Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
July's Featured Wisconsin Endangered Species: Poweshiek Skipperling
The Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) is a kind of butterfly called a skipper because of its quick darting flight, and is named after Chief Poweshiek, a Fox tribe Indian who signed the treaty ending the Black Hawk War. It flies from mid June to July and peaks the first two weeks of July, which is why I chose to feature it in July!
Unlike the other Wisconsin endangered species I’ve featured, this one’s habitat, tall grass prairie, has been destroyed since the 1850s. Over 99% of its habitat is now gone, because of conversion to agricultural land, grazing, haying, and more recently, invasive weeds and poor habitat management.
1. I’ll begin by saying how incredible beautiful tall grass prairies are – they are the oceans of the Midwest! Their beauty is poignantly enhanced by their rarity. Look at this website to see some lovely, vivid photos of the Poweshiek Skipperling http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/131-poweshiek-skipperling (my poster is based on the first one of these), and see one person’s brief account of their search for this butterfly. Also see these lovely photos of the Poweshiek and their habitat
http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf
2. Since so much of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s habitat is already destroyed, the challenge is to manage its existing habitat wisely.
See Ann Swengel’s incredibly intelligent, careful observations and insightful ideas in her North American Butterfly Association journal in depth article http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf (an excerpt can be found on the Madison Sierra Club’s website www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org, their April-June 2009 newsletter) about the mystery of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s decline. Here, she challenges the accepted idea that fire management is the only way to manage tall grass prairies. For this species and other vulnerable species it is in fact harmful. The Poweshiek is most abundant when nothing is done, though when its prairie is becoming brushy and weedy, it’s best to use localized treatments like mowing, brush-cutting and spot herbicide treatments. She makes the argument that using different management techniques protects diversity. There is no one size fits all management strategy that will benefit all species, because of the complexity of this ecosystem. It’s best to look to the rarest, most vulnerable species, and manage to suit their needs.
From the WI DNR’s new Endangered Resources website http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010 , you can find out that Poweshiek’s population fluctuates greatly, so they are particularly vulnerable to any external forces that could further lower their numbers. The WI DNR recommends expanding their habitat, creating habitat corridors, and using fire management with care.
This website http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ suggests only burning habitat infrequently and part of the habitat at a time – to protect Poweshieks and keep their home prairie and Poweshiek friendly!
3. Where can you find the Poweshiek Skipperling In Wisconsin? They live in Kettle Moraine Low Prairie in Waukesha County http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna88.htm and in the Puchyan Prairie in Green Lake County http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/er/sna/sna172.htm . Go to these websites to donate and find more info. These lands are wet mesic prairies (Poweshieks are also found in adjacent dry prairies with the plants they favor) with native grasses, sedges and many plants in the sunflower family.
4. Given a butterflies unique lifecycle, what plants to they need in these prairies to survive? The larvae feed on prairie dropseed and little bluestem, which is unique to their WI habitat. Adults feed on coneflowers and black-eyed susan.
Check out this lovely photo http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=photoview&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010&PhotoNum=13522 .
5. Go here to see all the different kinds of butterflies (100 plus!) that can be found in Wisconsin, along with their range, habitat, flight time and conservation status http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/bflylist.html Go to this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/nativewisconsinbutterflies.htm#Skippers for an understanding of what’s in WI and how they’re classified, along with some lovely photos. For example, our butterfly is a Skipper, so it’s in the family Hesperiidae, and because it’s a Grass Skipper, it’s in the subfamily Hesperiinae.
6. And these websites give you a wider, North American (or Midwestern, since tall grass prairies only exist here, though there is a small population in Manitoba) perspective of Poweshieks. http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ . This website has great info about the history of tallgrass prairies, the Poweshiek’s conservation status, description and taxonomy, life history, distribution, threats and conservation needs. Donate to this very worthy organization!
Nature Serve has similar information
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=116340&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=116340&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=116340 on threats, conservation needs, life history, and conservation status, but is a more scientifically expressed version of the xerxes entry.
See information about butterflies and moths (there are far more kinds of moths than butterflies, did you know) of North America here http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=2059 as well as some specifics about the Poweshiek. You’ll find photos, maps, classification, identification, life history, flight times, wing span, caterpillar and adult food, habitat, range, conservation status and management needs. You can donate to help them with their mission!
8. How can you help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and other butterflies? By good habitat management, on your land and on theirs! As Ann Swengel advises in her Paradise Lost article, when you’re in Poweshiek habitat, or any other endangered species habitat, observe, analyze, advocate – this is how she reached her heretical conclusion in management circles that fire can be harmful to Poweshiek’s and other rare species.
Manage them well on your own land, as is detailed in this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/butterflyattraction.htm which describes how you can make butterfly habitat in your garden – you’ll need host plants for caterpillars, nectar plants for butterflies, water, shelter, a place to bask – and you must not use insecticides!
Be a conservationist everyday, in your own life, as tourist, landowner, voter and conversationalist! Help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and the natural world!
Unlike the other Wisconsin endangered species I’ve featured, this one’s habitat, tall grass prairie, has been destroyed since the 1850s. Over 99% of its habitat is now gone, because of conversion to agricultural land, grazing, haying, and more recently, invasive weeds and poor habitat management.
1. I’ll begin by saying how incredible beautiful tall grass prairies are – they are the oceans of the Midwest! Their beauty is poignantly enhanced by their rarity. Look at this website to see some lovely, vivid photos of the Poweshiek Skipperling http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/131-poweshiek-skipperling (my poster is based on the first one of these), and see one person’s brief account of their search for this butterfly. Also see these lovely photos of the Poweshiek and their habitat
http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf
2. Since so much of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s habitat is already destroyed, the challenge is to manage its existing habitat wisely.
See Ann Swengel’s incredibly intelligent, careful observations and insightful ideas in her North American Butterfly Association journal in depth article http://www.naba.org/pubs/ab164/ab164Poweshiek_Paradise_Lost.pdf (an excerpt can be found on the Madison Sierra Club’s website www.wisconsin.sierraclub.org, their April-June 2009 newsletter) about the mystery of the Poweshiek Skipperling’s decline. Here, she challenges the accepted idea that fire management is the only way to manage tall grass prairies. For this species and other vulnerable species it is in fact harmful. The Poweshiek is most abundant when nothing is done, though when its prairie is becoming brushy and weedy, it’s best to use localized treatments like mowing, brush-cutting and spot herbicide treatments. She makes the argument that using different management techniques protects diversity. There is no one size fits all management strategy that will benefit all species, because of the complexity of this ecosystem. It’s best to look to the rarest, most vulnerable species, and manage to suit their needs.
From the WI DNR’s new Endangered Resources website http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=info&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010 , you can find out that Poweshiek’s population fluctuates greatly, so they are particularly vulnerable to any external forces that could further lower their numbers. The WI DNR recommends expanding their habitat, creating habitat corridors, and using fire management with care.
This website http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ suggests only burning habitat infrequently and part of the habitat at a time – to protect Poweshieks and keep their home prairie and Poweshiek friendly!
3. Where can you find the Poweshiek Skipperling In Wisconsin? They live in Kettle Moraine Low Prairie in Waukesha County http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/sna88.htm and in the Puchyan Prairie in Green Lake County http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/er/sna/sna172.htm . Go to these websites to donate and find more info. These lands are wet mesic prairies (Poweshieks are also found in adjacent dry prairies with the plants they favor) with native grasses, sedges and many plants in the sunflower family.
4. Given a butterflies unique lifecycle, what plants to they need in these prairies to survive? The larvae feed on prairie dropseed and little bluestem, which is unique to their WI habitat. Adults feed on coneflowers and black-eyed susan.
Check out this lovely photo http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/biodiversity/index.asp?mode=photoview&Grp=9&SpecCode=IILEP57010&PhotoNum=13522 .
5. Go here to see all the different kinds of butterflies (100 plus!) that can be found in Wisconsin, along with their range, habitat, flight time and conservation status http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/bflylist.html Go to this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/nativewisconsinbutterflies.htm#Skippers for an understanding of what’s in WI and how they’re classified, along with some lovely photos. For example, our butterfly is a Skipper, so it’s in the family Hesperiidae, and because it’s a Grass Skipper, it’s in the subfamily Hesperiinae.
6. And these websites give you a wider, North American (or Midwestern, since tall grass prairies only exist here, though there is a small population in Manitoba) perspective of Poweshieks. http://www.xerces.org/powesheik-skipperling/ . This website has great info about the history of tallgrass prairies, the Poweshiek’s conservation status, description and taxonomy, life history, distribution, threats and conservation needs. Donate to this very worthy organization!
Nature Serve has similar information
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=116340&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=116340&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=116340 on threats, conservation needs, life history, and conservation status, but is a more scientifically expressed version of the xerxes entry.
See information about butterflies and moths (there are far more kinds of moths than butterflies, did you know) of North America here http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=2059 as well as some specifics about the Poweshiek. You’ll find photos, maps, classification, identification, life history, flight times, wing span, caterpillar and adult food, habitat, range, conservation status and management needs. You can donate to help them with their mission!
8. How can you help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and other butterflies? By good habitat management, on your land and on theirs! As Ann Swengel advises in her Paradise Lost article, when you’re in Poweshiek habitat, or any other endangered species habitat, observe, analyze, advocate – this is how she reached her heretical conclusion in management circles that fire can be harmful to Poweshiek’s and other rare species.
Manage them well on your own land, as is detailed in this website http://www.uwm.edu/People/rn/butterflyattraction.htm which describes how you can make butterfly habitat in your garden – you’ll need host plants for caterpillars, nectar plants for butterflies, water, shelter, a place to bask – and you must not use insecticides!
Be a conservationist everyday, in your own life, as tourist, landowner, voter and conversationalist! Help save the Poweshiek Skipperling and the natural world!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June's Featured WI Endangered Species: St. Croix Snaketail
My thoughts about the St. Croix Snaketail (Ophiogomphus susbehcha, meaning of the snaketail genus, and the species Lakota Sioux for dragonfly), the endangered WI species I chose for June since its peak flight time is now!
1. Do you know what makes a dragonfly a dragonfly? Do you know what makes the St. Croix Snaketail unique?
Find some general information here: See UW-Madison Entomology website for dragonflies’ status, habitat, range and flight times http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/dragonfly.htm , the WI DNR’s http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/ for what makes dragonflies what they are as well as info about other endangered and threatened dragonflies, the National Park Service’s http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/upload/Dragonfly%20factsheet-2.pdf for a dragonflies’ life cycle, from eggs, larvae to adult, and the discovery of the St. Croix,
and Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=592874 for taxonomy.
Specific information about the St. Croix Snaketail itself is here: Explore the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center site
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/wi/249.htm for a map of where it’s found in WI, the National Park Service’s St. Croix National Scenic Riverway http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/insects.htm and the DNR’s and Terrestrial Resources Inventory site http://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/SpeciesDetail.cfm?TaxaID=101 for wonderful St. Croix photos, status, charachteristics, habitat, map and flight season.
2. There are still new things to discover – even in today’s WI!
Read about the inspiring discovery of the St. Croix Snaketail by William Smith in 1989, whose keen observation of strange “exuviae” (in this case, skins of the last larval stage of the dragonflies, as they leave the water for dry land) led to his recognition that he found a new species of dragonfly. Read The WI DNR http://www.lake-link.com/news/headline.cfm?NewsHeadlinesID=2705 , the
Wisconsin State Journal: http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/199198
and the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/science/a-delicate-creature-yields-its-secrets.html provide accounts.
3. Which leads me to the observation that this dragonfly is the first creature I’ve featured that is popular enough to hit the mainstream media, to be used as a fundraising tool by the National Park Service http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ and be the focus of a popular high school research project. Read the next to last article http://cbm.wiatri.net/Partnership/abstracts04.cfm in which the Grantsburg High School students collaborate with the Citizen Based Monitoring Network of WI. Go to http://web.gk12.net/ to read about the students’ experience at the Great Lakes Odonata Meeting, a collaborative event between experts and amateurs.
Check out some gorgeous photos of dragonflies here, and a photo of the exuviae. I got the photo that my drawing is based on from this website!
Is there something that draws us to creatures that fly, earthbound as we are without artificial means – and especially to dragonflies. With their unique form, they seem magical, almost fairylike, as if they could have come from an enchanted land.
4. This creature has very specific needs, detailed in this WI DNR fact sheet http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/stcroix.htm .
Ophiogomphus are quite sensitive– the larvae can only live in a certain habitat with clean gravel of a certain size, in well-aerated warm water streams, and are very sensitive to water quality.
And, Snaketail’s are uniquely sensitive within the Ophiogomphus genus – they prefer larger, deep streams that flow fast and clean, with much cobble and gravel with sand substrates, bounded by largely forested watersheds.
5. Dams, organic pollution, inorganic sediments, waterway modifications, and shoreline modifications are each factors which could cause the extinction of the St. Croix Snaketail.
6. What can you do to help? If you live near their habitat, don’t use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Keep your property forested. Oppose development and pollution. Vote accordingly. Amaze and educate your friends and family with the story of this unique creature! Support your WI DNR at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and the NPS http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ , as well as River Alliance of Wisconsin http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?page=content&mode=view&id=83 . Even if you live elsewhere, join a local conservation organization to make a difference where you live. Think and act as if what you do on your own land, in your own city makes a difference, because it does! Help change the world!!
1. Do you know what makes a dragonfly a dragonfly? Do you know what makes the St. Croix Snaketail unique?
Find some general information here: See UW-Madison Entomology website for dragonflies’ status, habitat, range and flight times http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/wes/pubs/dragonfly.htm , the WI DNR’s http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/ for what makes dragonflies what they are as well as info about other endangered and threatened dragonflies, the National Park Service’s http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/upload/Dragonfly%20factsheet-2.pdf for a dragonflies’ life cycle, from eggs, larvae to adult, and the discovery of the St. Croix,
and Integrated Taxonomic Information System’s http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=592874 for taxonomy.
Specific information about the St. Croix Snaketail itself is here: Explore the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center site
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/wi/249.htm for a map of where it’s found in WI, the National Park Service’s St. Croix National Scenic Riverway http://www.nps.gov/sacn/naturescience/insects.htm and the DNR’s and Terrestrial Resources Inventory site http://wiatri.net/inventory/odonata/SpeciesDetail.cfm?TaxaID=101 for wonderful St. Croix photos, status, charachteristics, habitat, map and flight season.
2. There are still new things to discover – even in today’s WI!
Read about the inspiring discovery of the St. Croix Snaketail by William Smith in 1989, whose keen observation of strange “exuviae” (in this case, skins of the last larval stage of the dragonflies, as they leave the water for dry land) led to his recognition that he found a new species of dragonfly. Read The WI DNR http://www.lake-link.com/news/headline.cfm?NewsHeadlinesID=2705 , the
Wisconsin State Journal: http://www.madison.com/tct/sports/199198
and the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/12/science/a-delicate-creature-yields-its-secrets.html provide accounts.
3. Which leads me to the observation that this dragonfly is the first creature I’ve featured that is popular enough to hit the mainstream media, to be used as a fundraising tool by the National Park Service http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ and be the focus of a popular high school research project. Read the next to last article http://cbm.wiatri.net/Partnership/abstracts04.cfm in which the Grantsburg High School students collaborate with the Citizen Based Monitoring Network of WI. Go to http://web.gk12.net/ to read about the students’ experience at the Great Lakes Odonata Meeting, a collaborative event between experts and amateurs.
Check out some gorgeous photos of dragonflies here, and a photo of the exuviae. I got the photo that my drawing is based on from this website!
Is there something that draws us to creatures that fly, earthbound as we are without artificial means – and especially to dragonflies. With their unique form, they seem magical, almost fairylike, as if they could have come from an enchanted land.
4. This creature has very specific needs, detailed in this WI DNR fact sheet http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/invertebrates/dragonflies/stcroix.htm .
Ophiogomphus are quite sensitive– the larvae can only live in a certain habitat with clean gravel of a certain size, in well-aerated warm water streams, and are very sensitive to water quality.
And, Snaketail’s are uniquely sensitive within the Ophiogomphus genus – they prefer larger, deep streams that flow fast and clean, with much cobble and gravel with sand substrates, bounded by largely forested watersheds.
5. Dams, organic pollution, inorganic sediments, waterway modifications, and shoreline modifications are each factors which could cause the extinction of the St. Croix Snaketail.
6. What can you do to help? If you live near their habitat, don’t use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Keep your property forested. Oppose development and pollution. Vote accordingly. Amaze and educate your friends and family with the story of this unique creature! Support your WI DNR at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/support/how_you_can_help.htm and the NPS http://www.eparks.com/store/product/65124/St.-Croix-Riverway-Pin/ , as well as River Alliance of Wisconsin http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/index.php?page=content&mode=view&id=83 . Even if you live elsewhere, join a local conservation organization to make a difference where you live. Think and act as if what you do on your own land, in your own city makes a difference, because it does! Help change the world!!
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!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
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