Diario del proyecto Casual Woodland Garden

24 de marzo de 2024

Winter Sowing Preliminary Results...

Top to bottom, left to right...
Blue Lobelia
False Sunflower
Wild Leek
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod
Orange Milkweed
Grey-Headed Coneflower
White Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Eastern Bottlebrush Grass

Tried 30 different things in total. Some probably haven't sprouted yet, maybe? Most excited by the Wild Leek and Blue Stemmed Goldenrod. Oh, just noticed some Illinois Bundleflower is up too. I wasn't the brains behind this operation so it's bound to be successful!

Publicado el marzo 24, 2024 10:00 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

06 de enero de 2024

SLOSS In An Era of At-Home Umbrellas

Left unconsidered during the SLOSS debate of the 70s and 80s was the potential for new technology to emerge and more easily connect decentralized small restorations for any given region. This initial debate occurred before the emergence of the internet, let alone iNat and its potential for umbrella projects containing several at-home restorations.

Current thinking is that ...the SLOSS debate should be refined and cannot be solved without explicit spatial consideration of dispersal and environmental dynamics. Here again, the potential for new technology is being ignored.

Once regional umbrellas for several small at-home restorations exist, dispersal formerly achieved by ants and turtles can be achieved by humans in the form of restorative gardeners. Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) and Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) have each expanded to cover my project area after honeysuckle was removed over 15 years ago. These colonies have expanded to the point of being constrained by roads that I can’t disassemble and neighboring properties where I have no authority to conduct invasive removals, let alone full scale restoration.

What I prefer to do is share these locally adapted genotypes with other local smalls who are just starting on their restorations. I have no formal training in this so it makes sense to do this work on this network while inviting oversight from the exact group of people that can tell me what is most reasonable to share. I feel pretty confident about sharing these two species. I feel less confident about the sharing of species with more rarity. I realize I’m not the best person to assess what to share and how to share it. Despite all this, I’m fairly certain that decentralized sharing of multiple local genotypes at scale might be more compelling than centralized sharing of a few local genotypes.

A box turtle is unlikely to use the crosswalk when carrying mayapple seeds to other gardeners in my region. If I use iNat to identify the parent colony when sharing these seeds my fellow gardeners can link to my parent colony after establishing a casual child on their lot where no Mayapple currently exists. In this sense, I’ll be able to see how my genotypes spread across my region. If there become too many of mine, wise restorationists will clamor for someone else’s… but only if the software exists to track provenance. And… it does!

Publicado el enero 6, 2024 03:39 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

16 de noviembre de 2023

Before and After


Before I had finished removing all the honeysuckle.
Before I had learned that garlic mustard was a biennial and that if you don't pull it every year it comes back.
Before I had finished the rock wall using fieldstone off the craigslist free page.
Before I planted PawPaw and Spicebush and Asarum and Claytonia & Everything Else.


After. (although looking in the other direction. the large, straight trunked walnut is on the right in the 1st pic and on the left in the second)

I believe it's fair for me to ask, after being informed by professionals. After doing my level best to restore this space. After having brought nature home (past tense). What next?

So many of us are working on our little piece of a crazy quilt. Each piece with a different size and shape. With the small spaces every bit as important in the final assembly of a well-formed quilt. If we want our quilt to support as much wildlife as possible, we should be thinking about how the individual pieces of quilt can be stitched together as they are completed.

Publicado el noviembre 16, 2023 12:30 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

27 de octubre de 2023

Unintended Consequences


I started my native restoration about 15 years ago. This project started in an inner suburb of Cincinnati. Honeysuckle conquered this area long ago. There were very very few native under-story seeds existing in the soil under the honeysuckle when it was removed. Now, 15 years later, I have some tree seedlings emerging but they mostly match the species in the over-story (black cherry, tulip poplar, white ash, black locust, etc). The under-story is still non-existent. And it's been 15 years!


I started my native restoration of a second property six years ago. This second property exists further away from Cincinnati. Further from the city there were more native under-story seeds existing in the soil under the honeysuckle when it was removed. Now, six years later, I have many under-story seedlings emerging. Every yellow under-story plant in the picture above is northern spicebush that was unlocked when I removed the honeysuckle. There are other areas of this property that have large populations of Ohio Buckeye and PawPaw emerging after the honeysuckle removals.

Areas closer to the city, that have been more heavily impacted by invasive plants cannot always be expected to regenerate like in a place further from town. If I could go back in time, I'd push the seeds of spicebush, ohio buckeye, and pawpaw down into the soil during honeysuckle removal. All three have proven themselves capable of coexisting with hungry deer and have expanded post honeysuckle removal in the rural location. I'd go with seeds because of the size of the wooded area I'm trying to restore. It's too expensive and time consuming to plant potted shrubs and saplings. Collecting a bunch of seeds to stratify, scarify and push into the ground is easier and more scalable for large areas (or cheap owners).

It seems obvious to me that if we want to counter the potential for species loss in the Anthropocene, we should collect under-story seeds from areas further from cities and install them in areas closer in. It's observably true, from my examples, that the under-story needs to be restored from scratch in some areas. It's also a catch-22. I've observed many more wood thrushes at the rural location. Wood thrushes love spicebush seeds. If I attracted wood-thrushes they'd deposit these seeds on my lot in the city. But to attract the wood-thrushes, I need spicebush for them to eat! Once I attract them here, they might deposit some of my seeds on neighboring properties. Mwahahaha.

Publicado el octubre 27, 2023 07:24 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

13 de agosto de 2023

Tree House Moth Sheet

Decided to set up a moth sheet in the tree house to see what might show up. This was more challenging than I expected it to be. There were plenty of moth and insect visitors, but they were difficult to photograph with my new lens. I think this is because the bright light and black-light messed with the aperture. Some of the photos I ended up taking with the iphone. I didn't get the large silk moths I hoped for, but knew at the outset they might not show up.

The trial run didn't include a black-light and I only spent an hour or so the first night trying it out. The next night, I bought a cheap black-light at Depot and had a few more visitors. If I do it again, I'll probably get a more powerful black-light.

First the non-moths...
       

     

I didn't expect to get this much attention from non-moths. I was also surprised by the plant-hoppers. I think of them as staying closer to the ground, which obviously isn't true. There were many smaller beetles, hoppers and insects that I didn't take the time to photograph.

Now, the moths...
           

           

       

I wasn't really sure what to expect in terms of moths. I don't know if this is a good amount or a bad amount. I suppose I was satisfied with the turnout. The Betrothed Underwing was the most exciting visitor because of its size. I was hoping for large silk moths, and when it first fluttered in I thought I might have one. It was clearly interested in the black-light. The best thing about this project is the creativity in the naming of the moths... elegant grass veneer, betrothed underwing, deceptive snout, dusky groundling. Who among us isn't thrilled by a deceptive snout?

The other thing worth mentioning is that I prepared some "moth attractant" liquid. There is a recipe for this stuff online. It involves mixing together beer, brown sugar, and bananas. It worked, but when I spread it on the railing in the tree-house it also attracted bald-faced hornets. I'd advise not spreading the attractant too close to where you're planning to observe the moths. The good news is the hornets aren't nocturnal and all but one confused, possibly drunk hornet left after nightfall.






Publicado el agosto 13, 2023 06:39 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

10 de agosto de 2023

Cognitive Dissonance

We have a wooded backyard and a traditional front yard with lawn and landscaped beds. For the longest time, I carefully trimmed and maintained burning bush in front of our house and along one side (eight plants in all). I did this even as I removed burning bush in the back. I was thinking of the two areas differently and independent of each other. I felt that the wild and wooded area in back should host only local and naturally occurring species. In the front, I was willing to host more cultivated and cosmopolitan species. I went along like this for 15 years. Carefully trimming and tolerating the burning bush in the front beds but removing it whenever it popped up in the back. Eventually, I became tired of this silliness and replaced it in front with thuja occidentalis, oak leaf hydrangea, and bottlebrush buckeye. It makes no sense adding to a problem in the front that I'm trying to subtract from in the back. The new plantings in front better complement the assisted regeneration I'm working on in back.

     

This in no way means we're in a hurry to remove the other non-native species planted in our front beds. Only that we're choosing our battles carefully. If anything, we're focused on filling the beds in front and limiting the need for so much mulch.




Publicado el agosto 10, 2023 03:27 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

10 de julio de 2023

Provenance

Provenance is a word I hear used a lot on "Antiques Roadshow" and "American Pickers". It's used by museum curators and anyone trying to guarantee the authenticity of an object by tracking its whereabouts through time.

It's so much more interesting, when I plant a thing, to think about how that thing came to exist for me to plant in the first place. Where specifically did that thing come from? It makes you seem silly when you're at a "native plant sale" and ask "where specifically is the parent colony that this plant is descended from"? It's too ideologically pure, but this is missing the point. I'm self-aware enough to know that the question is silly. I know that any visitors to my garden will be happy if it explodes with life. It won't matter where the plants came from if 1,000 pollinators alight from the plantings as visitors walk down the path.

I've gone to several garden shows over the years. You can see just about anything at a garden show. The one thing that each participant has in common is passion. They are the type of people who ask silly questions at plant sales. These are my people. But is the question silly?

Almost every serious park, preserve, zoo, or arboretum has a collection policy. Depending on size and funding, they may not have published collection policies, but I promise you it's something they've talked about and think about. They think... "if we are going to plant things, these things should benefit our area ecologically, so which plants are most appropriate"? These self-imposed constraints on the palette of plants is coming from a place of passion and love and science.

One of the most common constraints is based on geography. It's unrealistic to expect the web of life existing in North America to be best supported by the plant community in Australia. I believe this is also true within North America. It's unrealistic to expect the web of life existing in Ohio to be best supported by the plant community in California. I don't need to continue decreasing the size of my collection circle to know what my preference should be. My preference should be... the more local the better.

What's new is... modern software that allows home-gardeners the opportunity to establish provenance for their locals and for anything they plant.

Moving forward... when I plant something in my Casual Woodland Garden, I want to link to the parent colony observation from the observation of the planting. This link establishes the provenance for each of my plantings. My Eastern Redbud observation has an observation field called "parent colony" that links to an observation showing the geographic location this colony was sourced from. If I click the "parent colony" label on this observation, I can select "Observations with this field" (see image below).

When I click "Observations with this field", the results show all of the cultivated colonies that have a link to the parent colony that establishes provenance. This makes the hobby more interesting to me. I'm not expecting everyone to do this, but I think it will be an interesting idea for some to consider. I would love it if the plants I bought at native plant sales all had qr codes linking to the exact location of the parent colony from which the seeds and cuttings were sourced from. I would love it so much, I'd pay more for it.

All of my cultivated colonies that have a link to the parent colony thereby establishing provenance...
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Parent%20Colony

When you think about it, every restored woodland area is becoming more like a museum of plants that might have existed at their installed location prior to the Columbian exchange. More importantly, these museums of plants might be critical to the preservation of downstream species. Then again, maybe not, but it makes the hobby more interesting.

Publicado el julio 10, 2023 01:00 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

27 de junio de 2023

North American Native Species

Lately I've become interested in Coefficient of Conservatism scoring for each plant growing in the woodland garden. It provides a way of measuring my success at encouraging a more specialized and diverse habitat. At least that's my understanding of it. Encouraging plants with a higher CofC to expand or emerge naturally on my lot suggests that I'm providing a more specialized and ecologically improved area for these plants to exist and thrive within.

I'm not going to get overly consumed with trying to install plants with a high CofC score. I only want to use the score as a way to quantify my success at creating the conditions necessary to support a more specialized plant community. I've been excited to see two American Beech seedlings emerge on my lot because I didn't plant them and because they have a CofC of "7" which is high for my lot. If I force them to exist it's different from creating the conditions for them to exist.

One thing that jumps out at me when I look at this is... There are 13 species of non-cultivated native plants on our lot with a CofC of 6 or higher. Out of these 13, a total of 11 are tree species. This is surprising because there are far more herbaceous layer plants on our lot than tree species. One possible explanation is that the canopy trees have long lives and the canopy exists above plants like honeysuckle, garlic mustard, and celandine. All of the specialized herbaceous layer plants may have been overtaken by invasives long enough in the past for their seed bank to have been exhausted. Meanwhile, the canopy trees existing above the honeysuckle continued adding to the seed bank and waiting for it to be unlocked.

Here's is a link to Ohio's Floristic Quailty Assessment Index which explains CofC scoring...
https://epa.ohio.gov/static/Portals/35/wetlands/Ohio_FQAI.pdf



Species

CofC

Occurrence Via

Notes


American Beech

7

Natural Succession

Two seedlings have emerged post invasive removals.


Blue Ash

7

Natural Succession

A total of three Blue Ash trees have germinated. The tallest is about 15' as of 2023.


Shellbark Hickory

7

Natural Succession

Two shellbark seedlings have emerged so far after invasive removals.


Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardii)

7

Natural Succession

A single shumard oak seedling has emerged following invasive removals.


American Sycamore

7

Naturally Occurring

Only two individuals exist.


Chinkapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

7

Naturally Occurring

Only four or five of these in total. None of them appear to be over 50 years old.


False Rue Anemone (top of hill)

7

Introduced



American Basswood (Tilia americana)

6

Naturally Occurring

Only a single individual exists at the very bottom of the lot, near the road.


Buckeye

6

Naturally Occurring

Only have a few of these. They haven't bloomed and I'm not sure if they're Yellow Buckeye or Ohio.

Red Oak (Quercus rubra)

6

Naturally Occurring

Both red and white oak suffer mightily from deer predation here. I've fenced a few of these to help them along.

Tulip Poplar

6

Naturally Occurring

Another of dominant canopy tree species here.


White Ash

6

Naturally Occurring

Tons of White Ash seedlings have sprouted post honeysuckle removal. Larger white ash were hit by the emerald ash borer several years ago. I treat one mature white ash, but even it looks sickly.


Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa)

6

Introduced

Bought as a 3' sapling at a native plant sale. Now 8' as of 2023.


PawPaw (Asimina triloba)

6

Introduced

Purchased several of these 12 years ago at a native plant sale. There are also some that are naturally occurring on the other side of the road.


Dutchmans Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

6

Introduced

Britton Woods - Brown County, OH. I have since discovered a small colony of these existing near the opposite corner of the lot and just over the property line.


Ostrich Fern

6

Introduced

Transplanted from a parent population in Troy, Ohio which itself was established from a parent colony in Wisconsin.


Purple Coneflower

6

Introduced

Prairie Moon.


Scarlett Bees Balm (Monarda didyma)

6

Introduced

Prairie Moon.


Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis)

6

Introduced

Britton Woods - Brown County, OH. I have since discovered a small colony of these existing near the opposite corner of the lot and just over the property line.


Violet Woodsorrel

6

Introduced

Started from a parent colony in Brown County, Ohio.


Virginia Bluebells

6

Introduced

Started from plants bought at CNC native plant sale.


Wild Hyacinth

6

Introduced

Started from a single plant bought at a native plant sale.


Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)

6

Introduced

Started from plants bought at CNC native plant sale.


Oval Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes ovalis)

6

Naturally Occurring

These emerge occasionally in late summer, but they're finicky... they don't stay in one spot, and I never know which years I'll find one.


Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

6

Naturally Occurring

Becoming more common here following invasive removals. I've also brought some in from Britton Woods to plant at the top of the hill. I only found it occurring naturally here toward the bottom of the hill.


American Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)

5

Introduced



Pin Oak (Quercus palustris)

5

Introduced

Cultivated seedling descended from a parent plant in Troy, Ohio.


Black Walnut (Juglans Nigra)

5

Naturally Occurring

One of the dominant canopy trees at this location.


Bitternut Hickory

5

Natural Succession

Several bitternut hickory seedlings have emerged following invasive removals.


Dogwood (Cornus Florida)

5

Naturally Occurring

Two mature trees existed in the woods when we bought the house. Several seedlings have been discovered post honeysuckle removal.


Sugar Maple

5

Naturally Occurring

One of the common over-story trees in our woods.


Common Moonseed (Menispermum canadense)

5

Naturally Occurring



Toadshade Trillium (Trillium sessile)

5

Naturally Occurring

Another success story. I only had one of these on the lot at the start of invasive removals. Now there is a fairly large number... The single individual expanded, and I also brought some in and reestablished colonies in different places within the woods.


Wild Leek (Allium tricoccum)

5

Naturally Occurring



Wild Onion

5

Naturally Occurring



Cream Violet (Viola striata)

5

Introduced

Plant rescued from an eroding island in a creek at Britton Woods.


Gray's Sedge (Carex grayii)

5

Introduced

Plant rescued from an eroding island in a creek at Britton Woods.


Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium)

5

Introduced

Plants given to me by a fellow gardener in the same Five Mile Creek corridor.


Jacobs Ladder (Polemonium Reptans)

5

Introduced

Purchased at CNC native plant sale.


Purple Cress (Cardamine duouglassii)

5

Introduced

Pulled from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


Fragile Fern (Cystopteris)

5

Introduced

Britton Woods - Brown County, OH.


Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana)

5

Introduced

Given to me by a fellow gardener in Troy, OH.


Waterleaf

5

Introduced

Pulled from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

5

Introduced

Started from a parent colony in Brown County, Ohio.


Star Chickweed / Tennessee Starwort (Stellaria)

5

Introduced



Crownbeard (Verbesina)

5

Introduced

Started from a parent colony at Britton Woods in Brown County, Ohio.


Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

5

Introduced

Started from a parent colony at Britton Woods in Brown County, Ohio.


White Fawnlily (Erythronium albidium)

5

Introduced

Started from a parent colony at Britton Woods in Brown County, Ohio.


Hackberry

4

Naturally Occurring



Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

4

Natural Succession

Two honey locust seedlings have emerged following invasive removals.


False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)

4

Naturally Occurring

Very pleased with the expansion of this colony post invasive removals. There were only a few struggling individuals in the beginning. Now there is a very large colony in large clumps throughout the entire woods.


Mayapple

4

Naturally Occurring

Has expanded aggressively following invasive removals.


Smooth Rockcress (Borodinia laevigata)

4

Naturally Occurring



Smooth Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

4

Natural Succession

I just realized in 2023, after 16 years working on this, that I have some of these mixed in with the Maianthemum Racemosum. They aren't as common and aren't noticeable until they bloom. In the early years most of the individuals in both colonies were eaten by deer before they had a chance to bloom.


Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza)

4

Natural Succession

I did not notice this at anytime while clearing honeysuckle or at any time in the past 15 years on our lot. Pretty sure this came to exist on our lot only after invasive removals. It's pretty common, but hadn't seen it here before.


Pale Corydalis (Corydalis flavula)

4

Naturally Occurring



Dwarf Larkspur

4

Introduced

Seeds and plants pulled from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


ZigZag Spiderwort (Tradescantia subaspera)

4

Introduced

Started from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


Hog Peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata)

4

Introduced

Seeds and plants pulled from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

4

Introduced

Purchased from CNC Native Plant Sale.


Late Figwort (Scrophularia marilandica)

4

Naturally Occurring



Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

4

Introduced

Purchased from CNC Native Plant Sale.


Woodland Phlox

4

Introduced

Plants pulled from a parent colony existing at Britton Woods in Brown County, OH.


Black Cherry (Prunus Serotina)

3

Naturally Occurring



Box Elder (Acer Negundo)

3

Naturally Occurring

Very common under-story tree. One of the most prolifically occurring seedling trees following honeysuckle removal.


Eastern Red Cedar

3

Naturally Occurring



Eastern Redbud

3

Naturally Occurring



Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

3

Naturally Occurring



Bristly Greenbrier (Smilax tamnoides)

3

Natural Succession



Christmas Fern

3

Naturally Occurring

A decent sized colony now exists near the bottom of the hill. There was only one sickly plant existing prior to invasive removals.


Clustered Black Snakeroot (Sanicula odorata)

3

Introduced

Introduced from Britton Woods. Expanding aggressively.


Cutleaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)

3

Naturally Occurring



Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron)

3

Naturally Occurring



Enchanter’s Nightshade (Circaea canadensis)

3

Naturally Occurring

This plant has expanded very aggressively post invasive removals. It's not exactly desirable, but it's native and taking up space that otherwise might be filled in with plants like garlic mustard.


Hooked Buttercup (Ranunculus recurvatus)

3

Naturally Occurring



Jack in the Pulpit

3

Naturally Occurring

This species has expanded noticeably following invasive removals.


Meadow Sedge (Carex granularis)

3

Naturally Occurring



Virginia Jumpseed (Persicaria virginiana)

3

Naturally Occurring



Virgin's Bower (Clematis virginiana)

3

Naturally Occurring



White Snakeroot

3

Naturally Occurring

Another plant that is common here. It existed in abundance before, during, and after invasive removals.


Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

3

Introduced

Plants purchased from Prairie Moon.


Foxglove Beardtongue (Pentstemon digitalis)

2

Introduced

Plants purchased at CNC Native Plant Sale.


Fireweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius)

2

Naturally Occurring



American Elm (Ulmus americana)

2

Naturally Occurring



Blue-eyed Grasses (Genus Sisyrinchium)

2

Naturally Occurring



Clearweed (Pilea pumila)

2

Naturally Occurring



Common Beggars-Tick (Bidens frondosa)

2

Naturally Occurring



Jewelweed

2

Naturally Occurring



Fleabane (genus Erigeron)

2

Naturally Occurring



Old-Field Aster (Aster racemosus)

2

Naturally Occurring



Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)

2

Naturally Occurring



Tangled Thread Moss (Amblystegium varium)

2

Naturally Occurring



Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)

2

Naturally Occurring



Virginia Stickseed (Hackelia virginiana)

2

Naturally Occurring



White Avens (Geum canadense)

2

Naturally Occurring



Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)

2

Introduced

Started from a parent colony at Britton Woods in Brown County, Ohio.


Clammy Ground Cherry (Physalis heterophylla)

1

Introduced

CNC Native Plant Sale.


Confederate Violet (Viola sororia f. priceana)

1

Introduced

Given to me by a fellow gardener who lives in Troy, OH.


Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)

1

Introduced

Collected seed from along the Ohio River in Hamilton County, OH.

Indian Tobacco (Lobelia inflata)

1

Naturally Occurring



Mock Strawberry (Potentilla indica)

1

Naturally Occurring



Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans

1

Naturally Occurring



Pokeberry (Phytolacca americana)

1

Naturally Occurring

Have one large colony. It's been very effective at drowing out garlic mustard in that area.


Blue Violet

1

Naturally Occurring



Black Locust

0

Naturally Occurring

My understanding is that Black Locust is a native tree east of the Appalaichans, but not native to Ohio (hence the 0 CofC).


Bedstraw (Galium aparine)

?

Naturally Occurring

There is some debate over whether or not this is a native plant. I'm including it in this list but with a CofC of 0.


Cressleaf Groundsel (Packera glabella)

0

Naturally Occurring



Rhomboid Mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea)

0

Naturally Occurring



Spotted Spurge (Euphorbia maculata)

0

Naturally Occurring



Yellow Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)

0

Naturally Occurring



Panicled Aster (Symphyotrichum lanceolatum)

0

Naturally Occurring



American Holly (Ilex opaca)

?

Natural Succession

One american holly seedling has emerged following invasive removals.


Non-Native To North America:


Species

Status

Notes


Callery Pear

Expanding

Seedlings emerge more frequently post honeysuckle removal. Once the under-story and canopy recover, I expect to see fewer Callery Pear seedlings.


Tree of Heaven

Expanding

Seedlings emerge more frequently post honeysuckle removal. Once the under-story and canopy recover, I expect to see fewer Tree of Heaven seedlings.


Burning Bush

Expanding

Seedlings emerge more frequently post honeysuckle removal. Once the under-story and canopy recover, I expect to see fewer Burning Bush seedlings. They're easy to stay on top of as long as I pull them every year when young.


Liriope (Liriope muscari)

Expanding

Expanding, but slowly. Planning to completely knock it out this year before too many plants develop.


Carpet Bugle (Ajuga reptans)

Stable

Been holding these in check, but need to work a little harder to completely extirpate.


Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei)

Stable

Stable or possibly declining but only because I stay on top of it. Less aggressive in shade.


Burdock

Stable



Creeping Charlie (Glechoma Hederacea)

Stable

Not a battle I'm currently choosing. This stuff exists, but isn't widespread, doesn't expand much, and doesn't crowd anything out.


Hairy Bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)

Stable

Not a battle I'm currently choosing. This stuff exists, but isn't widespread, doesn't expand much, and doesn't crowd anything out.


English Ivy (Hedera helix)

Stable

Stable on my lot... I pull new outcroppings every year. Expanding on neighboring lots, could become a bigger problem.


Low Smartweed (Persecaria longiseta)

Stable

Not a battle I'm currently choosing. This stuff exists, but isn't widespread, doesn't expand much, and doesn't crowd anything out.


Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

Stable



Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)

Stable

Not a battle I'm currently choosing. This stuff exists, but isn't widespread in the shade, doesn't expand much, and doesn't crowd anything out.


Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Stable

Pull it every year to keep the population stable. This is another one where shade helps keep it from growing quickly.


Lesser Celandine (Ficaria verna)

Stable

Currently the one plant I spend the most time on. Have to work like crazy just to keep the population from expanding.


Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora)

Stable

Not a big problem here. I notice new ones every year or two, but they're easy to pull when I see them.


Bush Honeysuckle

Declining

This is much less work now that all of the large plants have been removed.
Definitely declining in terms of biomass needing to be removed, but still pull lots of seedlings every year.


Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Declining

Used to notice this more often shortly after invasive removals. More dense canopy, understory, and herbaceous layer are shading it out..


Rose of Sharon

Declining

It's taken years to get ahead of this one, but it is now declining. Still have to pull a few every year.


Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum)

Declining

Exists in clumps here and there. Not nearly as common in shadier areas.


Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

Declining

Close to being extirpated. Haven't seen any this year, so I'm hoping I got it all.


Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Declining

Saw more of them shortly after initial invasive removals when more sun was able to hit the ground. See very few now. Shade is doing the work for me.


Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

Declining

I have to pull a little less every year. Take a long time getting ahead of this one... but I'm slowly getting there.


Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)

Extirpated

A single japanese maple seedling emerged a few years ago. I was going to let it go just to see what would happen but it didn't come back the following year.


Creeping Bellflower (Capanula rapunculoides)

Extirpated

Had a couple of these pop-up one year. I didn't remove them, but they didn't come back. This was shortly after initial honeysuckle removal when there was lots of sun hitting the forest floor.


Curly Dock (Rumex crispus)

Extirpated

Had a couple of these pop-up one year. I didn't remove them, but they didn't come back. This was shortly after initial honeysuckle removal when there was lots of sun hitting the forest floor.


Moth Mullein (Verbascum blattaria)

Extirpated

Had a couple of these pop-up one year. I didn't remove them, but they didn't come back. This was shortly after initial honeysuckle removal when there was lots of sun hitting the forest floor.


Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Extirpated

Had a couple of these pop-up one year. I didn't remove them, but they didn't come back. This was shortly after initial honeysuckle removal when there was lots of sun hitting the forest floor.


Periwinkle (Vinca Minor)

Extirpated

Pretty sure I've finally removed all of it.


Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum)

Extirpated

Haven't had any come up in several years.


Variegated Solomon’s Seal

Extirpated



White Mulberry (Morus alba)

Extirpated



Wild Grape Vine (Vitis spp)

Extirpated



Yellow Rocket (Barbarea vulgaris)

Extirpated

Haven't come across any of this for a long while.




Publicado el junio 27, 2023 12:07 TARDE por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

01 de mayo de 2023

Tree Survey - Final Consolidated Results

Final Consolidated Results:
American Beech.......: 002 (Fagus grandifolia)
Ash..................: 346 (Fraxinus)
Black Cherry.........: 089 (Prunus serotina)
Black Locust.........: 004 (Robinia pseudoacia)
Box Elder............: 163 (Acer negundo)
Buckeye..............: 002 (Aesculus)
Callery Pear.........: 043 (Pyrus calleryana)
Dogwood..............: 003 (Cornus florida)
Eastern Redbud.......: 004 (Cercis canadensis)
Eastern Red Cedar....: 002 (Juniperis virginiana)
Elm..................: 060 (Ulmus)
Hackberry............: 059 (Celtis occidentalis)
Hickory..............: 013 (Carya)
Honey Locust.........: 002 (Gleditsia triacanthos)
Oak..................: 003 (Quercus)
PawPaw...............: 018 (Asimina triloba)
Sugar Maple..........: 050 (Acer sacharum)
Tulip Poplar.........: 010 (Liriodendron tulipifera)


Total Trees..........: 873
Total Native Trees...: 830

A total of 873 tree seedlings were observed in the study area following honeysuckle and garlic mustard removal.

This was an unscientific study. Invasives were removed haphazardly and over the course of several years in fits and starts. All sorts of different removal methods were used (hand pulling, root docking, cut and paint w/glyphosate, string trimming, etc.). No grid was laid out prior to conducting the survey (we just walked through making observations). Wild homo sapiens (neighborhood kids) had unfettered access to the study area during the study. I could go on and on. The point is... there were no formal controls. But that's also what makes it interesting... A completely unscientific person fumbled around in the woods removing invasives and the result was 830 native tree seedlings. That's a pretty good result.

346 of these seedlings were Ash. I remember reading somewhere that before the Emerald Ash Borer, the majority of Ohio's trees were Ash. This was hard to believe at the time. When you walked through a forest, even back then, you noticed Ash... but it didn't seem like most of the trees were Ash. I think this is because you tend to focus on the mature trees in a forest, not seedlings and saplings. In terms of number of individuals, when seedlings and saplings are taken into account, the Ash is triumphant. Obviously, the strategy of the Ash is to be a prolific seeder and hope that a couple make it to maturity. I'd guess that the Tulip Poplar has the opposite strategy.

There were only 10 Tulip Poplars observed and yet Tulip Poplar was one of the dominant canopy trees on our lot even before the Emerald Ash Borer came to town. The 10 Tulip Poplars observed, were much taller than the Ash trees. Their strategy seems to be, seed less / grow more.

The Box Elder might be most interesting. It had the second most instances and is more likely than Ash to live to maturity. I'm told it's Ohio's only native Maple. It's a prolific seeder with 163 total specimens observed, but it's also a really fast grower. This is both a blessing and a curse. My overarching goal is to assist regeneration, not shade it out. Box Elders are prolific seeders, grow fast, and have a dense canopy. If I want to move as quickly as possible toward healthy, mature, diverse forest... it seems I'll need to thin these out to make sure I don't lose some of the under-represented and less common specimens.

Specimens like American Beech or Chinquapin Oak, both of which have a Coefficient of Conservatism score of "7". Do what now? Yah, I didn't know what Coefficient of Conservatism (CofC) meant when I started either. It's a way of assigning a value to the specialized needs of some plants. You could throw a rock in any direction in the state of Ohio and have a reasonable chance at hitting a Box Elder. You are much less likely to hit a Beech or Chinquapin. The higher the CofC, the more specialized the needs of the species. American Beech and Chinquapin have scores of "7". The Box Elder... "3".

The Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) index for the State of Ohio defines CofC scores for our state. Here's what they have to say about the range from 6 to 8, the range that includes Beech and Chinquapin... "Plants with a narrow range of ecological tolerances that typify a stable or near climax community". Now we're talking! But the FQA is about more than just trees. I'll need to keep the composition of seedlings, saplings, over-story, under-story, and herbaceous layer moving in this direction and I'll eventually get there. But how to keep the progress going?

I've decided to borrow the concept of collection and extraction policies from arboretums. For now, my extraction policy is very simple. If it's non-native and aggressive, extract it. My collection policy is equally simple. If it's locally native, and especially if I can find a local genotype, collect it.

It's appropriate to borrow the extraction and collection policy concept from arboretums. I have inadvertently encouraged enough species to become one. Arbnet requires 25 unique species to be a Level 1 arboretum. I observed 18 species but only identified Ash, Elm, Oak, and Hickory to the genus. I have at least three variety of oaks, two types of hickory, and two types of Ash. Bringing me to 22 species. If I throw in Sycamore, Sassafras, and Basswood, all of which occur on our lot albeit just outside of the study area, I'm at 25.

I would't be at 25 without having removed the invasives. Five of the species that were counted in the study had no representatives here prior to invasive removals. American Beech, Blue Ash, two varieties of Hickory, and Honey Locust were not here when we moved in. My inadvertent "arboretum" didn't exist here until I made room for it. The wind and the wildlife did the planting, I've just nudged things in the right direction.

Publicado el mayo 1, 2023 11:33 MAÑANA por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

29 de abril de 2023

The Ditch I'm Digging In...

This is a picture of where I get some of my transplanted plants. Generally I avoid removing wild plants from locations where they are occurring naturally. I'm choosing to move (rescue?) some of these for the following reasons...

1) I own the ditch. Er... strictly speaking my wife owns the ditch. I've been a stay-at-home Dad the past 15 years and she earned the money to buy the ditch along with a small bit of acreage attached.

2) Several colonies of plants growing in the ditch chase the sun out to the very edge of the ditch where new gravel is laid on the berm next to the road. I can't see the sense in letting dwarf larkspur or bloodroot be repetitively mowed and occasionally buried in gravel. I leave plenty of plants existing in the ditch since the road happens to be part of the Buckeye trail and the hikers and bikers probably enjoy seeing larkspur, bloodroot, and some of the other goodies in the ditch.

3) The plants are transported from this location less than 100 miles to the Cincinnati area. This is similar to the designated radius that Shaker Trace uses when collecting seed. I feel like I'm at least mimicking the approach of experts. The only difference being that I'm bringing home plants and not seed.

4) I usually install the plants in a "detox" bed inside my larger woodland garden at home. The detox bed allows me to watch the transplants more carefully to see if any stowaways came along with them in the soil. I'm somewhat fearful of inadvertently transporting something like Japanese Stiltgrass along with the plants from the ditch. Generally speaking Hamilton County has all the invasives that Brown County has. There would be more risk if the plants were moving in the other direction (this is rationalization but it's also largely true).

** I have no formal training in any of this stuff so it's entirely possible that I'm doin' it wrong. If so, let me hear about it. I'm not opposed to buying local, regional, or national genotypes from native plant sales but woodland ephemerals are generally not available there. Worse, these sales occasionally list non-native, ecologically questionable plants as native and by extension ecologically desirable. I view Shaker Trace as the gold standard in this type of work. Hopefully in the future they'll be able to make some seed available to the public. Local genotypes, collected with the most rigid standards and inclusive of woodland ephemerals for those working on at-home restorations.

*** Lately we've been talking about using our vegetable garden beds in winter to try to get some seeds like larkspur and bloodroot to germinate at home. People talk about being successful at this online... might as well give it a shot.

Publicado el abril 29, 2023 11:50 MAÑANA por stockslager stockslager | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario