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Erythronium Newsletter of the Iowa Native Plant Society vol. 20 no. 2 December 2014

News Flash – INPS Turns 20 in 2015! And 2015 is the 50th Anniversary of Iowa’s State Preserve System! Two events are already being planned and more will

be in the works to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Iowa Native Plant Society!

INPS became a reality in 1995, starting with three informational meetings and culminating in an organizational meeting. The first informational meeting in April 1995 drew more than 30 folks to Backbone State Park for discussion of possibilities in the cre- ation of the INPS, followed by a fieldtrip to Mossy Glen State Preserve. The organizational meeting was held in October, with a fieldtrip to Dolliver State Park followed by a dinner and meeting in Fort Dodge. Deb Lewis and Bill Norris organized these early activities and got INPS underway in those months leading up to the formation of INPS. Christine Kirpes was elected to be the first INPS President at the organizational meeting. More of our history will be provided in the Spring 2015 newsletter.

INPS logo, original design, based on artwork submitted by Sara Sheeley for the 1996 logo contest

Mark Your Calendar! Anniversary Celebration, May 23rd to 25th –

throughout Memorial Day Weekend, we will be celebrating the anniversaries of both INPS and the State Preserve System! Fieldtrips will be offered all three days in Northeast Iowa state parks and preserves, and a dinner will be held on Saturday, May 23rd. The fieldtrips will be led by Bill Norris and John Pearson, and John will be the speaker at the dinner as he shares from his 30 years of experience (another anniversary!) from time spent visiting and in support of Iowa’s state preserves.

INPS Annual Meeting and Anniversary Celebra- tion during the Iowa Prairie Conference, July 16th to 18th – specific time, place and activities will be announced.

More information for these and other celebration events will be available in the next newsletter.

As you pay your 2015 dues (if you haven’t already), you might consider adding a little extra contribution for our general fund or grants program in recognition of this anniversary year! (Any amount above the basic dues payment is tax deductible.)

Table of Contents Leaves from the President’s Notebook ...............page 2 INPS Website; 2015 IPN Winter Meeting .........page 3 2014 Wrap-Up; 2015 IA Wildflower Month......page 4 Call for 2015 INPS Grants; Plant.Grow.Fly.......page 5 2014 Annual Meeting Minutes...........................page 6 Prairie Biotic Research Grants; LHPS................page 7 2014 Grant Recipients and Reports...................page 8 2015 Day of Insects...........................................page 9 Milkweed Seeds ...............................................page 10 Membership Form......................................... back page

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President: Lloyd Crim, Boone, IA [email protected] Vice President: Open Secretary: Dianne Blankenship, Sioux City, IA [email protected] INPS contact for website, fieldtrips, and calendar Treasurer: Lori Schrodemier Iowa Valley RC&D 920 48th Avenue, Amana, IA 52203 [email protected] INPS Board Members: Jane Clark, Clive, IA [email protected] INPS contact for issues and action Rose Danaher, Ames, IA [email protected] INPS contact regarding honors Pauline Drobney, Prairie City, IA [email protected] Beth Henning, Des Moines, IA [email protected] Carl Kurtz, St. Anthony, IA [email protected] Deborah Q. Lewis, Ames, IA [email protected] INPS contact for newsletter Connie Mutel, Solon, IA [email protected] INPS contact for grants Non-board assistance: Lisa Harmison, Newsletter Layout [email protected] Liz Aderhold Website (please contact Dianne Blankenship as above)

Printed on recycled paper.

Leaves of the President’s Notebook As I take on a bigger role in the INPS, I would like to emphasize the

importance of field trips. Getting outside and visiting new places is a great way to expand knowledge of the world around you! Anyone can lead a field trip, just pick a place and let others know when and where you will be going. How can you lose? I once went on a prairie walk at Doolittle and I was the only one who showed up, but I still had a good walk by myself!

Please consider leading a walk to someplace this summer, and let others know who might like to join you! It doesn’t have to be a prairie!

Now that it is winter, there will not be the flowers to look at, but trees can be interesting! Can you identify common trees by their bark and form?

One upcoming event will be the annual meeting in which we will partner with the Iowa Prairie Conference on July 16-18 at UNI, be sure to put the dates on your calendar. More details will follow. This next year (2015) will mark the 20th anniversary of the Iowa Native Plant Society’s existence, thanks to all who made it possible!

~ Lloyd Crim

Field trip locations Leaders Organizers and hosts Willing participants Ecology-minded individuals Reaching out and educating Sponsors and partners

REWARDS See more of Iowa’s special places Make new acquaintances Invest in time with INPS friends Learn about our heritage Enjoy our native plants

Artwork by Dianne Blankenship

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Check Out the INPS Website Linda Loos Scarth

The Iowa Native Plant Society website (http:// iowanativeplants.org) is a destination and a gateway. The site is designed to provide information about the organization and its activities. The Calendar (http:// iowanativeplants.org/calendar.php) includes all sorts of natural history events sponsored by environmental and conservation organizations in the region. It is also a good starting place to find links (http://iowana tiveplants.org/links.php) to many potentially useful resources for learning about native plants and their associates.

The general information/database links help with basic descriptions, ranges, etc. Native plant societies and botanical gardens are good to check before traveling because there might be an event to attend or place to visit along the way. Specialty organizations also have management information and events. The set of links we use most often are image collections. Help with identification is frequently found through one of the links.

The INPS Links page also has a collection of Blogs with a common interest in nature. One of the out-comes of developing web publishing tools in the 1990s was the ability for individuals and groups to self-publish on the world wide web. At first these web logs (weblogs and then blogs) were online diaries and then mostly comments (sometimes heated) on current events and politics. I recall being part of a panel on a local television program early in the history of blogs and trying to explain to my skeptical panel mates that anyone could blog if s/he had access to a server to put it on the www. Times have certainly changed. Now every time people tweet or post on social media, they are micro-blogging.

The blogs currently on this list are by people who observe nature from several vantage points and share those observations and occasional bits of advice. They may be people you know or want to know better. Carl Kurtz comments on what he is seeing and photograph- ing in the wild from his home in central Iowa. Also in central Iowa, Harlan Ratcliff writes about butterflies and on issues affecting wildlife and people. Larry Weber makes occasional comments about restoring a woodland in eastern Iowa. Chris Helzer shares insights as he manages land for The Nature Conservancy in

Nebraska. Sibylla Brown writes about the adventure of restoring a savanna in southern Iowa while doing many other interesting things since moving to the land. Marci Hess describes another effort at “unfarming” a piece of land in western Wisconsin. My husband and I blog about the intersection of nature and photography.

If you know of a natural history related blog that may be enjoyed by INPS members or those who use the Links page for information, please send it to Dianne Blankenship for consideration.

Don’t miss the 2015 IPN Winter Meeting! * Everyone is welcome and no registration needed * On Saturday, January 17th the IPN Winter Meeting will be held at the Des Moines Area Community College Ankeny Campus, building 7 (Culinary Arts/Conference Center). The building will be open at 11:30 with the program starting at 12:30 and finishing around 4:30.

The program will have 3 main presentations. A member of the ISU STRIPS research program (Science-based trials of row-crops integrated with prairie strips) will be sharing information regarding their promising results. Dr. Laura Jackson director of the Tallgrass Prairie Center at UNI will speak about expanding prairie on the Iowa landscape. The meeting will wrap up with a slide presentation by nature photographer Bill Witt.

There will be a silent auction to support a prairie conservation project, refreshment breaks, a room with display and vendor tables, door prizes, and lots of prairie enthusiasts to talk with at the meeting.

We will be ordering pizza to be delivered around 5:00 for the people who would like to stay following the meeting to visit. If you plan to stay, sign up for the pizza during one of the breaks at the meeting.

If you would like to donate an item for the silent auction please contact Laura Norian at [email protected]. If you would like a display space or vendor table

contact Trish Patrick at [email protected] .

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2014 Field Trips and Activities Wrap-Up Dianne Blankenship

The Iowa Native Plant Society prides itself on the many field trip opportunities it sponsors each year. In 2014 there were many, beginning with two during Iowa Wildflower Month in the Iowa City area that drew nearly 100 people each. The Spring Wildflower Walk in Ryerson’s Woods was co-sponsored by the New Pioneer Food Co-op (providing refreshments) and was led by Brenda Nations (Iowa City Sustain- ability Coordinator) and Diana Horton (University of Iowa Biology Emeritus Professor who oversees the INPS email discussion group). The other one in that area was to Ciha Fen, a gem of native plants managed by the Johnson County Conservation Board. The field trip was led by Casey Kohrt (prairie enthusiast and Iowa DNR GIS Administrator), with the assistance of many local INPS members who helped out in leading the large number of people in attendance.

Iowa Wildflower Month also included these INPS- sponsored events: a walk at Doolittle Prairie (the first in a series of four monthly walks led by Lloyd Crim, now INPS president), a well-attended hike at the Mount Talbot State Preserve in Sioux City (led by Di- anne Blankenship), and the Loess Hills Prairie Semi- nar that features many indoor and outdoor programs and sessions, including many that feature native plants. The LHPS 2015 dates are May 29 to 31.

In June Iowa DNR’s Mark Leoschke led a walk in Franklin County to an area that is privately owned. This confirms the value of such a small prairie remnant. He reported: We had an overcast, but fortunately dry field trip for the 8 people present, including the owner, Joe Pitsor. The approximately one acre, good quality mesic prairie with some limestone at the surface occurs on a north-facing slope above a drain- ageway. An August 2013 visit with the owner and Bill Johnson had produced a list of 64 native plants (based in part on photos the owner showed us). After the field trip the list now includes about 80 native species. The highlight species was the discovery of Richard- son’s sedge (Carex richardsonii). Based on the quality of the prairie on the August 2013 visit I suspected this rare sedge might occur here. I purposely scheduled the field trip for about the time the sedge would have mature fruits and so could be definitely identified. This is a new site for Carex richardsonii, but not a county record as the species is known from another

prairie remnant in the county.

Cooperation with the Iowa DNR, Woodbury County Conservation, and Iowa Prairie Network helped INPS sponsor a World of Insects program by M.J. Hatfield and a later visit to Spirit Knoll, north of Sioux City. Thirty-two cars were counted at that field trip. M.J. shared her passion for insects and Kevin Pape shared information about the site he manages for the Iowa DNR. Numerous people helped with plant identification.

The INPS annual meeting was held at the Iowa Arboretum and included a woodland walk led by Joe McNally (arboretum staff) and Don Farrar (Iowa State University Emeritus Professor). Following lunch, the annual meeting was held (see separate minutes), and a speaker, James Locklear (Director of Conservation at Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha) presented a program about our many species of native Phlox. An afternoon field trip featured the reconstructed prairie.

INPS members also helped to organize and partici- pated in many more field trips and events in addition to the official INPS field trips. The website calendar is an excellent source for finding out about these. For people without Internet access, the printed newsletter in the late spring lists our field trips and a postcard re- minder alerts people about the annual meeting, which in 2015 will be coordinated with the Iowa Prairie Con- ference at UNI in Cedar Falls, sometime between July 16 and 18. Registration at the IPC will not be required to attend the meeting.

2015 Iowa Wildflower Month Iowa Wildflower Month will once again be observed

during the month of May. INPS attempts to compile as many events related to native plants as possible and promote them on our website calendar and through press releases. May is an ideal time to attract people to enjoy our wildflowers, helping them learn to appreci- ate them. Events can consist of field trips, workdays, native plant sales, or programs about natural areas, native plants, or landscaping with native plants, and can be offered by individuals, organizations, or agencies.

Encourage people who can offer these events to do so, and also have them contact me, so I know about the event and can add it to our calendar. Also, let me know of any that you learn about. Contact: Dianne Blankenship, [email protected], 712-255-3447

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INPS Partners with Plant.Grow.Fly Dianne Blankenship

Plant.Grow.Fly (PGF) is a new program sponsored by the Blank Zoo in Des Moines. The aim is to promote pollinator gardens that will help to support native pollinators such as butterflies and bees. They have a recommended list of plants on their website at http://www.blankparkzoo.com/en/conservation/ plant_grow_fly/. The list includes both native and non- native plants. The INPS strongly urges the planting of native plants for the many benefits they provide – once established they will return year after year and will need little if any water, will need no fertilizer or other chemicals, and will require minimal care. A pollinator garden can replace an area of labor-intensive lawn.

INPS has become a partner with PGF, which is free to us; however, we are to encourage our members to register their pollinator gardens with PGF. Informa- tion is on the website. Please give credit to INPS for informing you of this. We can do better in our urban, suburban, and even our rural areas by recognizing the needs of pollinators and other wildlife whose habitat has been displaced. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can request information at Plant. Grow.Fly, c/o Blank Park Zoo, 7401 SW 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50315.

Quoting PGF: We at Blank Park Zoo are excited to

announce a new conservation initiative to help protect our native pollinators! We believe that no effort is too small and that each and every one of us can do our part to help pollinators thrive just by planting butterfly gardens in our yards!

Through the Plant.Grow.Fly. website, you will find easy, region-specific garden recipes to help you plant the flowers and grasses that our native butterflies and bees need the most. Once you plant your garden, you can register it with Plant.Grow.Fly, send us a picture of your garden and be recognized on our website, showing off your support for our Midwestern pollinators. You can even order a special sign to proudly display in your garden, grabbing the attention of your friends, family and neighbors.

Their email address is plantgrowfly@blankparkzoo. org.

Remember to tell them that “INPS sent you.” Those near Des Moines might want to attend the program on April 2 when Dr. Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota and the Monarch Joint Venture will be speaking about the plight of monarchs.

Applications for 2015 INPS Grants Are Now Being Accepted The Iowa Native Plant Society seeks to promote

conservation, education, and appreciation focusing on Iowa’s native plants. We encourage you to explore how you might use INPS’s grant funding to promote these goals.

INPS funds projects in two ways: through our “Small Grants” program, which deals with diverse initiatives (see below), and through “Restore Iowa!”, which brings mentors and Iowa’s youth together to work toward restoration of an Iowa native-plant remnant.

INPS’s Small Grants program funds:

• Land acquisition projects;

• Native-land inventory, restoration, and management projects;

• Research projects; and • Training and education projects.

The Restore Iowa! program seeks innovative projects that involve Iowa’s youth (grade school through college age) in restoration efforts, while improving the quality of a native plant remnant. Applications to this grant program are especially encouraged.

Specific grant guidelines and award amounts are posted on the INPS website (http://iowanativeplants. org/grants.php). Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines with care, in order to ensure that your project matches our guidelines.

If you have questions, please contact Connie Mutel ([email protected]). She is happy to discuss your project and its grant possibilities. Applications are due by Jan 15.

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Minutes of the 2014 INPS Annual Meeting September 6, 2014 at the Iowa Arboretum near Madrid, IA INPS President, Linda Scarth called the meeting to

order immediately following lunch and welcomed all in attendance.

Dianne Blankenship read the minutes from the 2013 annual meeting, which were approved. Linda added that an action that had passed at the 2013 meeting had not been carried out exactly as specified in the motion. A more diplomatic approach was used.

Connie Mutel manages the INPS Small Grants Pro- gram. She reported that there were four grant recipients for 2014. Summarized they were:

• Woodbury County Conservation Board - Prairie Rescue and Safety Equipment, $994

• Indian Creek Nature Center - Bena Brook Wood- land Restoration, $1250

• Story County Conservation Board - Dakin Lake Restoration Project, $1170

• Iowa City’s Willowwind School Community - Awareness of Native Plantings, $250

There were five additional applications not funded, indicating much interest in the INPS grant program. However, grant applications often do not fit the grant program’s specifications, and thus many cannot be seriously considered. Applicants need to be reminded to read the INPS grant guidelines.

A second INPS grant program, the Restore Iowa! grants program, encourages a leader to engage youth in working in a natural area so they will learn restoration techniques. In 2012 one was funded, two in 2013, and there were none in 2014. We are not getting enough Restore Iowa! grant applications.

Dianne reported on the Treasury for the Treasurer, Lori Schrodemier. Current balances are: $5,458.31 in the checking account, $70 in savings, a CD with $2,956.42 and another CD with $2,809.42. The Re- store Iowa! savings account has $2,000.47 and is supported by directed donations instead of from membership fees and general donations. Membership stands at 114. In addition to the grants funded, INPS paid for an updated brochure, an “organization” card, liability insurance, treasury and membership accounting, and provided support to the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar

and Prairie Biotic Research, with some other small disbursements. The report was approved.

Connie expressed concern about the low balance in the checking account compared to last year’s balance ($9,048.01). Linda pointed out that there is not a beginning or end of the INPS financial year, and Dianne stated that there had been an even lower balance that rebounded, and that the balance is highly variable depending upon the time of payment of the grants awarded. Connie emphasized how important the finances are to maintaining the grants, suggesting that grant awards will need to be cut back if we are depleting our accounts. She underscored the need for membership support.

Dianne reported on field trips and Iowa Wildflower Month, which is May. IWM included many walks, workdays, workshops and programs about using native plants in the home landscape, and some native plant sales; these were sponsored by many different organizations. IWM helped to stimulate two highly successful, well-advertised INPS field trips in the Iowa City area which each attracted about 100 (many of whom had not attended an INPS event before), and a well-attended field trip in the Loess Hills.

Later field trips included Doolittle Prairie walks, held monthly May through August, a visit to a one-acre prairie that has 80 native species of plants, and an insects program and an associated prairie visit in the northern Loess Hills that attracted about sixty people. A woodland and a prairie field trip are associated with the annual meeting. Collaboration worked well on some of these field trips. INPS field trips as well as field trips and events of native plant interest are posted on the calendar on the website and many are listed also in the newsletter, Erythronium.

Regarding the website, Dianne reported that the tran- sition of hosting from ISU to DreamHost went very well. (Liz Aderhold is volunteer webmaster.)

Dianne also thanked INPS for support for the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and the additional help with the notebooks. (Some were seen being carried at later field trips!)

Linda announced that Rollie Henkes is the 2014 INPS Conservation Award recipient. She displayed a framed set of three photos with Rollie’s image super- imposed on each, created especially for Rollie. He was unable to receive it in person as he is working on

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his final issue of Woodlands & Prairies. He is hoping someone will take on continuing the magazine.

Linda thanked Mark Schneider and Joe McNally for welcoming INPS to the Iowa Arboretum, providing the facilities, and for co-sponsoring the speaker. Joe was the leader for both field trips with Don Farrar joining Joe in leading the woodland field trip.

Linda announced the addition of Carl Kurtz to the board and explained that board members are appoint- ed, while officers are elected by the membership. Connie added that members are welcome to show their interest in joining the board. This year’s slate of officers: President – Lloyd Crim Vice-president – open Secretary – Dianne Blankenship Treasurer – Lori Schrodemier

The slate was accepted and those on it were elected.

Lloyd presented Linda with a certificate and thanked her for her two years of leadership. She was given a standing ovation and received many thanks.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:00pm in time for the program, The View from Phlox Mountain, by Jim Locklear, Director of Conservation at the Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha.

Respectfully submitted,

Dianne Blankenship, Secretary

Rollie Henkes – 2014 INPS Conservation Award Recipient

A biographical sketch of Rollie and his work will be included in the Spring 2015 issue of Erythronium.

Image composite created by Linda Scarth

Grants Available for Prairie and Savanna Research Michael Anderson, Board member of PBR

Prairie Biotic Research (PBR) is an all-volunteer, Wisconsin nonprofit established in 2000 to foster basic biotic research in prairies and savannas. One way we do this is through a competitive Small Grants Program that funds grants up to $1000 to individuals for the study of any grassland taxon anywhere in the USA. We support both natural history and experimental science. We are especially eager to support independent researchers (those lacking institutional support), but anyone having a U.S. Social Security number may apply. Since 2002, we’ve awarded 184 grants worth $176,441 to people in 33 states to study insects, plants, mammals, reptiles, slime molds, mycorrhizal fungi, spiders, snails, amphibians, birds, fish, invasive species, effects of management, and the human dimensions of conservation. Many of these grants supported graduate student research.

In 2015, we expect to fund at least 15 grants of up to $1000 each with the donations we have received, including some restricted by donors to support research in IA, IL, MI, MN, ND, SD, or WI.

Visit our website – www.prairiebioticresearch.org – to learn more, to apply for a grant, to download our proposal form, instructions, and a sample researcher agreement form that winners of this competition must sign. Check out the history and overview files in the Small Grants section of the website to see what sorts of proposals have won funding in the past. Review the reports submitted by researchers of past years.

We must receive your proposal through the mail before December 31, 2014. Those who won funding in 2014 are ineligible for this funding in 2015, but those who won funding longer ago are welcome to submit proposals to further that same work or to support a new project. Loess Hills Prairie Seminar Upcoming in May The Loess Hills Prairie Seminar 2015 dates are May 29 to 31. Preliminary information is available at: http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/en/educators/loess_hills_prairie_seminar/

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INPS’s 2014 grant recipients: Bena Brook Woodland Restoration

Jean Wiedenheft, Indian Creek Nature Center (Cedar Rapids)

$1250, to restore / remove invasives from a 12-acre woodland, part of a larger woodland restoration effort

Dakins Lake Restoration Project

Amy Yoakum, Story County Conservation Board

$1170, to restore a degraded prairie remnant in Da- kins Lake county park - invasive removal and sowing of native violets (for regal fritillaries)

Woodbury County Conservation Board Equip- ment for Use in Prairie Management

Jim Henning, Resource Naturalist, Woodbury County Conservation Board

$994, for prairie rescue and safety equipment for use in the Loess Hills, Woodbury Co.

Community Awareness of Native Plantings

Christine Kaldenberg, Willowwind School, Iowa City

$250 education grant, to install educational signs about prairie/bioswale plantings - students will identify native plants and design signs (this project will be described in the next issue of Erythronium)

Bena Brook Woodland Restoration Project Report by Jean Wiedenheft, Indian Creek Nature Center

The Iowa Native Plant Society’s Restoration and Management grant enabled Indian Creek Nature Cen- ter to restore 12 acres of degraded oak-hickory savanna. The woodland had encroaching invasive trees, including catalpa, tree of heaven, mulberry, black locust and Siberian elm. Boy Scouts and volunteers had previously worked in the area and removed many of the alien shrubs and vines, including honeysuckle, bittersweet and multiflora rose. This grant allowed ICNC to hire professional forester Bill Haywood and continue the restoration work in the area.

Haywood dropped small, 3”-9” diameter trees throughout the area, focusing on the invasive and inappropriate trees that were shading the understory. Mature-canopy trees, regardless of species, were allowed to remain to continue stabilizing the existing ecology. Young desirable trees, including white oaks, butternuts, and shagbark hickories will be able to grow

in the pockets of sunlight he created. In the future, periodic fire will be used to keep the undesirable trees from reclaiming the sunlight. This long-term approach prevents erosion, relies on the intact components of the forest, and creates a healthy range of different age trees and amounts of sunlight throughout the woodlands. Without the grant from the Iowa Native Plant Society, this work would not have been possible.

Dakins Lake Restoration Project Report by Amy Yoakum, Natural Resource Specialist, Story County Conservation

Prairie restoration at Dakin’s Lake continued this summer and fall with the help of the Iowa Native Plant Society small grant program. Story County Conserva- tion (SCC) received a 2014 small grant which allowed us to hire Conservation Corps Iowa (CCI) for one day of work at the site. The funds are greatly appreciated as we tackle the long process of invasive species removal and prairie restoration.

Project objectives outlined in our grant application were:

To restore remnant prairie at Dakins Lake and in- crease the abundance of birds foot (V. pedata) and prairie violets (V. pedatifida) through:

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•Continued clearing of invasive species in the de-

graded prairie remnant on the west side of the original Dakins Lake.

• Hand-collection and sowing of V. pedata and V. pedatifida seed in the 30-acre prairie reconstruction.

CCI and SCC staff worked for several days at the site removing invasive species and clearing large trees, primarily silver maple. Bush honeysuckle, buckthorn and multiflora rose were removed in an area slightly over one acre in size during the summer of 2013 using grant funds from the Wildlife Diversity Program. The summer of 2014 was spent controlling the re-sprouted and new honeysuckle plants in the area that was previously cleared. In addition, a large patch of Oriental bittersweet was discovered inside of a buckthorn patch in the work area (see attached photos). SCC staff turned to goat grazing to help us manage the re-sprouted invasive species.

The second objective of the project has been briefly delayed, but will be completed in the summer of 2015. SCC staff had intended to hand-collect V. pedata and V. pedatifida seed and sow them into the new prairie plantings, which did not happen in 2014. However, a local prairie seed dealer is quitting the business and has offered to give SCC all of is V. pedatifida plants. In spring 2015, the violets will be moved to a nursery area at Hickory Grove Park. Large plants will be di- vided, and the seed from these plants will be collected and sown at Dakin’s Lake.

Natural Resource Aide Tyler Renze with CCI crew members: Chris, Logan, Jenna and Teal amidst the Oriental Bittersweet vines. (Reports continued on page 11)

Day of Insects at Reiman Gardens in Ames Nathan Brockman, Butterfly Wing Curator, Reiman Gardens

This is your “save this date” notice for the 7th An- nual Day of Insects at Reiman Gardens, so mark your calendar for March 28, 2015. If you are unfamiliar with DOI, the day is filled with 15 presentations from professionals, academics, advocates, and enthusiasts covering a range of insect related topics. From young beginners to seasoned veterans, DOI has something for anyone interested in or involved with insects.

Just like previous DOI’s there will be an opening reception on March 27th, the evening before DOI. Come be casual, get to know other insect enthusiasts, there’s more of us than you think. Anyone attending DOI can sign up to attend. There will be some slots made available for individuals unable to attend DOI so they can participate as well. More information on the reception will be released with the rest of the DOI information.

Most of the presenters for the day are selected by the DOI committee, but each year we open up two “wild card” slots to the invertebrate community. One of the goals of DOI is to give individuals working on insects an opportunity share that information with individuals interested in insects. So, what insects fascinate you and what are you working on? Are you ready to share your enthusiasm and knowledge with others? If so, please contact me at [email protected].

Registration and presenter details will be announced at a later date. For now, save the date so you can share in the learning and conversations at the 2015 Day of Insects at Reiman Gardens. Reiman Gardens recently deployed a new webpage and DOI now has its own web presence http://reimangardens.com/collections/ insects/day-of-insects/ information and the speaker schedule will be updated here shortly.

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Collecting, Processing, Storing and Sowing Milkweed Seed Wedge Watkins and Becky Erickson

The decline of Monarch butterflies is at a critical level. The Mexican overwintering population has declined from using an area of 22 acres to about one acre. There are many reasons for the decline, including loss of habitat, both in Mexico and in their Midwest migration route throughout North America. What can we do to help Monarchs now and in the near future?

1. Scout out areas for milkweed plants. Learn to identify at least common milkweed and swamp milkweed. Others you might find are Sullivan’s, purple, tall green, butterfly, whorled, or spider [in un-glaciated areas]. Common milkweed grows on field edges and roadsides where soil has been disturbed. It is a tall ro- bust plant with wide opposite leaves. Pale pink flowers grow in large clusters from leaf nodes. Pods are about 4 inches long, 1.5 in. in diameter, and are usually cov- ered with scattered extended knobs. Swamp milkweed grows in ditches and other muddy areas. It is tall and smooth with long pointed opposite leaves. Bright pink flowers usually cluster on the top of the plant. Pods are about 3 inches long, ½ in. in diameter, smooth, and point upward in a cluster.

2. Don’t mow areas where you find milkweed growing.

3. Delay fall Rx burns until milkweed seed has been collected from burn units.

4. Collect seed pods from milkweed when they are ready. Pods are ready when they are dry, gray or brown. If center seam pops with gentle pressure, they can be picked. If they are starting to fluff out, of course, they can be collected. It is best to collect pods into paper bags such as lunch sacks or grocery bags. Label the bag as to location and habitat and the species. Store in an air-conditioned space until processed.

5. Process the seed (remove the seed from pods and silk). All manner of mechanical devices have been tried, to do this in bulk. Most methods are unsuccess- ful. It is time consuming to clean seed by hand, but it is the most efficient way. Hold pod in both hands by the ends. Pop it open enough to hold thumb over silk. Open pod a bit more so you can tease seed into a container. Drop silk into another container; when it becomes unruly, spray it with a little water. There

could be seed still in with the silk and pods [ “trash” ], so place it somewhere it might grow.

6. Store seed properly. Seed needs to be completely dry. Seed is a living plant. When air temperature and humidity added together are < 100, there is a very good chance seed will retain viability for a few years. If the combined number reaches 150, the seed has lost viability. SO: do not leave seed in a locked vehicle in the sun with the windows closed, nor in a closed container in an outdoor shed. DO NOT FREEZE seed; they have moisture in them and will explode and die if frozen. After processing, store in a clean plastic container in refrigerator. Label: “species, year, for planting location”

7. Identify appropriate areas to sow the seed. While you were collecting you noted habitat. Find another area where habitat is similar and there are few/no milkweeds growing. Do not sow in areas likely to be sprayed with Glyphosate or other herbicides.

8. Prepare the planting site if needed (this can be done with common garden tools). If the planting site such as a strip next to a field or road, is thick with fes- cue or brome, or some other alien vegetation it would be beneficial to spray glyphosate over the area to be planted several weeks before planting. Then mow short and scruff up the surface with a rake. Do not till.

9. Sow the seed on bare soil, prior to the first snow; sometime between Halloween and Christmas is best. If soil is workable, germination success would be higher if seed is raked a bit into the surface. But this is not necessary. Simply walk on the seed for good contact. A very light cover of dead vegetation [mulch] can be helpful to keep seedlings from drying out in early summer.

10. GPS the seed collection site and planting location or mark it correctly on a map or aerial photo. A photo of the location would also help future monitoring efforts.

Useful Resources

Websites:

Service Pollinator webpage and HQ/Regional Polli- nator Coordinators contact information: https://inside. fws.gov/go/post/EC-Pollinators

Monarch Joint Venture: http://monarchjointventure. org/

The Xerces Society: http://www.xerces.org/ (continued on page 11)

11

INPS’s 2014 grant recipients, cont’d: Woodbury County Conservation Board Equip- ment for Use in Prairie Management by Jim Henning, Resource Naturalist, Woodbury County Conservation Board

The generous donation we received from INPS allowed us to purchase equipment that is being used in our ongoing battle to maintain prairie ridges in the Loess Hills of Woodbury County. We were able to buy a Stihl chainsaw, two forestry helmets and two pairs of chainsaw safety chaps. These materials were immediately put to use this summer in the Riverside Bluffs area in Sioux City. This area has been and will continue to be an area of special concern to our organization as we work to keep its prairies free of woody species like cedar, dogwood and buckthorn.

Another area that will see heavy use of this new equipment is the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City. Our nature center is located on 10 acres in the southwest corner of Stone State Park. We have a two mile trail system that runs through wooded areas, as well as prairie. An ongoing project at the nature center is the removal of certain woody species from our hillsides to help keep our prairies intact. We also have future plans for additional tree removal to estab- lish even more prairie and oak savannah areas around the nature center.

The acquisition of these new materials has allowed us to get more ‘boots on the ground’ in this fight to save our prairie, for that we say “Thank You!”

Pictured above: One of the ridges we have

been working on in Riverside Bluffs. Below: Despite gloomy weather, WCCB employees and an Ameri- corps crew cleared trees and brush at Riverside Bluffs

(continued from page 10)

Habitat Assessment Tool:

Monarch Breeding Habitat Assessment Tool. Uni- versity of Minnesota Monarch Lab and Monarch Joint Venture. Online at: http://monarchjointventure.org/ images/uploads/documents/Habitat_Assessment_Tool_ Final_test.pdf

Milkweed Information and Seed Sources:

Border, B. and E. Lee-Mader. 2014. Milkweeds: A Conservation Practitioner’s Guide. 143 pp. Portland, OR: The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conserva-

tion. Online at: http://www.xerces.org/milkweeds-a- conservation-practitioners-guide/

Pollinator Plants of the Central United States: Na-

tive Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) (2013). The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Portland OR, in collaboration with USDA-NRCS. Online at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/mopmcpu11905.pdf

Membership Form Name: Address:

City, State: Zip code: County:

Phone: Email Address: Membership categories and dues:

$10 Member, please add $5 for receiving newsletter by US Post; $25* Anemone, $50* Botrychium, $100* Calamagrostis, $150* Dodecatheon, $200 and up* Erythronium Send with your dues to: Lori Schrodemier ___$5 Student (one-time

IA Valley RC&D payment while a student) 920 48th Avenue Amana, IA 52203

Additional information or special interest for member directory entry

Check here if you do not wish to have this information published in the INPS member directory. The INPS mailing list is never distributed to other organizations or companies.

Dues are payable on a calendar year basis from January 1 to December 31. Please use this form for changes of address. * Annual contributions over $10 are tax deductible. Iowa Native Plant Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. NEWSLETTER Iowa Native Plant Society c/o Deb Lewis Department of EEOB Iowa State University 340 Bessey Ames, IA 50011-1020

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