Great Natives of Midwestern Ecotype

May 2011 Edition

© 2011

Cover Photo:

Shooting Star -Dodecatheon meadia

May, 2011– Montgomery, IL

Great Nat ives Of Mid-western Ecotype

Global warming trends have

some scientists concerned about

many different plant and animal

species’ future viability. What

species will migrate, evolve,

change behavior, or become

extinct? It was precisely these

questions that prompted Brad

Oberle, a doctoral candidate in

biology in Arts & Sciences at

Washington University in St.

Louis, to look at a survivor or

another global warming episode

at the end of the Pleistocene.

These native survivors are mem-

bers of the Dodecatheon genus-

commonly called shooting stars.

Shooting stars are a fairly wide-

spread species. Some of them

are very rare and have very spe-

cific habitat requirements.

Oberle used Mead’s, Jeweled,

and French’s shooting stars to

see if looking at a species, now

rare, could tell him anything

about how to predict the future

of species faced with a warming

environment.

His research focused on relict vs.

ecotype species. In theory, a

relict species would be geneti-

cally distinct from other species

in the area. This means it would

be a remnant survivor in that

area. An ecotype would show a

physical variation, but be ge-

netically similar to other species

found near it. This would show

adaptation and selective prop-

erties.

What he found could help land

managers develop plans for

future species.

Jeweled shooting star popula-

tions from Wisconsin and Penn-

sylvania are genetically similar

to one another, but very different

from other members of this genus

found nearby. This suggests it is a

relict species.

French’s shooting star are geneti-

cally similar to other more common

varieties. This would make it an

ecotype.

Genetically distinct species could

have a higher future conservation

value. Hopefully more research will

help in predicting how species will

fare in our warming world.

Volume 22, Issue 1

THE B IG P ICTURE : Native Clues and Global Warming

May 27, 2011

Did you know...

The Eastern goldfinch

is the state bird of

Iowa and New

Jersey?

Home use of pesti-

cides rose 42% be-

tween 1998 and

2001 alone?

GNOME newsletters

have reached over

1,300 different

readers?

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Plant Profile 4

Native on the Net 4

Best Books 4

Organization Spotlight 5

Native News 5

Planting with a Purpose 5

Big Green Lie Invasives! Fantastic Fauna Focus on the Future

6

7

7

7

GNOME NEWS

G N O M E ’ S M I S S I O N

Great Natives Of

Mid-western Ecotype

(GNOME) is an organization

focused on the preservation

and expansion of native flo-

ral and faunal species. The

mission is to provide a net-

based forum where mem-

bers can share their pas-

sion, plans, ideas, and ques-

tions with other people hav-

ing a common interest.

You can participate in many

different ways.

1. Join our facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/

group.php?

gid=45643568296

2. Submit articles, pictures, sto-

ries, or plans for publication.

3. Visit or link to the website

4. Pass on the newsletter.

Mead’s (left), Jeweled (middle), and French’s (right) Shooting Star

This flower in the primrose family

is one of the most identifiable

and pretty prairie bloomers of

the spring. Known as “prairie

pointers” to the pioneers and

commonly called shooting stars

today, this is Dodecatheon

meadia. There are over 18 spe-

cies recently re-identified, though

this is still under investigation.

This plant was originally distrib-

uted in the eastern half of the

US. Found in prairies and sa-

vannahs, it is associated with

high quality sites.

The leaves of this plant are

basal and usually 6” or shorter

in length. The are green, but

often have red accents. This

plant usually blooms in May

on a rosette about a foot tall.

Coloring ranges from white,

pink, to even lavender in

some ecotypes/species.

Faunal associations include

many types of bees. Queen

bumble bees are common

pollinators and use vibration

or “buzz pollination” to get

the pollen.

I have always viewed these plants

as almost ephemeral. They

sprout leaves in spring and

bloom, then die back in early

summer, leaving no trace. For

this reason, mammals usually

don’t do much damage to them.

It is also this trait that makes

them slower to establish and also

to bloom after establishment.

My experience has been positive

with these plants. Used en

masse, they are real show stop-

pers. They can be used almost as

one would use bulbs since they

die back leaving room for other

plants. It did take three years for

mine to bloom after planting

them. Blooming seems depend-

ent on early rainfall, but they are

great plants to lift spirits in late

springtime!

the skunk near a local Midwest-

ern prairie. As they explore this

prairie, Rachel helps Sammy

learn to identify about 20 differ-

ent prairie plants.

I really think that

this is not only

an entertaining

story, but a use-

ful “first” field

guide on prairie

plants. Kids will

like it for both of

those reasons!

Rachel and Sammy Visit the

Prairie by Jannifer Powelson is

a wonderful book.

According to several other re-

views, this story is geared for

ages 4-8. While that might be

the intended audience, these

are certainly not the only ages

that will find this story both

entertaining and informative.

The storyline presents an intel-

ligent and prairie savvy raccoon

named Rachel meeting Sammy

Another thing I love about this book is

that it is the first book in a series of

Midwest-based nature books. In fact,

the next book about forests is already

out.

The text is lively, there are

many accurate illustra-

tions, and also included

are actual photos of the

plants to help in real world

identification.

The last thing I really like

about this book is that it

encourages all people to

get out and enjoy nature.

Page 4

N A T I V E O N T H E N E T

Dodecatheon meadia– Shooting Star

B E S T B O O K S – R A C H E L A N D S A M M Y V I S I T T H E

P R A I R I E

Bird watching is an ever grow-

ing hobby. I was online look-

ing for good places to view

wildlife and came across the

Migratory Bird page on the

FWS site. This has some

great links to help birders in

the Midwest.

Though this page is pretty

basic, the links to the state

ornithology unions or Audubon

Societies are really helpful in

many ways. These often show

what is migrating, what has

been recently seen and where,

and give you “hot spots” to

view migrations as well as nest-

ing areas.

Many of these organizations

also have emailing notifications

if you really get into this activ-

ity.

Sometimes wading through sites

looking for good resources on native

information is just too time consum-

ing. This section should help!

This month’s featured site is :

Bird Watching- (Region 3-Midwest)

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/midwe

stbird/bird_watching.htm

“Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable

imperative.”

~H.G.Wells

The common name comes from a resem-blance to a “star” falling to Earth.

Volume 22, Issue 1

Great introduction for a

younger audience!

GNOME News

“40 years of protecting health

and the environment.”

http://www.epa.gov

If you haven’t ever visited the

Environmental Protection Agency

(EPA) website, it is worth a look.

But you might want to do it when

you have a little time– there is so

much information there that you

will get pulled in…

The EPA was formed in Decem-

ber of 1970. Its primary purpose

is to create and enforce regula-

tions based on laws passed by

Congress that are related to hu-

man health and environmental

issues. It has over 18,000 full

time employees and an

annual budget of over 10

billion dollars.

The many roles of the EPA

are too numerous to list

here. A quick look at their

site will show you how

many things they are in-

volved in.

The “MyEnvironment” com-

ponent is a really helpful

tool for finding out all sorts of

useful information about the

area that you live in. You can

search via zip code or

state/town. I really found the

water quality part of this interest-

ing, but kind of scary!

This site also provides infor-

mation in the form of mobile

apps and widgets. This fea-

ture is handy for those with

smart phones.

It is a government agency and

there is no fee to use the site.

This is the exact opposite of what

is needed when you choose to

use natives. Native plants have

evolved to live without the need

of “extra” soil additives. Fitting

the right native to your site rather

than creating the right soil for

your plant may take a little more

research on the front end of

planting, but will end up being a

lot easier on your back and your

wallet after planting.

In addition to being “green” by

going the natural soil route, you

will have several other benefits

without amendments as well.

This month’s feature focuses on

the use of various chemicals for

“enhancement” in the home land-

scape. There is another soil con-

sideration that is different for na-

tive plant landscapers when com-

pared to traditional gardeners.

That factor is soil amendment.

Part of the culture of traditional

landscaping and gardening is to

manufacture soil to meet the grow-

ing needs of the desired plants.

Adding manure, peat, compost,

“top soil” or any number of items

to create “good” dirt is common

practice.

Soil amendments often en-

courage weed growth as well

as desired plant growth. This

means more maintenance to

keep these weeds at bay.

When planting natives into

“improved” soil, they will often

get larger than they should.

This can cause issues like

flopping taller plants and

those with aggressive tenden-

cies to really go wild.

The best soil practice? Just

add natives! Nature will do the

rest!

Page 5

ORG A NI ZATI O N SP OTL I G HT : E N V I R O N M E N T A L P R O T E C T I O N A G E N C Y

P L A N T I N G W I T H A P U R P O S E :

J U S T A D D P L A N T S – A M E N D I N G T H E S O I L

The goal of this celebration is not

just to appreciate the beauty of

native plants, but to appreciate

what these plant symbolize.

"Where wildflowers are thriving, it

is a sign that the environment is

healthy," said Bob Henrickson,

whose nursery production work

with the arboretum concentrates

on native and regionally appropri-

ate plants.

Some of the activities of this

celebration include guided tours

of natural and home land-

scapes, presentations about

landscaping with native plants,

Fun Run/Walks through natural

areas, and children’s activities

like creating your own wildflower

book..

Maybe other states will follow

Nebraska’s example. It is a

cause worth celebrating!

May 25th through June 5th is

Nebraska Wildflower Week.

This is a state-wide celebration

of native flora both wild and in

landscaped environments.

The Nebraska Statewide Arbo-

retum Inc. is serving as the

coordinator of events and activi-

ties for Wildflower Week.

“The Truly

Healthy

environment is not merely safe,

but stimulating.”

~William H. Stewart

N A T I V E N E W S : N E B R A S K A S P O N S O R S W I L D F L O W E R W E E K

Time, patience, and native plants will give your

soil everything it needs without soil amendments.

Some will say that gazing out on a thick, green lawn is one of the

most satisfying sites in the world. There has been research that has

said the we are “evolutionarily predisposed” to want and need a

lawn filled home environment calling all the way back

to the African savanna days of our ancestors. For

many others, a weed-free turf grass monoculture is a

symbolic status representation of both monetary as

well as “master of nature” philosophy. Culturally,

historical “lawns” were only able to be maintained by

the wealthiest members of society. This is something

that many, even if it is unconsciously, continue to

want to emulate.

The costs of achieving and maintaining a lush, weed-

free and bug free turf grass lawn are many. The fea-

ture article this month will focus on these costs– both

to the pocketbook and the health of our environment.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica Concise, a

pesticide is “Any toxic substance used to kill animals

or plants that damage crops or ornamental plants or

that are hazardous to the health of domestic animals

or humans.”

“Any toxic substance” really stands out to me in this definition. It is

fairly obvious that many of the chemicals that are used on lawns are

solely created for this purpose– insecticide, fungicide, and herbicide

all contain the suffix –cide. This suffix has Latin roots in the word

caedere, which means “to kill”. Of course that would mean “toxic”.

But the other part of the definition above is just as meaningful, even

if it does not stand out as much.

In most home environments, crops are not a major consideration in

the application of pesticides. On average, crop fields in America

receive about 2.7 lbs. of pesticides per acre.

But did you know that the average suburban

lawn receives between 3.2 and 9.8 lbs. per

acre? In the home landscape, these chemi-

cals are not usually to protect vital food

sources.

That leaves turf grass and ornamental plants.

The use of pesticides for aesthetic purposes

has been steadily increasing since 1998. Over

90 million pounds of pesticides a year are

applied to American lawns. It is estimated that

over 35 billion dollars are spent annually to

eradicate weeds like dandelions and insects

like grubs. All of this so we can “enjoy” our

lawns a little bit more.

Many homeowners choose to apply these pes-

ticides themselves. But for those who choose not to, there is a pleth-

ora of companies such as TruGreen ChemLawn to do it for you (as is

evidence of my spring mailbox filled with “deals” for services).

Either way, there things that need to be brought to the general pub-

lic’s awareness about these chemicals. Let’s take a look at some of

the facts and research related some of the most common ones.

Page 6

T H E B I G G R E E N L I E

Volume 22, Issue 1

A report by Toxics Action Center took a close look at 32 different

pesticide products that ChemLawn markets to its customers.

Many of these are also available at home retailers, though not in

the same concentrations. Of these, more than

half have ingredients identified as possible car-

cinogens by the EPA or World Health Organiza-

tion. One third of them contain known or sus-

pected endocrine disruptors (look this one up for

some really scary info). More than a quarter of

them contain reproductive toxins. To beat that,

40% of the chemicals on ChemLawn’s list are

banned in other countries!

You might try to console yourself because you

don’t use a lawn service. Do you use “Weed and

Feed”? How about Grub-X? Take a look at the

myriad of other chemical applications you use

both inside and outside of your home and think

about these other risk factors.

Children take in more pesticides relative to

body weight than adults and have developing

organ systems that make them more vulnerable and less able to

detoxify. It is estimated that 50% of lifetime pesticide exposure

occurs in the first 5 years of life. This makes sense– who spends

more time playing, rolling, and walking around in a yard?

Dogs exposed to pesticide treated (mainly herbicides) lawns and

gardens more than double their risk of developing canine lym-

phoma and can increase bladder cancer risks up to seven times

for certain breeds.

Lawn pesticides are deadly not only to the “pests” they are meant

for, but also many other non-target species. This includes many

beneficial insects and soil microorganisms

that are essential for a truly healthy lawn. Of

the 30 most common pesticides, 16 are toxic

to birds, 24 are toxic to fish and other

aquatic life forms, and 11 are deadly to bees

(essential for pollination).

Think these are only things to worry about

when you step into your grass? Think again.

Because of drift in the air (of you can smell it,

it is drifting even without wind) and due to

tracking in on shoes, fur on pets, and even

bare feet, residue that sticks in carpets or

lands as dust can boost exposure rates from

10 to 400 times inside the home as well.

These are only related to the active ingredi-

ents in the pesticides. This doesn’t account

for the dangerous and often unregulated inert ingredients or even

the secondary risks (such as algae blooms in water from excess

and runoff fertilizer) from these chemicals.

Deciding to use chemicals on your lawn should not be a casual

decision. It should be looked at as if your life depended on it–

because it just might… This is one time when it is ok that the grass

is greener on the other side of the property line...

Green and Weed Free = Healthy?

GNOME News

Halyomorpha haly is known as the

brown marmorated stink bug. The

common name comes from its

streaked or marbled body parts.

I first heard about this insect in

February of 2011 in the Cedar

Rapids Gazette in Iowa. This is an

invasive that seems to really tak-

ing the national scene by storm.

First identified in 2001, it is

another invader from Asia,

originating in Japan, Korea,

and China.

This bug is in the stink bug

family. It, therefore, shares

some of the typical charac-

teristics with other similar

insects. One of these simi-

larities is that they overwin-

ter indoors in their adult

stage. Anyone that knows

about box elder bugs can recog-

nize this strategy.

The largest threat of this insect is

to ornamental and fruit-bearing

plants. Host plants for this in-

sect include both native (walnut,

maple, red bud, etc) and non-

native (butterfly bush, honey-

suckle) plants. It can also use crops like corn, soybeans,

and green beans.

Being a stink bug, it has

piercing mouth parts

designed for sucking

juices. This is what

causes damage to fruits

and vegetables.

There is a large effort to

document the expansion

of this pest. Anyone

finding this insect should

report it to their county

Extension office.

The Eastern goldfinch is a bird that many people

are familiar with. These birds readily come to

feeders to eat and are tolerant of human activity.

Let’s take a closer look at Carduelis tristis.

This bird has a large range for breeding and win-

tering. It can be found from southern Canada all

the way to Mexico. This extends east and west

from coast to coast. They are short distance

migrators, though some populations remain in

their locale all year long.

The Eastern goldfinch is likely the most conspicu-

ous member of the finch family found in North

America. This is because of its bright breeding

plumage. Males of this species are bright yellow

with a black cap. They also have black wing

feathers streaked with white and a white rump.

Females are typically an olive/dull yellow with

similar wing and rump markings.

These birds are seed eaters. They will feed on

various tree seeds like birch and elm. They also

relish seeds of plants like sunflowers and this-

tles. It is these types of seeds used in bird feed-

ers that will often attract them into your yard.

They also eat dandelion seeds from the plant.

Page 7

F A N T A S T I C F A U N A : T H E E A S T E R N G O L D F I N C H

IN VAS I VE S - B R O W N M A R M O R A T E D S T I N K B U G

One of the unique characteristics of these birds

is related to their breeding time. Even though

Birds begin to get their breeding coloration in the

spring, they are late nesters. They typically begin

nesting in mid– to late summer. They do this to

coincide with the abundance of food. It is this

time of year that seeds are becoming more plen-

tiful.

Goldfinches nest in the forked branches of a tree

or bush. It is the female that builds the cup

shaped nest over about 6 days. Upon nest com-

pletion, the female will lay between 4-6 light blue

eggs. At this point the male will feed the female

while she incubates the eggs.

Young are totally

altricial when born.

This means they

have closed eyes

and no feathers and

are totally depend-

ent on parents.

Amazingly, they are

able to leave the

nest in 10-16 days!

“If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.”

~Andrew V. Mason

Blue= Reported

Primary Business Address

1753 Wick Way

Montgomery, IL 60538

Great Natives Of Mid-western Ecotype

a fair picture about the scope of

previous projects. Overall, these

had revolved around business

sponsored flower planters, hang-

ing floral baskets from street light

poles, and resident donations to

receive a name plaque on the

local bridge and keep up planters

at that location.

I could tell that what I was about

to propose was a little out of the

realm of the norm for this group.

I recently had the pleasure of

meeting with our Village’s Beauti-

fication Committee. I was asked

to attend this meeting to begin a

paradigm shift pertaining to the

meaning of beautification.

I happened to park next to the

Director of Public Works the night

of the meeting. I hauled out my

sample birdhouses (right) and he

got the door for me as we entered

Village Hall. I already knew Mike

from our meeting last fall related

to placing the recycled, real Christ-

mas trees in our lake for fish cover.

The purpose of my attendance at

this meeting was to discuss plans

for adding bird houses to open

areas near our several subdivision

lakes. It was also to seek formal

permission to add Habitat Improve-

ment as a subcommittee.

A brief history of the committee

was presented for a new member,

so I was fortunate to be able to get

After procedural approvals of

minutes, discussion of “old”

business, I was up.

I discussed the importance of

engaging the community to

begin the process of ownership

of already existing habitat. I

informed them of the impor-

tance of involving interested

community members (children

in particular) and providing an

opportunity for these members

to share their time and talents. I

emphasized the importance of

habitat improvements for both

our community and for the ani-

mals that share our space.

After a few questions, a motion

was made to approve my re-

quest to begin improving habitat

within our own subdivision. It

was seconded and a unanimous

“Aye” was given from the com-

mittee.

I’m excited to begin redefining

what beautiful means to our

community!

FO C U S O N T H E FU T U R E

RE D E F I N I N G BE A U T I F I C AT I O N . . .

E-mail: GNOME.Native@gmail.com

There’s no place like GNOME!

GNOME

Great Natives of Mid-western Ecotype (GNOME) is an organization focused on the

preservation and expansion of native floral and faunal species. The mission is to provide a net-

based forum where members can share their passion, plans, ideas, and questions with other people

having a common interest in native species.

Check out our site!!!

Join our facebook group!

(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=45643568296)

This is our primary forum location. The newsletter as well as open discussions are there and

also other links to people and groups that focus on natives.

Got an article? Now accepting member submitted news and photos! Once you have something to

share, send it to the email listed at left. Monthly news articles will, of course, give credit to the

contributor. Everyone welcome!

We’re on the Web!

http://gnomenative.webs.com/

Re

fere

nce

s

Pic

ture

s

Big

Pic

ture

Ph

oto

- h

ttp

://w

ww

.scie

nce

da

ily.

co

m/

rele

ase

s/2

01

1/0

4/1

10

41

11

52

63

1.h

tm

Pla

nti

ng w

ith

a P

urp

ose p

.5- h

ttp

://ta

len

tga

rde

ne

r.co

m/so

luti

on

s/o

the

r-

so

luti

on

s/

Big

Gre

en

Lie

p.6

- h

ttp

://w

ww

.pe

stc

on

tro

lrx.

co

m/d

avi

d_

so

mlc

om

/

da

nd

elio

ns/

Big

Gre

en

Lie

p.6

- h

ttp

://ca

rbo

nze

rola

wn

ca

re.c

om

/w

hy-

org

an

ic

Inva

siv

es m

ap

p.7

-htt

p:/

/ca

se

y.se

na

te.g

ov/a

bo

ut/

blo

g/p

ost.

cfm

?

pl=

Th

e_B

row

n_M

arm

ora

ted

_S

tin

k_

Bu

g

In

va

siv

es p

.7- h

ttp

://n

jae

s.r

utg

ers

.ed

u/sti

nkb

ug

/si

mila

r.a

sp

Inva

siv

es p

.7- h

ttp

://ca

se

y.sen

ate

.go

v/a

bo

ut/

blo

g/p

ost.

cfm

?

pl=

Th

e_B

row

n_M

arm

ora

ted

_S

tin

k_

Bu

g

Fa

nta

sti

c F

au

na

p.7

- h

ttp

://w

ww

.ad

eo

ma

.org

/th

e-2

0-m

ost

-bri

llia

ntl

y-

co

lore

d-b

ird

s-in

-th

e-w

orl

d.h

tm

Art

icle

s

Big

Pic

ture

- h

ttp

://w

ww

.scie

nce

da

ily.

co

m/

rele

ase

s/2

01

1/0

4/1

10

41

11

52

63

1.h

tm

Na

me

Th

at

Na

tive

p.4

-htt

p:/

/w

ww

.illin

ois

wild

flo

we

rs.in

fo/p

rair

ie/p

lan

tx/

sh

oo

tin

gsta

rx.h

tm

Na

tive

Ne

ws p

.5-

htt

p:/

/a

rbo

retu

m.u

nl.e

du

/w

ild

flo

we

r/

Big

Gre

en

Lie

p.6

- h

ttp

://w

ww

.be

yon

dp

esti

cid

es.o

rg/la

wn

/fa

cts

he

ets

/

facts

&fi

gu

res.

htm

Big

Gre

en

Lie

p.6–

htt

p:/

/w

ww

.gh

org

an

ics.c

om

/R

efu

se

%2

0to

%2

0U

se

%

20

La

wn

%2

0C

he

mic

als

.htm

Inva

siv

es p

.7-

htt

p:/

/o

hio

lin

e.o

su

.ed

u/h

yg-f

act/

pd

f/FS

_3

82

4_0

8.p

df

F

an

tasti

c F

au

na

p.7

-htt

p:/

/w

ww

.nh

ptv

.org

/n

atu

rew

ork

s/go

ldfi

nch

.htm