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| I neglected to label some of the seeds I'd collected--I hope not to do that next year. I *think* this may be New York ironweed. I hope it is. Time will tell. :) |
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| More little bluestem...maybe my favorite grass! |
Trying to recreate the magic:
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| I had collected dogbane seedpods--I didn't label them, but I did recognize them. :) The seedpods were still intact, so I broke one open, only to see the white fluff spill out like sparks from a magic wand! I called Jeff over to show him, and asked him to take a picture as I tried to recreate the effect. (Thank you Jeff...you get credit for the above photos! :) ) |
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| I planted a mix of seeds in the original plastic window boxes left by the previous owner. I've used them for the past three years. There was no snow to cover them with, but, at least for a moment, some snow began to fall...for a moment, I thought they'd get a thin layer of snow, but the snow stopped as quickly as it began, so I covered them again with screens...I'm not taking any chances on critters getting at them. |
second batch...but, I still have another batch to go.
5 comments:
Little Bluestem is a wonderful grass. I'm fortunate enough to have a neighbor who restored a shortgrass prairie a few years ago who allowed me to harvest a ton of seed this past Fall. I decided to dormant plant the seed in Fall along with all of the other seed I collected even though I know the germination rate will potentially be pretty poor. I'll know in a few months if everything worked according to plan.
It's good to see other native plant folk busy at work this time of year.
Nicholas,
Little bluestem has a special place in my heart. I *love* the color of it back-lit by the sun in the otherwise pretty bleak winter. There are other native grasses I want to include...but I'm glad that I'm getting a head start on the little bluestem. I can't wait to have huge swaths of it.
I hope you have greater success with your fall planting than you expect. How truly wonderful to have a neighbor who is involved in a prairie restoration project! Not only is he(?) a great source of seed, but also of support and shared interests. Just think how your project combined with your neighbor's will benefit wildlife.
In the foolishness of my youth, I remember thinking how great it would be to create natural habitat among my neighbors' more traditional lawns and landscapes...so that all of the wildlife would come to me. I think I also hoped to inspire them, but I was hardly thinking of the greater benefit to wildlife by larger areas to support larger populations.
Having friends with species you lack is pretty nice. I have tons of big bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass, but little bluestem is very sparse. In return I remove invasive brush from their place from time to time.
I started planting for wildlife when I was about 14 years old and since have seen a huge jump in the amount of wildlife I see and the diversity. As much as I wish my neighbors would plant more natives, I know it's a hard sell. If anything, I'm hoping to raise the bar in the neighborhood just a little.
Sorry for the delay...I had a problem signing in to my blog. I'm back now.
I'm glad to hear you're removing invasive species. I'm hoping you do raise the bar in your neighborhood. My theory has always been that people buy calendars of the beauty of natural areas, so why not plant the beautiful natives in one's own yard to enjoy the beauty close up?
Sorry for the delay...I had a problem signing in to my blog. I'm back now.
I'm glad to hear you're removing invasive species. I'm hoping you do raise the bar in your neighborhood. My theory has always been that people buy calendars of the beauty of natural areas, so why not plant the beautiful natives in one's own yard to enjoy the beauty close up?
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