Minnesota Plant PressThe Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

Volume 22 Number 4 Summer 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. The nextmeeting will be Thursday, Oct. 2. Checkthe Web site for more information onprograms.

MNPS Web sitehttp://www.stolaf.edu/depts/biology/mnpse-mail: MNPS@HotPOP.com

MNPS ListserveSend a message that includes the word“subscribe” or “unsubscribe” and your namein the body of the message to:mn-natpl-request@stolaf.edu

Member finds dwarf irisnew to Minnesotaby Ron Huber, MNPS member and museum associate, Science Museumof Minnesota.[Figures 1 and 2 are included as an insert in the mailed copies of thisnewsletter and as PDF files with the e-mail edition.]

On May 30, 2002, while my wife, Cathy, and I were exploring variousportions of Minnesota Hill in northern Roseau County, we discovereda small patch of a beautiful little dwarf iris that we could not identify.Betsy Betros, our traveling companion from Kansas, took severalphotographs of the overall patch, plus some individual plants, includinga few nice close-ups of the sepals. Most of the plants appeared to be10 – 12 inches tall, just barely above the grasstops.

Robert Dana of the Minnesota DNR Heritage Program examinedthe 35 mm slides and identified the iris as the Eurasian Iris pumila.Figure 1 is a group shot, while Figure 2 is a close-up of a single flower.Note the small patch of erect white “beard” in the center of each sepalin Figure 2, a distinguishing feature of this species. Robert said thatthe iris has been previously reported in Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin,Illinois and Missouri. In Michigan, Voss (1972:431) records it fromtwo lower peninsula counties, noting, “apparently escapes fromcultivation or perhaps only persisting where dumped.” The RoseauCounty record appears to be the first known for Minnesota.

Minnesota Hill is a deep sandy ridge that runs northeast-southwestand is located roughly 10 miles north and four miles west of the cityof Roseau. It is also about four miles east of the little community ofPinecreek. Minnesota Hill is apparently a three-mile-long remnant ofone of the beach lines from glacial Lake Agassiz. It is a very interestingarea, with an amazing floral and faunal diversity. We seem to findsomething different on every visit. The Iris pumila was in the southeastquarter, Section 30, Township 164 North, Range 40 West, less thanhalf a mile south of the International Boundary obelisk.

The area immediately south of this boundary marker is being slowlyexcavated for sand, and what was once a level, sandy, conifer-studdedbarren in the 1970s is now, unfortunately, a very large pit some 15 –

Dues for individualmembers are changed

At their June 22 meeting, MNPS boardmembers voted to raise individual duesfrom $12 to $15. No other categories werechanged. Family memberships (two ormore related persons at the same address)remain $15. Dues for full-time studentsand seniors (62 or over or retired) are $8;institutions, $20; donors, $25.

The membership year starts Oct. 1. Amember registration form is on page 7 ofthis issue.

Continued on page 3

20 feet deep and several hundredyards across. We are attempting tofind out who is doing this excavation,but it is probably for roadmaintenance in the county. On thecounty map, the site appears to bepart of the Lost River State Forest,and we will make an inquiry there aswell.

We thank Betsy Betros forpermission to scan the slides, RobertDana for the identification, forchecking the literature and Web sitesand for doing the scans, and DebSchoenholz, science publicationsspecialist, Science Museum ofMinnesota, for printing the two-sidedcolor inserts.

References:Voss, E.G., 1972, “Michigan Flora,

Part 1, Gymnosperms andmonocots.” Cranbrook Institute ofScience, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

USGS Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/topics.cgi[IL, ME, MI, MO, WI]

Wisconsin: www.botany.wisc.edu/wisflora/hand/IRIPUM.gif

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Fall prairie field trip to be Sept. 6by Dan Mielke

I will lead a field trip to Peik’s and Mielke’s prairies in McLeod Countyon Sept. 6. The first site is a dry prairie; the second site is a wet prairie. Thefield trip will start at 9 a.m. The first site tour should last about two hours,while the second site tour can last into the afternoon. Feel free to bringwater, snacks, or even a packed lunch.

From the Twin Cities, go west on Hwy. 212. Approximately 4.5 mileswest of Glencoe the four-lane road becomes two lanes. Continue westwardon Hwy. 212 for approximately four more miles. Ahead and to the west, along, low, big hill with three clumps of trees on top will be visible. This hillis immediately south of Peik’s prairie. As you see this hill, Hwy. 212 willbend towards the south and then come back to the west. At the bottom ofthis curve is a gravel road named Nature Ave. Turn right (north), cross therailroad tracks and the country road intersection. The prairie is on the left.Park on the right side of Nature Ave. This site is about 45 miles from Chaska.Directions to the second prairie site will be given out at that location.

Please feel free to bring a walking stick, as at this time of year there maybe a few spiders in the grassland. Wood ticks will be non-existent. If we arelucky, we may be in the middle of the monarch butterfly migration. Oneyear I saw as many as 250 butterflies clinging to an old willow tree on awindy day. Let’s all hope!

I will try to limit this tour to 20 participants. If you have any questions,please contact Dan at wildmentha@yahoo.com. I am looking forward tothis tour.

Iris discoveryContinued from page 1

Friends of Springbrook rally tosave the Fridley Nature Center

Supporters of Springbrook NatureCenter in Fridley are in the midst ofa campaign to save the 127-acrenature center. On June 23, CityManager William Burnsrecommended closing facilities at thecenter and cutting its staff of threefull-time employees and one part-time maintenance worker. Thiswould save the city about $300,000.A second threat is coming fromcouncil members who have proposedturning the park into a golf course ora housing development.

Burns said that if the budget cutsare made, the center would remain apassive recreational area. Therewould be no programs in thebuildings, but trails would bemaintained.

Springbrook has hosted natureprograms since 1982. It has an

interpretive center with live animaldisplays, hiking trails, wetlands,native prairie and oak forests. Itattracts about 150,000 people eachyear, according to Siah St. Clair,director of the center.

In 2002 the center began a wetlandrestoration process with theassistance of grants from theMinnesota Pollution Control Agency,the Metro Council, the McKnightFoundation and neighboring cities.Springbrook Creek enters theMississippi just above the locationwhere Minneapolis and many of itssuburbs take their water. As a result,Springbrook Nature Center ’sdrainage and water quality problemsaffect residents of thesemunicipalities. That restorationproject is on hold until the fate of thecenter has been determined.

The campaign to save the center isbeing conducted by Friends ofSpringbrook. This organization wasformed after Burns proposed thebudget cuts. About 300 peopleattended a one-hour rally in front ofFridley City Hall July 10 to voicetheir support for saving the center.On July 14, about 250 peopleattended a city council meeting. Thegolf course proposal was on theagenda that night, but no decisionswere made.

Friends of Springbrook is selling T-shirts, accepting donations anddistributing lawn signs and bumperstickers. Their mailing address isP.O. Box 32722, Fridley, MN 55432.Information on the campaign is onthe nature center ’s Web site,www.springbrooknaturecenter.org

Orchid infatuation:Teenager’s tiny hobbycreates a big impressionby Lynn Underwood, Star TribuneStaff Writer

[This article was printed in the June18, 2003 issue of the Star Tribune.Otto Gockman is a member of theMNPS.]

Otto Gockman uses typical teenexpressions to describe his atypicalhobby — growing orchids. But the17-year-old isn’t cultivating the big-bloomed phalaenopsis and cattleyasthat sit on many coffee tables. He’senamored with pleurothallids, whichare miniature – almost microscopic— orchids that he grows on cork orin tiny pots inside his basementorchidarium.

“This one has hairs that dangle andblow in the wind,” Gockman said,gently touching the minute brownpetals of a Pleurothallis ornate. Anorange and yellow Lapanthespecunialis resembles “a little jewel,”he said. The long Latin names of thetiny orchids flow easily off histongue, like the lyrics to a favoritepop song.

“Every species of orchid is sodifferent in some way,” Gockmansaid. “It’s hard not to be intriguedby them.”

Like larger, more common orchids,the pleurothallids boast long-lasting,vibrant colored blossoms in other-worldly shapes. But you may needa magnifying glass to see them; mostare smaller than a thumb nail.

Gockman credits a photo in anAmerican Orchid Society magazinefor igniting his passion forpleurothallids.

“A white one that was so small anddifferent caught my eye,” he said. Heordered the tiny Ornithocephalusinflexus and it launched his exoticorchid collection.

Miniature orchids thrive in themountain forests of South andCentral America, and many grow onmoss-covered trees. Theorchidarium built by his dad, Terry,re-creates the environment in hisbasement with a mister, grow lightsand a humidifier.

But Gockman’s orchid obsessionstarted much closer to home. Whenhe was 13, he discovered nativeorchids growing in Minnesota’swoodlands and bogs. Hiking tripsto photograph birds turned intohiking trips to photograph wildorchids. Today, yellow lady’sslipper, showy orchis and greenadder’s-mouth are among the nativeorchids he grows in his back yard.Gockman also rescues wild orchidsby moving them from areas wherenew housing developments are beingbuilt.

A mother knowsHis mother, Jeanne Schacht, knew

early on he was a budding naturalist.He was bird-watching by the time hewas in kindergarten. And there wereearly symptoms of orchid feverduring a 1999 trip to Canada.

“We were looking for elk in a bog,”she said. “All of a sudden Otto sawa tiny pink orchid and startedcrawling around on his hands andknees looking for more. We werethere for three hours.”

It’s no surprise that Gockman plansto study botany in college. “Mydream job would be to discover neworchids in the rain forests around theworld,” he said.

For now, the Como Park HighSchool junior is working part timeat Orchids Limited in Plymouth,watering, repotting and helping in thelab. “I like being surrounded byorchids and I’m continuouslylearning more about them,” he said.

“Otto has a great enthusiasm forplants,” said owner Jerry Fischer.“Sometimes he gets side-tracked andstops to admire their beauty anddiversity. Then it’s ‘where’s Otto?’”

Gockman said it’s easy for him toget carried away with orchids,especially the under-appreciated andless-cultivated pleurothallids. “I’mdoing my part in keeping theunderdog plant around,” he said.

Copyright 2003 Star Tribune.Republished with permission of StarTribune, Minneapolis-St. Paul. Nofurther republication orredistribution is permitted withoutthe written consent of Star Tribune.

Dakota County projectreceives award

The successful Dakota CountyFarmland and Natural Areas Projectreceived the 2003 Merit Award fromthe Minnesota Chapter of the Soiland Water Conservation Society “forpartnerships formed to accomplishperpetual conservation easements onfarmland and natural areas in DakotaCounty.”

As a result of this project, votersin November 2002 approved a $20million bond issue to preserve someof the most significant areas in thecounty. Applications to preservefarmland are now being accepted.Applications to preserve naturalareas will be received this fall.

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Wildflower Weekend and Louisville Swamp Walkby Doug MensingWhitewater State Park

The weekend of May 9 through 11, the MNPS sponsored a springwildflower weekend at Whitewater State Park in beautiful southeasternMinnesota. Jason Husveth did much of his graduate school research inthis part of the state, and he has explored some of the area’s less travelednooks and crannies in search of rare native plants. His knowledge of thepark and the adjacent wildlife management area ensured that all whoattended were rewarded with a fun and informative (albeit damp) weekend.

A small clan of native plant enthusiasts gathered at the group campgroundFriday evening. Immediately we were identifying orchids and other nativewildflowers. Some of us even stalked a secretive woodcock.

Saturday morning additional folks brought the group to about a dozenpeople. Our first outing was into the Beaver Creek ravine. Starting in itsheadwaters, lush green spring vegetation blanketed most of the ravine slopesand bottomlands. Wood anemone, false rue anemone, spring beauty, Jacob’sladder, Dutchman’s breeches, trout lilies, squirrel corn, toothwort, bishop’scap, bellwort, ferns, and sedges created carpets of color and texture,interspersed with gray limestone outcrops and bluffs. After returning toour campsite and following a mild hailstorm, we braved a goat prairie.Layers of clouds were blowing three different directions as we hiked up asteep slope to find bird’s-foot violet, puccoon, and other bluff prairie species.

On Sunday we ventured into the lower reaches of Beaver Creek wherewe saw many of the same species we saw on Saturday, but were also treatedto marsh marigold, sweet cicely, wild ginger, and large patches of wildleek. Some of the rare plants observed in this ravine included twinleaf,false mermaid, squirrel corn, and a rare sedge (Carex careyana).Louisville Swamp

On May 31, the MNPS sponsored a spring wildflower walk at LouisvilleSwamp, one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s units in the MinnesotaRiver Valley. Jason Husveth and Doug Mensing led about 22 people on aninformative walk through restored prairie and savanna, floodplain forest,and native oak woodland-brushland.

Blooming species on the restored prairie and savanna included prairieviolet, prairie plum, blue-eyed grass, and false Solomon’s seal. Oneparticipant identified a patch of kittentails, a state threatened plant. Commonbuckthorn had recently been removed from the woodland’s understory aspart of the savanna restoration work. Buckthorn resprouts, Virginiawaterleaf, and poison ivy were seen in much of the restoration area.

The floodplain forest contained silver maple and cottonwood trees, witha dense groundcover of wood nettle. Canada anemone and several sedgespecies were near the edges of this forest. The native savanna and oakforest contained Pennsylvania sedge, black raspberries, wild geranium, andwoodland phlox. Several patches of kittentails (previously unknown tothe Minnesota DNR and the Refuge) were also found in this area. A smalldepression in this area contained yellow star grass and several sedge species.

Louisville Swamp is a fantastic place for the nature enthusiast, and if youwere unable to attend the spring wildflower walk, we would highlyrecommend you visit during the late summer and fall months.

Spring Prairie tourby Dan Mielke

On June 29 I led a field trip to twoprairie sites in central Minnesota. Oneis a dry prairie owned by my uncle,Walter Peik. It consists of a three-acre sandy hilltop and 25-acre dryprairie restoration. The second site isa 20-acre wet prairie with ponds andsedge and cattail marshes, with semi-mesic wet areas next to a shallow mudbottom lake. I own this prairie.

At Peik’s prairie we saw meadowgarlic, ox-eyes and wild turnip inbloom. In the restoration area I havebeen hand-broadcasting seed fromsurrounding prairie remnants. Some,like the wild garlic, blue bottlegentian, and fragrant giant hyssop,have taken hold readily. Others, suchas the blazing star, side oats grama,and wild onion, will be noticeablelater in summer. There is a brokentile area in which I have managed toput a few wetland plants. Great bluelobelia thrives here. I added plugs ofcord grass, which are now spreadingout. But the overwhelming featuresof this restoration are the stands of bigbluestem and Indian grass, which hadcome into this area naturally. Thesegrasses will be just grandiose in thefall tour. There are also woody typeplants. Wild prairie rose, false wildblue indigo, and lead plant are takinghold.

We moved to the wet prairie site,where we lost one person tobobolinks. Swamp milkweed, wildfield mint (native), and many typesof sedges were in bloom. In somewhatdrier areas were white camas, hedgenettle, and false Solomon’s seal.White camas is a member of the lilyfamily, with the stalk rising one to twofeet above the ground, covered with10 to 30 white blossoms. Hedgenettle has lavender colored flowersblooming at the top of the main stalk.We continued down to the edge of thelake. I am looking forward to fall, andI hope you can join the Sept. 6 tour.

Field trips feature wide variety of flowers

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Plant Loreby Thor KommedahlWhat is wild bergamot?Wild bergamot is Monarda fistulosa.It is also called bee balm andhorsemint because of its similarity toclosely related species. It is a memberof the mint family.

How did it get its names?Monarda is named after NicholasMonardes, a 16th century Spanishphysician and botanist. Fistulosa,meaning hollow, refers to the tubularcalyx. It is called wild bergamotbecause the scent is like that of oil ofbergamot extracted from thebergamot orange. Oil of bergamotis used to flavor foods (Earl Grey tea,for example). Bumblebees,butterflies, and humming birds areattracted to the flowers.

What is the plant like?It is an aromatic, rhizomatose, nativeperennial that grows in dry woodedges, thickets, and prairiesthroughout the state. The flowers arein dense heads and bloom from Mayto September. The calyx is tubularand bright (yet pale) lavendar. Leavesare opposite on the square stems, andplants are 2 to 4 feet tall.

Is it poisonous or medicinal?Not poisonous but it has a variety ofmedicinal uses. American Indiansmade tea for treatment of colds,fevers, and heart trouble, andphysicians used tea from leaves toexpel worms and gas. (The oil is highin carvacrol which expels worms.)But it is not officially recommendedtoday. Another species, M. didyma(Oswego tea), was used by theShakers as a tea after the famousBoston Tea Party. Oswego tea has acitrus odor, while wild bergamot hasa spicy, minty odor. Oswego tea, alsonative, grows in western Minnesota.

Why shouldwe battlebuckthorn?by Dianne Plunkett Latham

Many of you may have participatedin your community’s buckthornabatement program last fall. If so, yourealize that buckthorn has beendeclared a noxious weed by the Stateof Minnesota. Many of your neighbors,however, may yet need to clear theirproperty of this pest. If they maintainthis noxious weed on their property, itwill reinfest nearby property. Birdscarry buckthorn berries up to 1/3 mile.Several of you have asked me whatinformation they should give theirneighbors to encourage them toremove their buckthorn. The followingis what I tell my neighbors. Pleasespread the word! • Buckthorn berries, bark and rootsare toxic. The berries cause severecramping and diarrhea in humans.Keep small children out of areas wherebuckthorn berries fall, as the blue/blackberries may be mistaken for blueberriesand accidentally eaten. • Buckthorn is a starvation food forbirds. It causes diarrhea and weakensthem. The blue stains on your houseand sidewalk are the result ofdroppings from birds eating the berries.Bird numbers decline in areas infestedby buckthorn, because food sourcesand nesting sites are greatly reduced. • Buckthorn has an allelopathicchemical in its roots that suppresses thegrowth of surrounding plants, muchlike black walnuts do. Wildflowers andtree seedlings are greatly reduced. • Buckthorn stays green 58 dayslonger than our native species, whichgives buckthorn a competitive edge. • Buckthorn, which has little fallcolor, is replacing our forests.Anything that is still green in Octoberand November is buckthorn. • Buckthorn eventually forms densethorny thickets. It shades out other

plants and provides cover for crimeperpetrators in parks. Homeownerswho say they want buckthorn forprivacy should consider conifers,which offer much better privacy. • Buckthorn infestations reduceproperty values. Savvy buyers ask thatbuckthorn be removed before sale, orask to lower the sale price by the costof buckthorn removal.

Buckthorn stumps must be sprayedwith Roundup© (Glyphosate) at aminimum strength of 20 percent tokeep the stumps from resprouting.Spraying must be done ASAP aftercutting, and well before any rain. Thisstump treatment, however, won’t workduring bud break (late March to June1). Sap flows in a predominantlyupward direction in the spring, thusthere is little intake of chemicals.

Ask your city to purchase WeedWrench and Root Talon tools, whichresidents can borrow to uprootbuckthorn trees up to 2-1/2 inches indiameter. These are only effectivewhen the ground is not frozen.

Buckthorn seeds are viable for up tofive years. Woodlands must bemaintained annually for several yearsafter buckthorn removal. This can bedone by a combination of techniquesincluding replanting and mulching, ormowing/brush cutting. For small areas,hand-pull seedlings. Large areas ofbuckthorn saplings up to three feet inheight can be sprayed with a maximumstrength of 3 percent Roundup© in lateOctober or early November. Wait tospray until after at least two hard frosts(below 28˚ F), when everything else isdormant, but buckthorn is still green.

Professional buckthorn removal isthe least expensive during the winter,when tree services may give steepdiscounts. The longer you wait, themore buckthorn you will have, and themore expensive removal will become.

Dianne Plunkett Latham, a MNPSboard member, is the BuckthornAbatement Steering Committee chairfor the Edina Garden Council and theLeague of Women Voters of Edina.

Minnesota Native Plant SocietyMember Registration

Name __________________________________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

City __________________________________________________ State ________ Zip ______________

Phone (work) _________________________________ (home) __________________________________

E-Mail ________________________________________________________________________________

Membership category (New ______ Renewal _______)$15 Individual$15 Family (2 or more related persons at same address) $8 Student (full time) $8 Senior (62 or over or retired)$20 Institution$25 Donor

Please fill in the form above and check the appropriate membership category. Your check should be madepayable to the Minnesota Native Plant Society. Mail the completed form and your check to the MinnesotaNative Plant Society, University of Minnesota, 250 Biological Sciences Center, 1445 Gortner Ave., St. Paul,MN 55108.

Bell Museum hasexhibit of nature art

More than 80 works of art inspiredby threatened land and water sites inMinnesota and Wisconsin are ondisplay at the Bell Museum ofNatural History at the University ofMinnesota. Entitled “Project Art forNature: Close to Home,” the exhibitopened June 21 and will continueuntil Aug. 31.

The exhibit features the works of17 Minnesota and Wisconsin artistsand includes prints, book arts,textiles, drawings, paintings andsculpture that depict areas of naturalbeauty and the threats they face.Participants include Vera MingWong, Barbara Harman, MimiHolmes and Wendy Lane. At least20 percent of monies raised from

artwork sales will go to the Scientificand Natural Areas Program of theMinnesota Department of NaturalResources.

Vera Ming Wong, a member of theMNPS, is founder of Project Art forNature. Inspired by a 1999 BellMuseum exhibit, 16 local artistsbanded together to formed PAN topromote stewardship of threatenednatural areas in Minnesota andWisconsin

For additional information aboutthe exhibit, call the Bell MuseumInformation Line at 612-624-7803 orvisit www.bellmuseum.org

The museum is located on theMinneapolis campus of theUniversity of Minnesota at thesouthwest corner of 17th Ave.(Church St.) and University Ave. S.E.

Wildflowers and nativegrasses can still beplanted by highways

Transportation departments maycontinue to plant native grasses andwildflowers along Minnesotahighways. An effort to forbidplanting these seeds was thwarted,and that amendment was removedfrom the transportation bill in theclosing hours of the 2003 session ofthe Minnesota Legislature.

Several MNPS members talkedabout the folly of this “money-saving” measure at hearings at theLegislature and personally contactedlegislators. Roy Robinson monitoredprogress of the measure. Speakersat the hearings included Roy, DiannePlunkett Latham and Deb Anderson.

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Summer 2003 Issue

Minnesota Native Plant SocietyUniversity of Minnesota250 Biological Sciences Center1445 Gortner Ave.St. Paul, MN 55108

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