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Minnesota Plant PressThe Minnesota Native Plant Society Newsletter
Volume 25 Number 4Summer 2006
Monthly meetingsMinnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Visitor Center, 3815 American Blvd. East
Bloomington, MN 55425-1600
952-854-5900
6:00 p.m. — Building east door opens6:00 p.m. — Refreshments,
information, Room A7 – 9 p.m — Program, society business
9:00 p.m. — Building closes
ProgramsThe MN NPS meets the first Thursday
in October, November, December,February, March, April, May, and June.Check the website for more programinformation.Oct. 5:”Semi-Natural Grasslands for
Biofuel and Ecological Services?” by Dr.Nicholas Jordan, professor, Department ofAgroecology, Agronomy and PlantGenetics, University of Minnesota. Plant
of the Month: to be determined.
Nov. 2: “The Importance of Native Plants
in the Streamside Environment,” by BrianNerbonne, stream habitat specialist, MNDNR Central Region Fisheries. Annual
seed exchange.
Dec. 7: “Growth Pressures on Sensitive
Natural Areas in DNR’s Central Region,”
by Sharon Pfeifer, regional planner, DNRCentral Region.
Feb. 1: “Recent Highlights in theMinnesota County Biological Survey,” byCarmen Converse, county biolgical surveysupervisor, DNR.
In this issuePresidents’ columns.......2, 3Field trip................................3Art Hawkins..........................3Hastings prairie.....................4SE Minnesota sites................5Mad dog skullcap..................6Arden Hills restoration............6Membership form..................7
MN NPS websitewww.mnnps.orge-mail: [email protected]
MN NPS ListserveSend a message that includes the word
“subscribe” or “unsubscribe” and yourname in the body of the message to:[email protected]
Natural prairies holdkey to sustainable fuelsBy Deane Morrison. Reprinted with permission from UMNnews,University of Minnesota.
As gas prices inch higher, the search is on for renewable, plant-based fuels that don’t require fertilizer or pesticides, which bothrequire energy to produce.
A solution may be at hand, from University ecologist David Tilmanand two colleagues: Instead of growing a single fuel-source crop,grow many species together, because such plantations yield moretotal vegetation — and do it more reliably — than any growing justone species.
The most cited ecologist in the world, Tilman has long been singingthe praises of biodiversity, as the coexistence of many species iscalled.
In May, he and two colleagues (University forest resourcesprofessor Peter Reich and Johannes Knops of the University ofNebraska) published a paper in the journal Nature in which theysum up 12 years of experiments at the University’s Cedar CreekNatural History Area. The longest-running experiment of its kind, itshows unequivocally that plots of land with numerous speciesproduce much more “biomass” and suffer less from fluctuations inproductivity than plots with only one or a few species. This makesdiverse plantings the likeliest candidates to drive the “bio” revolution.
Think species diversityThe paper is a call to everyone who wants to extract energy frombiomass to start thinking in terms of species diversity. Biomass canbe either burned for energy or refined to produce concentrated energyin the form of biofuels, such as ethanol, or synfuel gasoline anddiesel. The greater the yield ofbiomass per acre, the better, anddata from Cedar Creek show thatdiverse plantings fill the bill.
“Diverse prairie grasslands are240 percent more productive thangrasslands with a single prairiespecies,” says Tilman, a RegentsProfessor of Ecology in the
Continued on page 4
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Minnesota Native Plant Society’s purpose(Abbreviated from the bylaws)
This organization is exclusively organized and operated for educationaland scientific purposes, including the following:
1. Conservation of all native plants.2. Continuing education of all members in the plant sciences.3. Education of the public regarding environmental protection of plantlife.4. Encouragement of research and publications on plants native toMinnesota.5. Study of legislation on Minnesota flora, vegetation and ecosystems.6. Preservation of special plants, plant communities and scientific andnatural areas.7. Cooperation in programs concerned with the ecology of naturalresources and scenic features.8. Fellowship with all persons interested in native plants throughmeetings, lectures, workshops and field trips.
MN NPS Boardof Directors
President: Scott Milburn,[email protected]
Vice President: Shirley MahKooyman, [email protected]
Secretary: Daniel Jones,[email protected]
Treasurer: Ron Huber,[email protected]
Ken Arndt, board member,[email protected]
Jason Husveth, board member,[email protected]
Sandy McCartney, boardmember, [email protected]
Program Coordinator: LindaHuhn, 612-374-1435
Listserv Coordinator: CharlesUmbanhowar, [email protected]
Field Trips:[email protected]
Memberships:[email protected]; 651-739-4323
Historian/Archives:[email protected]
Technical or membershipinquiries: [email protected]
Minnesota Plant Press editor:Gerry Drewry, phone, 651-463-8006; [email protected]
Updated plantidentification CDs arenow available
Flora ID Northwest, LLCannounces that its Minnesota andGreat Plains plant identification CDsfor PCs have been updated. MN NPSmembers who have purchased eitheror both of these CDs can get the latestupdate for $6 shipping and handling.Contact Bruce S. Barnes, Flora IDNorthwest, LLC, 731 NW 5th,Pendleton, OR 97801; call 541-276-5547 (FAX 541-276-8405) or email:[email protected]
New users may purchase updatedCDs from the Society at $70(Minnesota) and $150 (Great Plains).
From the presidentby Scott Milburn
I would first like to start off byrecognizing the great job done by ouroutgoing president, Jason Husveth.The Society has gained a good dealof momentum under Jason’sleadership, focusing on exciting fieldtrips, symposia, and monthlymeetings, along with increasingmembership numbers and revenue.Looking forward, it is important forthe Society to keep focusing on whathas led to this gain in interest whilecontinuing to grow.
The Society is dependent on theinvolvement of our membership.Many members have been steppingup in the past few years to lead fieldtrips and organize a social hourbefore the monthly meetings. In thenext year, we should look for waysto maintain our existing members,increase our membership, andincrease committee involvement bythe membership.
We need to continue to offer ourexcellent services (programming andfield trips), but we also need tomodify how we deal withmemberships. One idea that has beentalked about for the past year atboard meetings is to offer three-year
memberships, rather than having torenew each year.
Additionally, we need to look forways to increase our membershipnumbers. One way that folks canhelp with this is to publicize theSociety’s monthly meetings byposting a list of meeting topics andtimes at your neighborhood plantnursery or grocery store. The Societymust also increase committeeinvolvement by the membership,including the SymposiumCommittee, Field Trip Committee,etc.
This upcoming year’s monhlyprogramming, symposium, and fieldtrips look very promising. I wouldlike to thank Linda Huhn for the greatjob she has done organizing speakersfor this upcoming year. TheSymposium Committee is alsostarting to prepare for next year’smeeting, with several potentialtopics, including the Prairie Coteau.Furthermore, it looks like anothergood year for field trips under thedirection of Ken Arndt. In closing, Iam looking forward to thisopportunity to serve as the presidentof the Society and welcome inputfrom our members.
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by Jason Husveth, president, 2003 -2006
Greetings members! I hope you areall enjoying Minnesota’s native floraand wealth of natural areas duringthese warm summer months. I havehad the honor of serving as yourpresident for the past three years.With the help of an energized andtalented board and enthusiasticmembers, we have accomplished agreat deal in this time. I want tothank all of you for making my termas president so rewarding and, I hope,productive.
As many of you may know, a newslate of officers was elected at theJune 2006 board meeting. ScottMilburn will be taking over the reinsof president, and I am certain he willexcel in this role.
Shirley Mah Kooyman was electedvice president, and her professionalskills and considerable experience onthe board will serve her and thesociety well. I am excited to see thenew directions that our seniorofficers will take us.
After several years on the boardand serving as secretary, Karen Schikhas stepped down to pursue anddevelop local conservation initiativesin her community. Among her manycontributions, Karen has served as aninvaluable resource on the board andhas volunteered countless hours toplanning our annual symposia for thepast several years. I wish to thankKaren for her exceptional service tothe society. She will be missed (andcalled upon in a pinch).
Daniel Jones was elected assecretary and continues to offer histalents and passion to the society.Ron Huber will continue to serve astreasurer, and he and Cathy are doinga fine job at managing the society’sassets and financial concerns. KenArndt continues to raise the bar withfield trip planning and coordination,and will continue on the board.
Sandy McCartney is working ondeveloping an annual scholarship forMinnesota students. Many thanks toGerry Drewry for keeping us on taskwith the quarterly newsletter, and toLinda Huhn for coordinatingfantastic speakers and topics for ourmonthly meetings.
It has been a pleasure to serve asyour president for the past threeyears. I will continue serving on theboard through 2007, and I lookforward to helping the society growwell into the future.
Thank you!
From the former president
Art Hawkins diesConservationist Art Hawkins, 92,
died on his property at Lake Amelia
March 9. As a United States Fish
and Wildlife manager in Minnesota,
Hawkins developed many of the
research protocols and waterfowl
management plans used by the
agency. He was a member of the
Commissioners Advisory Committee
to Scientific and Natural Areas for
almost 20 years.
Hawkins held a bachelor’s degree
from Cornell and a master’s degree
from the University of Wisconsin,
where he worked under Aldo
Leopold. He was one of Leopold’s
last surviving students.
Like Leopold, Hawkins restored
his land to a wildlife preserve.
Hawkins placed some of the first
nesting platforms for osprey on his
land and kept a diary or journal about
the property for nearly 50 years.
The MN NPS has started a
memorial fund for Art Hawkins. If
you wish to contribute, make your
check out to the Society, mark it for
the Art Hawkins memorial, and mail
it to Minnesota Native Plant Society,
P.O. Box 20401, Bloomington, MN
55420.
Take an eveningtour of HastingsSand Coulee July 18by Elizabeth Storey, river
stewardship coordinator, Friends of
the Mississippi River
Join Friends of the Mississippi
River Vermillion Stewards for a
prairie tour of the Hastings Sand
Coulee Tuesday, July 18, from 6:30
– 8 p.m. Karen Schik, restoration
ecologist for Friends of the
Mississippi River (FMR), will
introduce us to this rare dry prairie
that has survived since the early
1800s. Karen prepared the
stewardship plan that has determined
the course of action for efforts to
return the coulee to its pre-settlement
condition.
Technically a sand-gravel prairie,
this special place is home to several
rare habitat types; endangered plant
species including James’ polanisia
(Polanisia jamesii), sea-beach needle
grass (Aristida tuberculosa), and
kittentail (Besseya bullii); and the
threatened blue racer snake (Coluber
constrictor). The 2.5-mile-long
coulee is a former glacial stream
valley identified by Minnesota
County Biological Survey as one of
the most biologically important sites
in Dakota County.
Space is limited. To register,
contact Elizabeth at Friends of the
Mississippi River, [email protected]
or 651-222-2193, ext. 16. This event
is free of charge.
Newsletter is available byE-mail or regular mail
This newsletter is available in two
formats — printed and e-mail. If you
wish to change to the other format,
just send an e-mail to
[email protected] or phone
651-739-4323.
4
College of Biological Sciences,which operates the Cedar Creek fieldstation. “That means that if a plotwith one or two plant speciesproduces 100 pounds of vegetationa year, a plot with 16 species [themost diverse plots planted at CedarCreek] will produce 340 pounds.This huge advantage comes whenyou plant numerous grasses andlegumes and various prairie flowerstogether.”
Findings from Cedar Creek suggestthat plantings of multiple species ofprairie plants will produce fuels, suchas ethanol, with greater net energygains per acre than corn, soybeans,or even switchgrass, which has beentouted as a promising source forbiomass.
But the higher energy gains aren’tjust from higher productivity.Diverse plantings require little or noinputs of fertilizer or pesticides, bothof which require lots of energy tomake and apply. Experiments nowunder way in Germany and theNetherlands are yielding similareffects of diversity on yields, saysTilman, even though they use totallydifferent species.
Also, because prairie plants areperennial, they would not have to bereplanted year after year. Farmerswould need only to mow their fieldsin the fall.
Biomass could replace some coalIf burned, biomass could replace
some of the coal that now pumpscarbon dioxide and mercury into theatmosphere.
“You can burn prairie grass usingthe fluidized bed technology ofexisting coal-fired power plants, andcan mix it in with coal,” says Tilman.“The energy density of biomass is 60to 70 percent that of coal. If powerplants wanted to buy biomass andfarmers wanted to grow it, it couldhappen, but it will take much workto get there.”
Now that the value of biodiversityhas been shown, the next step shouldbe an economic analysis, saysTilman. It remains to be seen whetherbiomass farmers, along with energyproducers and the people whotransport biomass from one to theother, can each make money if theyput the vision that he and hiscolleagues have into practice. Foroptimal results, each region of thecountry and the world would have tobe studied to determine what mix ofplant species would work best in thatparticular soil and climate.
“In Minnesota, there are over amillion acres of abandoned farmlandin the Conservation ReserveProgram,” says Tilman. “That landis mainly planted with just a fewgrass species” and so may holdpotential as a future site of biomassplantations.
Planting more species should allownot only bigger yields of vegetation,but more predictable yields. As theCedar Creek experiments show,yields of vegetation fluctuate lessfrom season to season if thevegetation contains many species.This kind of reliability is important,because no one wants to see boomand bust years in the energy supply.
“This paper suggests there mightbe an unsuspected benefit torestoring land to a more nativecondition,” Tilman says. “Restoringland so it can produce biofuels is anew idea, but there are many reasonsto do it. We need a stable andproductive source of bioenergy.Biodiversity can give us this onabandoned agricultural land aroundthe world, and it doesn’t have to bejust grasses. As we get away fromfossil fuels, we’re going to have tohave a diversity of approaches.”
Continued from page 1
Biodiversity
Plant sale resultsTreasurer Ron Huber reported net
income from the June 2006 plant salewas $789. Non-auction plants soldfor $749. Profit from the auctionedorchids was $40. The late TimWallace’s trees brought in $73, whichhas been added to his memorial fund.
Hastings turnsindustrial parkinto a prairieby Karen Schik
A drive on Eddy St. fromdowntown Hastings to Lock andDam Number Two used to include adrive past a series of petroleumstorage tanks owned by Flint HillsResources. In 1995, the tanks wereremoved and a portion of the landwas given to the City of Hastings.What was once an unsightlyindustrial park is now being slowlytransformed into mesic prairiethrough a native planting completedin 2003 by Friends of the MississippiRiver (FMR).
Although some Minnesotans areable to recognize the hallmark nativeplants of a wet prairie and meadow,others may only recognize the formertank farm as a grassy field. In aneffort to raise consciousness of thearea as a restoration site, the City ofHastings erected a sign welcomingvisitors to the Hastings NaturePreserve.
In the spring of 2006, a group ofHastings High School students, inpartnership with the city and FMR,planted native grasses and forbsaround the sign. Now a signsurrounded by beautiful native plantswill highlight the area and attractvisitors even more effectively.
The project partners would like tothank the Minnesota Native PlantSociety for the “Think Native” grant,which helped in purchasing the plantmaterials.
This was a great educationalproject for the students andsomething they can take pride inevery time they pass the park.Getting students and othercommunity members to participatein restoring their local natural areasis one of the best ways to ensurelong-term protection of such areas.
5
Protecting native plantsin southeastern Minnesotaby Daniel Tix, biodiversity areareview team leader, MN Chapter ofthe Society for Conservation Biology
At this year’s MN NPS annualsymposium in April, we explored theincredible biological riches of the“land that glaciers forgot,” thedriftless area of southeasternMinnesota and adjacent portions ofWisconsin and Iowa. For nativeplant enthusiasts, this region is atreasure trove of rare species andinteresting native plant communities.
It is also a region whosemanagement could significantlybenefit from the input of Native PlantSociety members. In fact, there havebeen few better opportunities forthose interested in native plantconservation to inform managementdecisions impacting rare plants anddiverse native plant communities.
In southeastern Minnesota, theCounty Biological surveyhighlighted 13 areas with biologicalvalues that merit special protectionon state lands. Having been selectedfrom 917 sites surveyed in sixcounties of southeastern Minnesota,these are truly exceptional areas fortheir large concentrations of rarespecies and highest quality examplesof the rare native plant communitytypes.
These communities include moist,moderate cliffs, algific talus slopes,dry oak savanna, maple-basswoodforest, and northern hardwood-conifer forest and occur on landalready owned by the MinnesotaDepartment of Natural Resources.Rare plant species include falsemermaid (Floerkeaprosperpinacoides), goldenseal(Hydrastis canadensis), Jame’ssedge (Carex jamesii), and rough-seeded fameflower (Talimumrugospermum).
As part of regional forestmanagement planning, the DNR is
writing plans to guide managementof these areas. The draft plans haveproposed such managementactivities as timber harvest,prescribed burns, and set aside ofsmall areas around rare species. Insome cases, especially in the forestedcommunities, proposed managementwill unduly jeopardize the quality ofsome of the highest quality nativeplant communities in the region.
The public comment period onthese management plans presents asignificant opportunity for MN NPSmembers to voice support for strongprotection of native plant species andcommunities. Voicing support is aseasy as reading an 8- to 12-page draftmanagement plan and writing acomment letter during the 30-daypublic comment period. Unlikemany other issues, these plansreceive few comments, so each lettercan be very important. Six planshave already been completed, butseven are still to be released forpublic comment.
If you are interested in reviewingthese plans, go towww.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/subsection/blufflands/index.htmlFrom this link, you can e-mail JonNelson and ask to be notified aboutthe public comment period for eachhigh biodiversity area managementplan in southeastern Minnesota. Ifyou would like more information ortalking points to inform yourcomment letter, feel free to contactme at [email protected]
Botanyby Berton Braley, “Science NewsLetter,” March 9, 1929There should be no monotonyIn studying your botany;It helps to trainAnd spur the brain —Unless you haven’t gotany.
It teaches you, does Botany,To know the plants and spotany,And learn just whyThey live or die —In case you plant or potany.
You learn, from reading Botany,Of wooly plants and cottonyThat grow on earth,And what they’re worth,And why some spots have notany.
You sketch the plants in Botany,You learn to chart and plotanyLike corn or oats —You jot down notes,If you know how to jotany.
Your time, if you’ll allotany,Will teach you how and whatanyOld plant or treeCan do or be —And that’s the use of Botany!
Note: Thor Kommedahl submittedthis poem, which he found in his files.
Bluffland managementguide is available
Conserving Your Blufflands, amanagement guide for the St. CroixRiver bluffs, has been completed byGreat River Greening ecologists. Itsgoal is to help decision-makers andlandowners conserve the bluffs’ecological value and beauty and helphalt the decline of the water quality.
Great River Greening developedthe guide under a contract with theMinnesota DNR. It will bedistributed by the DNR and theNational Park Service in the St. CroixValley. Copies are available throughthe DNR Information Center, 651-296-6157 or 888-MINN DNR, andfrom Deb Gagner at Great RiverGreening, 651-665-9500, ext. 10, [email protected]
Seedling plant guide willbe printed in August
The Prairie Seedling & SeedingEvaluation Guide will be availablein August 2006. It is expected to costabout $5, plus shipping and handlingand will be available through theBonestroo & Associates website. Foradditional details, contact authorPaul Bockenstedt at 651-604-4812 [email protected]
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Plant Loreby Thor Kommedahl
What is mad-dog skullcap?
Mad-dog skullcap is Scutellaria
lateriflora, a Minnesota native plant
in the mint family.
How did it get its names?
It was reported in the 1770s as a
cure for rabies; hence, the name mad-dog. Scullcap refers to the flowershape, which resembles a helmet
with the visor raised. Scutellaria
means dish, referring to the pouch onthe fruiting calyx. Lateriflora refers
to the one-sided flower racemesborne in leaf axils.
Where does the plant grow?
It grows in moist woods, meadows,and swampy areas throughout thestate.
What do plants look like?
They are perennials; one to threefeet tall; paired, opposite, toothedleaves on four-sided stems; and have
slender rhizomes. Its blue(sometimes, pink, violet, or white)flowers appear in one-sided racemes
from leaf axils (distinguished fromcommon skullcap which has a singlebloom in the axil). It flowers from
July to September.
Has it any medicinal value?
Its use for rabies treatment has
since been discredited; however,plants contain scutellarin, a flavonoidwith sedative and antispasmodic
properties. It has been used fortreatment of epileptic seizures.Skullcap was once listed in the US
Pharmacopeia and the National
Formulary for treatment of nervousdisorders.
Is it poisonous?
Not likely. Where cases of toxicityhave been reported, the poisoning has
been attributed to adulterants such aswood sage added to commercialsupplies of skullcap.
Pale or cream gentianThis is a summary of the April 6Plant-of-the-Month talk by Wade J.Hammer
Gentiana flavida, pale or creamgentian, grows one to three feet talland is typically unbranched. Theleaves and stems are yellowish-greenand glabrous; the flowers are creamor white. It is found in moist prairiesand open woodlands in the UpperMidwest and Great Lakes states.
Pale gentian flowers in latesummer to early fall, andbumblebees are its primarypollinators. Its small seeds aredispersed by wind and water.
Restoration ofArden Hills sitestudiedby Wade J. Hammer, wetlandecologist, Svoboda EcologicalResources. This is an abstract of histalk at the April 6 meeting.
The Arden Hills Army TrainingSite (AHATS) is a 1,786-acremilitary installation in Arden Hills,Minn. It is located in Township 30N,Range 23W, within Sections 9, 10,15, and 16 in Ramsey County. TheOriginal Land Survey, completed inthe late 1800s, makes note of bur oakand white oak woodlands, with sometamarack swamps in the low areas inthe approximate vicinity of theproperty.
Thirty home sites were displacedwhen the land was purchased in 1941by the federal government for use asa military installation. The majorityof the construction at the site beganprior to World War II. Activemunitions production took placethere for 22 years, through theVietnam War. At its peak, 26,000people were employed as part of themilitary munitions facility. Due tothe industrial use of the site and thesolvents discarded on the property,it was listed as a superfund site in1983. Clean-up of remnants of theindustrial production at the sitecontinues.
Tallgrass prairie restorationprojects have occurred at the AHATSsince the early 1990s. As part of amasters of science project, a studyassessing the relationships amongmanagement (seeding and burning),vegetation, and environmentalfactors (soil, aspect, and slope) wascompleted.
The study included completion of75 vegetation surveys, consisting ofthree random plots in 25 purposivelyplaced grids. The surveys consistedof cover class data for all plantspecies. The surveys were completed
twice during the summer of 2002(late June/early July and mid-August). Multivariate statisticalanalyses of the vegetation surveydata revealed relationships betweenvegetation and soil texture,vegetation and shallow depth toground water (within one meter), andindividual plant species and firefrequency. The intended use of thefindings is to improve managementof designated tallgrass prairierestoration sites at the AHATS.
Bob Djupstromretires as head ofSNA program
Bob Djupstrom retired March 2 ashead of the Scientific and NaturalAreas Program. He led it for 24 ofits 33 years and oversaw theacquisition of 125 of its 140 sites.The program now encompasses184,635 acres — more protectedacreage than any other state.
In the SNA newsletter, Bob sent“an open thank you to the many folkswho volunteered their time andenergy to the SNA program over theyears. I hope the cadre of volunteersout there will continue, will expand,and take an even greater interest inpreserving our existing sites as wellas assisting in having new sitesestablished.”
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Minnesota Native Plant SocietyMember Registration
Name __________________________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
City __________________________________________________ State ________ Zip ______________
Phone (work) __________________ (home) ___________________ E-mail newsletter? Yes___ No____
E-Mail __________________________________________________________________________________
Membership category (New ______ Renewal _______)$15 Individual$15 Family (2 or more people at same address) $8 Student (full time) $8 Senior (over 62 or retired)$20 Institution
The membership year starts Oct. 1. Please fill in this form and check the appropriate membership category. Makeyour check payable to the Minnesota Native Plant Society. Bring the completed form and your check to theOctober meeting, or mail them to the Minnesota Native Plant Society, P.O. Box 20401, Bloomington, MN 55420.
Hastings HighSchool, Oakdalereceive grantsby Karen Schik
The Minnesota Native PlantSociety has awarded two ThinkNative Grants.
Hastings High School BiologyClass
A $200 grant was awarded to JoeBeattie’s biology class for thepurchase of native plants to install ina prairie planting at the entrance tothe Hastings River Flats Park.Beattie’s students have worked on alakeshore planting at the samelocation in the past two years, as wellas other restoration projects inHastings.
As part of a class project, theyinstalled prairie plants at the siteentrance and will return to help weedand water them over the next year.The City of Hastings will maintain
the planting in the long term. Friendsof the Mississippi River, which hasconducted the restoration work at thepark since 2003, will manage thegrant and oversee the project.
City of OakdaleThe City of Oakdale received the
leftover plants from the plant sale andwill receive the leftover seed fromthe seed exchange to be used at theirrestoration sites. They will utilizethem to enhance the public wetlandbuffer areas adjacent to thecommunity streetscape projects and/or as ground cover materials in theirbuckthorn removal areas. Thecontact person is Ron Rogstad,administrative services director, Cityof Oakdale.
Nature exhibits at Bell MuseumBotanical art and Jim Brandenburg’s prairie photos are featured in exhibits
at the Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota.
“Bloom,” an exhibit of botanical art, will be on display at the museumthrough Aug. 27. It features approximately 60 drawings, paintings, prints,books, botanical models, and fine crafts from public and private collections.
“Bloom” includes magnificent hand-colored prints and books from thegolden era of botanical art in the 18thcentury; stunning botanical wallcharts, beautiful in themselves andan important means of teaching plantscience; and contemporary drawingsand paintings that exemplify theliving traditions of botanical art aswell as imaginative interpretations ofplants and ecosystems.
“Touch the Sky,” an exhibit of JimBrandenburg’s photos of theAmerican prairie, will be displayedfrom Oct. 1 – Dec. 31. This exhibitis a tribute to the vistas and creaturesthat live in the tallgrass prairies ofMinnesota, Nebraska, Iowa andNorth and South Dakota.
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Summer 2006
Minnesota Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 20401
Bloomington, MN 55420
