ecology Archives | Marek Landscaping

Plant of the Week: Calopogon tuberosus

Justine — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 16:29:49 +0000

Plant of the Week! This isn’t a spring-blooming plant, but we could all use some bright flowers right now. The Grass-pink is a native orchid found in high-quality bogs, fens, and wet meadows. It grows a single long, linear leaf and a raceme of 2-15 magenta (or rarely, white) flowers. It is a small but beautiful plant. Many pollinators visit the flowers, including bumblebees, halictid bees, beetles and butterflies. However, the flowers don’t provide the insects with any resources: instead, they trick them with pseudo-stamens. Bees are the primary pollinator because their weight on the flower causes the hinged lip of the flower to collapse into itself, attaching pollen on the back of the bee. If the bee makes the same mistake with another Grass-pink, the same mechanism will cause the pollen to contact the stigma, resulting in pollination. Start looking for the flowers in mid-June, but please don’t pick them! Grass-pinks are rare in some states as habitat loss and over-collecting have caused populations to decline.

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Plant of the Week! Wisconsin’s Hepaticas

Justine — Fri, 06 Mar 2020 16:14:17 +0000

Plant of the Week! It’s a little bit early now, but soon we will be seeing native ephemeral wildflowers emerging from last year’s leaf litter. One of the plants you might be lucky enough to encounter is Hepatica (Anemone acutiloba or A. americana). The two species here in Wisconsin are Sharp-lobed Hepatica and Round-lobed Hepatica, the main difference being the bluntness or “pointy-ness” of the three lobes of the leaf. The first thing you might notice about this plant, other than the beautiful delicate flowers, is how furry it is! Dense, downy trichomes cover the plant and are very noticeable as it first emerges. This protects the plant against the cold and wind. Another fascinating characteristic about this wildflower is how it reproduces: The capsule that holds the seeds also contains an oily structure that attracts ants. The ants take the seed capsules to their nests, essentially planting the seeds as they do. Start looking for this spring species in high quality woodlands next month.

Flowers can be white, light pink, or blue

The plants are densely covered in furry trichomes to help protect it against cold, windy weather.

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Plant of the Week: Invasive Epipactis helleborine

Justine — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 18:15:30 +0000

Plant of the Week! It’s the most interesting invasive species you’ve (maybe) never heard of! Epipactis helleborine is an invasive ORCHID. Orchids seem like fragile plants with super specific needs, not something to be compared with Garlic Mustard and Dame’s Rocket. Well, in this case both characteristics are true! Helleborine orchids rely on specific fungi to survive, and on wasps to reproduce. They attract the wasps by mimicking the scent of insect-damaged leaves, then get them to stick around by making them inebriated. Intrigued? Check out this article about Helleborine Orchid by In Defense of Plants. And if you have this interesting, but invasive plant in your yard, try to dig out the entire root system. Broken underground roots can grow new plants. (Photo from Wiscflora, http://wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=3529)

http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2015/7/23/an-orchid-invader-with-an-interesting-ecology

Photo from Wiscflora, http://wisflora.herbarium.wisc.edu/taxa/index.php?taxon=3529

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Plant of the Week: Parthenosissus quinquefolia

Justine — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 17:48:25 +0000

Plant of the Week! It’s everywhere- you might even have it in your yard without realizing it. Parthenosissus quinquefolia, Virginia Creeper, is a widespread and aggressive woody vine that grows over the ground, up trees, and on flat surfaces, including buildings. It’s often considered a weed, particularly when the vines climb up and cover trees, where they can outcompete the trees for sunlight. However, Virginia Creeper is also a cultivated plant and even has some cultivars. The leaves turn bright red in the fall, and its berries are eaten by birds (though poisonous to humans). If you like the look of Virginia Creeper’s relative, Boston Ivy (Parthenosissus tricuspidata), give this native alternative a try.

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Plant of the Week: Toxicodenron vernix

Justine — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 17:28:23 +0000

Plant of the Week! An uncommon shrub that doesn’t get much positive attention given its name, Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) is actually a really cool plant to encounter, provided you keep some distance! Poison Sumac only inhabits high quality wetlands, so seeing it means you’re probably in a pretty special place. It looks much like other native sumac, but the leaf margins are smooth, and the berries are white rather than red. The flowers provide pollen and nectar to bees and flies, and it is a host plant for moth caterpillars. Berries provide winter food for birds. The “poison” component of the plant is a compound called urushiol, and it only affects a few mammals, including humans. The rash we experience when exposed to poison ivy, sumac, or oak is actually an allergic reaction to urushiol. To learn more about Poison Sumac, check out this article by In Defense of Plants:

http://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/2020/1/28/a-closer-look-at-poison-sumac

Photo from In Defense of Plants

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Plant of the Week: Wisconsin’s Native Aralia

Justine — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 17:13:41 +0000

Plant of the Week! New year, new Perennial of the Year! If you haven’t heard, Aralia ‘Sun King’ has been named 2020’s Perennial Plant of the year by the Perennial Plant Association. It’s fast-growing, hardy to zone 3, and has bright gold foliage, making it an attention-getting plant, to be sure. Here at Marek Landscaping, we prefer ‘Sun King’s’ Wisconsin native relatives, Aralia racemosa, Spikenard, and A. nudicaulis, Wild Sarsaparilla. Both are herbaceous plants in the ginseng family. Spikenard can be used in the garden like a shrub, albeit one that will die back in winter, as it grows 3-5′ tall and wide and has large, pinnately compound leaves that lend it a course texture. Wild Sarsaparilla is a bit smaller, only reaching 2′ in height. Both have clusters of small white flowers followed by small round fruits that ripen to dark purple.

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Plant of the Week: A Brief History of Invasive Barberry

Justine — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 16:49:19 +0000

Plant of the Week! A brief history of the invasive Barberry. Two types of Berberis sp., Berberis vulgaris (Common) and Berberis thunbergii (Japanese) have escaped cultivation and caused damage to crops and native species for generations. Common Barberry is native to parts of Asia and was brought to the United States with European settlers in the 1600’s. It was a popular plant for its use as a hedge, producing fruits that were made into jam, and a yellow pigment that was used as a dye. By the 1900’s, however, Common Barberry was wreaking havoc on America’s wheat crops by acting as a host for a stem rust that affects grasses. From 1918 until the late 1970’s, the Barberry Eradication Program worked to kill the plant: over one million shrubs were killed in Minnesota alone. Meanwhile, Japanese Barberry, which first appeared in the US in the 1800’s, was being promoted as a rust-resistant alternative. Unfortunately, this plant also escaped cultivation, and is still a big problem in natural areas. Barberry is still sold in nurseries, including varieties that are said not to produce seed. However, reversion is not an uncommon occurance in plants, meaning that eventually even some of these “sterile” varieties might be able to produce seed in the future. The safest practice is to avoid Barberry altogether. Native alternatives include Glossy Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa var. ‘elata’), a native currant (Ribes spp.), or American Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum).

To learn more about Japanese Barberry or Common Barberry, visit https://www.fs.fed.us/databa…/…/plants/shrub/berthu/all.html and https://www.fs.fed.us/databa…/…/plants/shrub/bervul/all.html. To learn more about the Barberry Eradication Program, check out this article:

Barberry war: Why the USDA spent more than 50 years trying to eradicate this thorny bush in Minnesota

(Thanks Wisconsin First Detector Network )!

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Plant of the Week! Bryophyte Edition! Sphagnum spp.

Justine — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 23:17:39 +0000

Plant of the Week! Bryophyte edition! Wisconsin is home to over 30 species of Sphagnum moss. They occur on wet sites and are the defining species of bogs, forming the substrate both as living, floating mats, and with layers of dead, decaying material making up organic peat soils, which can go many feet deep. This thick layer of peat and growing Sphagnum essentially cuts off the bog from nutrients. The moss also acidifies its environment. These two factors make for low plant diversity within bogs, but the plants that inhabit them are highly specialized, and few are common in other places. Sphagnum moss is of great economic value in Wisconsin: among other uses, it’s a staple component in potting mixes. Harvesting peat and Sphagnum is a controversial practice, however, as it takes years for the vegetation to recover. To learn more about bogs, visit: https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/EndangeredResources/Communities.asp?mode=detail&Code=CPSHR054WIS . For more on Sphagnum, including photos, look here: https://www4.uwsp.edu/biology/courses/plantid/002-Sphagnum.htm . And while you’re there, click around and learn about some other Wisconsin Bryophytes! Go on, you earned it!

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Plant of the Week: Celastrus scandens

Justine — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 21:59:39 +0000

Plant of the Week! We love decorating with plants for the holidays. Their colors and scents bring warmth and memories to our doors, dining tables, and living rooms. But we have to remember to be careful when selecting our favorite botanical baubles. Plants from big box stores are often transported from out of state, potentially accompanied by new pests. Floral arrangements often contain the viable seed heads of invasive species. As if that wasn’t enough, even using native species isn’t always the answer, as it can lead to major impacts on wild populations. One plant that is experiencing such an impact is Celastrus scandens, American Bittersweet. Its berries are beautiful and long-lasting, making them very popular for arrangements. However, demand for the berries has led to a steep decline in wild populations. One way you can help is by buying American Bittersweet from a reputable nursery to plant in your yard. You can even pick your own decorative branches off your cultivated Bittersweet, in moderation, of course! To learn more about American Bittersweet and the problems it’s facing, check out this article from In Defense of Plants: http://www.indefenseofplants.com/…/…/12/american-bittersweet (Photo from In Defense of Plants)

Photo from In Defense of Plants

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Plant of the Week: Wisconsin’s Native Cacti

Justine — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 18:11:45 +0000

Plant of the Week! Wisconsin has a rich diversity of natural communities and ecological landscapes. Although there is no true desert here, there are sand prairies with specialized plants and animals that are adapted to the dry, hot conditions. Wisconsin is home to two species of cactus in the genus Opuntia: O. fragilis (Brittle Prickly Pear) and O. macrorhiza (Plains Prickly Pear). Both are low-growing and form mats of vegetation. Brittle Prickly Pear has pads that detach very easily; this is its main method of spreading, and can form mats up to 2 feet across. Both species produce large, showy yellow flowers during the summer. To see Prickly Pear in a unique Wisconsin environment, visit the Spring Green Preserve. This area is a combination of forest, bluff, and sand prairie, and is inhabited by a unique community of plants and animals, some of which don’t occur anywhere else in Wisconsin. To learn more about the Spring Green Preserve, visit: https://www.nature.org/…/places-we-p…/spring-green-preserve/

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