Winter 2004 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

7/31/2019 Winter 2004 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

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Minnesota Plant PressThe Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

Volume 23 Number 2 Winter 2004

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 business

7:30 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.

Feb. 5: Native Plants of Papua, NewGuinea,by George Weiblen, Universityof Minnesota; Plant-of-the-month:Cardinal flower, by Evelyn Moyle.

Mar. 4: Minnesotas Scientific andNatural Areas Program, by BobDjupstrum, DNR.

April 1: Genetic Diversity of NativePlants in Minnesota, by Kr is tineMoncaca; Plants-of-the-Month:Bloodroot and Twinleaf, by Shirley MahKooyman.

May 6: Recent Research on LittleBluestem (Andropogon scoparius);Plant-of-the-Month: Little Bluestem,both by Mary Meyer.

June 3: Native Ferns, by TomBittinger; Annual Plant Sale.

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

e-mail: [email protected]

MNPS ListserveSend a message that includes the word

subscribe or unsubscribe and yourname in the body of the message to:[email protected]

Scientific and NaturalAreas need supportFrom the MNPS Board of Directors

Is it becoming harder to find places to photograph your favorite

wildflower? Do you enjoy seeing wildflowers in their natural settings?

Are other recreational uses destroying your favorite place? Is i

becoming more difficult to find good locations for bird watching? Ifyou answered yes to any of these questions, then you may want to

take some action.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the

first state natural area in Minnesota. The Department of Natural

Resources Scientific and Natural Areas (SNA) Program administers

state natural areas. These areas include lands for rare and endangered

species, outstanding native plant communities, and state significant

geological features.

SNAs are the places that Minnesota Native Plant Society membersgo to photograph elusive orchids, old-growth forests and other unique

features. They are the places where we can go to reconnect with

nature without being disturbed by ATVs or other recreational vehicles

They protect some of the most sensitive and unique lands in the state

the only public places where many rare plants are found.

Land protection and management of SNAs takes money public

funding to buy and protect the unique land acquired. This year the

Minnesota Legislature will be appropriating money for highways and

universities, and purchasing lands for parks and hunting as well as for

SNAs. The DNR is only requesting $500,000 to purchase and developland for natural areas, yet it is requesting tens of millions to buy other

land for intensive recreational use.

2004 is a bonding year, so if you want the most critical lands in the

state protected as state natural areas, now is the time to contact your

state legislator, preferably by letter. The Legislature reconvenes Feb

2. Let your representative and state senator know that you use SNAs

for photography or as places to view rare and endangered species. Or

even if you dont visit them, tell your legislators that you want these

Continued on page 3


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critical places protected for present

and future generations. Tell them that

you want to see $10 million

appropriated to accelerate the

acquisition of new SNAs now, before

the land is lost to development. Afew years from now, the same land

may be even more expensive,

because demand for land is growing

as our population grows.

If you have questions, call Linda

Huhn at 612-374-1435. To find out

who your legislator is, go to the state

Web site: www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/

Districtfinder.asp

Continued from page 1

SNAs need help

Minnesotas state flower, the showy ladys-slipper (Cypripedium reginae)

grows in some of the states Scientific and Natural Areas. It is the largest

and most beautiful northern orchid. The long-lived plants take about

15 years from seed germination to flowering.Photo by Jason Husveth.

Scott Milburn replaces DanMielke on board of directors

Scott Milburn was appointed to the MNPS Board of Directors at the boardsDec. 4 meeting. He replaces Dan Mielke, who resigned because his newposition is demanding all of his active time. Dan plans to continue, on amore limited basis, his restoration efforts and will continue to search forand identify wildflowers on his land and his uncles land. He has led severafield trips on this land.

Scott is from Arlington Heights, Ill. He holds degrees from Iowa StateUniversity (B.S. in Botany) and from the University of Mississippi (M.S. inBiological Sciences). His graduate work focused on evaluating the effectsof wintertime flooding on agricultural soils in the Mississippi Delta. Morespecifically, the research examined the existing nitrogen budget in the soiland how wintertime flooding affected the total nitrogen budget, he saidHis graduate work is included in a recent collaborative effort entitledAchieving Sustainable Freshwater Systems,published by Island Press.

Towards the end of graduate school, I decided that my true interest wasnot wetland biogeochemistry, but rather plants, Milburn said. From thapoint on, I have been focusing much of my time and effort towards thesubject of botany, or more specifically, sedges. I started my professionacareer in Chicago for Hey and Associates, where I was able to learn theflora of the region. I spent about a year and a half working there and decidedto move to Minnesota in pursuit of more botanical diversity. Milburn now

works with Jason Husveth at Critical Connections Ecological Services.

Botany Web sitesare photo resourcesbyDave Crawford

Several botany Web sites contain

good photos of native plants of the

northeastern United States. The sites

include the following.

The Web site for the Connecticut

Botanical Society has many very

good photos of northeastern U.S.plants: ht tp://www.ct-botanical-

s o c i e t y . o r g / g a l l e r i e s /

galleryindex.html

The University of Wisconsin has a

great botany photo Web site: http://

botit.botany.wisc This is an address

change from the old Virtual Foliage

web site.

In Minnesotas own Sherburne

County, the Sherburne NationalWildlife Refuge Web site has a plant

list page with links to photos of many

of the plants: http://

midwes t . fws .gov/Sherburne/

Plant.HTM

Do you know of other such sites?

Send your recommendations to Dave

Crawford at

[email protected]


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Old-growth forests are a source ofbiological materials for restorationby Lee E. Frelich, University ofMinnesota Department of Forest

Resources. He presented th isinformation to The Minnesota NativePlant Society on Nov. 6, 2003.

Old-growth remnants are a treasuretrove of unique biological resources.Many tree populations that haveadapted to unusual site conditionsexist and would be good sources fornew horticultural varieties of treesthat could withstand city conditions.

Examples include paper birchgrowing on rocky south slopes nearthe southern edge of its range, andsugar maples growing on rock or onflood plains. There are alsonumerous examples in Minnesota oftrees in old growth that can do thingsnot generally known or expected ofa species, such as black ash four feetin diameter, red maple, five feet,cottonwood seven feet in diameter,and so-called short-lived species like

jack pine and cottonwood living toage 150-200.

Some of these features occur in themetro area in remnants such asWood-Rill,Wolsfeld Woods, andRiley Creek Conservation Area.They also occur right on city streets.American elms, for example, wereobtained from natural seed sources100 years ago. Now the naturalpopu la tions have been throughseveral generations without living afull life span, due to infection byDutch elm disease by age 30. Butthose older elms in the city have beenprotected from elm disease and stillrepresent the original geneticstructure of native elm populations.

Ancient populations also exist inthe city in the same locations thatthey have been for thousands of

years. The inner city of Minneapolis,for example, has many bur oaks that

were present before the city existed.Since the area was oak savanna forseveral thousand years, these areremnants of ancient populations thatare adapted to local climate and soils.Even if the individual trees are notancient, the populations often are.

There is also much to be gainedfrom old growth that could be usefulfor management and restoration ofcommercial forests. High-grading is

the practice of taking the best trees(tallest trees of best growth form),and leaving poor individuals as wellas less desirable species to regeneratethe next forest. High-grading hasbeen and still is a common harvestingpractice, and it will eventually leadto degradation of the quality andvolume of timber produced. Old-growth remnants contain trees thathave only undergone natural

selection via natural disturbance andcompetition with other trees.

Two of the most importantscientific values of old-growthforests are as a control for thecommercial forest landscape and forlessons we can learn from them, suchas resilience after disturbance.Silviculture, the science of growingtrees, is a long-term experiment thatwill last thousands of years. Like all

experiments, controls are necessary.Forest ecosystems did not evolve toproduce commercial crops, and wedo not and will not know for sometime how much harvesting isultimately sustainable. Old-growthremnants that experience onlynatural disturbance can be used forperiodic comparison with secondgrowth to make sure that slowdecline in productivity, too slow to

be noticed by one generation offoresters, does not occur.

Resilience to rather severe naturadisturbances is a very special featureof old-growth forests. Near-boreaforests of jack pine and black spruceon the Canadian Shield bedrock innorthern Minnesota can burn rightdown to the bedrock and bounceback to dense forest within a fewyears, but often become brushy afterharvest. Someday we may learn howthis resilience works, and be able to

use that knowledge to better managecommercial forests.

Preservation of old-growth forestscan be fully justified based on thescientific values just discussedSpiritual and esthetic values, and thefact the people want them, only addto the reasons for preserving themWe should not forget how importantit is to allow old-growth forests toexperience and recover from naturaldisturbances, since it seems that thisprocess is probab ly the mostimportant aspect of old growth, andit is what shaped the ancientpopulations of trees over thousandsof years. Certainly, it is moreimportant than the age and size of thetrees at a given moment in time.

Abatement events postedThe schedule for noxious weed

abatement events is posted on theMNPS Web site. Last year 36abatement and six educationaevents were posted. We needinformation on 2004 events. If yourorganization has scheduled a time toremove buckthorn, garlic mustardSiberian elm, mulberry, honeysuckleor other invasives, send theinformation to Dianne Plunkett

Latham at [email protected].


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March 27 symposium ison savannas, woodlandsby Karen Schik

The annual symposium is theflagship event of the MinnesotaNative Plant Society. It is always a

topical subject that draws a crowd,and this year is no exception. The title

of the 2004 symposium is: OurHistoric Landscape: the ecology of

savanna and woodland in the

metropolitan area. It will be held onSaturday, March 27, from 8 a.m. to4 p.m. at the Bunker Hills Activity

Center, Bunker Hills Regional Park,Coon Rapids. The building issurrounded by native prairie andsavanna restorations.

The board discussed a number ofgood options for the topic of this

years symposium. This one wasselected because there is currently alot of activity in the plantcommunities, as well as a lot of localexpertise on the subject. Mostmembers live in the metro, which

was historically dominated by these

communities (and prairie). We are,however, very cognizant of the factthat there are many outstate membersin the society, and we would like toencourage more members

throughout the state.

The long-term plan of the board isto have future symposia focus ondifferent plant communities andregions of the state over the next

several years. We welcome yoursuggestions.

A brochure on this yearssymposium will be mailed inFebruary. The followingpresentations have been scheduled.

Geologic overview Plant communities Rare plants Plant-insect interactions Ethnobotany Mammals, birds, amphibians

and reptiles Degrading factors Case studies in restoration

Symposium committee membersare Karen Schik, chair, Shirley Mah

Kooyman, and Jason Husveth.

Garlic mustardmanagementplan developed

A management program forattacking garlic mustard has been

developed by Driftless LandStewardship, a restoration firm insouthwestern Wisconsin. The firmsays that their protocol, whichintegrates multiple control strategies,is very effective. Using it, they havetaken massive garlic mustardinfestations to manageable levelsin two years. Their comprehensiveapproach uses a combination ofprescribed burning, weed torching,hand-pulling and herbicide

application, coupled with intensivesurvey and documentation.

The DLS method of garlic mustardcontrol is described below and onthe companys Web page http://driftlesslandstewardship.com/id30.htm

In fall, winter or spring, while mostnatives are dormant, garlic mustardshould be foliar-sprayed with

Roundup (or, if green natives suchas sedges are present, Garlon4/water). Always use labelrecommendations; a higherpercentage of herbicide is not betterand is often less effective. Theherbicide can be applied to garlicmustard as long as the ambienttemperature is above freezing.

If the garlic mustard infestation isin a firedependent natural

community (are oaks present?),broadcast-burn the garlic mustard-infested areas in late spring when thecotyledonous-stage plants arepresent. This step kills many first-year plants as well as removes leaflitter that prolongs germination andfrustrates the control process.

Before garlic mustard sets seed, allsecond-year plants should be pulledto prevent seed production. Follow

hand-pulling by burning off all of thegarlic mustard seedlings with a hand-held propane weed torch. (DLS doesnot burn in the fall, because the roots

remain viable and resprout in thespring. Top-killed plants cannot besprayed in the winter. Therefore, fallburning increases the amount ofhand-pulling that is necesssary.)

This cycle needs to be repeateduntil garlic mustard is eradicated.The seed can remain viable in soilfor five to seven years. All non-infested areas should be monitoredto prevent further infestation.

MNPS display is a winnerby Dianne Plunkett Latham

I recently became aware thateducational displays can be enteredat flower shows when a member ofmy garden club asked me to entermy buckthorn display at the July TriCity Flower show (Edina, RichfieldBloomington). It was awardedsecond place. Since so many peoplepicked up the buckthorn literature, decided to create a new buckthorndisplay and enter it in the State FairFlower Show. There it got anhonorable mention, and more than

100 people picked up the literature.At the Sept. 13 Arboretum Flower

Show, I entered the buckthorndisplay (second place), my all-newinvasive plant display (third place)and the MNPS display.

MNPS got first place and theEducational Award (a big maroonribbon)! Congratulations to all thosewho had a hand in designing theMNPS display. It is truly a winner


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Wild rice is valuable food and aculturally significant resourceDarren Vogt, environmen ta l

biologist for the 1854 Authority,discussed the Biology, TraditionalHarvest, and Cultural Significanceof Minnesota Wild Rice at the Dec.4, 2003, MNPS meeting. Thefo llowing art ic le includesinformation from Vogts abstract andfrom the Wild Rice ResourceGuide published by the 1854Authority.

The 1854 Authority is an inter-tribal natural resource managementagency governed by the Bois ForteBand and Grand Portage Band ofLake Superior Ch ippewa. Theorganization is charged to preserveand protect the treaty rights andnatural resources in the 1854 CededTerritory of northeastern Minnesota.

Wild rice, known as manoomin inthe Ojibway language, has been avaluable food source and a culturally

significant resource for NativeAmericans for centuries. The 1854Authority developed the Wild RiceResource Guide in an effort to outlinepotential water bodies where wildrice may be harvested within the1854 Ceded Territory. The bookletalso includes information about wildrice biology, harvest regulations, andtraditional harvesting and finishing.

Several varieties of wild rice have

been identified. The wild rice foundin northeastern Minnesota can beclassified asZizania palustris, but issometimes misnamed as Zizaniaaquatica. Wild rice is not related towhite rice (Oryza sativa).

Wild rice is an annual plant thatgrows best in shallow lakes andrivers. It begins growing soon afterice-out, reaching the water surface inJune. During this time, the plants lie

flat on the water surface and can form

vast leafy mats. During July, the ricegrows vertically and eventuallystands out of the water up to six toeight feet. Separate male and femalespikelets are located on a terminalflowering panicle. Cross-pollinationoccurs naturally in rice beds, usuallyin late July. Rice kernels begin tofill with a milky substance in late Julyto early August, later hardening tobecome seeds.

Wild rice ripens in late August orearly September, and it is during thistime that harvesting is done. A statelicense or 1854 Authorityidentification card (for Bois Forte orGrand Portage band members) isrequired. Two people in a canoetypically cooperate to harvest wildrice. One person guides the canoewhile the other uses knockers (shortpieces of wood) to harvest the rice.Because the kernels ripen at differenttimes, the same wild rice bed can beharvested several times in a year.

Finishing of wild rice prepares itfor cooking or storage andtraditionally includes drying,parching, hulling, and winnowing.Much of the wild rice for sale instores is actually paddy rice, ahybrid that is cultivated in artificiallycreated fields and mechanically

harvested.If wild rice is not harvested, the

ripe seeds will eventually fall into thewater and sink into the sediment atthe bottom of the lake or river. Withfavorable conditions, seeds will growinto wild rice plants beginning thenext spring. However, wild rice seedalso has the ability to remain dormantuntil favorable conditions areencountered. This dormancy can last

for years if the seed remains in thewater. Wild rice is susceptible to highwater levels, human disturbancesand competing vegetation such as burreed, water lilies, bulrushes, andpickerel weed.

If you are interested in purchasingnative-harvested rice, be sure to readpackage labeling to veri fyauthenticity, and make inquiries ofyour grocer. You may also want tolook for native-harvested rice at foodco-ops. In the Twin Cities area, tryLakewinds Natural Foods, LindenHills Co-op, Mississippi MarketRiver Market Community Co-opSeward Co-op Grocery & DeliValley Natural Foods, and WedgeCo-op. It is also available at St. PeterFood Co-op in St. Peter and may beavailable at other co-ops in the state

For additional information, contactthe 1854 Authority at 4428 HainesRd., Duluth, MN 55811; 218-722-8907; www.1854authority.org

The buckthorn-Asian ladybeetle connection

Buckthorn played a role in theAsian lady beetle infestation last fallaccording to Bruce Potter, aUniversity of Minnesota biologist.

Buckthorn is the primary host ofsoybean aphids, which are eaten by

the Asian lady beetles. In the fallthe aphids lay eggs at the base ofbuckthorn buds. The eggs hatch inthe spring, producing asexualfemales that reproduce asexually onbuckthorn and then move tosoybeans, their alternate host. Somewinged aphids travel long distancesEggs on buckthorn are believed tobe the only way soybean aphids can

overwinter here, Potter said.


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Plant Loreby Thor Kommedahl

What is prickly pear cactus?Prickly pear cactus is a species of

Opuntia. Species native to Minnesotaare O. fragilis and O. macrorhiza, but

O. humifusa has also been reportedThese species are in the cactusfamily.

What do these names mean?Opuntia is a Greek city, and this

name was used for succulent plantsby Tournafort. Others say it was aname given by Pliny for a plantdescribed by Theophrastus; howeverneither of them could have beendescribing this plant for it was notpresent in Europe until the discovery

of the New World. Fragilis meansfragile, macrorhiza means large rootand humifusa means sprawling. Thepear refers to the fruit.

Where do these plants grow?Opuntia species are native to North

and South America. In Minnesotathey are found along the MinnesotaRiver and in the southwest part of thestate, on rocks, sand dunes andprairies, and along shores.

What do the plants look like?Minnesota species are prostrate andspreading and form large mats. Thestems (sometimes called pads) areflat and spined. Flowers are yellowoften with a red or reddish center, andproduce a juicy berry. They bloomin early summer.

Does the prickly pear have anyuses?

Most of the uses are attributed toO. humifusa. Pads are roasted

peeled, sliced, and eaten. Seeds areroasted and ground as a meal for soupthickeners. The Pawnee and DakotaIndians used the pads for sizing tofix colors on hides or receptaclesmade from hides. They also ate fruitsfresh or dried. American Indians alsoapplied fruit juice to warts and drankpad tea for lung ailments. An Israelresearch group used flowers toreduce urgency to urinate for thosewith benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Board member nomineesto be announced Feb.5by Linda Huhn

At the Feb. 5 Minnesota NativePlant Society membership meeting,

the societys Board of Directors, asrequired in the bylaws, will introducethree candidates it deems qualifiedto fill the three board memberpos it ions that expi re in 2004.Additional nominations may bemade by members.

Each year three of the nine boardmembers, who serve staggered three-year terms, are either up for re-election or step down. Board

members whose terms expire in 2004are President Jason Husveth, VicePresident Linda Huhn and Secretary(and Former President, 2000-02) JoelDunnette.

All candidates for the board musthave been active society members formore than one year. Any interested

member in good standing who meetsthis qualification may also become acandidate.

At press time, the NominationsCommittee, chaired by VicePresident Linda Huhn, is selecting aslate of three nominees to propose tothe board for its approval ascandidates. Any members whowould like to nominate themselvesor other members should call or e-

mail Linda Huhn at 612-374-1435,or [email protected]

At the March 4 annual meeting,secret ballots will be cast bymembers present. Three directorswill be elected by a simple majorityof all candidates. These will includethe board-approved slate of threecandidates, any other announcedcandidates, and nominations from thefloor.

An identified absentee ballot maybe cast by mail if obtained fromSecretary Joel Dunnette and returnedto him before the election. (ContactJoel: [email protected]).Voting by proxy is not permittedunder the societys bylaws.

Election results will be announcedimmediately and will also bepublished in the spring Minnesota

Plant Press. New board memberswill begin their three-year terms ofoffice in June 2004.

The board hopes all membersinterested in serving the society(which, like most volunteerorganization is run by just a fewvolunteers) will step forward and runfor office. We need your skills, yourideas, and your dedication. Call ore-mail Linda at the above numbers.

Is your town a NativePlant Community?by Joel Dunnette

How can we raise awareness ofnative plants? Youve seen signspromot ing towns as Tree Ci tyUSA. Why not extend that idea tonative plants? The Prairie SmokeChapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts,Minnesota Department of NaturalResources and MNPS are beginningdiscussions of a plan to do just that.

A town would get a signrecognizing it as a Native PlantCommunity if they have an area ofnative plants and encourage use ofnative plants. Details remain to beworked out. You can help make thishappen. Contact Joel Dunnette at

[email protected]>

Booth was in school fairBetween 700 and 1,000 peopleattended the Volunteer Fair at EdinaHigh School Oct. 28. MNPS was oneof 55 participating organizations.Diane Plunkett Latham and Linda

Huhn set up and staffed the booth.


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Winter 2004Issue

Minnesota Native Plant Society

University of Minnesota

250 Biological Sciences Center

1445 Gortner Ave.

St. Paul, MN 55108

Documents

Winter 2004 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter