Tuesday, May 5, 2009
May's Featured WI Endangered Species: Fassett's Locoweed
Look at this beautiful field of Fasssett’s Locoweed (Oxytropis campestris var. chartacea) http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/communities/index.asp?mode=photoview&Code=CTGEO091WI&PhotoNum=985 and this lovely head shot http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ProfileImage.asp?FN=3068a
I picked Fassett’s Locoweed for my May Wisconsin endangered species because it begins flowering in May. Happy Mother’s Day! After such a long unspringlike spring, it truly feels like spring has arrived now that flowers are in bloom! Farther north, where this species grows, its blossoms are especially welcome. This is one of the intangible reasons plants are so important to us – they raise our spirits!
I didn’t find much information about Fassett’s Locoweed. We don’t devote much time to Fassett’s Locoweed because it’s of no practical use - it is not agriculturally profitable, not a species we garden with, it’s not used for medicinal purposes… Fassett’s is one of those creatures that just exists, without regard for us.
Here are some facts that stuck with me – as Fassett’s Locoweed ages, its leaves change color – just as our hair greys as we age. And, like some of us who need variety in life to keep us alive and healthy, Fassett’s depends on fluctuations in lake level – its seeds germinate when the soil dries out as summer progresses and the plant can only grow in full sun. These extreme changes make other species unable to live here so they can’t shade out Fassett’s. These similarities between us and Fassett’s remind me that although we are so different, because we are living beings we share certain qualities and rights– including the right to exist and thrive!
Here is some more information about Fassett’s Locoweed and what you can do to keep it from being LOST:
1. Fassett’s Locoweed is only found in 3 counties in Wisconsin (see this map
http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/locoweed/loco.htm ): Bayfield http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna473.htm ( and in the Chequamegon National Forest), Portage http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/sna/sna227.htm , and Waushara http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna226.htm - and nowhere else in the world. It’s thought that Fassett’s exists in these places because it is a remnant from plant life from two large glacial lakes, which existed 10,000 years ago. Help WI DNR protect these unique places by donating, using the links found on the above pages!
2. Know why Fassett’s Locoweed is endangered: development (housing and recreation), trampling and driving on habitat, runoff from herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, invasive species, and erosion and irrigation of nearby land. While visiting these areas, be conscious of your actions, and spread the word to other vacationers and people living here.
3. Government agencies play a large role in defending and educating us about Fassett’s Locoweed. The University of Wisconsin-Extension Lakes Program’s second article in its newsletter http://www.uwsp.edu/uwexlakes/laketides/vol29-2/Text-only.htm tells us how Fassett’s Locoweed got its name: Although Fassett’s Locoweed was first discovered in 1928, it was later found by a famous WI botanist, Norman Fassett. It’s called Locoweed because it contains alkaloid compounds that cause cattle to behave crazily. Its Latin name, Oxytopis campestris, describes its flower petals and where it’s found: oxus means sharp and tropis, means keel; Campestris means "of the fields or open plains."
US Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/plants/fassetts.html, the US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/oxytropis_campestris_chartacea/index.shtml., the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/factsheets/plants/locowd.htm and the USDA http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OXCAC (plant classification details) give more interesting information.
4. This private organization, the Center for Plant Conservation http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/, has some interesting information about Fassett’s Locoweed http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3068 and could use your donations to help them fulfill their mission of plant education and conservation.
5. Be alert when in possible Fassett’s Locoweed habitat. You might discover some new plants! If so, contact the land owners or government agency where the plant is found. Read the story about how some naturalists found a new population of Fassett’s Locoweed in the Chequamegon National Forest at http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/conservation/success/oxytropis_campestris_protect.shtml . Pretend you are there while you enjoy the great photos on this link!
6. The Whitefish Lake Consevation Organization is a grassroots group protecting Fassett’s Locoweed and other sensitive species. Here’s their newsletter: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/whitefish_lake/WL_pdf/WILCO_Online_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf You can do the same here! Support your local environmental organizations, such as your local Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/involve/donate.htm and Audubon Society http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . The same dangers to Fassett’s Locoweed threaten animals and plants everywhere! Act and help spread the word!
I picked Fassett’s Locoweed for my May Wisconsin endangered species because it begins flowering in May. Happy Mother’s Day! After such a long unspringlike spring, it truly feels like spring has arrived now that flowers are in bloom! Farther north, where this species grows, its blossoms are especially welcome. This is one of the intangible reasons plants are so important to us – they raise our spirits!
I didn’t find much information about Fassett’s Locoweed. We don’t devote much time to Fassett’s Locoweed because it’s of no practical use - it is not agriculturally profitable, not a species we garden with, it’s not used for medicinal purposes… Fassett’s is one of those creatures that just exists, without regard for us.
Here are some facts that stuck with me – as Fassett’s Locoweed ages, its leaves change color – just as our hair greys as we age. And, like some of us who need variety in life to keep us alive and healthy, Fassett’s depends on fluctuations in lake level – its seeds germinate when the soil dries out as summer progresses and the plant can only grow in full sun. These extreme changes make other species unable to live here so they can’t shade out Fassett’s. These similarities between us and Fassett’s remind me that although we are so different, because we are living beings we share certain qualities and rights– including the right to exist and thrive!
Here is some more information about Fassett’s Locoweed and what you can do to keep it from being LOST:
1. Fassett’s Locoweed is only found in 3 counties in Wisconsin (see this map
http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/locoweed/loco.htm ): Bayfield http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna473.htm ( and in the Chequamegon National Forest), Portage http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/sna/sna227.htm , and Waushara http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna226.htm - and nowhere else in the world. It’s thought that Fassett’s exists in these places because it is a remnant from plant life from two large glacial lakes, which existed 10,000 years ago. Help WI DNR protect these unique places by donating, using the links found on the above pages!
2. Know why Fassett’s Locoweed is endangered: development (housing and recreation), trampling and driving on habitat, runoff from herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers, invasive species, and erosion and irrigation of nearby land. While visiting these areas, be conscious of your actions, and spread the word to other vacationers and people living here.
3. Government agencies play a large role in defending and educating us about Fassett’s Locoweed. The University of Wisconsin-Extension Lakes Program’s second article in its newsletter http://www.uwsp.edu/uwexlakes/laketides/vol29-2/Text-only.htm tells us how Fassett’s Locoweed got its name: Although Fassett’s Locoweed was first discovered in 1928, it was later found by a famous WI botanist, Norman Fassett. It’s called Locoweed because it contains alkaloid compounds that cause cattle to behave crazily. Its Latin name, Oxytopis campestris, describes its flower petals and where it’s found: oxus means sharp and tropis, means keel; Campestris means "of the fields or open plains."
US Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/Midwest/endangered/plants/fassetts.html, the US Forest Service http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/profiles/tep/oxytropis_campestris_chartacea/index.shtml., the WI DNR http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/factsheets/plants/locowd.htm and the USDA http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OXCAC (plant classification details) give more interesting information.
4. This private organization, the Center for Plant Conservation http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/, has some interesting information about Fassett’s Locoweed http://www.centerforplantconservation.org/ASP/CPC_ViewProfile.asp?CPCNum=3068 and could use your donations to help them fulfill their mission of plant education and conservation.
5. Be alert when in possible Fassett’s Locoweed habitat. You might discover some new plants! If so, contact the land owners or government agency where the plant is found. Read the story about how some naturalists found a new population of Fassett’s Locoweed in the Chequamegon National Forest at http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/rareplants/conservation/success/oxytropis_campestris_protect.shtml . Pretend you are there while you enjoy the great photos on this link!
6. The Whitefish Lake Consevation Organization is a grassroots group protecting Fassett’s Locoweed and other sensitive species. Here’s their newsletter: http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/landcenter/whitefish_lake/WL_pdf/WILCO_Online_Newsletter_May_2007.pdf You can do the same here! Support your local environmental organizations, such as your local Sierra Club http://wisconsin.sierraclub.org/involve/donate.htm and Audubon Society http://www.madisonaudubon.org/audubon/index.htm . The same dangers to Fassett’s Locoweed threaten animals and plants everywhere! Act and help spread the word!
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