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The Echinacea Project Field Log is under construction

We are in the process of moving our field blog. This site will be its new home, but we are still working on technical challenges.
Our old site is still available here:http://blog.lib.umn.edu/wage0005/echinacea/

Thanks!

Poster Award at BSA

Davis Blasini was awarded the best undergraduate student poster in 2014 by the Ecology Section of the Botanical Society of America: “Introduction of Echinacea pallida in the Prairies of Western Minnesota and its Possible Effects on Native Echinacea angustifolia” Co-author: Stuart Wagenius.

Congratulations, Davis!

Field guide to insect visitors of Echinacea angustifolia

Steph wrote a field guide years ago to help us identify insects that visit Echinacea heads during the summer in Minnesota. It still serves us remarkably well, but hasn’t been posted until now. Here it is!

 

 

Harvest time and more!

On Tuesday we harvested 3 bags of heads from P1, 1 bag and 2 full egg cartons from P2

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Today we trekked or “stalk whacked” through a corn field behind P1 to visit the site Kruzmarks

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Where we found a sad looking Echinacea just peeking out from between blades of brome grass

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where there was an interesting amalgamation of “ecosystems”… native prairie remnants, a pot hole, non-native conifer forest, and a monoculture of corn

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Finally, we were able to finish out the day (Stuart’s last this season) at Staffenson. It was beautiful. White aster is blooming along with showy goldenrod and helianthus. Purple asters and gentians have maintained the purple hue as liatris is finishing blossoming.

Putting a lid on it: end of summer in Kensington

As summer draws to a close, this past weekend was spent doing what anyone does at the end of growing seasons, canning and harvesting Echinacea heads.

We’ve been a part of a CSA during the end of the summer, and have been delighted by the abundance and deliciousness of the produce we have received so far. The farm, Lakeside Prairie farm (http://www.lakesideprairiefarm.com), believes in sharing the abundance of the harvest. We have been able to come out a couple times over the season and harvest whatever they have extra of as part of our CSA. This is where I got beets and green beans to can, as well as cucumbers to pickle and lots of cabbage for sauerkraut.

Pictured below, Maureen and Elizabeth enjoying the plentiful harvest at the farm.

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To bring the Wagenius’s canning pot back home I retrieve it via bike, which earned me some puzzled stares from drivers on the road.

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Along with canning, we’re also occupied with Echinacea head harvesting. So far we’ve done a first round of harvesting at Staffanson Prairie Preserve and a third round at P1 and P2. We see more canning and head harvesting in our near future.

-Claire