Fall 2002 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

7/31/2019 Fall 2002 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

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Minnesota Plant PressThe Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

Volume 22 Number 1 Fall 2002

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 locked

9:30 p.m. Building closes

ProgramsThe MNPS meets the first Thursday in

October, November, December, February,March, April, May and June. Check theWeb page for additional programinformation.

Nov. 7: Restoring native landscapes in

an urban environment, Keith Prussing,Cedar Lake Park Association; Seedexchange.

Dec. 5: Dutch elm disease, MarkStennes; Plant of the month: Bladdernut,by Mike Zins.

Feb. 6: Logging influence on plantdiversity; Plant of the month: Cardinalflower, both by Alaina Berger.

March 6: Invasive species, Plant of

the month: Poison sumac, both by PeterDjuk; Board member election.

April 3: To be announced.

May 1: Native Rain Gardens, by FredRozumalski.

June 5: Plant sale.

.

MNPS Web sitehttp://www.stolaf.edu/depts/biology/mnps

e-mail: [email protected]

New Duluth ordinance mayprotect native plant habitatsby Meredith Cornett

Monday, Sept. 9, the Duluth City Council passed an ordinanceofficially creating the Duluth Natural Areas Program (DNAP). Thepurpose of the program is to protect special natural features that makesignificant contributions to the areas biological diversity. Enrollmentin the program will convey special protection for these areas.

Duluth is known nationally for its system of natural parks and openspace, encompassing over 10,000 acres of forest and other naturalareas. City staff recently revisited the status of these areas and foundthat they are technically unprotected from development and other usesthat can be incompatible with healthy ecosystems.

Places that may be strong candidates for the program include thosethat contain examples of significant native plant communities, rare

species, important bird congregation areas, unusual geologiclandforms, and special water features. Through the program, anyindividual or organization can nominate city-owned lands and watersPrivate lands may also be nominated, but only with cooperation andapproval from the landowner. DNAP is a science-based land andwater conservation program. All nominations will be accompaniedby a professionally prepared scientific analysis of what makes theplace significant.

The development of DNAP has been a grassroots effort. The NatureConservancy of Minnesota worked closely with city staff to draftguidelines that reflect the value that local residents place on the

conservation of natural areas. First announced by Mayor Gary Doty,the program has broad-based public support. Groups such as the StLouis River Citizens Action Committee, Hawk Ridge researchers, andprivate citizens testified on the benefits of DNAP for the localcommunity. Not only a benefit to local biological diversity, programslike DNAP can contribute to ensuring quality of life and economicsustainability that come from a protected system of natural areas.

The DNAP Ordinance became effective Oct. 8. Nominations cannow be made to the program by any individual or organization. Forfurther information, visit the Citys website: www.ci.duluth.mn.us/city/planning/dnap/TMP3yfg6zliil.htm


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Minnesota Native Plant Societys purpose

(Abbreviated from the bylaws)This organization is exclusively organized and operated for educational

and scientific purposes, including the following:

1. Conservation of all native plants.2. Continuing education of all members in the plant sciences.

3. Education of the public regarding environmental protection of plantlife.4. Encouragement of research and publications on plants native toMinnesota.5. Study of legislation on Minnesota flora, vegetation and ecosystems.6. Preservation of special plants, plant communities and scientific andnatural areas.7. Cooperation in programs concerned with the ecology of naturalresources and scenic features.8. Fellowship with all persons interested in native plants throughmeetings, lectures, workshops and field trips.

MNPS Board ofDirectors

President: Esther McLaughlinBiology Dept., Augsburg CollegeMinneapolis, MN 55454; 612-3301074; [email protected]

Vice-President: Linda Huhn

2553 Dupont Ave. S., MinneapolisMN 55405; 612-374-1435

Secretary and ConservationCommittee Co-Chair: MeredithCornett, 1520 N. 9th Ave. E.Duluth, MN 55805; [email protected]

Joel Dunnette, 4526 Co. Rd. 3SW, Byron, MN 55020; 507-3658091; [email protected]

Field Trip Chair: Jason HusvethTetra Tech EMI, 11300 Rupp Dr.Suite 100, Burnsville, MN55337;952-736-2770, ext. 22 (W)651-247-0474 (C);[email protected]

Don Knutson, 3355 HiawathAve., Minneapolis, MN 55406; 612721-6123; [email protected]

Janet Larson, 7811 W. 87th St.Bloomington, MN 55438; 952-941

6876; [email protected] Douglas Mensing, 5025 Russel

Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55410952-925-3359 (W), 612-926-8637(H); [email protected]

Conservation Committee CoChair:Ethan Perry, , 1520 N. 9thAve. E., Duluth, MN 55805; 218728-6258; [email protected]

Listserv Coordinator: CharlesUmbanhowar, [email protected]

Minnesota Plant Press editorGerry Drewry, 24090 NorthfieldBlvd., Hampton, MN 55031; phone651-463-8006; fax, [email protected]

Technical or membershipinquiries: [email protected]

Treasurer: David Johnson, 6437Baker Ave. N.E., Fridley, MN

55432; 763-571-6278;[email protected]

Esther McLaughlinis new president

Classified adsThis is a new department in the

Minnesota Plant Press. Membersmay place one ad of up to 15 wordsin the newsletter at no cost. Include

a telephone number. Ads must beconsistent with the mission of thesociety.

Send the ad by e-mail [email protected] or mail it to GerryDrewry, 24090 Northfield Blvd.,Hampton, MN, 55031. Deadlines forads to be received are Jan. 1, April 1,July 1 and Oct. 1. We reserve theright to edit ad copy.

For sale

One Gro-Lite 48" 4-shelf plant stand,$250. Dottie Lillestrand, 952-884-7619, or [email protected]

Esther McLaughlin was electedMinnesota Native Plant Societypresident at the Sept. 22 boardmeeting. Linda Huhn was electedvice president and will serve as

program chair. Meredith Cornett waselected secretary; David Johnson wasre-elected treasurer.

Fall field tripJason Husveth will lead a WinterBotany Walk Saturday, Nov. 9 at theRefuge. Check the MNPS Web sitefor details.

Seed exchange is Nov. 7Members are invited to collect

mature seeds of native plants,package them and bring them to themeeting. Seeds should be placed inindividual envelopes, ready formembers to pick up. Labels shouldinclude the plant name, scientificname (if known), habitat type, thecity or county where the seeds weregathered, and the name of the donor.

Symposium topic is shrubsThe 2003 symposium will be about

native shrubs in your landscape.Janet Larson will chair the event.

Water hyacinths are

found in WisconsinA Wisconsin DNR staff member

discovered a healthy population ofwater hyacinths at a wastewatertreatment plant in Price County thissummer. They may have been

growing there for at least two years.Waterfowl use the site, which isdifficult to access. It is suspected thatthe plants came in on a bird. TheDNR removed and disposed of theplants and will monitor the site.


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Plant Loreby Thor Kommedahl

What is black-eyed Susan?Black-eyed Susan, known also as

brown-eyed Susan and coneflower,is in the sunflower family. The mostfrequently found species ofRudbeckia in Minnesota areRudbeckia hirta and R. laciniata.

How did it get its names?Linnaeus named this species for his

mentor, Professor Olof O. Rudbeckand for his son, J.Olof Rudbeck, both,of whom taught at Uppsala, Sweden.The name coneflower comes fromthe conical shape of the inflorescencecenter.

What about black-eyed Susan?Perhaps it came from the ballad thatJohn Gay wrote in 1720 calledSweet Williams Farewell to Black-eyd Susan, which begins: All in theDowns the fleet was moord,/Thestreamers waving in the wind,/Whenblack-eyd Susan came aboard./ Oh!where shall I my true love find!/ Tellme, ye jovial sailors, tell me true,/Ifmy sweet William sails among thecrew.

Where does this plant grow?Most native rudbeckias grow in dry

areas or prairies throughout the state,butR. laciniata can be found in wetditches at the edges of swamps.

What do the plants look like?R. hirta can be an annual, biennial,

or short-lived perennial; whereasR.laciniata is a perennial. Often arosette forms in the fall. Its one- totwo-foot-tall stems are finely

grooved, probably to add strength(fluted stems are stronger than plainones). The composite flower has acenter that is dark purple-brownexcept for the bright yellow pollen.The yellow ray flowers are sterile.

Are the plants edible, toxic, ormedicinal?

No, they are not edible. Poisoninghas been reported in cattle, hogs, and

sheep. Some humans are sensitive totouching plants. The AmericanIndian used R. lac in ia ta as atreatment for indigestion and burns.

Are they good garden plants?Yes, there are many varieties that

are cultivated in gardens, but if notkept under control, they can becomeweeds.

Minnesota InvasiveSpecies AdvisoryCommittee meetsby Esther McLaughlin

Janet Ebaugh represented MNPS atthe July 23 meeting of the MinnesotaInvasive Species AdvisoryCommittee (MISAC). Otherorganizations represented on thecommittee include the MinnesotaDepartment of Agriculture, the DNR,The Nature Conservancy, andAPHIS. A variety of topics werediscussed, including:

Criteria to be developed forranking species by their level of riskor noxiousness, and additions to thelist of affected parties, such as

industry and urban landscapes, inaddition to agriculture andhorticulture;

The need for a centralizeddatabase to record and trackinformation on invasive species;

Revisions of the statutes referringto agricultural pests, especially asrelated to invasive species;

An update on a new pest, the

emerald ash borer, on ash trees,recently recognized in Michigan butnot previously on anyones pest list;and

Formation of a new Educationand Outreach subcommittee ofMISAC.

I plan to attend the Octobermeeting of MISAC, and will reportany noteworthy items from thatmeeting in the next Minnesota Plant

Press.

Carroll Hendersonhonored for CostaRica field guide

Minnesota Department of NaturaResources wildlife biologist andauthor Carrol Henderson was guest

of honor Oct. 3 at a reception andbook signing hosted by the CostaRican Embassy in Washington, D.C

Hendersons newest book, FieldGuide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica

has just been published by theUniversity of Texas Press. The 539-page book includes informationabout the countrys major habitatsdetails about some of the best tourism

destinations, and accounts of nearly300 species of birds, mammalsreptiles, amphibians, butterflies, andmoths that travelers may encounterin Costa Rica. The book containsmore than 430 color photos taken byHenderson.

Henderson is best known inMinnesota for his nongame wildlifeconservation work with theMinnesota DNR and for the five

books he has authored or co-authoredfor the DNR. This is the first bookthat Henderson has written on hisown time. It is based on informationand photos he collected in Costa Ricasince he did his graduate studies therein 1969 and while leading 17 annuabirding and wildlife tours there since1987. The birding tours, whichfeature Henderson and his CostaRican wife Ethelle as the trip leaders

are coordinated by PreferredAdventures in St. Paul.

Henderson will donate a portion ofthe book royalties to Costa Ricanconservation projects. Proceeds fromthe book signing in WashingtonD.C., will go to the Costa Rica-Minnesota Foundation. The book isavailable for $39.95, plus shipping

and tax, at all major booksellers.


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Minnesota Native Plant Society

University of Minnesota

220 Biological Sciences Center

St. Paul, MN 55108

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Fall2002 Issue

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Fall 2002 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter