoperations, and post-harvestdevelopment are closely monitoredusing GPS to produce a map ofharvesting impacts across the site.The goal of this phase is to be ableto develop monitoring criteria basedon how pre-harvest site conditionschange over time and specificallycharacterize the extent of the impactbased on these changes.

In summary, the results of thisproject can be used to comparesilvicultural systems as the area

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impacted by harvesting and theamount of residual overstory variesby harvesting intensity.

Co-authors of this abstract areKlaus J. Puettmann, Forest ScienceDepartment, Oregon StateUniversity, Corvallis, Ore.; MelissaArikian, Emmons and OliverResources, Inc., Lake Elmo, Minn.;George Host, Natural ResourcesResearch Institute, University ofMinnesota, Duluth; and JohnZasada, USDA Forest Service, NorthCentral Forest Research Station,Grand Rapids, Minn.

tone. The bark becomes flaky as theplant gets older — compare it toblack cherry, which also flakes. Theslender gray twigs end in short (1/4-inch) sharp spines, but the plant hasno true thorns. The spines are mostevident in the fall, but may be nearlyabsent in the spring. Hawthorn, incontrast, has very distinct, long (1-to 4-inch) thorns along the sides ofthe branches.

Glossy buckthorn has leavessimilar to those of Europeanbuckthorn, but it has smooth bark andno spurs. The upper leaf surface isshiny; the lower surface can be hairyor smooth, and their margins areentire, not toothed. The fruits are lessnumerous than those of Europeanbuckthorn, but both produce blackberries in the fall.

If you are still unsure of a shrub’sidentity, break a twig or nick the bark.Both common and glossy buckthornhave a distinctive yellow inner barkand orange heartwood. Some helpfulphotos are on the internet. Go tohttp://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/esadocs/franalnu.html

Once again, look before you cut!And seek help if you or yourbuckthorn co-workers are unsure ofshrub identification.

Buckthorn look-alikesContinued from page 1

Two bills that would forbid use ofstate funds for purchasing andplanting native seeds along highwayrights of way have been introducedin the Minnesota Legislature. Rep.Chris DeLaForest, chief author of thefirst bill, H.F. 902, characterized itas a cost-saving measure. Sen.Julianne Ortman is chief author of thecompanion bill, S.F. 1250, which wasintroduced later.

Rep. DeLaForest tabled the Housebill after a March 26 hearing by theTransportation Finance Committeeand then revised it. At the hearing,former MNPS Board Member DebAnderson testified about water andecological impacts it would have onher county. Other members alsoattended the hearing.

The original bill stated: “A roadauthority may not spend money fromthe trunk highway fund, county state-aid highway fund, or municipal state-aid street fund to purchase nativegrass seeds.” Opponents testifiedthat the prices quoted by proponentswere inaccurate, that federal permitsspecify the (expensive) seeds thatmust be planted in wetlandmitigation areas, and that costs ofwildflower seeds are the problem, notgrass seeds.

The revised bill reads: “No stateagency or soil and waterconservation district may require theplanting of native grass seeds ornative wildflowers as a condition forthe issuance of a permit to any localgovernment unit. Paragraph A doesnot apply to grass or wildflowersplanted in replacement wetlandacres.”

Although the bill now exemptsmany of the affected wetlands, itwould not require Yellow-Tagcertified (native) seeds in prairierestoration projects along highways.Seeds of cultivars, non-native and

Anti-native seed billsconsidered by Legislature

invasive plants could be planted onPrairie Passage routes and adjacentto Scientific and Natural Areas.

Roy Robison and Dianne PlunkettLatham have been monitoringprogress of these bills. When thisissue of the Minnesota Plant Presswas printed, no further hearings hadbeen scheduled. Rep. DeLaForestcould let the bill die, withdraw it, orhave it included in the largetransportation finance bill.

Dolly is neededThe MNPS has an excellent

display board, but it is not used asmuch as it could be because it isheavy and bulky. If you have asurplus dolly, or know where MNPScould pick up a secondhand one forlittle or nothing, please contact DougMensing, 952-925-3359, or DiannePlunkett Latham, 952-941-3542.

ID system for Minnesotasedges is available

A Flora ID system for MinnesotaCyperaceae and Juncaceae (sedges)is now available. This is the firstportion of a comprehensive plantidentification key for all plantsknown to be in the state. BruceBarnes of Flora ID Northwest isworking in conjunction with XIDExpert Systems on the project. Hehas completed keys for northwesternUnited States and British Columbia.

The keys identify native andintroduced species, including alltrees, flowering plants, grasses,grass-like plants and spore-bearingplants known to exist within the area.Information about the project is at:www.xidservices.com/FID

For Minnesota information,contact Janet Elaine Ebaugh,associate director, Katharine OrdwayNatural History Study Area,Macalester College. Send an e-mailto her at [email protected] orleave a message on 651-455-6204.

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What is sustainable spiritual design?Douglas Owens-Pike, EnergyScapes, Inc., spoke on this topic at the June

6, 2002 MNPS meeting. He wrote the following article, which was printedin the April 2002 issue of the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape AssociationNews.

As spring approaches, here is a fresh perspective on our design practice.First, sustainable, in this context, refers to landscapes that seek to conservean ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. Second,spiritual refers to how individuals connect between our inner soul and ourouter physical surroundings. For our clients who are seeking greater comfortfrom their land, combining these two perspectives yields many benefits.

Sustainable designs require less intensive care and minimize use ofresources. This allows our gardening clients more time to relax and enjoythe calming, renewing spaces we design for them. We can help clients identifyspiritual components that they enjoy. Perhaps, by adding some of theirfavorite plants or other features that they identify as spiritual, we may

Sustainable designs usually includenative plants. These plants thatevolved in your region, the localecotype, will be best adapted to localclimate conditions. These nativeecotypes have the best resistance toour increasingly unpredictableweather. Before selecting a specieslist, take time to analyze soils.Examine if the soil has been modifiedby construction, farming, road saltsor other activities. If you find theseproblems, tilling composted organicmatter into the surface, down at leastsix inches, will help recreate a living,healthy zone for root growth. Allplants require vigorous roots to thrivewith the least care.

Unlike named horticulturalvarieties, native plants have not beenbred for sustained blooming, so it isessential to include a diversity ofspecies to offer color in all seasons.We are fortunate that there are nowseveral nurseries that provide us withthis native diversity. It is possible tohave native plants in bloom fromApril to November in our region.Because they are not selected forshowy flowers, some species requirea larger mass to stand out.

Native species are resistant todrought and pests, and don’t requirefertilizer. They produce nectar thatattracts gorgeous butterflies. Prior tosettlement, oak savanna covered thelargest portion of our Metro region.Less than 0.1 percent of that plantcommunity exists today. Therefore,every plant we add to gardens fromthis habitat provides an importantrefuge for butterflies and the web oflife that depend on these plants.

Opening to the knowledge withinus is a key to successful spiritualdesign. As Julie Messervy says inInward Garden, each of us has agarden within us, a personal placethat is a blend of our imagination,memory, character and dreams. We

encourage a deeper connection totheir land. This approach can balancehealing inner emotions withrenewing the earth. This philosophytakes a holistic and inclusiveapproach to both people and nature.

In addition to being sustainable,this approach must meet all thedesign/site criteria for any successfullandscape. While meeting thosecriteria, sustainable designs alsominimize the need for irrigation,fertilizer and pesticides. Sustainabledesigns also embrace diversity ofspecies, local ecotypes, and allow forreproduction. This approach benefitspeople as well as our environment.The hectic pace of modern lives,together with events that challengeus emotionally, have increaseddemand for landscapes that includea spiritual component.

Each of us has a different list ofwhat we consider sacred or spiritual.This is a result of our varied religiousbackgrounds and traditions. Theemphasis in a spiritual design is tohelp our clients make this emotionalconnection in their garden — a placethey can see or visit daily. Spiritualdesigns encourage a slower pace.These gardens can be designed tofocus more attention on sacredaspects. These features can helpgarden visitors stay emotionallybalanced. Including sustainable

spiritual components in our designswill help our clients, our community,and our planet.

The best designs meet as many ofour clients’ needs as possible. Weseek to create gorgeous displays offlowers throughout the growingseason. We must respond to existingarchitecture while proposing changesthat embrace all site constraints.Clients also want us to show themthe latest popular trends.

How do we discover what clientswant? One way is to ask clients togo within themselves, asking thequestion, “What landscapes maketheir heart sing?” Describing thisinternal image can be simplified ifthey pull attractive photos frommagazines or books. They may notknow the names of plants, but photosallow them to show what forms andcolors they are drawn to or repelledfrom. As designers, we canrecommend the specific plants andmaterials that will work best, oncewe know their idealized landscape.The decision about the best plantscombines these client preferenceswith our knowledge of site factors,including sunlight, soils, availablemoisture, and history of landmanagement. Respecting thesecriteria yields landscapes that persistwith the least care and delight theclient in all seasons.

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Plant Loreby Thor KommedahlWhat is wild geranium?

Wild geranium is Geraniummaculatum, in the geranium familyand a frequently found species inMinnesota. It is also known ascranesbill, because geranium is theGreek work for crane used byDioscorides; maculatum, of course,means spotted, because of light-green blotches seen on older leavesWhy is it called cranesbill?

The shape of the fruit was thoughtto resemble the bill of a crane.What is its relation to geraniumgrown as house plants?

The florist’s geranium is in thesame family but it is a differentgenus, Pelargonium. Pelargoniummeans stork, referring to the fruitshaped like a stork’s headWhat is the plant like?

In spring basal leaves emerge as arosette from somewhat woodyrhizomes. Lower leaves are long-petioled, and upper leaves areopposite, but all are generally five-parted. A flower stalk appears withfive pink to lavender petals.Are the flowers unusual?

Well, yes, in the way seeds aredispersed. When fruits are ripe, thefive parts of the fruit split and theseeds, being under tension, are shotout several feet from the mericarps,sometimes all at once. If you arethere at the right time, you can touchthem to release the tension and watchseeds being dispersed.Where does it grow?

It grows in several counties deepon both sides of the MississippiRiver. It tolerates shade in openwoods and blooms from Aprilthrough June.Did American Indians value it?

Yes, roots and rhizomes, rich intannins, were dried and ground to apowder that was used as an astringentand styptic. Scully reports that a teamade from cranesbill was probablythe most widely used medium forbirth control.

should know both our own and ourclients’ inner gardens. The goal is tocreate spaces where harmony flowseasily between the landscape andpeople who visit. This requiresgetting to know your site, feeling itintimately, perhaps through sitting orwalking meditation.

Some designers feel that if we areable to create a space that is set apartfrom normal life it becomes sacred(Peg Streep, Spiritual Gardening.)This space would encourage movingbeyond control we normally exert. Itwould allow visitors to see andrespond to the larger patterns and lifecycles. Spiritual gardens enable usto more clearly see all theinterconnections, not just thebeginning and the end. They engageall the senses as we help visitorswelcome the complexity of life withpatience and humility. These are notnew concepts. They are becomingmore popular.

Buddhist philosophy teaches theconcept of “Heaven on earth” ispossible by releasing control andfeeling the beauty in each moment.Feng Shui is an application of thisphilosophy. It is an ancient designpractice that seeks harmony with thedivine. According to MinervaNguyen, a teacher of Feng Shuigarden design, this practiceencourages us to open our hearts,turn to the natural environment, andconnect more deeply with the landbeneath us.

In the 19th century, Frederick LawOlmsted expressed it this way, “Theenjoyment of scenery employs themind without fatigue and yetexercises it; tranquilizes it and yetenlivens it; and thus, through theinfluence of the mind over the body,gives the effect of refreshing rest andreinvigoration of the whole system.”

Olmsted created an enduringlegacy of public parks. He designedCentral Park in New York City andtrained designers like TheodoreWirth. The City of Minneapolishired Wirth to develop our park

system over 100 years ago. Duringthis time of uncertainty and change,it is important that we apply theseperspectives to our practice. Wehave the ability to change the earth,and how people relate to it, onegarden at a time, perhaps to create alegacy as enduring as Olmsted orWirth.

Buckthorn reducesforest leaf litter

A recent study by DePaulUniversity professor Liam Heneghanand the Lake Forest Open LandsAssociation reveales that buckthornleaf litter has high nitrogen contentand decomposes more rapidly thanthe litter of most of Chicagoland’sdominant native species.

Buckthorn chokes out healthy plantcommunities by blocking sunlight.But that’s only part of the story.Although nitrogen is a critical soilnutrient, the excess nitrogen fromdecomposing buckthorn leavescauses a significant increase in therate of decomposition. Heneghanfound that, as buckthorn spreads anddominates a preserve, the rate ofdecomposition of all forest floormaterial increases dramatically,adding large amounts of nitrogen tothe soil very quickly and modifyingthe soil composition. He concludedthat this could have serious negativeeffects on the survival of many nativeplants, even after the buckthorn isremoved.

Heneghan found that forest leaflitter virtually disappears each yearin the high nitrogen conditions foundin dense buckthorn thickets. Thedisappearance of the leaf litter maycause local extinctions of severalinvertebrate animal species. “Thisloss may have implicationselsewhere in the food chain, affectingthe diversity of mammals and birds,for instance,” he said. Heneghanand his research team conductedresearch in Shaw Woods, a preserveof the Lake Forest Open LandsAssociation.

Page 8: Spring 2003 Minnesota Plant Press

Spring 2003 Issue

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMinneapolis, MNPermit No. 2233

Minnesota Native Plant SocietyUniversity of Minnesota220 Biological Sciences CenterSt. Paul, MN 55108