The Last Day of Spring!

The last day of spring - can you believe it!!!?  I've got a few thing to cover before the summer solstice tomorrow, but I can't get to them all...here's a couple to tide things over a bit! 

Prairie Liliy (or Wood Lily) - Lilium philadelphicum - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

Our Prairie Lilies have begun blooming here on our north pasture. Last year we were robbed of blooms due to rabbits…snipped the bud right off as it swelled to almost bloom. Unfortunately I had to cage them to prevent a repeat of that this year. Frustrating!!! (The year before, voles dug up two bulbs...a small pasture has a lot of negative pressure!)

 

I have noticed the Range map "Floristic Synthesis of North America (BONAP)", lists this plant - Lilium philadelphicum , as not present in O'Brien County...well they are wrong. I first observed and photographed Lilium philadelphicum in O'Brien County, on the Waterman Prairie Complex in Waterman Township, in SE O'Brien. And that was the year before the complex was turned over to the state. I was alerted to the pending acquisition early by a DNR official who gave me permission to walk it and look for native plants to photograph. I remember he was surprised when I showed him a slide (ya, remember slide film?) of a plant in bloom.

 

Prairie Liliy (or Wood Lily) - Lilium philadelphicum - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

I previously knew Lilium philadelphicum as "Wood Liliy", and used to see and photograph them along the shoreline of the north shore of Lake Superior. It was pretty cool to learn they were a prairie forb as well! I have since found them at Steele Prairie, just below the O'Brien County border in Cherokee County. When on the Prairie I refer to them as Prairie Lilies...up north I think of them as Wood Lilies...I guess its the most common native Lily in North America - that's fun to know!

 

We have two more plants coming up...one is in early bud stage now...the other may not put one on this year...not showing any sign of budding soon.

 

These are electric to the eye against the green for sure!

 

Prairie Garlic (Allium canadense) - Photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

And its that time in the native pasture here in SE O'Brien County where so much is happening, and often things are starting to get buried in the under-story, going unnoticed. But I always look for this one - even if I have to dig through the taller plants for it.

 

Sometimes referred to as Prairie Garlic, Wild Garlic or Meadow Garlic, this native prairie plant is the first Allium to show up on our pasture in the summer. By early June it can be seen down among the grasses and new plant growth, reaching for an opening of sunlight. You'll see their top-set bulbs form before the flowers...and the white and pink blossoms reach out beyond the knobby bulblets - creating almost a starburst effect.

 

Since the Mrs grows lots of garlic in her garden, we don't need to sample this beautiful little native Allium - just enjoy it's showy progression in the late spring through early summer!

If you'd like to view "A Prairie Moment" short video of Wild Garlic, you can do so on my channel at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGB1KEW1iYE

  

Thank you for visiting my blog - enjoy the summer ahead - and be good to one another...we're all in this together!

 

Hope to see you on the Tallgrass! 

 

Whites of Spring Continue

 

Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

A very common native "virtually everywhere", is Daisy Fleabane.

Daisy Fleabane is described as an annual or biennial plant of 1 - 3 feet tall, with Individual flowerheads of about ½" across - having a daisy-like appearance.

This native flower of roadsides, yards, pastures and prairies is probably so taken for granted by many because of it's familiarity. It seems to show up and thrive in just about any niche it finds. Although it seemingly prefers mesic to drier soils and full sun, it will also thrive in more fertile locations without heavy competition. Those here on our small native prairie pastures in SE O'Bruien County do best along the gravel hillside slopes.

Its a pleasant multiple flowered plant, cheering up any space it occupies.

If you'd like to view "A Prairie Moment" short video of Daisy Fleabane, you can do so at the following link -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEt7RNhaDuU

Foxglove Penstemon or Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) - photographs - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Another Penstemon sp. here in the north pasture (SE O'Brien County) is the Foxglove Penstemon or Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis). About 3' tall, it shows up with its multiple small (1") white flowers and blooms for about 3-4 weeks. Another great plant for Bees, flies and Hummingbirds. I only find it in the pasture bottom, not up on the gravel slopes, not that it couldn't show up there, I just think its in its happy spot and so it stays.

 

This plant shows up on the BONAP maps as not being in our county, but does show up in Dickinson County...which touches the NE corner of O'Brien. How'd it get here? Well possibly from the IRVM seedings in the area (County seed source) or it might have been here or nearby at some point in time...I can't say...I'm just happy its here!

 

Also, if you'd like to view "A Prairie Moment" video of Penstemon digitalis, you can do so at the following link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkMLCd98WUs

 

Although we'll be seeing more whites as the season moves along - the colors will get more mixed and we'll see these as the days move into summer!

 

If we ever get a reprieve from the heat we've been experiencing - get out and enjoy a prairie preserve near you!

 

Thank You for visiting my blog - please remember to be good to another...we're all in this together!

 

Hope to see you on the Tallgrass! 

 

Prairie Marching Along

 

Prairie Spiderwort or Long-bracted Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteat) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

Our Prairie Spiderwort is going strong in the pasture here in SE O'Brien County, but we now have to part the fast growing late Spring/Early Summer grasses and plants to find them! These are Prairie Spiderworts (Tradescantia bracteata); beautiful little flowers much more petite than their domesticated relatives of city gardens, or their native relative the Ohio Spiderwort. And their blossoms can range from magenta to a deep blue. Come late afternoon, the blossoms will become soft and dissolve, making way for a new one the next morning.

 

I only find these in the north pasture, and in two separate populations...interestingly a population along the south slope on the gravel esker here. And another population in the bottom of the north pasture's southeast corner. This little Spiderwort seems to prefer a more dry, gravely soil, and those up on the gravel esker slope look very happy each year I look for them, but those just a hundred feet or so away seem just as accepting to their location.

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for this Prairie Spiderwort; if you want to spend a minute with this beautiful native prairie flower, you can do so at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjqp5i_ygbY

 

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

One of the earliest prairie wild flowers I think I can remember as a kid, before I even knew what it was, is likely the Canada Anemone (Meadow Anemone to some). It seems to persist in many roadside ditches; gravel roads particularly. Maybe the Wild Rose species would qualify as a close tie, but regardless - we all start somewhere don't we?

 

I remember when we first moved to our tiny mecca, finding Canada Anemone spread throughout the ditch next to the north pasture...I was very excited to see this familiar white wildflower! Almost as soon as the excitement was realized - a neighbor drove by with his tractor and sprayer and killed back our entire ditch! Auugh!!! Thank goodness the neighbor didn't have free reign of our pastures!!! But all was well after I had a conversation and expressed concern that this would not happen again! It wasn't too many years when the neighbor expressed interest and questions about what he was seeing here.

 

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) did make a comeback in the ditches here, once the periodic spraying stopped, and that tenacity may be it's trait of spreading with thick rhizomes forming those familiar colonies of plants we often see among the bland brome ditches. Its sure welcome here!

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for Canada Anemone; if you want to spend a minute with this beautiful native prairie flower, you can do so at the following link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkLCLBXAFU

 

 

Growing Large-flowered Penstemon around the front of the studio.

Large-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

Large-flowered Penstemon even loikes to grow in the gravel around the crib here on the acreage.

Penstemons are such cool plants - top of the list here in SE O'Brien County has got to be the Large-flowered Beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus). I have noticed over the years out here that although they're a perennial, they seem to have ebbs and flows in longevity. Our gravel hillsides will experience a big flush of blooms one year and a year or two later we'll find lots of newly started plants from seed but the older plants seem on their last legs. Grateful they reseed so readily.

 

I will admit cheating a little with these guys...I sprinkle seed around the crib and along the entry to the studio...no preparing beds or anything like that...just drop the seed (or allow established pants drop theirs), and instant Large-flowered Beardtongue next spring. They prefer gravelly/dry locations anyway.

 

I'll collect seed from these "nursery" plants each fall for supplementing in the pastures, but leave enough to drop and grow new for next year.

The Sphinx Moths, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Bumblebees are very fond of these flowers - and the thick leaves have a very interesting visual and textural feel to them...nothing not to like!

 

I have "A Prairie Moment" video on my channel for the Large-flowered Beardtongue; if you'd like to watch, it can be found at this link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCVb7kipies

 

 Watching the Prairie march along!

 

Thank you for visiting my blog - be good to another and I hope to see you on the Tallgrass!

 

Late Spring on the Prairie

 

Porcupine Grass (Hesperosita spartea) - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

  

When most think "prairies" they think "grass" for the most part. That's kind of stereotypical of course because there is so much more there. But the native cool and warm season grasses are pretty iconic and cool at the same time...one of our early (cool season) grasses that I really like is the Porcupine Grass (Hesperostipa spartea). The visual presentation and form of this grass always catches my eye with the long awns bowing over the grasses in their arch-like form until their release, when the grass becomes pretty much invisible to passersby...

 

I have a favorite thing I like to do with this grass - when the seed/awn is mature I pick them off and throw them around like darts. I like to pick areas we have that are erosion prone, like the county ditch along our fence line. I toss them like a dart and they almost always faithfully stick into the exposed soils, where they soon twist themselves into the ground and there ya go - more erosion control with just a bit of fun effort!

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for Porcupine Grass if you want to spend a minute with the grasses and bird songs at the following link -  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZI0oWmAmFE

 

In the meantime, above is a close-up of the long awns in the late spring morning dew.

 

Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

Many things are showing up in our two native pastures here in SE O'Brien County - I haven't been able to follow up with the camera...maybe I'll get a chance soon? Been very busy working with our south pasture, doing support work with the winter seeding, plus some Leafy Spurge follow up work in the north pasture and several other things.

 

But as you approach the pastures here, or as you drive by, most obvious are the Golden Alexanders...some parts are blanketed with it , while other parts are spotted with that characteristic yellow. There's a lot more blooming there and I hope I can share those in the days and weeks ahead.

 

In the meantime I'm trying not to let Spring slip by - lots to do!

 

Thank you for visiting my Blog - I do hope you're enjoying Spring!  

 

Be good to one another - Hope to see you on the Tallgrass!