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2024 Annual Work Plan for Zoerb Prairie
I. Review of Management Plan Goals, Threats/Concerns and Objectives GOAL Primary - The overriding management goal for the Property is...
jonathanrigden
May 24, 20244 min read


Let Them Have Sex...Flowers, That Is!
Angiosperms have been around for a long time. More commonly referred to as the flowering plants that dominate the landscape today, they...
jonathanrigden
May 22, 20244 min read


Plant of the Week #4, May 20- Downy Phlox
The next Plant of the Week in this series is Downy or Prairie Phlox (Phlox pilosa). This is another perennial plant that likes dry...
jonathanrigden
May 20, 20241 min read


Plant of the Week #3- May 13
One of the plants that have blossomed on the prairie in the last few weeks is prairie ragwort (Packera plattensis). This is one of many...
jonathanrigden
May 13, 20241 min read


Plant of the Week: May 6
Plant #2: Wood Betony, Pedicularis canadensis , blooms in early to mid spring growing best in sun to partial shade and is an important plant for emerging pollinators like queen bumblebees. The petals are usually yellow but can have a reddish hood and forms a conical spike that creates a pinwheel look. It is a perennial, spreads by both seed and rhizomes forming clumps, and is hemiparasitic meaning it taps into the roots of other plants, such as grasses, to obtain nutrients, b
jonathanrigden
May 6, 20241 min read


Spring Ephemerals on Grandad Bluff
On April 27 a crew from Friends of the Blufflands met to plant a variety of bare root plugs of spring ephemerals on the north facing...
jonathanrigden
May 4, 20242 min read


Plant of the Week- April 29
Friends of the Blufflands will be starting a new feature on the website called "Plant of the Week" posting a different plant from the nearby bluffs on most Mondays. We hope that you will enjoy these posts, but ask that you avoid walking on sensitive areas such as the prairies which can cause significant damage to the growing plants and erosion. We take the photos when we are out working to restore and maintain the prairies and are as careful as possible to avoid trampling. Th
jonathanrigden
Apr 29, 20241 min read


Grandad Bluff and the Sands of Time
As the sun sets in the west and lights up Grandad Bluff in a stunning display, do you ever wonder about the story behind those layers of...
jonathanrigden
Apr 15, 20245 min read


Trees, Trees, and More Trees
In 2010 a seven acre field on the corner of F and FA that previously grew corn was planted with a few thousand trees. This is the corner...
jonathanrigden
Mar 20, 20243 min read


Green on the Prairie in February!
Wandering on Zoerb Prairie recently in mid-February I saw the expected brown from last year’s plants. Most were grasses including little...
jonathanrigden
Feb 21, 20243 min read


Review of 2023 at Friends of the Blufflands by Mike O'Brien
Another busy year has come to close for the Friends of the Blufflands. We have consolidated the gains we have made on our 2 largest...
pwilson
Jan 7, 20243 min read


Wherefore Art Thou Hercules?
Hercules is a hero in Greek and Roman mythology who is familiar to many of us for his great strength. There are many legends and stories...
jonathanrigden
Dec 12, 20236 min read


Rare Plants and Animals on Our Bluffs
The Endangered Species Act turns 50 on December 28, 2023. In 1973, the U.S. Senate approved the ESA unanimously and the House passed it...
jonathanrigden
Nov 19, 20233 min read


The Smoke Rises from the Prairie
If you were driving north on highway 16 from south La Crosse on the afternoon of November 7th and were able to glance up at the bluffs on...
jonathanrigden
Nov 10, 20232 min read


Seeding the Savanna
It was recently decided not to burn Lookout Savanna this fall or winter due to lack of fuel, so on October 19th seed was dispersed. This...
jonathanrigden
Oct 28, 20231 min read


A Beautiful Day on Mathy Bluff Prairie!
There were 7 of us at the work day on Mathy Bluff Prairie today. Except, from the comments I heard, it didn't really seem like work at...
jonathanrigden
Oct 21, 20231 min read


$2,500 grant brings native flowers to Grandad Bluff
Trails on the north slope of Grandad Bluff will have wildflowers again thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Natural Resources Foundation of...
pwilson
Oct 11, 20231 min read


Asters Take the Stage!
Fall is here. Leaves display their brilliant colors as September wanes into October. Days shorten in the journey from equinox to solstice...
jonathanrigden
Oct 1, 20233 min read


Spinning Your Quarters on the Prairie
There's an interesting phenomenon called the coin rotation paradox. Begin with two quarters and place them on a table with one showing...
jonathanrigden
Aug 25, 20232 min read


Talkoot and Let The Light Shine In!
Much of Hixon Forest is chock-full of buckthorn and other understory invasive plants such that the trails can feel hemmed in leaving few...
jonathanrigden
Jun 26, 20233 min read
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