Prairie Works is the source for ecological and landscape services in Northwest Illinois. Prairie Works can assist on projects large and small ranging from prairie and woodland restoration, invasive species control, controlled burning, bio-engineered erosion control and landscaping through the use of native plants. Prairie Works offers an environmentally friendly and dynamic solution to traditional land use practices and strives to connect people to the natural history of the area.

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Archive for the 'seasonal' Category

Ephemeral Ponds

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on April 9, 2008
in Blog, remnant ecosystems, seasonal and woodland
. 0 Comments

Ephemeral - Existing only briefly

Ephemeral Pond in MarchSpring is a great (and the only) time of year to view epehemeral ponds that lay scattered in our woodlands. Ephemeral ponds, sometimes called vernal pools, are a small but important ecosystem as they harbor many different amphibians, birds and plants. They increase the local biodiversity greatly when present and are a dynamic part of woodland ecosystems.

These ponds are depressions with obstructed drainage that hold water for a short period of time following snowmelt and spring rains but typically dry out by mid-summer. Common plants of these habitats include: Yellow water crowfoot (Ranunculus flabellaris), bluejoint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), fowl manna grass (Glyceria striata), spotted cowbane (Cicuta maculata), smartweeds (Polygonum spp.), orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), and sedges (Carex spp.). During their existence these plants provide critical breeding habitat for many amphibians such as frogs and salamanders.

Ephemeral ponds also provide feeding, resting and breeding habitat for songbirds and a source of food and water for many mammals. They contribute to the biodiversity of a woodland in many ways. Ephemeral ponds fit into an eco-community context by the following attributes: their placement in woodlands, isolation, small size, hydrology and length of time they hold water. Trees adjacent to ephemeral ponds provide a variety of benefits such as maintaining cool water temperatures, preventing premature drying, and adding organic matter each fall. The annual input of leaves from trees around the pool support a detritus-based food web and a support a variety of invertebrates that are part of the food web.

Here, in the Driftless Area, ephemeral ponds are not as common as they are in flatter regions and are usually found in floodplains where the land is not sloped. I have noticed that old mining holes can behave similar to an ephemeral pond, but cannot hold water for very long. These little depressions are fun to watch over the year and should be enjoyed by any birder, animal lover or plant observer. 

http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/level3/WIephemeral.htm SE Wisconsin’s Ephemeral Pond Project

http://www.vernalpool.org/ Great Learning Resource (get a t-shirt)

http://www.epa.gov/r5water/ephemeralwetlands/ The E.P.A.’s information

Winter of 2007-08

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on April 1, 2008
in Blog, galena, ill, seasonal and weather
. 0 Comments

Making humour outside of Dubuque, IAOn September 15th 2007, Dubuque, IA recorded its earliest frost ever. Was this a sign of things to come? Today, winter is slowly coming to an end and we have historic winter weather statistics to report. Many cities and counties set record snowfall amounts here in the upper Midwest. We are also reporting colder than average temperatures and had lots of miscellaneous precipitation. This put a stress on road crews that was unbearable at times. Many school districts in the area have lengthened the school day in order to make up for the many “snow days” and munincipalities are scrambling to adjust budgets that were over-consumed by snow removal and salt costs.

Blizzard Conditions on Dec. 23rdIt all started on November 21st when we received 2.2 inches of the white stuff. We did not realize how well acquainted we would become… December gave us a plethora of rain, snow, ice and fog. We ended the month with 20.6 inches of snow and a record setting amount of rain (4.61 inches). We also had two vicious ice storms and 11 days of visibility of a quarter mile or less. We thought that winter came on strong but would fade out early. January was relatively easy when compared to its bookends. We received only 13.2 inches of snow but experienced a cold snap the last week of the month where nearby Waterloo, IA, fell to -29 below (January 23rd).

February 2008 was a month with many staggering weather statistics. Dubuque, IA, racked up a record amount of 32.5 inches of snow which fell on 80 percent of the days possible. This included an Ash Wednesday snowstorm that dropped 18″ of snow in JoDaviess County. A week long stretch of sub-zero temps followed. It became the 2nd wettest February in Chicago history. Madison, WI, broke its all time snow record very early in the month when winter was a mere 6 weeks old! The national guard was called out to Interstate 90 south of Madison on the 5th to help stranded motorists - the first time that’s happened in the Midwest since the famous Chicago blizzard of 1967. Famed Chicago weatherman, Tom Skilling, was creating stats about the month never heard before. Skilling said of February, “Sunshine in February was 40 percent of possible versus normal of 46 percent”? Whatever exactly happened, it was extremely cloudy, cold and snowy.

White EasterWe entered March with our local snowfall records in sight. Snow amounts were recorded sporadically and in small amounts. Lent ended in Chicago like it began, with a snowstorm. A Good Friday storm brought 7 inches of snow, setting the all time record for McHenry County, Illinois (77 inches). With that storm Chicago surpassed its 60 inch total and Madison, WI surpassed the 100 inch milestone. It was the first “White Easter” in 30 years for many areas. The Galena area had to wait until March 27th to break our all time record. This was set at the Dubuque Airport Thursday, March 27th at 7:30 P.M. with a wet and short-lived 4.4 incher.

Madison, WI - The most amazing statistic was brought to us by Madison, WI.

Weather records seem to be like records set in athletic realms, they are barely broken, just extending past. Records are made by small measurements, split seconds or a degree or two. A maximum threshold seems to always exist. This was not the case with Madison’s snowfall record. It shattered its previous record of 76.1 inches by over two feet (24.6 inches). Snow has been sitting on the ground there every day since December 2nd (another record broken). Many Chicagoans remember the infamous winters of the late 1970s. The record setting season for Chicago snowfall in 1978-1979 was 89.7 inches.

CanoeSledWith all the numbers attempting to explain the story, these statistics cannot convey the ice, sleet combined with snow (sneet), extremely dense fog, thunder snow, blowing winds and the relentless 3 inch snow events that we absorbed this winter. I was provided with many memorable driving experiences like my drive on December 23rd from Platteville to Galena that left fingerprints that are forever embedded into the steering wheel of our Volkswagen Passat. Also, my annual Easter weekend canoe trip was done with the sounds of snowplows in the distance. Not to be forgotten.

Cory alongside Cty. OWith that being said I thought I may add: The largest snowfall in JoDaviess County history occurred in April and the latest snow to ever fall in Chicago was on June 10, 1910…

Snowiest Winters for Dubuque, IA

  1. 76.2″…2007-08 (34.4 inches greater than normal)
  2. 75.7″…1961-62
  3. 75.0″…1974-75
  4. 71.5″…1959-60
  5. 71.3…1977-78
  6. 70.4″…1978-79
  7. 65.9″…1958-59
  8. 63.8″…1992-93
  9. 59.8″…1985-86
  10. 59.3″…1950-51

Official Snow Totals From Around The Region (as of April 1st)

Cedar Rapids, IA     59.9″    Normal   27.7″ (2nd Snowiest Ever)
Chicago (O’Hare)     60.3″    Normal   36.4″ (7th Snowiest Ever)
Chicago (Midway)   60.7″    Normal   42.9″ (7th Snowiest Ever)
Dubuque, IA            76.2″    Normal   42.0″ (Record Set)
Madison, WI            100.7″  Normal   46.3″ (Record Set)
Milwaukee, WI        98.9″   Normal   49.7″ (2nd Snowiest Ever)
Moline, IL                51.5″    Normal   33.7″ (2nd Snowiest Ever)
Rockford, IL            72.9″    Normal   37.3″ (2nd Snowiest Ever)

http://blogs.trb.com/news/weather/weblog/wgnweather/ Tom Skilling’s Blog

http://www.weather.gov/ Official Weather Recordings

Skunk Cabbage

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on March 3, 2008
in Blog, flora, native species and seasonal
. 0 Comments

Sympplocarpus foetidusThis is the time of year when we get to witness one of the true gems of native plant dynamics. Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) is found in wet woodlands, shaded streambanks, springs and on the edges of fens. It is the first flower to begin growing in late winter, creates a horrible odor and has great medicinal value. However, Skunk Cabbage is best known for its thermogenetic properties - it produces its own heat!

Beginning as early as late February Skunk Cabbage begins to appear, sometimes coming up through the snow and melting it in the process. It produces a foul odor (hence the common name) as it grows, attracting stoneflies and bees. These insects serve as its pollinators and are responsible for its reproduction. Breaking a portion of the leaf will give someone a deep whiff of the skunk-like smell. This odor also discourages herbivores from eating it, thus increasing its survival rate.

Skunk Cabbage Melting SnowSkunk Cabbage can create temperatures up to 35° C (95° Fahrenheit) by a process known as cyanide resistant cellular respiration. It is among a small group of plants that exhibit thermogenesis. This produced heat also helps spread its odor into the air. Simply put, Skunk Cabbage is warm blooded, like us.

Another rare trait - Skunk Cabbage has contractile roots. This pulls the plant down into the mud as it grows. The plant actually grows downward, although it attains a height of up to 18 inches. This makes the plant impossible to be dug from the ground, something the nursery trade learned long ago.

Skunk Cabbage is not rare but also not common. It can be found in most Northern Illinois counties but occurrence is sporadic elsewhere. In Wisconsin it is found in most counties of the state. The specific habitat that it prefers makes it hard to find. Large populations of this plant can turn into tourist areas this time of year. It is well documented that Chicagoland once had extremely high populations of Skunk Cabbage.

Mimicking SaltI used to have a large population behind my house in Bull Valley near Woodstock, ILL. A friend once thought that a deer had broken up a salt lick and spread it around the woodland, melting the snow… If you have never experienced this phenomena it should be put on your ‘to do’ list.

http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/spring1999/skunkcabbage.html Good Article

Merry Christmas (Prairie)

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on December 17, 2007
in Blog, driftless area, galena, ill, history, native species, prairie and seasonal
. 0 Comments

Merry Christmas Prairie - Mineral Point, WIS How do I incorporate Christmas and prairies? I know, I will write about ‘Merry Christmas Prairie’ in Mineral Point Wisconsin. Merry Christmas Prairie is a 43-acre prairie restoration that was conducted jointly by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Conservation Corp begining in 1988. It is located around Pendarvis/Merry Christmas Mine, both Wiconsin state historical sites. Merry Christmas Mine began operation on Christmas day in 1905. The surrounding prairie was planted in order to emulate the pre-settlement landscape that the early cornish miners of the area would have encountered in the 1820s. Altough the prairie itself is mediocre in quality, it’s association with the regions mining history makes it notable.

One of the most interesting tidbits about lead mining and local botony is the use and nameing of Amorpha canescens, Leadplant. Leadplant, technically a shrub, indicated the presence of lead beneath the surface. Due to its extremely deep taproot, Leadplant utilizes verticle crevices in the bedrock to reach for nutrients. Early miners looked for Leadplant and assumed mineral rich bedrock would lay underneath. Groves of Aspen trees also served this purpose - most likely Populus tremuloides, Quaking Aspen. Today, Leadplant is still found growing in prairie remnants throughout the Driftless Area and is a plant that I include in most prairie restorations that I perform.

Old Mine revealed after a controlled burn Before there was a 1849 gold rush in California there was a 1827 lead rush around Galena. Today, there are many remnants of the mining era that survive in the area. It is quite common to come across an old mine when walking through the woods around Galena, Shapville, Council Hill and Shullsburg. Although 150 years of weathering make them difficult to recognize they are usually defined by 3-8 foot deppressions in the soil with a gravelly base with no other explanation of its cause. The last lead mining operation in the region closed in 1977 at Shullsburg.

Lead Furnace Replica at Merry Christmas MinePendarvis and Merry Christmas Mine and Museum is a great way to learn about early lead and zinc mining operations in this area. There are many artifacts and descriptions of the lead mining process on the self guided walking tour around Merry Christmas Mine. A few hours at the site makes for a great education for anyone curious about how the mining process worked.  

An odd name for a prairie and a very heartfelt greeting this time of year. Merry Christmas to everyone - Cory -

http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/pendarvis/  Wisconsin State Historical Society

http://mineralpoint.com/living_history/pendarvis_historic_site.html  City of Mineral Point

Brush Piles

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on December 13, 2007
in Blog, fauna, invasive species, land management, seasonal and woodland
. 0 Comments

Typical Brush PileNow that snow has fallen and temperatures have dropped, the controlled burn season has ended and the brush clearing season has begun. Our woodlands are easily traversed now and the ground is solid, making invasive brush removal efficient and reducing disturbance. Invasive shrubs, low quality trees, and understory woody species that are crowding Bur and White Oaks are easily removed in the winter.  Invasive shrubs include species such as Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and Prickly Ash (Xanthium strumarium). Low quality trees include Box Elder (Acer negundo), Black Locust (Robinia psuedoacacia), Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana) and Maples (Acer spp.). When spring begins the cleared woodland begins to recover from encroachment. Byproducts of this management technique are low quality firewood and brush piles.

Brush Piles for HabitatBrush piles are constructed by placing the cut materials into piles. Brush piles make for less labor hours, prevent machinery from entering the restoration area and provide habitat for a variety of fauna. Songbirds use the top branches for perching and the small dead peices for nest building. Mammals, such as fox, rabbit, bobcat, squirrel and coyote, will utilize brush piles for dens if they are remote or for shelter in inclimate weather. Many amphibians use them for those same purposes and countless insects utilize the decaying wood. 

Burning Brush PilesWhen brush is very dense there can be many piles created or piles can become very large. In this situation, specfic piles can be burned to eliminate the quantity and size of them. Blowers with cruise control settings are used to consume piles faster and to reduce the size of the burn scar that is created. An inexpensive and easy-to-establish seed mix should be planted on top of the burn scar to assist in healing and to provide a starting point for native grasses to spread.

 Newly constructed piles are sometimes larger than desired but they will usually decrease by 50% as gravity and snow weight compress them to a shorter stature. There are three options for managing brush piles: they can be lit on fire shortly after they are piled, they can remain on site as habitat or they can sit until a controlled burn is performed, at which time the piles are consumed. In very large restoration projects a pit us dug and several thick tree trunks are layed across the top. Piles are then constructed on top of that while air is injected into the cavity below. This pit fire method consumes piles very quickly and leaves the ash to fall in the hole, which is then filled with soil.

A seemingly simple task turned into a science by land managers. 

Fall Colors

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on October 11, 2007
in Blog, flora, seasonal and weather
. 0 Comments

Fall Maple ColorWe live in an area of the world where we can experience the phenomenon of fall color change. Every year we ask ourselves, Will we have good fall color? Every year the show of colors is different, but why? With the glory of fall now in full effect, it’s time to look at the science of autumn beauty.

As many of you remember, clorophyll is what makes leaves green. Through the process of photosythensis sunlight is used to transform carbon dioxide and water into carbrohydrates which fuels the growth of the tree. During the spring and summer sunlight levels and tempuatures are high, making the photosynthetic process very active and keeping leaves green. As daylight hours and temperatures decrease the process slows down and the colors that remain in the tree leaves appear. Different tree species contain different chemicals such as: Anthocyanins (Reds & Purples), Carotenoids (Orange & Golds) and Tannins (Browns).  

With that simple rule in place we now look to what causes yearly and locational differences.

Temperature: The greatest opportunity for great fall colors are cool nights, but not below freezing. Early frosts will reduce the brilliancy of colors as it slows or stops the production of anthocyanins. New England states are known for their great fall colors because freezing rarely occurs early in the fall due to its proximity to the ocean.

Moisture: Stressed plants show their colors earlier than healthy plants. Drought years will produce more reds than usual as there is an increase of anthocyanins. Drought years will also produce colors earlier than usual. A wet spring will promote good color as stored sugars in the leaves are released.

Sunlight: Optimum conditions are for bright sunny days. During the ‘changing’ period sugars in the leaves are produced more rapidly when exposed to direct sunlight. This is why leaves on the outside of the canopy change faster and with more brilliancy. Fall weather that is overcast and rainy does not provide very showy displays.

To summarize, for optimum fall colors we would want all of the following conditions to be in place thoughout the year: A warm wet spring with favorable summer weather followed by sunny fall days with cool temperatures at night but not freezing. Easier said than done but certainly a dynamic part of nature that everyone can appreciate.

http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/  US Forest Service Fall Color Hotline

  

New England Aster

Published
by
Cory Ritterbusch
on September 10, 2007
in Blog, flora, native species, prairie and seasonal
. 0 Comments

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)There are a few signs that signal summer’s end and the arrival of fall. Shorter days, cooler nights and kids back in school. One sure sign for me is seeing the beginning blooms of New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae). New England Aster is one of the showiest native wildflowers and a very versatile plant when used in prairie restorations. The plant is suitable for a backyard garden but can also be found growing in roadsides.

New England Aster is native to most parts of the Unites States east of the Rocky Mountains and North of the Mason-Dixon Line. It can be found growing in almost every county in Illinois and Wisconsin and about half in Iowa. It grows around 4 feet tall and prefers mesic soils but tolerates heavy clay. It serves as a host to many butterflies and has an abnormally long bloom period, sometimes over two months. Often times this plant will look stressed when dry and serves as a good indicator of a dry summer and fall. Its strong fiberous root system makes it ideal in erosion control applications.

Be on the lookout this fall for this great prairie flower.

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ne_asterx.htm