Friday, June 21, 2013

More Springtime but Almost Summer LIFE!



Scanning for larvae among the thousands of potted plants....
An update from last week's post on the Black Swallowtail caterpillar that came with us to the Des Moines Farmers' Market on Saturday. I brought him home on a plant specially chosen for him. It was the largest 38 cell available at the time, and although it was a downgrade from the mature Zizia aurea from which I snagged him, I expected the plant would satisfy it for the entire market day. I was incorrect. By 9am the plant had been fully harvested, and the caterpillar was ready to move on to the next. Yes, he kept eating(and I thought I LOVED MY GREENS!). After the downtown show, it was moved safely back to the blooming prairie. Thanks little buddy...  Here's another little guy. It's the same species of butterfly at a smaller larval stage!
Not quite as cute in this recently hatched stage as the more matured larva, but still, it's a keeper! I found a large hatching of Black Swallowtail caterpillars on the youngest of the Zizia aurea. WHAT A DAY!
Now for more fungal life

Mutinus elegans 

the

Elegant Stinkhorn   


Friday, June 14, 2013

Pituophis catenifer sayi BULLSNAKE


Bullsnakes roam the prairie. It's Iowa's largest snake species who coincidentally has a large appetite for small mammals and other small reptiles, amphibians and birds. This species is protected by Iowa law as it has little remaining habitat. One can imagine how much space this snakes requires! Bullsnakes are nonvenomous by the way.

Click HERE for more information on Bullsnakes from HerpNet.net, a Field Guide to Iowa Reptiles and Amphibians

Iowa DNR Bullsnake habitat creation and protection


Swallowtail Larva Video

Watch the Swallowtail larva chow down. Get your Zizia aurea plants and watch it happen in your own garden, too! I took this big guy home. He's coming to the market with us tomorrow for entertainment. This is better than tv!
                                                  

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Late Spring 2013 Inventory


Late Spring 2013 Inventory





Native Forbs(Wildflowers)






Common Name Scientific Name Potted Plant Size


Flat of 38 Gallon
Anise Hyssop Agastache foeniculum x x
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum

Prairie Onion Allium stellatum x
Canada Anemone Anemone canadensis x x
Pasque Flower Anemone patens wolfgangiana

Columbine Aquilegia canadensis x x
Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum

Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata x x
Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa x x
Sky Blue Aster Aster azureus x
Smooth Blue Aster Aster laevis x
New England Aster Aster novae-angliae x x
Silky Aster Aster sericeus x x
Wild Blue Indigo Baptisia australis x x
White Wild Indigo Baptisia leucantha

Cream Wild Indigo Baptisia leucophaea x x
False Aster Boltonia asteroides

Wild Hyacinth Camassia scilloides x x
Harebell Campanula rotundifolia x x
Turtlehead Chelone glabra x x
Prairie Coreopsis Coreopsis palmata x x
White Prairie Clover Dalea candida x
Purple Prairie Clover Dalea purpurea x x
Amethyst Shooting Star Dodecatheon amethystinum
x
Midland Shooting Star Dodecatheon meadia
x
Narrow-leaved Coneflower Echinacea angustifolia x
Pale Purple Coneflower Echinacea pallida x
Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea x x
Rattlesnake Master Eryngium yuccifolium x x
Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium maculatum x
Boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum x x
Sweet Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum x
Flowering Spurge Euphorbia corollata x
Queen of the Prairie Filipendula rubra
x
Bottle Gentian Gentiana andrewsii x x
Cream Gentian Gentiana flavida

Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum x x
Prairie Smoke Geum triflorum x x
Sneezeweed Helenium autumnale x x
Rose Mallow Hibiscus laevis

Hairy Rose Mallow Hibiscus lasiocarpos x
Southern Blue Flag Iris virginica shrevei x x
Button Blazingstar Liatris aspera x x
Meadow Blazingstar Liatris ligulistylis x x
Dotted Blazingstar Liatris punctata x
Prairie Blazingstar Liatris pycnostachya x x
Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis x x
Great Blue Lobelia Lobelia siphilitica x
Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica
x
Monkey Flower Mimulus ringens x x
Wild Bergamot Monarda fistulosa x x
Wild Quinine Parthenium integrifolium x x
Foxglove Beardtongue Penstemon digitalis x x
Wild Blue Phlox Phlox divaricata
x
Marsh Phlox Phlox glaberrima interior
x
Wild Sweet William Phlox maculata x x
Prairie Phlox Phlox pilosa x x
Obedient Plant Physostegia virginiana x x
Jacob's Ladder Polemonium reptans x x
Prairie Cinquefoil Potentilla arguta x x
Hairy Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum pilosum x x
Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum virginianum
x
Coneflower, Yellow Ratibida pinnata x
Sweet Blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia subtomentosa x x
Brown Eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba x
Wild Petunia Ruellia humilis x x
Royal Catchfly Silene regia x x
Rosin Weed Silphium integrifolium
x
Compass Plant Silphium laciniatum x x
Cup Plant Silphium perfoliatum
x
Prairie Dock Silphium terebinthinaceum
x
Stout Blue-eyed Grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium x
Stiff Goldenrod Solidago rigida x x
Showy Goldenrod Solidago speciosa x x
Spiderwort, Prairie Tradescantia bracteata x x
Spiderwort, Ohio Tradescantia ohiensis x x
Blue Vervain Verbena hastata x
Hoary Vervain Verbena stricta x
Common Ironweed Vernonia fasciculata x x
Culver's Root Veronicastrum virginicum x x
Golden Alexander Zizia aurea x x




Native Grasses






Big Blue Stem Andropogon gerardii x x
Side-oats Bouteloua curtipendula x
Blue Grama Bouteloua gracilis x x
Hairy Wood Chess Bromus pubescens x
Prairie Brome Bromus kalmii

Canada Wild Rye Elymus canadensis x
Bottlebrush Grass Elymus hystrix x
June Grass Koeleria macrantha x x
Little Blue Stem Schizachyrium scoparium x x
Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans x x
Prairie Dropseed Sporobulus hereolepis x x




Native Shrubs






Lead Plant Amorpha canescens
x
New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus





Cultivars






Common Name Scientific Name Potted Plant Size


Tray of 38 Gallon
Daylily Hemerocallis 'Happy Returns'
x
Daylily Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro'
x
Russian Sage Perovskia atriplicifolia

Blue Catmint Nepeta recemosa 'Walker's Low'
x
Showy Stonecrop Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy'
x




Ornamental Grasses






Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
x
Fountain Grass Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'