Rest the Water

Over the past few years, I have taken up the hobby of fly fishing.  It has been challenging to say the least.  Learning the basics of casting, choosing the right fly or flies, reading the water and so much more has taken me to new heights of frustration and sometimes elation. Like many hobbies, learning to fly fish will take the rest of my life to just scratch the surface of all there is to know. 

My journey to fly fish began with evening classes through WSU Community Education.  I started with the basics and continued on to the casting class.  During those classes, I devoured as much information as I could, but still felt like I was floundering. I watched videos, and read blog posts. I practiced casting a little bit before I went to Colorado and hired a guide who help me catch my first trout. It was small but I had accomplished my first goal of just catching one fish. That first fish was incredible. So colorful but resilient living in that cool flowing stream. It was quite the memorable experience. 

My very first trout. Small but incredibly beautiful.

From those humble beginnings, I worked even harder to learn all I could about the art of fly fishing.  I practiced casting several times a week when the weather was suitable.  I watched more videos and read articles about streams and trout. 

The next summer, I hired a different guide who was an incredible teacher. He was patient and kind to this novice. I learned more from him that day than from any videos I had watched or blogs I had read. It was like drinking from a fire hose. We caught fish…a LOT of fish. But he also made me stop for a moment and look around. While we were eating our lunch, he told me about the geology of the place, where the river starts, how it flows, the beauty of the surrounding mountains, the trees and plants, the clouds and sun, and the trout. He encouraged me to not just fish, but to observe, learn, listen and enjoy the beauty all around me.  

A little better sized fish, but look at where I am standing.
I was fly fishing down there. A stunningly beautiful place.

You see, I was so intent on learning to fly fish that I had not stopped to look around. I was determined to catch as many fish as possible, but I almost missed the beauty in every direction. By making me stop for a few moments, I was able to really appreciate the majesty of my surroundings. It is so easy to forget to look up that we often miss some of the most rewarding experiences of our lifetime. 

You may wonder what the point of this story is. Well, it started with a short phrase I read in an article that reminded me of what my guide taught me. It simply said, “…take a break and let’s rest the water.” These words made me pause and contemplate. Learning to rest the water is a way to fish, but also a way to live your life. Too often, our gaze is so hyper focused on something that we don’t take time to look up and around, to listen, and then to savor and enjoy the moments that too quickly pass. 

I say this as we approach another spring. As our landscapes are transformed from dormant to green in the coming months, take time to step back and enjoy your handywork. Don’t over work it.  Watch the pollinators, and birds. Observe the beauty of a delicate flower. Appreciate the resiliency of a native grass.  This is one of my goals in 2025, whether with relationships, landscapes or hobbies – to take time to rest the water. Step back and take it all in, be present, and be attentive to the beauty all around us.

I leave you with a few images of the Flint Hills in the spring.

The Making of a Meadow

One of the lesser known services the Arboretum provides is native landscape consultation and design. We have had the privilege of working with many homeowners who want help creating aesthetically pleasing and ecologically friendly spaces in their yards. These are sometimes small plantings around a mailbox, or huge, multi-layered installations. Each is unique, and staff get the pleasure of watching these gardens mature and thrive as the homeowners send updates and attend our events. Following is the story of a large meadow planting that stands out as a particularly special example.

Prairie to Prairie Garden

In spring of 2019 Arboretum staff were approached by a homeowner who was building a new home in the country, surrounded by expansive views of the prairies all around it. Rather than the typical monoculture green lawn around the new house, this client wanted a lush garden space to attract birds and bugs, and blend the residence into the Kansas landscape.

From this conversation, an idea emerged: a meadow-style garden as a gradient space from pasture and prairie to garden and home, a smooth transition from wild to tended. Closest to the house would be formal beds, with straight lines and steel edging. The design would include less structure towards the meadows edges. We discussed the aesthetic differences between a naturally established, randomly composed prairie and a prairie garden, which has distinctly human patterns and groupings. And, critically, much human maintenance to keep it so! 

A bit hard to see, but this scan of the design shows the groupings and mixtures that make up the meadow. Many have been changed after the first few years, as we learned of slightly low areas that stayed wetter than expected, and exposed places that are subject to higher winds.

To accomplish these goals, my design included familiar prairie species in sweeping lines and clusters, and at a much higher ratio of flowers to grass than found in the surrounding area. Inspired by the designs of landscape legends Piet Oudolf and Roy Diblick, I aimed for flowing color ways, careful bloom timing and thick matrix plantings. The design includes thirty five different species, with many more added since. 

Plant, Water, Weed, Repeat

I used a rolling spray paint dispenser to create clearly defined planting zones and meadow borders. This made it easier to stay on track with the design and toss out plants in the right place.

Over one thousand plants were installed early June of 2020, and the homeowner has continued adding and adjusting every year since. When first planted, the task of watering and weeding such a huge garden was monumental. Many hours were spent plucking bindweed seedlings and crabgrass clumps before they could take root. Thanks to diligent work by the homeowner and her partnership with a local landscaping company to assist with ongoing maintenance, a high percentage of plants established beautifully. Most have grown larger and more vigorously than expected!  

bird feeders with lush meadow in the background
Looking out the window in midsummer: various bird feeders and sculptures, and no shortage of flowers to admire. The landscape design included taller grasses at through the middle and back of the meadow (Panicum ‘Dallas Blues’) to allow for open viewing nearer the house. Rudbeckia maxima and Echinacea angustifolia are blooming in the foreground.

New Visitors

As the meadow grew, so did sightings of insects, birds, and mammals. Hoards of black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars devoured the Zizia I’d included in the design. Goldfinches pillaged Rudbeckia maxima seed heads. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels started scampering amongst the grasses near the house. Deer tramped through the garden occasionally for a tasty nibble. 

Now the meadow is mature but ever changing. The homeowner is continually filling gaps with new species and dividing old ones when they get too large. We have provided follow up consultations for this meadow. We’ve also designed additional installments along the driveway and near the back deck. I couldn’t be happier with how this landscape turned out, and am grateful for the chance to follow its progress! 

New Plants around the Grounds

I recently spoke at the Oklahoma Native Plant Network fall festival in Oklahoma City. They had a day full of speakers, including representatives from Tulsa Botanic Garden, the Xerces Society and Bat Conservation International. But the real treat of course was the plant market outside the presentation hall. So many great native treasures were available from local vendors, I couldn’t resist buying a few new plants. I was able to get a few hard-to-find species for installation on the Arboretum grounds. Keep an eye out for these beauties on your next visit.

Callicarpa americana var. lactea – White American Beautyberry

Photo provided by the grower, Wild Things Nursery of Seminole, Oklahoma.

I didn’t even realize a naturally occurring white variety of beautyberry existed until I saw it being sold by Wild Things Nursery at the ONPN event. All the same lovely characteristics as its purple cousin – shade tolerant, pollinator friendly, bird attracting – but with striking white berries on arching stems. Marilyn, the owner of Wild Things Nursery said she collected the seed over twenty years ago down a shady dirt road in north western Arkansas. According to her they come true from seed reliably. Beautyberry are marginally edible, though not very tasty. Find these new additions in the back of the Compassionate Friends Garden near the hedgerow at the arboretum.

Hibiscus laevis – Halberd-leaf Rosemallow

Our pond has several lovely Hibiscus moscheutos thriving along its edge, and I am excited to add H. laevis to the mallow collection. This is a slightly taller species with narrow leaves, as the name implies, in the shape of a medieval sword. Native throughout the eastern half of the US, though much of its wetland habitat in the mid-Atlantic has been disturbed. Sadly, it is not as commonly found as it once was. I’ll be planting this on tip of the island, where there is some space on the banks thanks to our latest renovation. I found this at a great plant at a vendor called Duck Creek Farms from Mounds, Oklahoma.

Native Range of H. laevis, according to USDA plants database

Wisteria frutescens – American Wisteria

Anyone who has seen the opening scenes of Bridgerton house on Netflix’s hit show will recognize the pendulous purple blooms of Wiseria vine. But most of the Wisteria you see in media and in formal landscapes is the asian variety. Beautiful, but at a price: invasive in certain parts of the country and downright pushy in the garden, it needs diligent trimming to keep growth in check. But native W. frutescens is a great alternative to its exotic cousins, and with plenty of color to spare. I’ll plant this next spring near a leg of our new octagonal gazebo soon to be erected in the Birdwatch Garden.

Shop Til You Drop

Photo by Sue in az, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In between shopping for the Arboretum, giving the keynote presentation of the festival, and networking with all the like-minded conservationists and plant peddlers, of course I also snagged a few things for my own landscape! I found blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) for a hot, dry spot near my front sidewalk. I also found an adorable spineless cactus (possibly Optunia ellisiana?) to plant nearby. Here’s hoping these cuties fill in the rather inhospitable space between my purple prairie clover and creeping sedum.

If you are in the area, put ONPN’s fall festival on your radar for next year. It was a great time to learn about native plants and related topics in conservation. And you will never see me turn down an opportunity to buy plants and support small growers!

Messy Trees

I love this time of year. Cool mornings and warm afternoons are a welcome break from the heat of summer. This time of year also reminds me that not all trees are the same. Some have beautiful fall colors of orange, red, yellow and purple while others shades of tan and brown. Once the leaves drop from the trees, the fruit stands out even more.

We also quickly realize that some trees are “messier” than others. Whether it is the leaves that drop, the fruit that drops or the sticks that litter the yard, trees are constantly dropping something. Sure, there is not a perfect tree that magically cleans up after itself, but there are some trees to avoid planting in certain locations within your landscape if you have a choice. Here is a list of trees to think twice about planting in your landscape.

Sweet Gum (Liquidamber styraciflua)

This ornamental tree is primarily grown for its brilliant fall color of oranges, reds, yellows and purples. It can be quite stunning, but it also produces copious amounts of spiky gum ball fruit. My in-laws had one of these growing in their front yard and it was a prolific fruit producer that they complained about every year. Like most messy trees, it has its place in the landscape, but not in a place where your grandchildren will be walking barefoot.

Sweet gums have great fall color, but spiny fruit

Catalpa (Catalpa speciosa)

The large heart shaped leaves of this native lowland tree along with the fluffy white blooms in the summer can be reasons to have this tree in your landscape. However, the long cigar shaped seed pods and thousands of catalpa caterpillars are major drawbacks. I have one of these trees in my yard in a low spot that has standing water when it rains. I can appreciate the blooms from a distance but in the fall, I do have to collect the large leaves so they don’t smother my lawn.

Catalpa heart-shaped leaf with long cigar shape fruit pod

Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides)

These trees are notorious for dropping sticks and debris throughout the year. The fluffy cotton clogs up air conditioner units and seedlings sprout up any place with constant moisture in the spring. They are also susceptible to many diseases and insect pests. As our state tree, their native habitat is along rivers, streams and ponds. Their roots are typically shallow, buckling sidewalks and driveways. My colleagues have been lobbying to cut one of these down that currently grows on the edge of our prairie.

Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

This tree is often found along prairies, stream margins and fencerows. While native, you should avoid planting a black walnut along streets and driveways. The round, hard nuts will stain concrete and they are tripping hazards. The fruit and foliage can be quite pungent as well and the leaves are a favorite of walnut caterpillars. These pests can become so numerous that they will totally defoliate the tree. It also produces a toxic compound that can kill other plants you are trying to grow around and under its canopy. Leave it in the wild and go to it to collect the black walnut fruit if you like to eat them.

Oaks (Quercus sp.)

I hesitated including oaks in this list, but then I looked at my back deck, currently covered with tiny acorns. We value oaks for their long life, shade, hardiness, fall color (sometimes), and wildlife attraction to our yards. In fact over 900 species of winged insects rely on oaks for their life cycles, not to mention birds and other wildlife. If you plant one of these mighty oaks in your yard, just know that you have to take the good with the bad. In my case, the good far outweighs the bad.

Pin oak acorns roll around my backyard like marbles, but at least the squirrels are happy.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

The ginkgo tree is a living fossil with distinct fan-like leaves. The beautiful yellow fall color and hardy disposition make it a much sought after street tree. However, there are male and female trees. The female trees produce a fruit that is both messy and smelly. Some liken the fruit smell to rotting flesh. If you really want a ginkgo in your landscape, seek out one of the many male varieties.

Other obvious trees to avoid

Bradford pear, mimosa, Goldenrain tree, silver maple, Norway maple, weeping willow, river birch, Siberian elm, tree of heaven, mulberry, black locust and Russian olive.

Choose Wisely

As I said earlier, there are no perfect trees. We view some trees as “messy” because they require us to repeatedly clean up the yard. Every tree drops something, but messy trees with stinky, messy fruit and large branches that can damage your house or pests are more problematic. If possible, do your research before planting so you know what to expect as the tree matures. To get good shade, you might have to put up with some messiness. If you are stuck with a messy tree, either embrace its faults by regularly cleaning up the mess or choose to have it removed.

As you know, trees in Kansas are a luxury, so think carefully before removing a mature tree. The downsides of a mature tree needs to far outweigh the upsides. In the case of my 60 year old oak trees that frame my backyard, I regularly pick up fallen branches and routinely blow off my deck and sidewalks of acorns and leaves. I have come to appreciate these trees because they attract so many different forms of wildlife, provide shade, and add to the diversity of my entire landscape.

Early May Blooms at the Arboretum

As we work further into spring, I thought I would share some rare and some common prairie plants in bloom at the Arboretum the first week of May. Enjoy!

Prairie Iris-Nemastylis geminiflora
Wild Quinine-Parthenium integrifolium
Prairie Parsley-Polytaenia nuttallii
Plains wild indigo (Baptisia bracteata)
Missouri evening primrose (Oenothera macrocarpa)
Native Blue False Indigo-Baptisia australis var. minor and Golden Alexander-Zizia aurea
Red Buckeye-Aesculus pavia
Native columbine-Aquilegia canadensis
Grape Honeysuckle-Lonicera reticulata
Eastern Gama Grass-Tripsacum dactyloides reestablishing itself along the new concrete pathway in the Prairie Window Project south of the hedgerow.

We have been fortunate to receive just enough rain to green up the prairie nicely. If you are in the area, stop by and see the many other early May blooms. The Arboretum will be at its peak for spring bloom in a couple weeks.

Benefits of Planting Perennials

As gardeners, we have many choices of plants to introduce into our landscapes.  From trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials (including grasses), the options seem to be endless.  Here at the Arboretum, we gravitate toward perennials for a number of reasons. 

What is a perennial?

Unlike annuals that germinate, flower, set seed, and die all in one season, perennials are typically cold-hardy plants that will return again and again each spring.  If situated in the right place in your landscapes, perennials will thrive, and will bloom either in spring, summer, or fall.

In my mind, the benefits of planting perennials in your home garden are as follows:

Incredible Root Systems

It often takes perennials several years to develop a sustaining root system after being transplanted from a pot.  These root systems compared to many annuals is much more extensive and much deeper.  During periods of drought, these deeper roots feed nutrients and moisture to the plant.  The deeper roots of grass are credited with developing the deep layers of top soil found in many states that now support farm crops.  These roots also control erosion, sequester carbon, and break up tough compacted soil. 

Xeric Garden
Xeric Garden interpretive signage located on the Dyck Arboretum grounds. Artwork by Lorna Harder.

Diversity of Perennials to Establish in the Landscape

As I said earlier, there are so many different types and varieties of plants you can choose to establish in your display beds. A well-designed landscape with a variety of perennials will enhance the aesthetics and appeal of your property. With perennials that bloom at different seasons during the year and attractive grasses for fall and winter interest, you can create a diverse habitat for wildlife and pollinators, too.  Keep in mind, the habitat you create is provides homes for insects and food for birds during the long, cold months of winter. 

Prairie Window Project, August 2016. Photo by Brad Guhr.

Do perennials require less maintenance?

The key to success with perennials such as native wildflowers and grasses is putting the right plant in the right place in the right way. Perennials will NOT require less maintenance if you are trying to grow something in your landscape that has no business being there. Learn as much about the plants you want to use before you put them in the ground. 

Perennials typically last several seasons. You don’t need to plant every single year like you do with annuals. By planting them once, you save money and time. You will need to clear last year’s growth in February or March and occasionally divide some clumps of perennial grasses as they expand over time. Perennials are a cost-effective and sustainable choice for landscaping.

Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’ ready for spring.

Perennial plants can be the anchors to a landscape. While trees and shrubs provide the backdrop, perennials provide the elements of habitat that pollinators and other wildlife seek. These permanent pieces of your garden puzzle add beauty year after year.  They can be combined to add continuous blooms and interest throughout each growing season.  As perennials come in and out of bloom, a diverse collection of wildlife and pollinators will discover your landscape.  This is ultimately the real benefit of a perennial garden. 

A note about annuals

When I think about annuals in the landscape I don’t think about petunias.  I choose annuals on their ability to provide nectar for pollinators.  Nectar-rich annuals need to be drought tolerant and self-seed, too.  See this article about a mostly annual garden.

Kansas Shelterbelts

Recently I met a woman walking her dogs in the new woodland path through our hedgerow. She expressed admiration for the long lived hedge trees here, and was concerned that so many farmers are bulldozing their shelterbelts and reclaiming the acres for farming. She asked if we knew of any preservation effort to prevent them from becoming relics of the past. This led me down a rabbit hole into shelterbelt history. I hoped to understand more about why they were planted and what purpose they serve today. Are they actually good for our native wildlife? Are they still agriculturally and ecologically relevant?

The short answer is this: Hedgerows of good quality, and relatively few invasive species, can benefit the soil, provide good habitat, and are a part of the region’s cultural history. But “trees for the sake of trees” is not a helpful philosophy for conserving the Great Plains ecosystem, evermore imperiled by encroachment of woody species.

The long answer? It’s complicated.

Early Tree Planting

In the early 1800s, Kansas had few trees. As European settlements encroached on the Great Plains, newcomers planted shelterbelts for wind protection and privacy around new homesteads. They were useful for delineating property boundaries, keeping livestock contained, and side trimming for firewood. Later on, Franklin D. Roosevelt encouraged the planting of shelterbelts and hedges during the dustbowl years to curb erosion. Of course, as he was from the east coast, he may not have understood that planting millions of trees on grasslands with little rainfall and frequent fires might not be the best solution. Modern ecology has taught us a few things! With the advent of cheap barbed wire for fencing and more erosion-conscious farming practices in place, the need for such frequent tree lines decreased.

What’s in a Kansas Hedgerow?

“Hedge apples” litter the arboretum grounds every year. Bigger than a grapefruit, watch your head(!) as these fall from female Maclura pomifera trees.

The history of the hedge tree, or osage orange species, is inextricably tied to Kansas. These trees are tough and hardy, thorny enough to deter livestock and dense enough to make excellent firewood. But the ‘hedges’ of Kansas are not exclusively made up of osage orange trees. You may find native oaks, elms, hackberry, mulberry, and cedars in a rural shelterbelt, as well as a fair number of problematic and invasive species such as Siberian elm, bush honeysuckle, ornamental pear, and Russian olive.

Planting Trees in the Plains

Willa Cather Memorial Prairie near Red Cloud, NE.

For at least a hundred years we’ve been hearing the same message: trees good, open space bad. The European settlers of the Great Plains, with their wagons headed west, knew trees meant cooking fuel and housing material. At the founding of Arbor day in 1872 planting trees became a patriotic mission and civic duty. In recent years we have seen countless campaigns to save the trees and “plant a tree with every purchase”. But the Great Plains ecosystem relies on all that open space. For example, only one tree per acre is enough to limit the nesting success of the greater prairie chicken. While planting trees in forested areas is much needed, planting them in grasslands and calling it conservation may be misguided. We know that grassland bird species are in steep decline, and that too many woody species on the prairie can lead to a low water table and more volatile wildfires. Grasslands are just as ecologically important, and imperiled, as forests. It is long past time to update the messaging and match that zeal for nature conservation with geographically appropriate solutions.

Over and over, I watch people buy small parcels of prairie and immediately plant trees around the borders. Grassland acreages invaded by eastern red cedars or other trees are often appraised at a higher real estate value than uninvaded grasslands because of their ‘recreation value’.  People who write angry letters about trees being cleared to make way for a shopping center don’t bat an eye when a prairie is plowed under or allowed to be overtaken by Siberian elms. 

Chris Helzer, The Prairie Ecologist The Darker Side of Tree Planting in the Great Plains

To Tree, or Not to Tree? That is the Question

In light of all this, do we really need these well-intended hedgerows disrupting the open spaces of the grasslands? That very much depends on the location, condition, and composition of each hedgerow.

Is the row of trees protecting a home from those rowdy prairie winds? Is it grown specifically for sustainable collection of firewood or does it grow out of control year by year, encroaching on neighboring grasslands? Is it located on a Century Farm or in an important historic area?

Does that stand of trees have native species like oak, walnut, persimmon, and pawpaw or is it mainly non-native invasives spreading their seed into nearby prairies? Is it providing erosion control for a farmed field? Would a restoration of native prairie grasses do just as good a job at holding the soil? Do the trees provide habitat to native birds or is it simply encouraging predator birds to move farther west?

Thinking about these questions can help you decide what trees on your own lands deserve protection and conservation, and which can be safely removed.

To the Pond and Beyond

Many people think that the phrase “native plant” is synonymous with “drought tolerant plant” or “dry prairie species”. But not so! Kansas is a place full of sunny skies as well as quiet, shady streams; prairies as well as ponds. I noticed at our FloraKansas event last week just how many wetland and pond species we offer. For those with small backyard ponds or even large country creek banks to restore, the following species might be perfect for you (and we still have them in stock! Find our updated inventory here.)

Caltha palustris – Marsh Marigold

Marsh marigold is adorable along pond edges and in water gardens.

Caltha is an upper midwest native, not usually found in Kansas, but can grow here under the right conditions. We don’t get enough ran to sustain swampy areas where it can run wild, but its petite yellow flowers are happy blooming along pond edges with their feet in the water. We are hoping to get them established along the Arboretum pond edges this year.

Teucrium canadense – American Germander

Laval University, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A colony-forming mint family plant, it can go wild in moist to wet part sun conditions! The blooms are attractive to long-tongued pollinators, and they make great additions to wildflower bouquets.

Nyssa sylvatica – Black Tupelo

Black tupelo in New York state. Photo from Wikimedia commons

A truly beautiful tree, unmatched for its red fall color. But in our region it simply cannot survive without moist soil. Planted on the edge of a stream or in a frequently flooded drainage area, it would be stunning every October.

Cephalanthus occidentalis – Buttonbush

Public domain image from US Fish and Wildlife Service

The height of this fascinating shrub depends on the moisture it receives: growing near standing water it can be 10 feet tall or more, but in average garden soil it may only reach 6 feet. Very adaptable and easy to care for, its spherical flowers are long blooming. In June they are covered in bees, beetles, butterflies, spiders, wasps, and every other flying thing!

Lythrum alatum – Winged Loosestrife

Joshua Mayer, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Not to be confused with the terribly invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), this petite plant sports purple flowers and wiry stems. Very adaptable, it is used in rain gardens, but thrives in garden settings given a bit of shade and semi-regular watering. The Lurie Garden of Chicago has a nice profile on this species found here.

Lobelia siphilitica – Blue Cardinal Flower

Blue lobelia photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service

The tall blue spikes of lobelia attract hummingbirds and butterflies, but they can be finicky to grow. Clay soils that hold moisture are best, and while they don’t have to be situated in water at all times they do best in ditches and frequently wet seasonal streambeds.

While we know not many people are lucky enough to have a pond or creek on their property, for those that do, we want to continue suppling a small number of wetland plants to help you restore and improve those places.

Other water loving species to look for next spring: Acorus calamus, Lobelia cardinalis, Physostegia virigniana, and Sauurus cernuus. For more info on wetland plants, check out a previous blog post all about them!

Very Hungry Caterpillars

No, this is not the start of an Eric Carle children’s book. It’s the start of a blog post all about gregarious feeders! Unlike the lone green caterpillar of the book that goes chomping through fruits and cakes and slices of salami, some caterpillars can be seen feeding and living in large groups, and as such are labeled ‘gregarious’. We have found many of these fascinating species on our grounds.

Tussock Moth

Milkweed tussock moths

Milkweed is famously host to monarch caterpillars, but many other species depend on it as well. The tussock moth caterpillar is a crazy-haired and charismatic species that seems to appear out of nowhere and turn your milkweed plants into skeletons, eating an entire plant in a matter of days!

Euchaetes egle are orange, white and black, reminding me of my grandmother’s calico shag carpet from the ’70s. As nostalgic as that may be, don’t touch! Their hairs are urticating, meaning they break off into skin and cause irritation. The Latin buffs might remember that “urtica” translates to “nettle”. It is best to let them devour the plants and go on their merry way.

What about the monarchs? Will there by any milkweed left for them? The solution is always to plant more! Try several different species of milkweed to diversify your selection and increase the available habitat.

Walnut Moth Caterpillar

Just last week I noticed a black caterpillar with wispy white hairs crawling along the sidewalk near our greenhouse. Just as I stooped to get a closer look, I saw another. And another. They were everywhere! Crawling every direction on the sidewalk, in the grass, over the rocks and up the side of the building. I followed them back to their host tree, a young walnut. These were walnut moth caterpillars, Datana intergerrimma. There I found a wiggling mass of hairy caterpillars on the trunk. They hatch on the leaves, defoliate the tree with their voracious appetites, then travel down the trunk to disperse and find a bit of open soil to dig in and pupate.

Checkerspot Butterfly

In early June we get lots of calls asking “what is feeding on my Echinacea and sunflowers, and how do I kill it?”. It is usually checkerspot butterfly larvae. These small black caterpillars are lined with tufts of black hair, and they can turn leaves to lace right before your eyes! They host on plants in the Asteraceae family, and their favorites seem to be annual sunflowers and Echinacea purpurea. Through all the years we have had major populations feeding here at the Arb, our Echinacea flowers are doing just fine with no pesticide treatment. They look a little rough for a time, but recover quickly and pop up healthy and green the next spring.

Next time you see a mass of caterpillars feeding on your trees or flowers, don’t reach for the bug spray! Use a tool like the Seek app, or BugGuide.net to properly identify them. If they are native, let them continue to eat and fulfill their ecological role!

Remember, native host plants and native insects have been evolving together for thousands of years. They battle, and sometimes even benefit each other in ways we are still studying today.

Summer Garden Checklist

Kansas summers can discourage even the hardiest gardeners. However, taking time to manage your garden now will help your garden later. Here’s my Summer Garden Checklist for the Kansas gardener.

Control Warm Season Weeds

Summer brings with it a new set of weeds to control. Hot weather germinates summer annuals like crabgrass, foxtail. Nutsedge and other weeds invade your lawn and landscape as well. Manage weeds using nonchemical methods such as cultivation, hand weeding, or mowing; use toxic chemicals as a last resort. 

Mowing regularly and occasionally edging along sidewalks and walkways is needed to ensure your lawn is not overrun with weeds. In a landscaped bed, hand pull any of these weeds, especially if they have seed heads.  It is so important to not let these weeds go to seed. Stay vigilant even though the summer heat tries to squash your enthusiasm. A little extra effort now will make your garden better this fall and into next year. 

Crabgrass in tree mulch ring controlled with roundup: one treatment should clean up the mulched area and keep it weed free the rest of the season.

Be Water Wise

To reduce evaporation, water when temperatures are cooler and air is still, usually in the early morning. Water deeply to moisten the root zone, but infrequently. About an inch of water each week is a good rule of thumb!  If you have invested in container plants, they will need daily watering, as soil in pots can dry out quickly and damage plant roots on hot summer days.  Each of our gardens have indicator plants that show stress first, let these plants be your guide as when to water.  For new planting started this spring, water when the top one to two inches of soil is dry.  Remember it takes three to five years for sustaining roots systems to develop for most native plants.  Supplemental watering is necessary to encourage growth and root development in these young plants. 

We use pressure compensating 1/2 inch soaker hoses to efficiently water trees, shrubs and a few flower beds. Each emitter puts out 1 gallon of water per hour.

Prepare for seeding

If you are wanting to establish native prairie plants from seed, now is a great time to prepare your area.  Mow your area short (1-2 inches). Control perennial weeds such as bindweed or Bermuda grass by carefully spraying the area with Roundup. It will take several applications to get these problematic weeds under control. If you can see soil, tillage is not necessary. If you can’t see soil, till lightly to expose some bare soil. Remember, each time you till, you bring up more weed seeds, so tread lightly. 

Measure your area and order a seed mixture that matches your site. A good seed mix ratio of wildflower to grass is 70% wildflowers to 30% grasses. Grasses tend to dominate over time, so this ratio will give the wildflowers a good start. We typically spread seed in November and December after the soil temperature has dropped enough to discourage germination. The natural freeze/thaw of the ground will work the seeds down into the soil to the proper depth for germination next spring. 

This is the seed mix we established along our newly renovated path.
Sidewalk edge planting: We mixed some sand with the seed mix to make it easier to distribute. We then let the natural freeze/thaw of the soil plant the seed for us through the winter. Germination occurred the following spring when soil temperatures rose above 60 degrees.

Trim

Now is a great time to trim back perennials that have become unruly. Perennial and grasses that are encroaching sidewalks, paths, and structures can be sheared back to size. If this is a problem every year, you may consider moving the taller plants to another spot. Plants can be divided next February or March before they start to actively grow. 

Low hanging branches from trees can also be pruned. It is getting late in the season to do much pruning on shrubs. New growth may not have enough time to get hardened off before cooler/colder weather.  If a branch or shoot is in the way, then prune it, but prune sooner rather than later. If you can wait until the shrub goes dormant this fall, then wait. 

As a general rule, early spring flowering shrubs such as forsythia, lilac and spirea should be pruned right after they are done blooming since they bloom on the previous year’s growth. Pruning right after blooming will allow the shrub to grow and develop a new set of buds for the next spring. 

A large compass plant that needs to be trimmed away from the path.

Finally, remember “WHY” you are gardening; creating habitat, conserving water, aesthetics, attracting pollinators, attracting birds and other wildlife or curb appeal. Let your “WHY” reinvigorate you to take care of a few extra tasks that will give your landscape a boost. Don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t forget to step back to enjoy what you are trying to create. If it is all work and no enjoyment, then what is the point.

Pale purple coneflower with a common buckeye butterfly. Fun to watch!