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Driftless Office

4681 County Road JJ
Black Earth, WI 53515
608-767-3553
office@quercus-ls.com

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4640 Selje Road
DeForest WI 53532
608-842-0550
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Wildflower Wednesday! This week’s wildflower is a prairie workhorse: the grey-headed or yellow coneflower, Ratibida pinnata. Grey-headed coneflowers are a common summer sight on many prairies and, for a few weeks, tend to dominate the flower show. I call these prairie workhorses because they do so much for prairies. They are hardy and strong competitors, tolerant of varied growing conditions, flower profusely, provide tons of nectar and pollen for pollinators, and have easily collectible seeds. This last characteristic makes them great for prairie restorations and native plant seeding projects. As with all members of the aster family (Asteraceae), what looks like a single large flower is actually composed of many (dozens in this case) itty bitty individual flowers called florets. These florets come in two kinds: showy ones with a great big petal sticking out of one side and small not showy ones of simple tubes. In grey-headed coneflower, each “petal” in the outer whorl of yellow parts is a single showy floret. The dark rounded center is made up of dozens of little dark brown tube-shaped florets. As each floret matures it will stick out its stamens (that are fused into a tube) and then slightly later the style with two forks will emerge from the middle of the tube and each tip will curl back in a little loop. These are the rough knobby bits sticking out of the brown part of the “flower”. The second part of the scientific name, the specific epithet, for grey-headed coneflower is “pinnata”. This refers to the pinnately divided leaves that have 3-7 narrow segments (last pic). The wildflowers typically grow to around a meter/3ft tall but can get up to 4ft. Grey-headed coneflowers can be found throughout much of WI in moderate to wet prairies in full sun (but occasionally in wooded areas, as well). #wisconsin #wisconsinflora #wisconsinplants #nativeplants #plants #botany #wildflowerwednesday #WildflowerWednesday #wildflowers #nativepollinators #asteraceae #ratibida #ratibidapinnata #coneflower #greyconeflower #greyheadedconeflower #nativeprairie #prairierestoration Here is a stunner for this week’s Wildflower Wednesday: Virginia meadow-beauty (Rhexia virginica)! Virginia meadow-beauty is a super cool summer flower, even if it is a little hard to find! First off, the genus Rhexia is in the large (>5000 species) mostly tropical family Melastomataceae. In fact, this is the only member of the family in Wisconsin. Most members of the Melastomataceae have very distinctive and easily recognizable leaves. They are arranged oppositely and there is a set of prominent veins parallel (in the botanical not mathematical sense) to the mid vein with another set further out close to the leaf edge. Often there are pronounced secondary veins connecting these main veins. Kinda hard to explain but very obvious when you see it (2nd pic). Secondly, Rhexia has crazy tube-shaped anthers that are part of an amazing buzz-pollination system. In order for the pollen to be released, bees have to vibrate or buzz the anthers at the correct frequency. This is known as sonication. When done properly a percentage of the pollen will be released to the bee. Rhexia plants are absolutely reliant on native bees for pollination as honey bees (Apis mellifera) cannot sonicate flowers! Lastly, look at all those cool glands! I have no idea what they do! Virginia meadow-beauty is found in several south-central counties in WI and is a species of Special Concern in the state. It grows in wetter sites like roadside ditches and moist meadows - which are in short supply these days, hence its Special Concern status. #wisconsin #wisconsinflora #wisconsinplants #nativeplants #plants #botany #wildflowerwednesday #WildflowerWednesday #wildflowers #nativepollinators #melastomataceae #rhexia #rhexiavirginica #sonication #buzzpollination #meadowbeauty #nativebees #rareplants All set up for the last Bodega! It has been a fun season selling native plants, connecting with new people and seeing familiar faces! Hope to see you tonight! #bodega #quercuslandstewardship Wildflower Wednesday is back! Sorry for the interruption to your plant viewing pleasure - I’ll try to keep future interruptions to a minimum! This little gem is one of my most favorite native Wisconsin orchids (I say that about them all, don’t I?): the lily-leaved twayblade (Liparis liliifolia). The common name twayblade refers to orchids with a single pair of leaves; in the genus Liparis they are at ground level. The whole plant is under a foot tall and usually only about 4-5 inches tall. I absolutely love these flowers! In a family of plants know for bizarre flowers I feel like these can compete with many tropical orchids. Each flower is held away for the stem on a long purplish pedicle that also includes the ovary. The lip petal is a translucent purple and arcs gracefully away from the column (where the stigma and anthers are) while the two lateral petals are reduced to narrow purple threads hanging down on each side. The three sepals are pale green and rolled back onto themselves into tubes, one upright behind the column and the other two angling downward below the lip. All of this in a flower that is barely bigger than your finger tip! (pics 2-4). There can be 10-30 flowers spirally arranged on a single inflorescence. Lily-leaved twayblades can be found typically in wooded and shrubby areas throughout much of southern Wisconsin in early summer. But you should keep an eye out for it in other habitats as well: I have found it growing in open prairie! Added bonus: if you find the lily-leaved twayblade take a few minutes to look for its sister species the green twayblade (Liparis loeselii) – I often find them together. #wisconsin #wisconsinflora #wisconsinplants #nativeplants #plants #botany #wildflowerwednesday #WildflowerWednesday #wildflowers #nativeorchid #orchidaceae #orchid #liparis #liparisliliifolia #twayblade #orchids #lilyleavedtwayblade What a stormy Wildflower Wednesday here in southern Wisconsin! This week’s wildflower is the rare Pitcher’s or dune thistle (Crisium pitcheri). This native thistle is found growing only on the windswept sand dunes of the Great Lakes’ beaches. In fact, it is only found on beaches of Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. It has typical thistle-type flower heads ranging from white to pale pink. The leaves are silvery and deeply divided into long thin weakly spine-tipped lobes (pic 2). Pitcher’s thistles take several (2-8) years to reach maturity and flowering size, during which the plant develops a massive taproot that reaches deep into the sand. When ready, it flowers (often profusely) and then dies (a lifestyle known as monocarpic). The seeds often fall to the sand immediately below the parent plant to begin a new generation. Due to the restricted nature of its habitat and, more significantly, the desirability of that habitat by humans, Pitcher’s thistle is listed as threatened both federally and by the state of Wisconsin. Lakeshore development for resorts and vacation homes, in particular, as well as invasive species and trampling by beach-goers continue to threaten dune thistle populations in Wisconsin. Lake level fluctuations are also likely negatively impacting this species. Pitcher’s thistle is another native Wisconsin thistle that deserves more recognition and appreciation. #wisconsin #wisconsinflora #wisconsinplants #nativeplants #plants #botany #wildflowerwednesday #WildflowerWednesday #wildflowers #pitchersthistle #asteraceae #cirsium #cirsiumpitcheri #nativethistle #thistle #greatlakes #sanddunes #rareplants Here is a classic spring beauty for Wildflower Wednesday: the large-flowered trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). Large-flowered trilliums are probably well known to many but there are some interesting less well known facts about them. Emerging and flowering in the spring in to early summer this native plant takes advantage of the brief period of time when the ground is snow free, air temperatures are warm, and the overstory deciduous trees have not leafed out yet. Plants that complete the bulk of their yearly growth cycle in this window are often referred to as spring ephemerals; often come late summer there is no trace of them in the understory. The single large funnel-shaped flowers have three brilliant white petals, three green sepals and are perched on a relatively long stem. Below the flower is a whorl of three leaf-like bracts. These look and function just like leaves but the true stem of the trillium is underground so these “leaves” are technically bracts. Having flower parts in multiples of three led early botanists to place trilliums in the Lily family (Liliaceae) but modern botanists recognize it as a member of the Melanthiaceae. The single berries produced by each flower are not very appealing to humans but readily eaten by ants. In fact, ants are one of the predominant dispersers of trillium seeds, a trait termed myrmecochory. This accounts for much of the small-scale dispersal of plants but does not explain large-scale dispersal. It is likely that deer are responsible for long distance seed dispersal as they are particularly fond of eating large-flowered trillium. So fond that they will negatively impact the growth and survival of the trilliums and, if deer numbers are high enough long enough, will extirpate them from the local ecosystem. As the flowers age they fade to a dusty pink color that often confuses beginning plant enthusiasts who think they have found an unknown species of trillium. Large-flowered trilliums are long-lived plants that can persist for decades or even centuries. However, they are slow to get going having a double seed dormancy requiring two winters before complete germination occurs. Another beautiful day for the Bodega! 😎 You can catch us again at Breese Stevens Field in Madison selling native plant packages! 🌱#bodega #quercus #plantnative It is wildflower Wednesday again! This week’s wildflower is another native orchid species: the small white lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium candidum). While this orchid is on the smaller size for a lady’s-slipper, it is not small as native orchids go nor is there a “large” white lady’s-slipper so I am not sure why it gets the adjective “small” added to the name! Many of Wisconsin’s 45(+) native orchids are uncommon or even rare: 2 are state-listed as endangered and 6 are listed as threatened. White lady’s-slipper is one of these threatened species. This orchid grows in wet to moist open prairies and bogs. Much of this habitat has been lost through conversion to agricultural fields. The remaining suitable habitat has been severely degraded by woody plant encroachment which shades out the native sun-loving species and aggressive invasive non-native plants that completely convert the habitat such as reed canary grass. Alterations to the soil hydrology is also a serious threat and one that can be much harder to mitigate. The good news is that white lady’s-slippers often respond favorably to habitat restoration efforts. Like all lady’s-slipper orchids, white lady’s-slippers use deceit to get insects to pollinate them. The elaborate flowers look inviting and insects (native bees are likely the most important pollinators) are enticed into them. Once inside they discover there is no nectar reward and they can’t fly back out the slipper opening. Eventually they figure out that there is a way out at the back of the slipper on either side. This exit is a tight squeeze and as the insect is wiggling out a packet of pollen (pollinium) is stuck to its back. The insect will then fly off and, if it falls for the trick again, will scrape the pollinium off onto the stigmatic surface of another white lady’s-slipper. There are even little windows in the back of the slipper to encourage the insect to head that way to get out (pic #)! White lady’s-slipper orchids are a charismatic species of a dwindling ecosystem and one should consider it a real treat to come across them. Happy Wildflower Wednesday! For this rainy (at least in southern Wisconsin) Wednesday we have the large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora). One of only two species of Uvularia in Wisconsin, this is a classic early spring wildflower that graces wooded areas throughout the state. The long bright yellow flowers hang down and despite never really opening up very much provide a nice pop of color against the tan and browns of the leaf litter they grow in. In older more traditional plant references Uvularia was considered part of the Lily family (Lilaceae). But several lines of evidence indicate they are better considered as members of the closely related Colchicaceae. Interestingly, Uvularia, with five species, is the only genus in the Colchicaceae that occurs natively in North America and is only found in eastern North America. All members of the Cochicaceae share the character of producing Colchicine, an alkaloid. Colchicine (derived from the autumn crocus) has been used since antiquity for treating joint swelling and inflammation. In any case, you will recognize their affinity to the lilies by the parallel leaf veins and flower parts in multiples of three. Large-flowered bellworts are important sources of nectar and pollen for native bees early in the spring. One study of bellwort pollinators found several species of native bees in the genera Andrena, Lasioglossum, Nomada, and Osmia as common visitors/pollinators, and bumble bees being less frequent. The scientific name of the genus, Uvularia, is from Latin for “little grape” and probably refers to the pendant flowers. #wisconsin #wisconsinflora #wisconsinplants #nativeplants #plants #botany #wildflowerwednesday #WildflowerWednesday #wildflowers #bellwort #colchicaceae #uvularia #uvulariagrandiflora #largefloweredbellwort #liliaceae #formerliliaceae

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