Seed – the backbone of any restoration… the what, when, where and how?

If you have been involved in any kind of ecological restoration, the question of seed has probably passed your mind, at least briefly.  It was also the subject of a forum and (I would dare to say) heated discussion at the 24^th North American Prairie Conference.  Many issues were addressed but a couple kept surfacing up. Here are the issues I remember, please add those I might have omitted to the comments.

Blue flag iris seed 

seed mix prepared for a restoration project

  

 1.       How do we obtain seed – meaning where do nurseries collect the “started” seed from? It was a

a.        geographical matter  - is it Carbondale or Dekalb, IL

b.      Ecological matter – how local should the ecotype be? how far is too far to travel outside of the project? Should seed planted in a sand prairie come from a source that was collected on a black soil prairie

c.       a political matter (is the seed available on municipal, county, state, federal,  or private land?) how long do we have to wait for permits and how to mainstream the process? Is there a way?

d.      Knowledge matter – where EXACTLY are those remnant, tiny places where we can collect seed? Is anyone willing to share their “spots”? (I know I would be hesitant to share it). Tragedy of the commons, anyone?

e.      Ideological matter – do we collect started seed from remnants only or do we go to restorations as well?

2.       How do we get enough seed for projects, while we often don’t know about them years in advance?

a.       How can nurseries be informed of needs in a fair market driven way and in advance? (I am no economist here)

3.       How do we get the diversity of the seed we need?

a.       Here diversity was the simple alpha diversity (i.e. number of species)

b.      Functional and seasonal diversity

c.        As well as genetic diversity

                                                              i.      We open the whole Pandora’s box here – do we collect from few sites and mix seed and call it species x region y seed? Do we cultivate seed collected at each

4.       How do we preserve the diversity?

a.       If genetic purity is important then how do you make sure a grower who is growing a couple local genotypes preserves those as “pure” because pollinators do cross large distances

b.      At which point will we have an inbreeding bottleneck and the plants at the restoration sites will have a very decreased fitness?

c.       Or outbreeding depression ?

5.       How do we grow plants to preserve their genetic integrity?

a.       Is the seed we buy for restoration projects domesticated?

b.      Many nursery practices concentrate on the seed collected at most popular times (both within and among species). When we lose the early and late seed of the species (2 standard deviations or more removed, or the “tails” of the Bell curve) how much original genetic material do we lose? Could those be important alleles?

c.       And what would be an economically sound way to collect that seed while paying people a livable wage ? (Ok, that was not discussed, I added that)

6.       Should we source from a bit more south to prepare the projects for the effects of climate change (the 800 pound gorilla that no one wants to touch with a 10 ft pole)

7.       Who should worry about all these issues and head the effort?

a.       How do you involve various levels of government, nurseries, non-profits, seed lovers etc for common good? How would you define that common good?  

b.      What is the goal?

                                                              i.      If the goal is state funding how do we go about obtaining it?

                                                            ii.      Do we propose a plan (and who is we)?

                                                          iii.       Do individual citizens carry out guerilla like meetings with their state representatives to ask for funding? OR maybe there should be a bill and then we do a massive PR campaign and push to get it passed (again, who is WE – because it begins to feel like the royal WE and no one wants to take charge)

I think some of the questions can be answered by looking at the goals of the project, but not many…

Sometimes I just want to go back to grad school, and do a whole lot of research to answer these very necessary practical questions people have…. SIGH

Stay tuned, I will try to have my pondering about this

#ILovePrairieBecause

  #ILOVEPRAIRIEBECAUSE

The prairie stole my heart some 6 years ago, but the process was not sudden, or at least I did not realize how much the prairie meant to me until few month passed. See, I got introduced to the prairie by my passion for wetlands. As people might now, you cannot work with wetlands in Illinois and ignore the prairie. The health of one depends on another, as there are no clear boundaries and just a slow gradient of moisture and soil conditions that determines (and feeds back) into the difference between prairie and wetland. But I digress…

A while ago TNC Illinois asked on twitter why do you (meaning we, you and I) love the prairie and it got me thinking…. And then there was the hashtag created #ILovePrairieBecause and I just had to put my thoughts on paper because there are so many reasons. Almost every day I can think of something else, here are some reasons why I do, indeed, enjoy the prairie so much

-          #ILovePrairieBacause it calms me. I cannot explain it - there is just something in the prairie, the green, the blue and vastness (in places where it is vast) that appeals to my prehistoric sense of beauty. If you think about this – as our species evolved and migrated through Africa we went through a lot of plains, grasslands, etc.  I actually shared this thought with one awesome volunteer once and she texted me afterwards saying there is research supporting that thought (so I probably just heard it on the radio and did not think of it myself). Supposedly children up to a certain age prefer the grassland and/or savanna  landscape and then it shifts when we are older and had time for more cultural “imprints”

-          #ILovePrairieBacause  it is a constant challenge! Can you say so many species so little time?! And I am not only talking about the plants, but birds, insects, fungi you name it! There is always one more plant to learn, one more scientific name to remember (I am SO hopeless at these), one more variation to identify. It challenges my sense of beauty, paying attention to the detail, vocabulary (yes – try to identify a sedge and find yourself using a botanical dictionary), stamina… you name it

-          #ILovePrairieBacause  of the sky (probably connected to the first point). I have seen lightning strike the prairie! It is the mightiest thing ever. More impressive and grand than the same look in the mountains. When I saw lightning hit the Rocky Mountains it was powerful, loud, grand. But somehow, deep inside I felt like the mountains are tough and “can take it”, almost like daring the lightning to strike it. But the prairie has none of that arrogance. It just exists, just takes it while the atmospheric discharge pounds on it. It is not “moved” by it. Quite opposite the prairie says ”bring it on, water my plants, bring a fire and good disturbance to me, let me use you to shape myself.”  But it is not just the might of the thunder and lightning, it is the clouds that are high, or hang low on other days. It is the numerous shades of blue, gray and purple, it is how the sky meets the prairie. There is just something unexplainable about it

-          #ILovePrairieBacause it is resilient. It uses the disturbance to open up possibilities for new plants to come in (yes, those adopted to disturbance). Like a phoenix it grows from the ashes and gets stronger. It can deal with one of the biggest mammals gnawing on it and actually “turn” this situation to its advantage. It has withstand the biggest destruction caused to it by people. It is adopting to climate change as we speak (but is it fast enough?)

-          #ILovePrairieBacause it is unexpected… in so many different ways. We often refer to it as the upside down rainforest, as most of its biomass is underground. It is unexpected in other ways, the diversity in a meter square quadrant, for example… I think the most I ever encountered were just over 40 species but there are accounts of more… As the moisture gradient changes so does its plant community, as the weeks progress so does its color. The prairie is hardly ever the same any one week. And the more we learn about it the more we find out… carbon storage? Sure more efficient than some forests! Denitirification of excess nutrients? Just let those wetlands do their part. Water storage after a big storm? Saving taxpayers millions of dollars every year. The list goes on

-          #ILovePrairieBacause it rejoices and reenergizes my soul and mind. Makes me believe in something bigger. Gives me strength and purpose and makes me believe that indeed, I can leave this world just a little bt better than I found it.

MarshMaiden reserves the right to add more examples to this list but it is getting late and she is also tired (and apparently refers to herself in 3^rd person) 

Dressing the part - the everyday struggle of a female ecologist...

You know how you are always told to dress the part? Or to dress for the job you’d like to have? Or that it is always better to overdress than underdress? I guess exceptions make the rule and the field of ecology is that exception. I feel like the ladies here have a special conundrum. Please do indulge me and hear me out!

Our dress is our external business card, and we get judged on it (oh boy, are we REALLY judged based on what and how we wear it) I don’t even mean if we are tidy and clean (that is mostly a given). The way a particular person dresses says (or may say) a lot about their manner, music or lifestyle preference, and then there are the stereotypes.

* Oh you are wearing make-up in the field? You just don’t know any better! Whom are you trying to impress? You must be one of those airheads!

Oh you are not wearing any make-up? What? Are you trying to be a man? You should embrace your gender! (because wearing make-up is clearly the only way I can unify with other ladies)

This shirt is too tight, why is it pink? These pants are too loose! You look too official, I bet you know nothing about field work! Why would you wear a necklace?

You look dirty and sweaty – translation : you probably are not too bright and definitively don’t know how to run a project or analyze any data bc if you did you would not be doing this dirty work *

I sometimes feel like I have heard most of it, with certain things said straight out, others implied. And I have to admit, it is hard to dress to be a professional (female) in the field. You want to be comfortable but exude confidence and knowledge, you should be a bit formal, but not too much as it might undermine the exact confidence and knowledge you want to portray. I will not even mention the real struggle of knowing how to dress for an interview (pant suits are not really endorsed in our society but skirts might suggest you don’t like being outdoors much) Is anyone out there also struggling with this?

I don’t often rip on the men in the field (ok, I sometimes do) but they have it easy! Khakis and a polo – an answer to any and all in field and office wardrobe needs. It says “look I am sporty and casual in the field, while oddly formal for an office meeting as I DO HAVE A COLLAR!” For ladies, though, it is way different.

First of all most of our shirts are fitted, we might have problems of having an unusual waist to bust ratio leading to the shirts being too tight in one spot or too loose in another (or both).  Tucking the shirt in makes many of us feel subconscious about our figures, leaving them out often looks sloppy. Many of the women’s button up shirts are 50% more expensive than men’s .Pants are hard to get too, especially if you are tall and/or have an affinity for packets and enjoy cargo pants that happen to not be too tight, or super low rise.

And there is the question of jewelry. Do you wear rings? Do you wear your engagement ring? Earrings? Necklace? How about any make-up other than chapstick? Is being girly even allowed when you have a field position? Or when you deal with a bunch of contractors your father’s age who refer to you as “honey” (I once mustered enough courage to call someone Billy Bob, after they called me sweetness and honey a couple of times – of course I was considered to be rude all they did was express affection).

So ladies, I don’t think there is a right or wrong although I understand I probably felt some prejudice towards other women based on their clothing choices and I was judged on mine as well.  Some things to consider

- wear pants that are not too low

- or if you are tall and your shirt will ride up wear long tank tops

- try some man's clothing a size smaller, you just might like it 

- if you feel you cannot afford nice field clothing (let's face it as ecologist we mostly don't make enough to dress at AnnTaylor everyday) try thrift stores, seriously. Try going to the ones in more affluent neighborhoods. Or try consignment sales. If you pay $7 for a nice-er button up shirt you wont feel as bad wearing it into the field.

- never forget about being comfortable - especially when you are outdoors for the whole day

- speaking of that - a good hat. Not all of us can rock baseball hats or bucket hats. I  wear something that resemble a safari hat with a cloth expending over my neck. Definitively NOT stylish, but also gives me a good cover and protects my neck.

- if you want to rock it - get a nicer pair of sun glasses (and then one of those glasses strings so you don't loose them - you just lost any fashion edge)

- if you like make up do it! as you sweat it might run, but will also protect your skin from UV rays. I personally don't do it but I do like flavored chapstick that occasionally has some colorant (and I've been called out)

- bring a change of clothing if you have a meeting, maybe?

 I admire those of you who can look feminine while talking in your muddy boots and sporting make up or really well done hair. Those of us who are on the lower end of the maintenance spectrum - that is ok, but also remember that when you want to clean up and rock that pair of 4 inch heels that does not take away from your ability to be a kick ass scientist. I know I am mostly preaching to myself now but my painted fingernails do not take points away from my IQ or any field cred that I deserve. The fact is that the more I feel comfortable and start being myself in the field the bigger “butterfly effect” I will have and some other women might feel it is ok to do that too. But the struggle is real (also a first world problem).

P.S. Please don't mention to my family that I had a sad attempt at fashion- they would burst out laughing 

P.P.S Would love to hear about your solutions

Sisyrinchium or the blue eyed grasses

S. campestre as seen in my native plant garden

Blue eyed grass – Sisyrinchium spp. – are some of my favorite flowers. It is probably really unfair to make that statement because I like a lot of native flowers, and “my favorites” change as the year progresses…

Anyways, I know two species (the common –or white – blue eyed grass, and the prairie blue eyed grass), and I was vaguely aware of the third – the mountain blue eyed grass. I thought I would check the Bible (in this context a reference to the Plant Bible and more specifically Swink and Wilhelms Plants of the Chicagoland Region) to see how to differentiate among them when not in flower and I was quickly taken down a botany rabbit hole. I will indulge you momentarily, but now back to the 3 species.

The blue eyed grasses are beautiful. Short (1 foot or less) and with slender leaves and a delicate flower that grows on top of the stem - they just really stand out. They also form clumps, which gives them an attractive “tufty” look. In addition, right before they bloom the flowers are protected by a lobster claw like bract. According to Doug Ladd’s Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers, the 6 petals are actually 3 petals and 3 sepals that look alike (identical if you ask me).

Sisyrinchium albidum at Brookfield Prairie

The difference between white or common blue eyed grass and the remaining two blue blue eyed grasses (S. campestre and S. montanuum) is that the first one had 3-4 bracts (or 2-3 as described by Swink and Wilhelm), while the pair has those two bracts that cover the flower and remind me of lobster claws. The difference between the bluer of two species –  prairie blue eyed grass (S. campastre) and the mountain blue eyed grass (S. montanuum)  is that mountain blue eyed grass has larger capsules (>4.5 mm long) and the outermost bract is united for 2 mm or more. In the case of the prairie blue eyed grass the capsules are less than 4 mm.

Some easier distinctions: the prairie species is found in dry prairies (yes I know, genius) while the mountain one in prairies AND dune flats in calcareous soils, so in fact it is very rare. I almost want to say that if you are looking for S. montanum you probably know the difference between these two better that I can explain. Prairie blue eyed grass also blooms beginning of May while the mountain blue eyed grass end of May. The white blue eyed grass can bloom from May through June and is more commonly found. Also the more alkaline the soil, the whiter that species will get, which is an interesting fact.

So now that I went through this exhausting explanation I should mention that there actually are 5 Sisyrinchium species  in the region, two I was completely unaware of. And this is how I entered the rabbit hole, or more precisely fell into it…

When you open the key to the genus you are met in the options “Plants appearing to have cauline leaves “ or “plants appearing scapose” . It’s been a while since I looked up a plant so it began, but more about that later… in another post at another time.. stay tuned

Wood betony (Pedicularis canadensis)- not a woodland plant at all

Wood betony scattered through a wet mesic to mesic prairie in
early spring. North Branch of the Chicago River, Spring 2016

This early spring prairie and savanna native dots the landscape in areas mostly dry later in the season but ones that can be inundated with spring rains this time of the year.

closer look at the plant with the upper
and lower parts of the flower visible 

The plant is quite unusual, with light yellow flowers that have a top hood with 2 downward pointed teeth and a three bottom lips fused together to look like one. The bottom part of the flower acts as a landing pad for insects while the hood protects the pollen. Wood betony's leaves are deeply lobed and fuzzy (with fine little hairs - which is can be called pubescent in botanic language or at times even canescent - when short and fine hair produce a whitish appearance ). Some people think it reminds them of ferns, however the leaves have a different texture and obviously no spores underneath.

Wood betony is mostly semi-parasitic, meaning that it taps into the nutrients of other plants, preferably grasses, for some of its nutrients. Some believe that is the reason for the plant's cream-yellow color. As a result the grasses around wood betony are slightly stunted. People have found that under some conditions the plant can sustain itself without finding a hoast. For this reason when growing this plant from seed make sure you seed it into containers which already have a lot of 2nd or 3rd season grass growing (little bluestem is a good choice).

Ranting about retaining people in the conservation world, part two

In the previous post I said something to the extent of  “I don’t have any suggestions,” which, as you might expect, is a bit of a lie. I don’t have a silver bullet but here are some ideas I think would help people stay in the field we (all) love

- Please pay us a livable wage, where we can live in dignity while paying our own rent and school loans. We established already - we are not in the conservation field for the money, but we also would like to feel appreciated. You expect someone with a higher degree and decent experience but are willing to pay us $12/h? Or someone with 7 years of management experience with professional certifications and designations and are willing to pay $40K/year? Really? (and yes those were actual jobs I either saw ads for or interviewed for, or talked to someone in the company about)

- We (as in Royal We - the professionals, academics, managers etc) have to start working with funding agencies and foundations all together. They should see value in retaining and paying for someone’s expertise when they found a project. "The sponsors" should also insist that all employees paid for with a given grant actually make a decent wage

- There should be no unpaid internships in a consulting business, or internships at a consulting, for-profit company that has interns paid by an external foundation. Those students could have been place in a non-profit.  Internships are a vital source of experience but only a limited amount of population can afford a non-paid experience. Although I don't like it, I understand that non-profits with limited budgets might have to defer to this option at times. If so, please do teach the intern the inner workings  of your professions, introduce them to people, take them to meetings and be a good reference afterwards; don't just use them as a work horse.

- We should really press for diversity, in age, gender and race. If you do not see someone who looks like you doing something it is waaay harder for you to imagine yourself doing it. 

- Please do not shut down someone bc they are a non-traditional student, come from the inner city, are changing careers or sound different than what you are used to.

-Managers/Supervisors/Crew Leaders really listen to people’s concerns while working, especially in the first two weeks. Your new employee might have not been exposed to the elements before, or maybe you’re so used to what you do, you are explaining it using jargon. Many of us use assumptions. I remember one person starting a sentence explaining how to use equipment with   “now, I don’t want to insult your intelligence but if you really don’t know this is how this works….” Yeah, not many questions after that.

-Please be flexible if the schedule allows it. If someone is working in the office do they really have to be there 8-5? Maybe earlier time is more convenient to them. Granted, ofcourse, thereare no meetings etc.

- Do invest in employee’s education. And I don’t only mean conferences, although those are great, but do take the time to explain how things work, why a certain person is admired in the community, show them a successful and a failed projects and explain why, etc.

- If you have a valuable employee who is unable to work full time (childcare, parents, disability) do invest the time and effort to allow them to work part time. Believe me, they will be so thankful for the opportunity that will work more hours than you pay them for. Loyalty and appreciation are great things in an employee

-  Do mentor people. It does not have to be something structured, official. Soon you will learn from the other person as they might have different points of view, pick up on something quicker or have other experiences. The lack of experience they have allows them to ask questions which can be very useful and game changing but which you - through all your experience - would not have thought of.

  It is understood business is business but all in all try to be a humane person to your employees. If not because it is the right thing to do, they are your colleagues and one day might be in a position to hire/fire you. 

*The rant is over, a least for now*

Not sure what it says - but now I know where it hides: Foxes in suburban environment

Recently, while on the way to FFF event ( Forced Family Fun) my hubby spotted a fox. I did not believe him because how common are foxes in a large urban areas? I have seen them in woodlands and in prairies, but in a suburb about 3/4 of a mile away from a Forest Preserve? Really? We drove around to double check, while I was frantically changing a lens on my camera.

Yes really! I believe it was a red fox. One thing that gives it away (well duh) is its reddish/orange fur. Another is its habits. Red foxes do much better in open areas, clearings (read: back yards), prairies than their close relatives - the gray fox. What made the spotting even more exceptional is that the clever canine was accompanied by two little kits! How fun!

A suburban red fox encountered near Milwaukee and Lake 

Foxes usually mate some time in January and then have their litter (of anywhere from 2 to 15, depending on species, location and diet) in late March, early April. For the first few weeks they rarely leave their den or other hiding place and the father supplies the food. As they mature they stay with their parents and learn survival to then go their separate ways at the end of summer.

Foxes are canines, although they are the most cat-like ones of their type. They have beautiful long and puffy tails used for balance and to keep warm. Long ago they were valued for their pelts to decorate coat collars - my grandma had a couple that I fascinated and creeped me out at the same time. 

A (presumed) mother fox playing tag with her two kits

Foxes are great adapters - as mostly omnivores their diet ranges from small rodents to frogs, insects and berries. In an urban habitat they are known to occasionally rummage through garbage. Although most perceive foxes to be nocturnal, and they are active during dawn and dusk, especially in urban settings they can be active during the day.

Anyways, it was a wonderful encounter and I am happy I was able to grab a couple of pictures