This Spaceship Earth On February 2, 2007, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), removed all doubt as to whether climate change is in fact occurring. In their report they concluded that not only is the average temperature of the planet rising at an unprecedented rate, but the chemistry of our air, our water, and […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (March 2007)"
Advocacy at work The Meijer grocery-retail chain, with 170 stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky has entered into a partnership with The Nature Conservancy to combat invasive plants. Not only is the Meijer’s chain donating $450,000 to the Nature Conservancy to support its efforts against invasives in the Great Lakes dunes, but next […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2007)"
GMO Escape An experimental, genetically modified grass, designed for golf courses, has been found in the wild, several miles from its test site. In the May/June 2004 “Grapevine” I included a brief mention of genetically modified (GM), Roundup-Ready Creeping Bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Scott’s and Monsanto are testing this plant, hoping to provide it for […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Nov 2006)"
Invasive and destructive gypsy moths fall prey to a “fungus among us.” Homeowners begin to realize that their lawns really do suck (too much water). And does NASA still go where no one has gone before? When populations of gypsy moths reach outbreak proportions, the caterpillars can completely defoliate host trees over a wide geographic […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Sept 2006)"
Does Early Interaction With Nature Help Kids Think and Cope Better? And if You Don’t Like Poison Ivy Now, Wait Until You Hear What Happens When It Grows in a “Greenhouse.” Nature Nurtures Karen Wells, an assistant professor in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, has published a number of papers over the past few years […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (July 2006)"
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), is an obligate biennial herb of the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Seedlings emerge in spring and form basal rosettes by midsummer. Immature plants overwinter as basal rosettes that stay green and continue to grow during snow-free periods when temperatures are above freezing. Continue reading "Garlic Mustard: Odiferous Invader"
When frogs are afraid to go into the water, should we be worried, too? After Sally Pick, a Wild Ones Partner-at-Large (MA), called me in response to a note about malformed frogs in the January “Grapevine,” I felt compelled to hit the stacks. It seems that the modern-day maladies of frogs take many forms: extra […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Mar 2006)"
The notion of invasiveness in native plants is one that is distasteful to contemplate. Usually we prefer to say that a native plant is a “strong spreader” or an “aggressive spreader.” At some point it may be necessary to stop splitting hairs. I’m thinking particularly of cup-plant (Silphium perfoliatum). It first caught my attention when […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Jan 2006)"
Ringing the alarm for Earth “An ecosystem itself undamaged is very, very resilient, and the more simplified it gets, the less resilient. Globally, what we are doing is simplifying them all, simultaneously, which is a very dangerous large-scale experiment.” Peter Raven, botanist, recently Time magazine’s “Hero of the Planet,” Director of Missouri Botanical Gardens in […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Nov 2005)"
Something to think about: Benefits of a messy yard Winter is months away, but since we may not be able to afford a November/December issue of the Journal, this seems like a good time to mention some fall caretaking strategies for our native plantings. Here are some things to think about: Remember that what you […] Continue reading "The Grapevine (Sept 2005)"