Category Archives: native plants

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

Ecotype – Problematic Concept in a Changing World

Posted on February 28, 2016 by

For those reasons, “local is best” is the mantra, if not the dogma, of many in the conservation and restoration community. It’s a cautious and logical approach. However, in recognition of the altered and changing world we live in and recognizing that ecological restoration and reconstruction projects are essentially the only way many species can move across today’s fragmented landscape, I would urge people to be a little more liberal in how they apply the ecotype concept. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, gardening, native plants, Phenology, Prairie, restoration, Savanna, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments