Category Archives: Conservation

Burning Butterfly Questions

Posted on January 7, 2020 by

Burning prairies is good for native prairie plants and bad for butterflies. That’s what just about all of the guidance for rare butterflies says. It’s the conventional wisdom. Those that question it are reluctant to do so. Allow me. I … Continue reading →

Posted in biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation own-goals, Prairie, restoration, Stewardship | 3 Comments

Franklin Savanna, Another Case Study in Ecosystem Collapse

Posted on December 25, 2019 by

It was an old oak pasture that taught me about the great abundance of nature. We climbed those trees, or rather, when we crawled under the fence into Mr. Erickson’s pasture, walked right up onto their great, open-grown limbs. My … Continue reading →

Posted in biodiversity, Conservation, Forests, invasive species, native plants, Oak opening, oaks, Prairie, restoration, Savanna, Stewardship | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conserve Plant Diversity First

Posted on January 6, 2017 by

At least that’s the message I take from a recent study published in Nature Communications entitled Ecological networks are more sensitive to plant than to animal extinction under climate change. In particular they found a higher risk of animal co-extinction with … Continue reading →

Posted in biodiversity, Conservation, native plants, Weather and Climate | Tagged | 2 Comments