Our Mission is to foster greater awareness and appreciation of the fragile natural environment of our region. Through direct efforts, we work to preserve, protect and promote the natural beauty of the area and its plant communities.
We rely on membership fees and donations to host educational programs for the public about the importance of native plants. We appreciate your support.
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In my experience, sedges are an underused beneficial plant. As a lawn-extender they are ideal. When redesigning your yard, keep ony the turf grass you actually need for play and the dog. (Turf grass is non-native and weak requiring a lot of inputs to grow.) Turf grass is good for areas that get foot traffic. Beyond that, if lush green is what you want, plant sedges. They need nor fertilizers or mowing and are strong enough to take care of themselves. Penn Sedge prefers more shade than turf grass so is a wonderful alternative where sun loving grass is hard to grow. Of course, you can remove lawn all together and plant an ecosystem! Go wild, Go Native!
A hopeful example of early detection. IF you see a Eastern Hemlock in your travels on trails, PLEASE take a moment to give it a good look. Know what to look for in the Helmlock Woolly Adelgid and report your suspicions to ISN, the DNR, the Lakeshore, whomever.
Invasive hemlock woolly adelgid found in northern Benzie County
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The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently verified a new detection of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Benzie County. To date, a survey of the surrounding area has found just one infested tree in the Platte River Ca...Ugggh. What do they do with these infested trees? Are they treated?
We have many shrubs for understory or partial shade. Each has a role to play. Planting a Spicebush and finding the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar would be so cool!Butterflies, Caterpillars, and Host Plants: The spicebush swallowtail, just like its host plants, is a Carolinian species. It is usually found in forest clearings and along forest edges where spicebush and sassafras shrubs are part of the understory.
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Spicebush gets its name from the wonderful smell of its leaves, which can be used to make a fragrant tea. As if that weren’t enough, it also blooms early in spring, produces bright red berries that attract birds and has beautiful fall foliage. Spicebush shrubs are either male or female, so plant two or three to ensure pollination! And check out that caterpillar!
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Photo: Spicebush Swallowtail by Lisa Brown, courtesy of Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Photo: Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar by Michael Hodge, courtesy of Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
Photo: Spicebush by Suzanne Cadwell, courtesy of Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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#butterfly #butterflies #caterpillars #spicebush #plant #plants #pollinatorhabitat #pollinatorconservation
Bill Schneider gave me a pair of spicebushes a few years ago; for this shrub you need a male and a female. One died, but there is no way to sex the plant until it blossoms so I haven't found a mate for it yet. But I WANT that caterpillar.
Talked with an arborist today about managing our wooded area. Hoping to thin some skinny sapplings to make room for more understory trees and shrubs... like snowberry. There are others too in the shrub/understory tree category that we will seek to add interest, habitat, and diversity to our patch.Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a deciduous shrub
Native to the U.S. with a typical height of 3-6 feet when mature. They can grow in full sun, partial shade, and shade with a tolerance for both dry and moist soils. Habitats are forested hillsides and open areas along slopes and they produce colorful white/pink flowers, eventually producing a white berry. They bloom in Summer and are consumed by numerous species of birds and mammals. This native deciduous shrub provides a structure for nesting and cover and is a larval host for Vashti sphinx moth.
Uses: berries should NOT be consumed by humans; planted as an ornamental and for wildlife habitat
Photo by Richard Webb, Bugwood.org
To purchase this shrub visit our online native tree and shrub sale at www.manisteecd2.org/store/c4/Native_Deciduous_and_Coniferous_Small_Trees_and_Shrubs.html
Columbine do self-seed and do move around. I have even heard of one person who complained about Columbine spreading!? They must have been having a bad day. I cannot even imagine an unwelcome Columbine! Black Cap Farm is correct. If you can capture the brown seed heads with tiny seeds like small poppy seeds, and sprinkle them where you would like more plants, DO! Remember, if you see Columbine in different colors or with pink frilly edges, they are not our native Columbine, they are cultivars and very likely do not offer the same ecological benefit.
Columbine attracts Hummingbirds!
