Category Archives: native plants

Franklin Savanna, Another Case Study in Ecosystem Collapse

Posted on March 21, 2020 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

Alternatives to Boring Midwestern Bluegrass and Fescue Lawns

Posted on December 8, 2018 by

For most of us, home ownership carries with it the management of at least a small parcel of land, and usually this means maintaining a lawn. For the ambitious, this might also include perennial borders, shrubs, and trees. We all … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lawns, biodiversity, gardening, native plants, Prairie | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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