seed collecting

Patience on the Prairie

Patience on the Prairie

Remember those monarchs? They were nectaring on meadow blazing star, a lovely native species of blazing star (also known by its genus, Liatris). Of all the blooming plants at this point in the season, meadow blazing star has the reputation of being the monarchs' favorite and a most important source of energy as the flight generation of monarchs emerges. All native blazing stars offer these critical food resources, so SoWBA and its partners work hard to ensure their prairies include Liatris species.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

A new 4th of July tradition & watching for ticks

About a dozen volunteers assembled at Erstad Prairie on the morning of the 4th of July for Goose Pond's first volunteer seed collecting of the year. The plant was spiderwort, a perfect plant to kick off the season. It's easy to identify, no stooping, abundant (at least where Graham pointed us), and an important link in a healthy prairie chain of grasses and flowers. We had a temperate two hours of picking before the heat rolled in.

Photo by Arlene Koziol

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The Last Hurrah

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A few dedicated seed collectors gathered at Goose Pond for the final volunteer effort of the season. We were looking for New England asters (NEAs) and white baptisia. Both are important for pollinators with New England asters being one of my favorites. A late bloomer, it and showy goldenrod are the flowers that give our migrating monarchs the nutritional boost they need before flying  south.

Photo by Tom Koerner/USFWS

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The Beatles at Goose Pond?

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Stiff goldenrod was one of the plant seeds we collected. Collecting goldenrods occasions a goldenrod identification seminar that Graham and Emma conduct for the volunteers — the many species of goldenrod look similar and one species is on the “avoid” list. We certainly want to collect whatever the desired species is but we also have to avoid Canada goldenrod.

Photo by Graham Steinhauer/SoWBA

Value

Value

Seed collecting is one of the most important management activities on Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance’s lands, and volunteers always play an essential role, making sure that we have enough variety and amount of seeds to re-create and bolster our prairies, wetlands, and savannas. Many people are passionate about birds, bumblebees, badgers or other lovable creatures, and it's important to remember that they simply do not exist without the strong scaffold of diverse plant communities which support them.

Photo by Graham Steinhauer/SoWBA

 
 
 
 
 
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