Native Plant Action Network

MEADOW PLANNING TIME IS NOW

2012-01-25T13:59:00.002-05:00

SPRING IS COMING, SPRING IS COMING---It really is, you know.

This past Fall we again collected and cleaned seeds from native plants in our area in preparation for planting native wildflower and grass meadows in 2012.

We have collected seed from more than 60 species of wildflowers and about a dozen grasses.

We have one 1.5 acre meadow to plant in Campbelltown in southern Lebanon County.

All the rest are small sites.

I am actively looking for new sites, so if you are interested, please give me a call at (717) 304- 6003 or send an email to dickbrownnpan@gmail.com.

To extend the seed as far as possible I would like to limit the size of the sites to no greater than 50 feet X 100 feet or 5000 square feet.

It can be wet or dry, tall or short---you decide.

I have to purchase some seed but the seed mixes will NOT cost you anything if you helped clean or collect the seeds.

However, if you did not participate in any volunteer activities there will be a small fee to cover costs of seed and materials. The fee will between $25 and $50 depending upon the size of the site.

For more info read the post on this blog titled Planting Native Wildflower and Grass Meadows

Also to view some meadow examples, go to any slideshow on my blog and click on the photo and it will go right to my Picasa Gallery on Google. There are more than 40 albums, some of meadows s

IN COLD WEATHER, LIQUID WATER IS CRITICAL FOR WILDLIFE

2011-10-27T20:01:00.006-04:00

This winter I will again be participating in Project Feeder Watch sponsored by the Department of Ornitholgy at Cornell University and the Audubon Society.
This birdwatching activity is a lot of fun and contributes to the continuing collection of data on the activities of the birds of North America.

For years I have used a heater in my water garden to provide a water source for creatures visiting my backyard in the wintertime.

In the Winter of 2010-2011 I came to fully realize the critical value of liquid water when there is a long cold spell with below freezing temperatures.

On really cold days, I observed a steady stream of birds and squirrels getting a drink from this water garden. Tracks told me the nighttime visitors to the watering hole included deer, fox, opossom and possibly a coyote.

I even observed birds taking a bath at temperatures well below freezing---the "polar bears" of the avian world.

So if you want to improve the habitat in your backyard, put in a water garden with a heater. The creatures who visit will thank you and you will enjoy the view.

PLANTING NATIVE WILDFLOWER AND GRASS MEADOWS

2011-10-27T19:29:00.004-04:00

Now is the time to start planning your strategy for planting native wildflower and grass meadows.

If you are collecting and cleaning seed in preparation for planting either this Fall or in the Spring of 2012, you are all set. If you are starting from scratch, you may need to purchase seed from one of the companies that specializes in native plants. You can buy seed in a ready made mix or as pure seed that you can mix yourself.

Once the seed is acquired, it can be combined with other seeds in a mix. A mix is a combination of seeds that are appropriate for growing in a particular place. The seeds in these meadow mixes are usually from prairie plants that are native to Pennsylvania and have lived here for thousands of years, so they have adapted to the growing conditions that exist in this part of the Country. Some are common such as the milkweeds and goldenrods, while others are rare and are only found in special places. Whenever possible we try to collect local genotypes to create these meadows.

I have supervised the planting of more than 30 meadows over the last 9 years at a variety of locations. We have planted meadows at sites in Lebanon, Lancaster, Huntingdon, Cumberland, York and Wayne Counties. They have ranged in size from a 15 foot X 15 foot plot in a backyard to more than 2 acres in a Natural Area. Some of the meadows are wet while other are well drained and dry. The mixes I have used are about half native grasses and half native wildflowers; and include at least 40 or more native wildflowers and 6 or more native grasses. These mixes can be put together for a wet site, a dry site or a wet/dry site (an area that has wet and dry soils). Some plants like Cardinal Flower do best when their "feet" are wet, while others like Butterfly-weed need dry, well drained locations. Whenever possible we try to plant the seed where it will have the best chance for success.

Once the meadows have become established, we have been able to collect seed from existing meadows to plant new ones, so we can increase the populations of the plants from one year to the next. With each new site we create habitat for the native plants as well as the butterflies, birds, mammals and other creature that use these areas for food and cover.
-
The procedure:

The site is prepared by removing the existing vegetation to a bare soil surface. Each site is different, so the use of herbicides and the method of preparation varies. The meadow is divided into a grid with about 2000 to 2500 square feet in each section.

The seed (about 1 lbs) is combined with 12 pounds of sand and a quart of water and mixed thoroughly. This mixture is divided in half. The first half is hand broadcast in one direction over the entire 2500 square foot site. The second half is sown in a perpendicular direction to the first planting movement to give the best distribution of the seed over the site. After the seed is planted, seed to soil contact needs to occur so it will stay in place and germinate. This is done with the back of a garden rake, a roller, a cultipacker or a similar piece of equipment.

If you would like to plant a native wildflower/grass meadow on your property, let me know. At this point we are collecting seed for planting in 2012. After we conclude collection, we will clean the seed and then get it ready for planting in the Spring. If you decide to buy the seed, it is still worth pursuing. It may cost to begin, but the rewards will last a lifetime.

CONTACT INFORMATION---

e-mail-- dickbrownnpan@gmail.com
Cell Phone---717-304-6003

A Tree Does Not Make A Forest

2011-02-16T15:10:00.003-05:00

In my opinion, the current method of planting trees and shrubs in riparian buffers of streams to improve water quality and control the nutrients entering the Chesapeake Bay is not working. There is no question that a thick natural forest ecosystem along a stream is the ideal. A forest is made up of thousands of organisms from bacteria and molds to woodland asters to giant willows and oaks. These complex ecosystems have evolved over thousands of years and can not be created just by planting a few trees and shrubs---it will take generations to return these areas to something resembling the pristine past.

Meanwhile there is the normal die-off of plantings, costs of materials such as tree tubes and stakes aa well as the high cost of herbicides and labor to control the variety of invasive plants growing in these landscapes.

In South Londonderry Township in southwestern Lebanon County, PA, where I live, one riparian buffer project is an example of what happens when there is no real follow through with maintenance.In 2004 the Chesapeake Bay Foundation spent $12,000 to plant, stake and tube about 100 trees and shrubs in the Kreider’s Glen Natural Area in Campbelltown. No maintenance was done and in a recent survey only about half of the plants had survived. If 50 trees survived that is $240/tree. In the current economic times this is NOT cost effective. Recently I visited the site and discovered a Silver Maple growing in a tree tube had died---it was about 7 feet tell.

I removed the tube and discovered an active mouse nest inside the tube at the base. The tree had been girdled by the rodents. I decided to remove the other remaining tubes and discovered three more of the trees had rodent nests inside the tubes and had also been chewed.

I have been planting native wildflower and warm season grass meadows for the past eight years. I have assisted landowners plant meadows in York, Cumberland, Lancaster and Lebanon Counties in PA. These have ranged from as small as 300 square feet in a backyard to more than 2 acres. The plant seeds used in these activities were native to Pennsylvania and were collected, cleaned and planted by volunteers using the hand broadcast method. Each meadow was different, but the mixes used included at least 40 to 60 native wildflowers and 6 to 12 native grasses.

My suggestion:

In riparian stream buffer areas where controling erosion and nutrient runoff is the goal, plant native wildflower and warm season grass meadows in conjunction with shrub and tree plantings.

Procedure:

1. Plant a meadow of native wildflowers and grasses on the selected site FIRST. Depending on the plant mix used the plants can get four to eight feet tall and grow quite thick. Most of the plants I work with do not appeal to deer and they produce a multitude of seeds for any rodent interested. Once the meadow has matured in 2 to 3years then go to the next step.

2. Once there is sufficient growth, plant the trees and shrubs right in the meadow. They will not need to be staked, the vegetation will hold them up, There will be little need for herbicides, because the thick native meadow vegetation will smother out most invasive plants. I believe voles and mice will have so much to eat, that an occasional woody plant will not interest them. Deer damage will be less because they are basically lazy and eat what is easy to get and with the trees and shrubs in thick vegetation they will not bother them. If you plant hardy native woody plants, they will soon stand above the meadow plants and eventually through the natural process of succession the site will become a forest.

I am not sure of the costs, but considering you can establish a meadow in one summer and a forest will take a generation, this method of establishing buffers along streams and wetlands makes a lot of sense.

The Ecological Effects:

With a native plant meadow, you have food, cover and general habitat for a whole host of creatures including butterflies, bees, birds and mammals---all of whom are losing habitat as we develop areas for human use. The addition of native trees and shrubs will accelerate the move from farm field or pasture to a natural, diverse ecosystem. Using this method of stream clean up benefits all the living organisms in this intricate ecosystem from the butterflies of Lebanon County to the crabs crawling around in the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay.

WE CAN DO THIS.

THE GHOST PLANT

2011-02-15T17:02:00.004-05:00

The white milkweed I call "The Ghost Plant" was discovered in southern Lebanon County, PA in July of 2007. It produced one flower with one seed pod in 2007, one flower with no seed pod in 2008, one flower with four seed pods in 2009 and nine flowers with eleven seed pods in 2010. I have collected all the pods this plant has produced over the last four growing seasons.

So what is this plant? There is one called White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata) that is very rare in our area and has not been observed in years, but this does not appear to be it. The White species has purple centers in its white flowers and the specimen we are observing is pure white.
The consensus among those who have seen photos of this plant or have seen it first hand, is that this specimen is a "white" variety of the Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens).

There were 195 seeds in that 2007 pod. I gave most of the seeds to a variety of people with no obvious result, so in February of 2009 I planted the seed I had remaining in pots in my basement. I had 16 germinate and after "mother-henning" them all summer I had 12 that survived their first growing season. I gave one to a colleague, planted five in my landscape and put the rest in a natural area similar to the habitat of the parent plant.

In 2008 the plant again produced 1 flower, but for unknown reasons no seed pod formed.

In 2009 I found the plant when is was forming buds and kept tabs on it all summer as it went through its life cycle. It produced one flower and four fully mature seed pods which I collected on October 1, 2009.

The four seed pods produced by "The Ghost" in 2009 had a total of 465 seeds. I distributed the seed to a variety of individuals interested in native plant propagation, including The Brandywine Conservancy, The Mt Cuba Center, Bowmans Hill Wildflower Preserve and Fort Indiantown Gap. In the Spring of 2010, I planted some of the seed in pots and was able to keep about 30 of the plants alive all summer. I planted most of the plants at two locations on Pa State Gamelands. Both sites were cleared and specially prepared for the plantings. One was on SGL 145 near Mt Gretna, PA in Lebanon County and the other was near the Visitor Center at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in northern Lancaster County. Both locations are isolated from the Purple Milkweed populations, so we should get some idea of what these plants will look like in a couple of years.

The question that remains is---will the offspring of "The Ghost" produce white flowers or not?

The only clue so far is the color of the midribs of the plant's leaves. All the leaves of "The Ghost" have WHITE midribs. The seedlings that I grew from this plant in 2010 had pink leaf midribs like the Purple Milkweed. During the summer the deer ate these plants, so I was unable to see them actually bloom.

Hopefully, in 2011 one of "The Ghost's" offspring will bloom and we will start to get some answers.

Stay tuned.

In Winter, Liquid Water is Key.

2011-02-15T15:13:00.002-05:00

For years I have used a heater in my water garden to provide a water source for creatures visiting my backyard in the wintertime.

In the Winter of 2010-2011 I came to fully realoze the critical value of liquid water when there is a long cold spell with below freezing temperatures.

I even observed birds taking a bath at temperatures well below freezing---the "polar bears" of the avian world.

So if you want to improve the habitat in your backyard, put in a water garden with a heater. The creatures who visit will thank you and you will enjoy the view.

Green Concrete

2010-03-06T09:46:00.002-05:00

We are surrounded by Green Concrete. It is found in parks, play grounds, people's yards, schools, corporate headquarters and college campuses throughout America. It encircles our homes in small towns, rural areas and the big cities.

So how do we humans react to Green Concrete? What else? We turn it into a money making proposition. We pay to have it "installed"; we fertilize it to make it greener; we buy water to keep it green; we spend MILLIONS of dollars for toys to keep it in its place; we use MILLIONS of gallons of oil and natural gas products to maintain it and then complain because it makes us work TOO hard.

The modern American landscape is covered with Green Concrete. We raise 40 million acres of it (you can call it lawn, I prefer green concrete) every year. Have you tried eating the grass in your yard lately? Right , it tastes awful. Guess what, nothing eats it unless you import sheep or cows. Oh, I take that back---Canada Geese love it and you can find lots of poop as evidence.
The only thing more sterile than the American lawn is concrete or blacktop. If a "weed" or "bug" appears we spray it. We add fertilizer to make it greener. We water it when it gets dry and complain when we have to mow it.

Why not "plant" green astro-turf?---it stays green, needs no water or fertilizer and you never have to mow it. Damages from lawn maintenance: The fertilizers and sprays pollute our water ways; the fumes from the mowers create air pollution; the fuels and chemicals used to maintain it are mostly derived from fossil fuels; the noise is annoying and damaging to our hearing; watering lawns is a waste of precious water; turf absorbs very little runoff from rain storms; and worst of all, almost nothing can use it as a home.

So, I say look at your landscape and eliminate some of your lawn. Replace it with native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses. The changes will amaze you. You will get insects, birds, mammals and other creatures visiting you and enjoying the habitat that your work has created. Join the native plant movement.

Your world will thank you.

OAKS

2009-09-22T13:00:00.003-04:00

I love oaks. I live on 6 acres dominated by oak trees. They are tall, beautiful and majestic as they lift lobed-leaves to the heavens seeking the sunshine they need to survive. Each Summer and Fall their acorns shower down on us as the squirrels cut them from the stems and drop the empty hulls to the ground below.

I appreciate the oaks most of all in the winter for the warmth their wood provides as it burns in my wood stoves. The red oaks are the best fire wood trees in the forest. The grow straight, tall with only a few branches and provide a wood that is easy to cut and split. We have used a wood stove for our primary heat source since 198o. At least 9o % of the wood I have burned over that time was from red oaks.Oaks are the most ecologically valuable tree in the woods as well.

Besides the squirrels other creatures such as deer, bears, turkeys and the various rodents that call the oak forest home gain much of their food from the acorns and brouse oaks provide.Posted by Dick Brown

NATIVE PLANT ACTION NETWORK

2009-01-07T15:54:00.001-05:00

Native Plant Action Network
Dick Brown
Mt. Gretna, PA
E-mail: dickbrownnpan@gmail.com
motto: “We are all in this together”.

I have decided to focus on environmental issues that show our species how it can act locally and have a global impact. Energy, water quality, solid waste, air pollution, global warming, and other similar environmental issues all involve large numbers of people making difficult decisions. Result: Needed change comes very slowly, if at all.

Everyone lives on some piece of land somewhere and thus has an opportunity to have an impact on their local community. All land areas whether they be mowed lawns, farmed fields or vacant city lots, had in the past an assemblage of native plants growing there. So?

I am suggesting that we work where we can---in our own landscapes, yards, gardens, etc. to establish and maintain native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses. A landscape of concrete, blacktop, mowed lawn and alien plants is sterile and isolates us from the real world. By establishing plants native to the area where we have our home or our business, we give a wide variety of organisms a place to live and create a healthier environment for everyone.

My goal with the Native Plant Action Network is to provide information and assistance to anyone who is interested in moving toward a more natural landscape.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I will do what I can to help.