Take a walk with me through the prairie

[SwampCat]

Ladino from the feed store, which is not a specific variety. Seems to be some pretty good stuff.

Looks great. I think anything on your ground is “pretty good stuff”

 

[Native Hunter]

I have a new one for you guys that's in a marsh on my dad's farm - not in my prairie. It's called Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus). I've never been able to find out much about this plant. It's in a big colony in a wet spot, and I have read that beavers and wood ducks feed on it. I have also read that Native Americans had some medicinal uses for it. A strange looking plant, and I don't remember seeing it anywhere else I have ever been.

 

[Native Hunter]

Here are three more interesting species from the creek farm where I found the lizard's tail.

Canadian Wild Rye

Umbrella Magnolia Tree

A native canebrake next to the creek

And what would a day in the field be without a serving of turtle soup....

 

[Native Hunter]

Got some new ones from the prairie:

First one is False Sunflower. Deer will browse this plant, but I didn't see any browsing on these. I found them today at two spots and don't remember seeing them before:

This next plant is Seedbox. A colony of it was growing in a damp, sunny spot at the edge of the prairie. It had been browsed heavily.

This next plant is Meadow Beauty. It was growing near the Seedbox and only lightly browsed:

That's about it for today guys. I will be on the lookout for more.

 

[Native Hunter]

I took a walk on the side of my prairie where I seldom go. I was looking to eradicate any thistles that may have popped up recently. The land is a little different on this side of the place, and I found some different plants. It was raining, so my pictures are not that good.

Much to my surprise, I found a native shrub in a fence row that I had never seen before. It’s a Maple Leaved Viburnum. I will go back this fall and collect seed from this plant. I knew they existed in our area, but this is the first one I’ve ever found on my land and only the second one I’ve seen anywhere. I have planted a relative of this plant (Arrowwood Viburnum), and the browsing on it is just incredible.

Another plant I found was False Nettle. Unlike regular nettle, this plant does not have stinging hairs. I have read that deer will browse it, but I didn’t find any browsing on the ones I spotted.

I have one more today known as White Avens. It was growing in the shade at the edge of a branch, and I didn’t see any browsing. I really don’t know much about this one, and I don’t see it in many places.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Wonder if your false nettle is like canadian clearweed up here. Deer ignore it all summer but for a certain time in early fall they hammer it. CC is also in nettle family but does not have stinging hairs.

 

[Native Hunter]

Wonder if your false nettle is like canadian clearweed up here. Deer ignore it all summer but for a certain time in early fall they hammer it. CC is also in nettle family but does not have stinging hairs.

The False Nettle we have here is: (Boehmeria cylindrica). Its native range does extend into Canada, but I think Canadian Clearweed is a different plant per my research (Pilea pumila).

 

[rocksnstumps]

Native,
Yes they are different plants but both within the nettle family. Was really referring to the browse aspect that maybe they browse on false nettle more heavily during certain times of year just like have seen with CC

 

[Triple C]

Steve, always a smile when I see an update on this thread. Thanks for continuing to take the time to update and educate. I may even join you with a "Walk thru the Clearcut" since logging is finished on my farm. With all the rain we've had over the past few weeks, all kind of stuff is popping up in the clearcut.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Good stuff as always Native, I see a lot of what looks like Vetch in the background of your pictures. Is there a Vetch native to your area? Or maybe I am misidentifying the plant which is quite possible lol

 

[Native Hunter]

Good stuff as always Native, I see a lot of what looks like Vetch in the background of your pictures. Is there a Vetch native to your area? Or maybe I am misidentifying the plant which is quite possible lol

I think what you may be seeing is Partridge Pea. It was in my prairie planting, and I love it, because it not only provides browse, but also gets tall enough to make good deer cover. It will soon have a yellow bloom, and I will post a few pictures of that in my habitat thread. I do have a little hairy vetch here and there, but there isn't a lot of it.

 

[Native Hunter]

Here are a couple of wetland species that I spotted recently. Neither of these plants will be browsed by deer, but they are the bomb for insects and butterflies. The first is swamp milkweed. This was growing in a damp meadow that hadn’t been mowed this year. The second is Joe Pye Weed. There is a lot of this along my branch where it joins the prairie.

Here is one I noticed on the bank of one of my ponds. It is on a slope in a shady spot where the ground should be fairly dry. This plant is called Whiteleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum albescens). I didn’t see any browsing, and this doesn’t surprise me, because mint type plants are not a favorite of deer. However, it is my understanding that there is a lot of insect use of this native plant.

 

[Native Hunter]

Today let's take a break from plant IDs and just enjoy a little beauty without worrying about anything like that.

FYI, In the first picture below, I now have this area where the plants I want come back every year without me hardly having to do anything. Before I started, this was a mess of useless trees like sycamore and sweetgum - along with undesirable plants like marestail, etc... A little work and now I have this, which is close to self sustaining. Deer feast in this every year:

This area can be self sustaining like the one above once I take care of all the sweetgums and rid the seedbank of them. I'm working on that and getting closer. In the meantime, I have to mow it each year, which I dislike doing.

A few more for your enjoyment.

 

[Native Hunter]

Here is one I haven’t posted before. It’s called Leafy Elephant’s Foot. I found this today when I was at my 20 acre place at the edge of the woods. (I liked the picture I got there today of the new 150 better than this though. )

I don’t recall ever seeing this plant in the prairie. From all I can find it is supposed to be deer resistant, and that would be my observation as well. I did not see any browsing. But it is a very beautiful plant.

The prairie is really taking shape now that the partridge pea is blooming and the Indian Grass is finally making a head and bolting.

This is something I see mostly around fence rows, but recently noticed it right out in the middle of the prairie. It’s Wild Potato Vine.

Enjoy

 

[Mozark]

Things that keep me up at night....
1. Post from Native
Its 2:00 in the morning and im trying to figure out if you have hibiscus moscheotus or impomoea pandurata. Thanks Native!

 

[Native Hunter]

Things that keep me up at night....
1. Post from Native
Its 2:00 in the morning and im trying to figure out if you have hibiscus moscheotus or impomoea pandurata. Thanks Native!

Well, it's 3:48 in the morning and your ESP message came through. I had to double check myself but now 100% sure we need to stick with impomoea pandurata. Thanks Mozark for tagging along.

 

[Mozark]

Well, it's 3:48 in the morning and your ESP message came through. I had to double check myself but now 100% sure we need to stick with impomoea pandurata. Thanks Mozark for tagging along.

....added to my buy list!

 

[Native Hunter]

Here are two that I noticed recently. The first is Cutleaf Groundcherry. Everywhere I found this plant it was browsed hard. After I got home I realized that my pictures were more of the browsing than a good look at the plant. However, you can look this up on the Internet and see some better pictures.

This is Cardinal Flower. It is very beautiful and attracts insects, but deer do not browse it the best I can tell.

Now is not the best time to be walking through the prairie…lol….

But I saw a little grove of thistles and went into attack mode.

Maybe for the rest of the year I will just stick to the trails. Enjoy!

 

[omicron1792]

Here are two that I noticed recently. The first is Cutleaf Groundcherry. Everywhere I found this plant it was browsed hard. After I got home I realized that my pictures were more of the browsing than a good look at the plant. However, you can look this up on the Internet and see some better pictures.

This is Cardinal Flower. It is very beautiful and attracts insects, but deer do not browse it the best I can tell.

Now is not the best time to be walking through the prairie…lol….

But I saw a little grove of thistles and went into attack mode.

Maybe for the rest of the year I will just stick to the trails. Enjoy!

Beggars lice is such a good plant, except for the clothes!

 

[Native Hunter]

Beggars lice is such a good plant, except for the clothes!

Yes, excellent plant for both deer and quail.