GHF Native Plant Sale - Grassland Heritage Foundation

Spring Edition
March 2014
GHF Native Plant Sale
Saturday, April 19 11:30 am - 4:00 pm
South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St.
Lawrence, KS
Native prairie wildflowers and grasses are not only beautiful but they are tested
survivors that can thrive in home landscapes - and pollinators love them! Join
GHF at our Native Plant Sale and pick up some of these great Kansas natives for
your home.
We'll sell a variety of wildflowers and grasses at the 14th Annual Lawrence
Earth Day Celebration. All plants will be supplied by Baldwin's own Applied
Ecological Services and are guaranteed to be Kansas natives. Over 20 different
varieties will be available including old favorites like Butterfly Milkweed (right)
and Spiderwort, and some more unusual plants including Rattlesnake Master,
River Oats, and Cardinal Flower.
GHF Members can pre-order plants for pick up at the event!
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A.
Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United
States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols.
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 25.
If you are a dues paying GHF member in 2013 or 2014, you can place your
order in advance and pay and pick up at the sale. Members can also choose from a much larger plant list (about 120 species!) than those available at the event. For more information, email Kim Bellemere at [email protected] or
call her at 785-840-8104 and we'll send you the details.
Not a member? You can join online at www.grasslandheritage.org or use the form on Page 7.
Not sure? Your label should indicate your last contribution date.
Spring Wildflower Walk & Breakfast
Saturday, April 12, 8:30am
Explore the Prairie Center with Sue & Steve Holcomb. Join us to hike through the prairie to the woods where the spring ephemerals
can be found. Depending on the weather, we may find trillium, Dutchman’s breeches, rue anemone, spring beauties, and other early
bloomers. The Holcombs will bring breakfast to share before the walk. Be sure to dress for hiking (waterproof or old shoes) through
the small streams to get to the woods.
Meet at the GHF property at 27347 W 135th St, Olathe, Kansas. (It’s about halfway between Cedar Niles and Moonlight Rd.) You
must pre-register to attend by calling Sue at 913-449-3621 or emailing [email protected]. Limit of 12 people. This will depend on good weather, and may need to be cancelled or rescheduled. So, please be sure to submit your contact information.
March 2014
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GHF News
President’s Column
As we begin 2014, I want to take a moment to thank those who contributed in 2013 to Grassland Heritage Foundation’s
mission of protecting prairies through education, stewardship, and acquisition. First and foremost, I am grateful to all of you, the
members, volunteers, and supporters who sustain our passion for prairies, generously donate time and energy to our projects, and
provide the financial support for our work. None of our achievements are possible without a shared concern for and commitment to
our native grasslands.
Special thanks go to Angie Babbit who, in January, stepped down as GHF President after serving in that capacity for three
years. Angie’s interest in environmental education is reflected in the expanded portfolio of activities and events sponsored by GHF
in recent years. She has worked closely with Kim Bellemere, our Membership and Education Coordinator, and both have funneled
their energy and creativity into dozens of presentations and workshops. They also organized events that allowed thousands of children and adults to explore the ecology and diversity of prairies, learn about our economic and cultural connections to them, and to
experience their beauty and tranquility. Watch for announcements of upcoming GHF-sponsored events in your newsletter and on
our calendar of events on the website at www.grasslandheritage.org. If you would like to volunteer to help with any of our events,
do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
Frank Norman continues to orchestrate restoration efforts at Snyder Prairie through our volunteer prairie management
group–the Groundhogs. Last year, under Frank’s careful guidance, the Groundhogs worked hundreds of person-hours cutting and
stacking invasive trees and shrubs, eradicating weeds, gathering and broadcasting prairie plant seeds, and alleviating hazards on the
property. Their hard work has resulted in significant improvements at Snyder, but much work remains to be done there. If you
would like some outdoor exercise, the opportunity to learn about prairie management from knowledgeable people, and to make a
tangible impact on the ground, please consider volunteering for Groundhogs. The group works the third Saturday of each month
except in December, and additional information about Snyder Prairie and our work there can be found on our website.
Two other people deserve special recognition. Sue Holcomb serves as our Secretary and Newsletter Editor, and Steve Holcomb serves as our Treasurer, but their contributions to GHF far exceed their official duties. Behind the scenes, Sue and Steve handle myriad administrative details each week, try to keep board members on task and on time, and serve as the organization’s institutional memory. Their dedication and commitment to GHF cannot be overstated.
Finally, I want to thank all the members of the Board of Directors for sharing their time, experience, and expertise. At our
annual meeting in January, we welcomed two new members to our Board: Jennifer Dropkin and Megan Withiam. Both have backgrounds in systematics and ecology, and we are delighted to have them aboard. As your new President, I look forward to working
with the Board and all of you to promote greater awareness, appreciation, and preservation of our prairies.
Craig Freeman, GHF President
[email protected]
Annual Meeting 2014
The GHF Board of Governors met January 18 in Lawrence, Kansas. Officers elected
are: President, Craig Freeman, Vice-president, Angie Babbit, Treasurer, Steve Holcomb and Secretary, Sue Holcomb. Two new governors joined the board. To let
them introduce themselves……..
Megan Withiam - I grew up in Goessel, KS, a farm town of less than 500 people 10
miles north of Newton. I attended 2 years of college at Emporia State, and then took
some time off of school and worked at a bank. In 2008 I moved to Lawrence, and
started back at school in spring of 2009. I graduated from KU with a degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the fall of 2011. Since then I have done part-time seasonal work as a research assistant in the KU botany department. I have also worked
at the Topeka Zoo in the Conservation/Education department since July of 2012. I
began volunteering for GHF in 2010.
Jennifer Dropkin - I have a bachelor’s in systematics and ecology and a master’s in
museum studies, both from the University of Kansas. In between undergraduate and
graduate studies, I worked in scholarly publishing as a manuscript editor for the University of Chicago Press. After getting my master’s, I had an internship at the National Academy of Sciences, researching the state of scientific publishing and issues concerning traditional ecological knowledge and genetic resources for the Board on International Scientific Organizations. I have worked as an assistant collection manager
for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami and as a data manager and project
coordinator for a natural area survey for the Kansas Biological Survey. I have continued my work in scholarly publishing as a copyediting lead for Allen Press and a book
production editor for the University Press of Kansas. I currently work for several
university presses and a botanical garden press as a book and journals manuscript
editor.
Grassland Heritage Foundation is a
non-profit 501(c)(3) membership
organization dedicated to prairie preservation and education.
GHF News is published quarterly by
Grassland Heritage Foundation.
Editor: Sue Holcomb
[email protected]
913-856-4784
Send mail to:
P.O. Box 394
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
Website
www.grasslandheritage.org
Email Address:
[email protected]
GHF Officers
President: Craig Freeman
Vice-President: Angie Babbit
Secretary: Sue Holcomb
Treasurer: Steve Holcomb
Assistant Treasurers:
Kevin Bachkora
Ann Simpson
March 2014
One of These Things (is Not Like the
Others): Drought Tolerance Variation in
the Tallgrass Big Bluestem
By Miranda M. Gray
Andropogon gerardii (Vitman), appropriately known as ‘big
bluestem’ as it averages six feet in height, is a species that has
long been central to prairie ecology. This iconic warm-season
tallgrass has fondly been called the “ice cream grass” of the
bison, and adds to the overall productivity of the tallgrass ecosystem with a contributed 70% biomass. It is not a surprise,
then, that big bluestem has frequently appeared in art forms of
the prairie landscape, such as nature writer Aldo Leopold’s
writing (“the wine-red plumes of bluestem in the fall”).
Just over sixty years ago, prairie ecologist Calvin McMillan
noted that local varieties of big bluestem differed in important
plant traits like height, vegetative biomass and flowering time.
Even more so, he observed that when varieties were planted in
several locations, plant traits were altered by location. The
causative agents of observed plant variation are analogous to
what is thought of in popular culture as “nature vs. nurture,” or,
in the case of the newly emerging scientific field of Ecological
Genetics: “genetics vs. environment”. It turns out that genetics
and environment can play single or co-roles in plant traits and
response. What McMillan was really delving into in his work,
then, was the existence of “ecotypes”- varieties of an organism
that occur in geographically-distinct environments, and which
differ at the level of DNA, or their genetic make-up.
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GHF News
plant populations like big bluestem.
With funding from the Grassland Heritage Foundation, I was
able to make an initial dent in understanding how plant ecotypes
of big bluestem occurring along the Great Plains respond to
rapid, decreased precipitation. I utilized a field platform initiated by Dr. Loretta Johnson (Kansas State University) and collaborators. This platform was really another experiment in testing
plant ecotype response like McMillan did years ago, but this
time taking advantage of large-scale precipitation differences
across the Great Plains region ranging from Carbondale, Illinois
to western Colby, Kansas. In several locations, seed from several prairies in the Great Plains including Illinois, Eastern and
Central Kansas were planted in common garden sites (Photo 1)
along with their natural plant competitors (like Sorghastrum
nutans [Indian grass] and volunteer forbs).
Field site of big bluestem ecotype gardens during t
he growing season
Big bluestem ecotypes growing side by side
Unfortunately, what we know about big bluestem at the
molecular DNA, or genetic level, is limited in comparison with
understanding its growth and ecology. And even more unfortunately, the climate is rapidly changing. As both ecology and
genetics are essential to understanding how ecotypes of this
keystone grass might respond to changes in the environment,
more information regarding genetic diversity and drought tolerance at the level of genes (single elements that control response
to environment) becomes critical. This is especially timely, as
recently, the Great Plains region witnessed its worst drought in
over 50 years. Increasing drought and/or time between heavy
rainfalls will alter the prairie landscape and challenge stationary
My study focused on two possible ecotypes of big bluestem
previously characterized by our research group to have clear
differences in traits related to drought tolerance. When grown in
similar field locations, these plants (before knowing any genetic
or DNA study information) did not look the same: the Illinoisderived big bluestem was taller and possessed a greater mass of
shoots than roots in comparison to dwarfed Central Kansasderived big bluestem (Photo 2). The dwarfed Central Kansas
plants thus appeared more drought-adapted, with a more extensive root system and less leaf area for water loss.
But, what were the genetic differences between these varieties and were they at all related to a vital and interesting trait
like drought tolerance? Initiated in the common garden platform in western Colby, Kansas following a two-week drought, I
collected leaves of the two ecotypes, and looked at genetic and
physiological responses. The findings showed that more water
stress related genes and pathways appear to be activated in the
mesic Illinois ecotype, whereas the xeric Central Kansas ecotype amped a stronger response or greater number of expressed
genes overall when faced with severe drought. However, instead
of being related to water stress, disease-defense pathways, stress
-induced genes related to plant heat shock, and genes important
(Continued on page 4)
March 2014
(Continued from page 3)
in nitrogen metabolism were abundant. Physiologically, under
severe field drought, the Central Kansas variety also maintained
a higher photosynthetic rate, indicating better ability to cope
with drought. We were dealing with plant ecotypes, like McMillan.
Our results show that, overall, the Central Kansas bluestem
ecotype may become an important seed source for land managers to restore prairies. Drought is a major factor in plant productivity loss worldwide, and rapid environmental change threatens
the current 4% left of the once vast prairie. If we are to restore
and conserve what fragile acres still stand in the most appropriate way, levels of genetic diversity within local prairies and variation in drought response and response rates within species
should be considered. Walt Whitman once gracefully wrote the
sunset over the prairie seemed like “pure luminous color
fighting the silent shadows to the last”. Attention to what ecotypes might fight climate change harder, or in more effective
ways, will enable us to better restore prairies.
For more information regarding the Big Bluestem Ecotype
Group’s work, visit http://www.bluestemecotype.k-state.edu/.
Miranda Gray can be contacted at [email protected].
Photo Credits: Bluestem Ecotype Project Group
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GHF News
Scholarships Awarded
In December, one of our members, Susan
Lordi Marker, made a generous donation to our scholarship
fund. She requested that the money be used for prairie research.
We are pleased to announce that at our annual meeting the
board voted to issue $500 to each of the two researchers who
have been conducting studies that included our own Snyder
Prairie. These funds will be used for transportation, supplies,
and assistance to gather data for the second summer at Snyder
and other area prairies.
Groundhogs
Interested in participating in a spring burn?
You can join our prairie maintenance group of “Groundhogs” at
GHF’s own Snyder Prairie near Mayetta, Kansas, about 20 miles
north of Topeka off Hwy 75. Workdays are usually scheduled for
the third Saturday of each month at ~9:30am.
Both Daphne Mayes and Kathy Roccaforte are doctoral aspirants at Kansas University in the department of ecology and
evolutionary biology. Mayes’ study (above) focuses on trapnesting bees in tallgrass prairie ecosystems to measure variables
such as brood parasitism and mortality, as well as time spent
foraging. The broad goals of Roccaforte’s project are to inventory pollinator communities in prairie remnants and restorations in
northeast Kansas, and to investigate the extent to which prairie
restoration efforts reinstate native pollinator communities.
We wish both these researchers good weather and great
conditions and look forward to reading about their results!
Please do not show up without contacting us, as we may
need to cancel on a given workday.
Always dress for the prairie with long pants, gloves, a hat, and
sturdy shoes or boots, and bring along water.
Contact Frank Norman, our property manager, at 785-691-9748
or [email protected] to get on the volunteer list and be
informed of work day activities.
If you live in the KC area and would like
to help at our Roulund-Wagner Property
adjacent to the Prairie Center in Olathe,
contact Sue Holcomb at 913-856-4784.
The Holcombs have been mowing,
lopping, dragging fallen wood, killing
invasives, etc. on the property and would
love some help. There are not set days,
just when weather and time permit.
March 2014
Why Native Plants?
5
By Kim Bellemere
On April 19, GHF will host our second Native Plant Sale
during the Lawrence Earth Day Celebration. The sale is
GHF’s only annual fundraiser and is an essential source of
income but it is also an important opportunity for us to talk
about the vital role native plants play in our landscape.
The prairies are quickly disappearing and being replaced
by cropland, urban spaces and even suburban lawns. As a
resu we have lost many of the native plants that our insects,
birds, and other animals depend on for food and shelter.
North American insects, for example, evolved to eat North
American plants (or the other insects that eat those plants).
Without enough native plants in the landscape, we’re losing
many of those insects including, butterflies, beetles and
many pollinators.
Bumble bee on Culver’s root Veronicastrum virginicum
An insect-free flower garden may sound ideal to some
gardeners but in reality, the loss of these animals can have
serious consequences. At least 96% of all North American
birds feed insects to their newly hatched chicks. Without
insects to feed their young, many of our bird populations are
declining – especially in the prairie region. Forty percent of
the North American bird species that are threatened or in
decline are ones that once thrived on the tallgrass prairie and
other grasslands.
The loss of native plants in our landscape has also played
a role in the significant reduction in the number of native
bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. As with other insects,
these animals evolved to eat our native plants. Monarch
butterflies depend on milkweeds to feed their caterpillars,
many bee species are only active during the times that certain types of flowers bloom. While some have been able to
adapt and utilize some of the non-native plants we’ve put in
our yards, many cannot. One out of every three mouthfuls
of food you eat was created with the help of a pollinator so
their food problems will eventually become our problems as
well.
The good news is that all of us can do something. Here
are three ways. First, we can plant more native wildflowers
and grasses in our yards. While this may seem like a small
step, if we all do it, we will have a big impact. As more and
more homeowners and businesses include native plants in
their landscapes, we will create small islands or oases for
GHF News
wildlife. More and more islands can be linked to create corridors for wildlife to move about and find food and shelter.
The second thing we can do is use fewer chemicals, particularly pesticides. Yes, the plants may be a little more bug-eaten
but many of those bugs will eventually feed the birds. You’ll
also attract more beneficial bugs which will eventually help control some of the less desirable ones.
Third, talk to your neighbors about incorporating native
wildflowers and grasses into their yards and ask nursery owners
to stock more natives. While the word about native plants is
spreading, it can still be a little hard to find them. If consumers
demand more native plants, eventually we’ll see more of them in
stores. You can also come to the GHF Native Plant Sale in
April and stock up. We’ll have experts on hand to talk to you
about the plants and offer advice on how to use them in your
yard and you can see just how beautiful some of them really are.
And if you’re concerned about how your yard will look or if
your new native wildflowers will be hard to grow – don’t worry!
Remember, these plants evolved and thrived for thousands of
years right here without any help from us (some probably just
below your feet). That means that most are easy to grow, use
less water, and require very little maintenance. With any luck,
you’ll spend less time tending your flower garden and more time
enjoying the wildlife that lives in it.
Come to the GHF Native Plant Sale on April 19th and help
GHF bring our native plants back. In the words of Sara Stein,
author of Noah’s Garden, “…the number of people planting a
piece of native grassland, not the size or sophistication of the
individual plantings, is what will matter, for if we don't grow
milkweeds in our gardens, we'll have to tell our grandchildren,
"We used to see monarch butterflies long ago."
For more information about native wildflower and grasses,
their uses, and benefits go to:
Grassland Heritage Foundation – www.grasslandheritage.org
Kansas Native Plant Society – www.kansanativeplantsociety.org
Monarch Watch – www.monarchwatch.org
The Xerces Society – www.xerces.org
Monarch Watch Spring Open House &
Plant Fundraiser
Saturday, May 10, 2014 from 8:00am to 2:00pm
We will have butterfly plants (both annuals and perennials),
including seedlings of twelve milkweed varieties. These plants
are ideal for starting butterfly gardens or adding to established
gardens. Monarch numbers have been declining and we need to
plant milkweeds to sustain the monarch migration.
Refreshments will be provided. There will be games for the
children and they can make "seed balls" containing seeds of
milkweeds and other butterfly plants that can be used to create
habits for monarchs and other butterflies. They can also watch
the queen bee lay eggs in our honeybee observation hive, see
scary insects and spiders, or watch videos. All are welcome to
tour our garden and lab space. We will have live videoconferencing demonstrations, and, of course, monarch butterflies!
Monarch Watch is located on the west campus of Kansas University, Lawrence or check out
MonarchWatch.org.
March 2014
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Surprise Visitor at the
Snyder Homestead
By Frank J. Norman
Out of the blue back in early November 2013, I got a phone
call from Nick Lamberty who was trying to find the house that
his uncle was born in near Mayetta. How Nick tracked me down
is a story for another time, but earlier in the fall, Nick had been
in and around Mayetta with his uncle and aunt trying to find the
house, but couldn’t locate it. Turns out his uncle, Richard
(Dick) Marshall, was born in November 1921 at the homestead
purchased by Rachel Snyder in 1974. She donated the 160-acre
tract of prairie, woodland, and the homestead to GHF in 1989;
the house and adjoining 20 acres was then sold to the Brandons
per Rachel’s wishes. The 140-acres of land--fondly called
Snyder Prairie by GHF members—is the tract that GHF and its
volunteer group, Groundhogs, manages.
GHF News
but that’s understandable for a 92-year old who hadn’t been
back in the area since 1951 when he took the photo.
Previously, Dick lived in the
house for 3 years after his birth
and then moved with his family
to Mayetta. After growing up in
Mayetta, Dick was an Army
medic during WWII, graduated
from Benedictine College when
it was named St. Benedict’s College (for men), and had a successful career in accounting
working at Western Electric near
Chicago and then AT&T after
the merger. According to Nick,
he was quite an athlete, being a
pool and ping pong champion in
the Army; and can still play a
mean game of ping pong.
Richard (Dick) Marshall
On November 26, I met Nick, Dick and his wife, Bettye at
Cracker Barrel for lunch in Topeka and then we drove up to
the homestead. It was great fun to meet Nick and his uncle
and aunt, Dick and Bettye Marshall and take them to a part of
their family history, the old homestead on former Snyder land.
I am not sure who had the most fun on the visit, Nick, who
spearheaded the quest driving all the way down from Chicagoland several times in search of his family roots, or Dick,
who returned to his birthplace after so many years. According
to Nick, Dick and Bettye were speechless after the visit. Needless to say, I was pleased to help with the visit and learn more
about the history of the Snyder land.
Searching for the house
Nick searched for the house, using a 1951 photo of it as a
guide. He drove by the homestead on 158 th Road east of
Mayetta, but he didn’t know at the time that the house was
about ¼ mile from the road and its view obstructed by trees. His
uncle didn’t remember the place or the nearby landscape either
Frank Norman, Dick and Bettye
March 2014
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GHF News
We depend on your contributions!
Please help GHF complete its mission by sending your donation today. The date of your last contribution is
printed above your name on the mailing label.
Send to Grassland Heritage Foundation, PO Box 394, Shawnee Mission, KS 66201.
Membership Categories:
__$20 Friend __$35 Family__$50 Steward __$100 Sustaining __$250 Conserver __$500 Patron
__$1000 Benefactor __ $5000 Founder __$15 Student/Retiree
Name___________________________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________________
City________________________________________________State__________Zip____________________
Phone_________________________________ Email_____________________________________________
______I’d like to receive my newsletter in pdf form by email at the above address
______Contact me about volunteering
______Gift in honor or memory of (mark which)_________________________________________________
Your contribution will be placed in the general fund unless you designate your donation for :
______Rachel Snyder Memorial Scholarship Fund
______Prairie Acquisition
______Education programs
______Prairie Management
Special donations since our last newsletter
Thank you to:
For Rachel Snyder Memorial Scholarship Fund
by Susan Lordi Marker
Christina Baker
KU Senior in Geography and Spanish - for volunteering with
GHF as a student intern in the fall of 2013.
For Land Acquisition
by Rex Powell & Marie Alice L’Heureux
For Education by Grace Beam
In memory of Mel Cottom by Mary Cottom
In honor of David Wagner and in memory of Larry Wagner
by Martha Wagner
In memory of Larry Wagner by David Wagner
In honor of Gary Tegtmeier
by Deborah Borek and David Wristen
Returning members:
Mary Haskin, Edna Hamera, Brad Guess, Charles Downing,
Carol Field, Doug & Dorothy Iliff, Mike Miller Family
New Members:
Nick Lamberty, Thad Holcombe, Katy Lange (daughter of Sue
& Steve Holcomb), Sheryl Geisler, Roxie McGee, Ken Tillery,
Douglas May, Shannon Jones, Wade & Rachel Myslivy
Tasha Wolff, Megan Withiam and Angie Babbit
For helping man the GHF table at the Kaw Valley Eagles Day.
Jennifer Dropkin and Megan Withiam
For helping man the GHF table at the Kaw Valley Seed Fair
Megan Withiam
For grant writing help in the fall of 2013
Kevin Bachkora
For continuing to provide accounting services
Sharon Gan-Yang
For assisting with the newsletter
Answers to Native Plants photos
Veronicastrum virginicum
Silphium perfoliatum
Asclepias syriaca
Culver's root
Cup plant
Common milkweed
Upper left
Lower left
Right
To receive your newsletter in pdf form by email, contact Sue
Holcomb, [email protected] or 913-856-4784. Also,
please let us know if you no longer wish to receive the GHF
News. Thank you!
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Grassland Heritage Foundation
PO Box 394
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
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Native Plantings Around Town
Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean there aren’t interesting
things to see in the garden or on the prairie. On February
28th I got out my new macro lens and took a trip outside to
my prairie garden.
Q: Can you recognize these plants?
A: Answers on page 7.