Fall 2011 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

7/31/2019 Fall 2011 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

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Minnesota Plant Press

Te Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

www.mnnps.org

Volume 30 Number 4 Fall 2011

Monthly meetingsThompson Park Center/Dakota

LodgeThompson County Park

360 Butler Ave. E.,West St. Paul, MN 55118

ProgramsThe Minnesota Native Plant

Society meets the rst Thursdayin October, November, December,February, March, April, May, andJune. Check at www.mnnps.orgfor more program information.

6 p.m. Social period7 9 p.m. Program, Society

business

Nov. 3: For Love of Lakes,by Darby Nelson, Ph.D. Plant-of-the-Month: Watershield (Brasenia

schreberi), also by Dr. Nelson. Fallseed exchange: After the meeting;see details below.

Dec. 1: To be announced.

Feb. 2: To be announced.

In this issueConservation Corner................230K celebration ......................3Arden Aanestad ......................3New members ..........................3State wetland survey ..............4Peatlands studied.....................5New state record plant ..............5Lake Vermilion Park plants ...6Plant Lore:Diervilla lonicera ..7

Seed exchange Nov. 4Members are encouraged to

collect seeds from native plants ontheir own property and bring themto the tables just inside the lodge

before the meeting.Seeds must be packaged inenvelopes or small containers andlabeled with the plants name,scientic name (if known), habitattype, location of source, and nameof donor.

Ken Arndt is in charge of theexchange. He needs volunteersto receive the seeds, help arrangethem, answer questions, and takedown the tables.

Fires play critical role inecosystem of BWCAby Scott Milburn

It has been very interesting following the events and discussionregarding the Pagami Creek Fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

There is obviously concern for the well-being of those directly affected.Yet, we need to examine the situation for what it is.

The majority of the re, which impacted more than 92,000 acres, wascontained at the time of writing this piece. It has been my impression, basedon quotes and commentary in the print media, that some members of thepublic believe re suppression should be reconsidered as a managementtool, and there is a great deal of outrage towards the Forest Service forallowing this re to evolve. What appears lost is an understanding of therole and importance of re on the landscape, particularly in the BWCA.

I nd the political theatre by members of the legislature suggesting thatthe Minnesota attorney general and the DNR sue the Forest Service assad. Their point is that this re is responsible for damages to state forestlands and lost revenue. The timber itself is an agricultural commodity andshould be thought of in terms of crop success and failure. Farming is byno means a safe nancial bet, with good years followed by bad years. It isalso disappointing that these legislators do not appear to demonstrate anunderstanding of ecology, particularly in the districts they represent.

Fortunately a great deal of research has been ongoing in the BWCA,much in part due to the past work of Bud Heinselman. Bud stressedthe importance of re on this landscape. The general concept is easy tounderstand it is a nutrient-poor system that relies on re to release nutrients

His work is a must read. Despite thesignicant landscape change we arenow seeing, this system is a resilientone and one to truly appreciate.

Miron (Bud) HeinselmanBud, a former forest ecologist

with the U.S. Forest Service,advocated for the preservationof Minnesotas Boundary WatersCanoe Area as wilderness.

Continued on page 7


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Minnesota Native Plant Societys purpose(Abbreviated from the bylaws)

This organization is exclusively organized and operated for

educational and scientic purposes, including the following.

Conservation of all native plants.1.

Continuing education of all members in the plant sciences.2.

Education of the public regarding environmental protection of plant3.

life.Encouragement of research and publications on plants native to4.

Minnesota.

Study of legislation on Minnesota ora, vegetation, ecosytems.5.

Preservation of native plants, plant communities, and scientic and6.

natural areas.

Cooperation in programs concerned with the ecology of natural7.

resources and scenic features.

Fellowship with all persons interested in native plants through8.

meetings, lectures, workshops, and eld trips.

Conservation Cornerby Beth Nixon

Autumn is a time to drum up ideas with your friends and fellow MNNPSmembers to advance habitat and native plant conservation measures inlegislative proposals for the next session.

Some of our best conservation is occurring from the ongoing slowdownin land conversion to suburbia. However, might there be other strategicapproaches to this conservation by default? We have nancially incentivizedprivate lands stewardship, but how about smart community planning thatreverses the decades-old suburbanization of every little town across thestate?

Ive been following strongtowns.org this year and their wise and rationalarguments for long-term scal sustainability of local government. This alsoturns out, in my view, to be a perfect vehicle for advancing a conservationagenda.

What land conservationist hasnt railed against the demise of a localwoods or other undeveloped remnant by foolishly conceived local planning?The economic squeeze is not an evil it is forcing change from local

governments revolving door with local ofcials and local landowners whowork together to concoct quick bucks from land development plans.

The economic squeeze will hopefully continue to force out land-wasting, poorly planned, sprawling towns. But those who stand to lose

usually cant be expected to goquietly. Take some time this fall toread up on the progressive ideas atstrongtowns.org and consider howyou can get your elected ofcialsto embrace change, and, by default,adopt land-planning practices that

conserve open areas.

Black walnuts aplentyNaturalists in southeasterm

Minnesota are reporting a bumperharvest of black walnuts. DavePalmquist, naturalist at WhitewaterState Park, said its the best crop hes

seen in 38 years at the park.

MNNPS Board

of DirectorsPresident: Scott Milburn, [email protected]

Vice President: Shirley MahKooyman, shirley.mah.kooyman@

mnnps.orgSecretary, program coordinatorAndrs Morantes, [email protected]

Treasurers, membership data baseRon and Cathy Huber,[email protected]

Ken Arndt, board member, eldtrip chair, [email protected]

Michael Bourdaghs, board member

[email protected] Gockman, board [email protected]

Elizabeth Heck, board memberwebmaster, elizabeth.heck@mnnpsorg

Daniel Jones, board [email protected]

Mike Lynch, board member, [email protected]

Elizabeth Nixon, board memberconservation committee chair,[email protected]

Erika Rowe, board member, [email protected]

Field Trips: [email protected]

Memberships: [email protected]

Historian-Archives: Roy Robison

historian-archives.mnnps@mnnpsorg

Technical or membershipinquiries: contact.mnnps@mnnpsorg

Minnesota Plant Press EditorGerry Drewry, [email protected]

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Questions? Go to our website:www.mnnps.org


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30K celebration at BaileyHerbarium is Nov. 15at St. Johns University

Remembering

Arden AanestadArden Aanestad of Edina, a

long-time member of the MinnesotaNative Plant Society, died Aug. 27at age 86. He received a bachelorof science degree from NorthDakota State University, and amasters degree in entomologyfrom Washington State University.His career centered on agriculturalchemicals; he co-founded thesuccessful Castle Chemical Co.,which he later sold.

An early retirement enabledArden to dedicate his time to hislove of nature. He was a parknaturalist at Richardson Nature

Center in Bloomington for nearly30 years and was named MinnesotaTree Farmer of the Year in 2009.

He was active in many natureorganizations and especially lovedbirds. He was a past president ofIzaak Walton League, Ruffed GrouseSociety, and the Lake WashburnAssociation, and for 25 yearscontributed to Cornell UniversitysProject Feeder Watch. Arden was amaster bird bander, mentored birdbanders, taught bird-watching, andled many bird-watching trips. He didmost of his bird banding in northernMinnesota, on his tree farm.

Arden belonged to many natureorganizations, including the NatureConservancy, the MinnesotaMycological Society, and theMinnesota Arboretum. He liked tohunt and sh, and traveled to manycountries in the world.

plants; in essence, a reference libraryof plants, said Stephen G. Saupe,CSB/SJU Biology Departmentprofessor and herbarium curator.

The 30K Day festivities will beheld in Peter Engel Science Center,Room 373, on the campus of SaintJohns University, Collegeville,Minn. The program will begin

with a brief welcome at 6:30 p.m,followed by a presentation entitledWhat is the Bailey Herbarium andWhy Celebrate? by Dr. Saupe.

This will be followed by apresentation entitled A BotanistLoose in the Herbarium by MichaelLee, a Minnesota DNR botanistwho has worked extensively in theherbarium.

His presentation will be

followed by a ceremonial stampingof the 30,000th specimen, whichis a moccasin-ower orchid(Cypripedium acaule) collected byMichael Lee. Welby Smith, botanistwith the Minnesota DNR and theauthor of Orchids of Minnesota,will be the keynote speaker and willdiscuss Minnesota orchids.

Tours of the herbarium willfollow the presentations, and visitorswill have the opportunity to makesouvenir herbarium magnets.

This program is free and open tothe public. For more information,contact Dr. Stephen Saupe, CSB/SJUBiology Department, Collegeville,MN 56321, or 320-363-2782, orsend an e-mail to [email protected].

This program is jointly sponsoredby the Saint Johns Arboretum andCSB/SJU Bailey Herbarium.

Reminder:

Its time to payyour dues

The MNNPS operates on acalendar-year basis, so dues arepayable in January. Members may

pay at the November or Decembermeeting, if they wish. (We do notmeet in January.)

We do not send out dues noticesso this reminder will be the onlyone that you receive.

Download the membership formfrom our website (www.mnnps.orgor ll in one at a meeting. Mail theform or just send the informationand your check to:

Minnesota Native Plant SocietyP.O. Box 20401Bloomington, MN 55420.

Membership categories $15 - Individual $15 - Family (Two or moreindividuals at the same address) $8 - Student (Full time) $8 - Senior (Over 62 orretired) $20 - Institution

$25 - Donor $300 - Lifetime member

Include your name, full addresstelephone number (work and/orhome) and e-mail address.

MNNPS welcomesnew membersThe Society gives a warm welcome

to eight new members who joinedduring the third quarter of 2011

Listed alphabetically, they are:

Gary A. Carson, Brainerd;

Paul Dubuque, Duluth;

CarolAnn Hook, Burnsville;

Thomas Huette, Cass Lake;

Kathleen Jones, Wayzata;

Sheila Marfell, Oakdale;

Kathryn Resner;

Ed Wehling, Coon Rapids.3

The Colleges of St. Benedict/St. Johns University Bailey Herbarium

will celebrate its 30,000th specimen with a program and tours at 6:30 p.m.Tuesday, Nov. 15.

A herbarium is a collection of pressed, dried, labeled and identied


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by Michael BourdaghsThis summer, staff members

from the Minnesota PollutionControl Agency (MPCA) have

been busy sampling vegetation inwetlands across the state. Its partof a statewide wetland conditionassessment aimed at measuringthe overall quality of Minnesotaswetlands.

The survey works much like apolitical poll, where the opinions of agroup can be estimated by randomlysurveying a limited number ofindividuals. First, wetland sites of

all types were selected at randomthroughout the state. Samplingcrews then visit the sites and conducta detailed vegetation survey and,at a subset of sites, collect moredetailed data such as soils and waterchemistry.

This information will then beused to make an assessment ofwetland quality at the site based onpreviously established metrics andcriteria. Because all of the sites

are selected at random, the resultsshould reect the overall quality ofMinnesotas 10+ million acres ofwetlands.

This work is being done inconjunction with a similar national

effort conducted by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agencyand will support Minnesotas goalof achieving no net loss in thequantity, quality, and biologicaldiversity of wetlands by providingthe rst comprehensive statewideestimate of wetland quality. It willalso complement an ongoing surveyfrom the Minnesota DNR that tracksthe status and trends of wetlandquantity in the state.

From June to September,crews traveled to sites from EagleMountain in the far northeast to

Pipestone County in southwestand many points in between,sampling vegetation in all varietiesof swamps, bogs, fresh meadows,and marshes. Many of the stateswetland orchids were observed, anda modest number of listed speciesrecords were made.

The highlight of the eld seasonwas accessing nine sites in thepeatlands of north-central Minnesotavia helicopter. The linear-leaved

(Drosera linearis) and English (D.anglica) sundews, which only occurin the patterned fens in the heart ofthese vast wetland complexes, wereboth observed at a few of the sites.To date, the MPCA has sampledover 100 of the 150 sites targeted forthe survey, with sampling scheduledto be completed in 2012.

MPCA Begins StatewideWetland Quality Survey

Bog at sunrise with Tussockcotton grass (Eriophorumvaginatum ssp. spissum) andBog rosemary (Andromedapolifolia var. glaucophylla) inbloom, Pine County. Photo byMichael Bourdaghs.

Barney trapsreveal spreadof ash borer

Three-sided purple Barneytraps are being used to detect theleading edges of the emerald ash

borer infestation. The traps, whichare named for the cartoon dinosaurof the same color, are baited with achemical lure and coated with glueThey were developed by the U.SForest Service, which distributed61,500 to state and local conservationgroups in all 48 states this year.

Since the beetles were discoverednear Detroit in 2002, they have spreadto 15 states and Ontario. Foresters

no longer consider eradication apossibility; instead, they want toslow the spread to protect as manyof the nations 9.5 billion ash treesas possible. The Barney trap is thestrategys centerpiece. If ofcialsknow where the beetles are andwhere they are going, they have achance to slow them down.

Each side of the trap is corrugatedplastic, 14 inches wide by 24 inche

high. They are tinted a deep purple(the color the beetles preferred)folded to form a prism and coatedwith glue. The chemical lureincludes manuka oil from a tree inNew Zealand. Each trap costs abou$9; the lure packet costs $5.

New York State has spent $1million this year to survey andslow the spread of the beetlesCampgrounds are among the targeareas.

Foresters are using informationfrom 6,560 Barney traps and makingsink trees. They remove a stripof bark about six inches wide alaround the trunks of the designatedsink trees. Great numbers of thebeetles are drawn to these locationsinstead of spreading throughout aforest. In winter, the sink trees wilbe cut down, and most of the larvaewill die.

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Research grantsPrairie Biotic Research is again

offering grants of up to $1,000 toindividuals for the study of prairiesand savannas. This all-volunteerWisconsin nonprot was establishedin 2000 to foster basic biotic researchin prairies and savannas.

Many previous grants havesupported graduate student research.Proposals must be received by Jan.5, 2012. For additional information,go to prairiebioticresearch.org


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This Botrychium crenulatumplant was discovered in the

Chippewa National forest.

Photo by Otto Gockman.

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State recordplant is frstfound east of

the RockiesIt is always big news when a

new state record plant is found. I

is especially exciting news if this

is the rst time the plant has been

found east of the Rocky Mountains

Botrychium crenulatum was a

surprising discovery this past June

in the Chippewa National Forest.

The species was observed with

Botrychium ascendens, also markingthe rst time for that species to belocated in a native plant community

in Minnesota.

Apart from this being a major

range expansion forB. crenulatum

it is hoped that this discovery wil

shed more light on the presence of

B. ascendens, a species of hybrid

origin between B. crenulatum and

eitherB. campestre orB. lineare.

Peatlandsare focus ofcounty surveysby Erika Rowe, MCBS plantecologist

As part of the ongoing statewide

survey by the DNRs MinnesotaCounty Biological Survey (MCBS),recent attention has been focusedon the patterned peatlands ofnorthwestern Minnesota.

Peatlands cover over six millionacres, or more than 10 percent ofthe state, and are internationallyrecognized for their ecologicalsignicance. In addition to theirecosystem-level importance,Minnesotas peatlands providehabitat for over two dozen rare plantspecies, including linear-leavedsundew, English sundew, twig-rush,and montane yellow-eyed grass.

MCBS plans surveys in manyof the peatland communitiesthroughout northern Minnesota inthe coming eld seasons, despite

many problems with accessing theseremote places.

The Red Lake Peatland has beenof particular focus for the past twosummers because it is the largest andmost diversely patterned peatlandin the United States. It is also thesouthernmost of the boreal peatlands

in North America. Its southerlyposition makes it a bellwether forthe impacts of climate change onnorthern peatlands.

One of the most pressingconcerns is that climate changewill dry peat surfaces, causingrapid decomposition of peat andthe release of large quantities ofcarbon dioxide and methane intothe atmosphere.

During the past two summers,MCBS has worked with Dr. PaulGlaser, University of Minnesota,to set up permanent vegetationmonitoring plots at a variety of siteswithin the peatland. Many of theseplots represent sites where he andBotanist G. Wheeler collected datain the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Patterned fen, called the western water track, in the Red LakePeatland stretches for approximately 14 miles and makes up thewestern-most extent of the peatland. The linear bands are ridges ofpeat called strings, and the pools of water are called arks. Photoby Erika Rowe, DNR. For more information, go to http://les.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/peatland_poster


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by Tavis Westbrook, MinnesotaDNR resource specialist, Divisionof Parks and Trails

On June 8, 2010, Lake VermilionState Park became Minnesotasnewest state park. Situated nearSoudan, Lake Vermilion StatePark is roughly 3,000 acres in sizeand is directly adjacent to SoudanUnderground Mine State Park.Both parks combined boast nearly10 miles of undeveloped shorelineon the east end of Lake Vermilionand about 4,000 acres of land.

The mapping of the native plant

communities of Lake VermilionState Park began in earnest inearly 2010. We knew some of therecent land-use history on the parcelalready:

It had been owned by US Steelsince the late 1800s;

It had been managed for timbercontinuously through the 20thcentury; and

It contained very rugged upland

terrain as well as many hundredsof acres of open and woodedwetlands.

We also were able to look at itslandscape position and make someassumptions about its physicalcharacteristics using the EcologicalClassication System developed bythe Minnesota DNR.

That hierarchical system told usthat the park was in the Border LakesSubsection. This subsection consistsof scoured bedrock uplands orshallow soils on bedrock, with largenumbers of lakes. Topography isdominantly rolling with irregularslopes and many craggy outcrops ofbedrock. Another term commonlyused within this subsection andcertainly for this park would beCanadian Shield topography

If you have visited the BoundaryWaters Canoe Area Wilderness

(BWCAW) and Quetico ProvincialPark to the north and east, you havea pretty good idea of what I amdescribing.

Next, we used a GeographicInformation System to obtain otherrelevant data that also existed forthe parcel: streams, lakes, wetlands,topography, and soils data wereparticularly helpful. Additionally,color infrared photography wasessential when determining landcover types because of the waydifferent plant communities, eventree species, have different photo

signatures. After acquiring andanalyzing all of the data, it wasthen up to park resource specialists,with help from the DNR CountyBiological Survey, to go in the eldand verify (or ground truth) ourassumptions that we made from theGIS analysis and supporting data.

Ground truth resultsWe identied 21 different

plant community classes in eight

different ecological systems in LakeVermilion State Park.

The vast majority of the uplandswere classied as Northern MesicMixed Forest (FDn43). Thedominant tree species were aspenand birch, with some pocketsdominated by young red and jackpine. The stand ages throughoutmost of the park were young to veryyoung, conrming that most of thisland was logged in the late 1970s

and early 1980s. This is a re-dependent plant community, but rewas not at all frequent historically,averaging over 200 years betweensignicant re events.

One anomaly discovered duringour eld reconnaissance wasthe presence of small pockets ofNorthern Mesic Hardwood Forest(MHn35). This plant communityis common statewide but does not

appear to be common this far northin the state. More study is neededwhy this plant community is presentin the park.

Not surprisingly, over 50 percenof the park is wetland and peatlandMost of the wetland systems wemapped can either be classied as

wet ash forest (WFn64), wet cedarforest (WFn53), or beaver wetlandcomplex. Even in the wetlandsthere was clear evidence of loggingmost likely for cedar and tamarackposts. With that said, many of thesewetlands are in good conditionwith cedar regenerating quite wellin areas not ooded regularly bybeaver. Interestingly, there is verylittle acid peatland in the park. Therugged terrain, small basin size, and

beavers all likely contribute to thisfact.

Lastly, there are dozens ofsmall to medium rock outcropand cliff features that give theproperty variety, relief, scenery, andbotanical interest. It is likely thatsome of these features may harborless common plant species. Againmore survey work will be needed toconrm this hypothesis.

To conclude, this is just oneaspect of the inventory workconducted by the Minnesota DNRat Lake Vermilion State Park. Weanticipate many different surveys ofthe ora and fauna will be conductedas the division develops the park forrecreational use. A new state parkcomes along maybe once in a careerand I have been fortunate to be onthe ground helping the division inits initial natural resource inventory

efforts.

Native plant communities of

Lake Vermilion State Park

Treasurers reportRon and Cathy Huber report

that on Sept. 30, the MNNPS hadtotal assets of $19,763, including$10,769 in the checking account$8,939 in CDs, and $55 cashIncome for the nine months totaled$11,094. Expenses totaled $8,192Net income was $2,902.

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Plant Loreby Thor KommedahlWhat is northern bushhoneysuckle?

Bush honeysuckle is Diervillalonicera in the honeysuckle family,native to Minnesota.

How did it get its names?Diervilla was named after a

French surgeon, Dr. Direville,who visited Canada and broughtthe plant to the French botanistTournafort in 1699.Lonicera refersto the resemblance of the leavesto honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.).Lonicera was named after theGerman botanist Adam Lonitzer.

Where does the plant grow?Bush honeysuckle grows mainly

in wooded areas, often in Jack pinestands, in dry, or rocky, well-drainedsoil. It is often associated with hazel,dogwood, alder, chokecherry, andblueberry.

What does the plant look like?It is a low shrub two to four feet

tall with slender, ridged twigs andopposite, nely toothed, egg-shapedleaves. It has funnel-shaped, yellowowers, often reddish in spring.

Bumblebees, butteries, and mothspollinate the owers. Leaf colorsin fall are yellow, orange, and red.Fruits are long-pointed capsules.Plants spread mainly by rhizomes,and plants regenerate rapidly after are or after logging, e.g., after paper

birch or balsam r logging nearDuluth.

Are they edible, medicinal, orpoisonous?

The Potawatomi Indians madetea from rhizomes or leaves for useas a diuretic. They are neither ediblenor poisonous, although one report

is that leaves contain a narcoticprinciple that induces nausea.

Is bush honeysuckle useful inother ways?

Deer and moose browse shrubsin winter. They are useful as a tallground cover and to hold banks fromerosion. Plants can be propagatedby seed or cuttings. Seed can bestored.

Diervilla loniceraTop left: Closeup of owers,photo by Shirley MahKooyman.

Center left: Bloomingbranch,photo by Peter Dziuk.

Bottom left: Bush, photo byShirley Mah Kooyman.

Below: Moose damage on IsleRoyale, photo by Peter Jordan.

Earlier in his career, he studiedthe ecology of black spruce and theextensive patterned peatlands ofnorthern Minnesota.

He then turned to the much more

complex task of deciphering theecology of northeastern Minnesotasconiferous forests. The BWCAsvast stands of virgin forest enabledHeinselman to identify anddocument the forest dynamics particularly the major role res haveplayed in determining the structureand composition of the wildernessforest.

Heinselman wrote severa

books about the Boundary WatersCanoe Area. Limited numbers ofThe Boundary Waters WildernessEcosystem, published in 1999, are

still available.

BWCA resContinued from page 1

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Directions:

Take MN Hwy. 52 to the Butler Ave. E. exit in West St. Paul.Go west on Butler 0.2 mile to Stassen Lane.

Go south on Stassen Lane to Thompson County Park.

Minnesota Native Plant Society

P.O. Box 20401

Bloomington, MN 55420

Fall 2011

Fall 2011 Minnesota Plant Press ~ Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter

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