In 2021, Team Echinacea established 76 transects (each 4 m long) across 32 patches of remnant prairie in the study area. We planted seeds in one randomly selected segment per transect in fall 2021 but germination trials in the lab and seedling searches in the remnants during summer 2022 revealed that we had used a bad batch of seed 🙁 In fall 2022, we repeated seed addition experiment using seed harvested in summer 2022. Jared harvested Echinacea seed heads from Nice Island and Hutching’s hills. High seed predation from Hutchings left us with 155 heads from Nice Island. Stuart, Lindsey, and Alex sowed seed within randomly selected segments in November 2022. For fall 2022, we added 12 seedling transects (beng, fern, hutch, torge) and eliminated transects at two disturbed sites with the goal of maximizing variation in fire history across the study area. We sowed seed in 84 transects across 36 remnant prairie patches in 2022.
Start year: 2021
Location: 36 patches of remnant prairie in and around Solem Township, MN
You can read more about the Fire and seedling fitness in remnants experiment, as well as links to prior flog entries about this experiment, on the background page for this experiment.
Beginning in summer 2021, we have been studying fire effects on Liatris aspera across patches of remnant prairie in Solem Township, MN. Six of these remnants burned in spring of 2021, and five remnants burned in spring 2022. During 2022, we expanded our efforts and collected data at five additional (smaller sites). The (absurdly) high density of flowering Liatris during summer 2022 led us to establish 1 meter wide, randomly placed transects in many sites. Despite our efforts and stated goal of not mapping as many Liatris as we did in summer 2021 (when we mapped 2400+ flowering plants across 23 remnant patches), we managed to overshoot our 2021 counts by at least 33%. Yes, we mapped well over 3200 flowering Liatris during summer 2022 with but a single functioning GPS… We harvested seed from 291 randomly selected Liatris.
Start year: 2021
Location: 28 patches of remnant prairie in and around Solem Township, MN
Overlaps with: Foolishness and shenanigans
Data collected: Demographic and spatial data housed in the remla Bitbucket repo
Samples or specimens collected: Harvested seed heads have been dried and are located in Jared’s office. These need to be inventoried, cleaned, randomized, scored for seed predation, X-rayed, and classified.
Products: Stay tuned!
You can read more about the Liatris fire and flowering project, as well as links to prior flog entries about this experiment, on the background page for this experiment.
In 2022, we collected data on the timing of flowering for 1373 flowering plants (2291 flowering heads) in 23 remnant patches. We identify each plant with a numbered tag affixed to the base and give each head a colored twist tie, so that each head has a unique tag/twist-tie combination, or “head ID”, under which we store all phenology data. We monitor the flowering status of all flowering plants in the remnants, visiting at least once every three days (usually every two days) until all heads are done flowering to obtain start and end dates of flowering. In most remnants, we monitor the phenology of all flowering Echinacea. In 2022, record high flowering led us to sub-sample from select sites (namely alf, nwlf, lfe, lfw, lce, and lcw) and exclude some sites (e.g., ri, aa, and a large chunk of alf).
Linking this detailed phenology data with information about seed production will help us understand how the timing of reproduction influences pollination and reproductive fitness. Additionally, we are excited to investigate whether fire synchronizes flowering in remnant populations. Eight of the populations in which we collected phenology data were burned during spring 2022.
Start year: 1996
Location: Roadsides, railroad rights of way, and nature preserves in and around Solem Township, MN
Data collected: We managed the data in the R project ‘aiisummer2022′ and will add the records to the database of previous years’ remnant phenology records. The 2022 phenology data set needs to be cleaned and prepared for integration with phenology data from previous years and is still located in the aiisummer2022 repo.
Products: Stay tuned!
You can read more about the Flowering phenology in remnants project, as well as links to prior flog entries about this experiment, on the background page for this experiment.
After a foolhardy effort to single-handedly census every flowering Lilium philadelphicum across Solem Township in 2021 and threatening the global supply of orange pin flags in the process, Jared came to his senses and focused on Echinacea in summer 2022… oh who are we kidding, Jared mapped a bunch of lilies in summer 2022. Rather than census flowering plants, Jared established seven 60 x 40 meter plots across sites with varying burn histories and mapped all flowering plants within those study plots (N = 361 flowering individuals). Pods were harvested from 23 plants.
Echinacea who?
Start year: 2021
Location: Remnant patches of prairie in and around Solem Township, MN
Overlaps with: Sleep
Data collected: Spatial and demographic data housed in the remlp Bitbucket repository
Samples or specimens collected: Pods/seed collected during summer 2022 currently reside in Jared’s office. These seeds need to be cleaned, counted, and scored for seed set.
Products: Stay tuned!
You can read more about the Lilium fire and flowering project, as well as links to prior flog entries about this experiment, on the background page for this experiment.
During summer 2021, we began collecting data in remnant patches of prairie to quantify fire effects on the reproduction of Porcupine grass (Hesperostipa spartea). In summer 2022, we decided against collecting further data. A few very late spring burns that seemed to affect Hesperostipa, our smaller than expected summer crew, and a long list of projects led us to conclude it would be better to prioritize other projects.
Start year: 2021
Location: Remnant patches of prairie in and around Solem Township, MN
You can read more about the Fire and seedling fitness in remnants experiment, as well as links to prior flog entries about this experiment, on the background page for this experiment.
Between June 3 and June 12 (2022), members of the Echinacea Project planted 503 Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) seedlings across four sites in Solem Township. These sites included an area south of Experimental Plot 8 (149 seedlings planted June 3), a hilltop at Hegg Lake WMA (117 seedlings planted on June 9), a disturbed area at Staffanson Prairie Preserve (117 seedlings planted on June 10), and a hilltop at Eng Lake WPA (aka eth, 120 seedlings planted on June 12).
I promise this photo contains a green milkweed seedling we planted…
We hope these seedlings grown from locally-collected seed will establish new thriving populations of this declining plant species and provide a reliable seed source for future restorations. They may even provide future research opportunities to learn about the reproductive biology and demography of green milkweed! Thanks to the MN DNR, the Nature Conservancy, and USFWS for giving us permission to plant seedlings.
It’s been a busy spring at the lab: 11 volunteers and 6 students from Northwestern and Lake Forest College contributed to the Echinacea Project. We are currently wrapping up before field season starts, and we want to celebrate everything they accomplished in the last few months! Since January, volunteers and students:
After finishing up at nice island, our crew departed for the next set of burns. Our hope was to burn Loeffler’s Corner west as well as an adjacent 10 acre unit with gorgeous prairie hills. Unfortunately, minor delays and a couple bureaucratic hurdles outside of our control slowed us down. We chose to prioritize the smaller lcw unit (~2.25 acres). We ignited a test fire in the southeast corner of the burn unit and secured the southern burn break. Once a little black had been established, Stuart and Dwight began lighting along the eastern edge of the burn unit while Brad and I ignited along the western edge. Per and Ed patrolled the break and Alex monitored the weather. This was another slow burn through mostly brome. Around 4:45 PM, the winds began to die down so we hurried to ignite a headfire along the northern edge of the unit in an effort to avoid putting smoke on Hwy 55. Although the fire closed slowly, the burn was quite thorough and will help set back brome. Stuart and I were reminded of the lce burn from spring 2021 in which nearly the same situation unfolded just across the road. The projected stiff north winds lost their energy resulting in light and variable winds. We suspect local topography may be to blame.
Thanks Alex C. for this sequence of photos illustrating our burn at lcw.
Temperature: 67 F Relative Humidity: 34 % Wind Speed: 12 mph Wind Direction: NNW Ignition time: 4:06 PM End time: 5:27 PM Burn Crew: Jared, Stuart, Alex C., Per, Dwight, Ed C., Brad D.
After navigating uncertainties about weather and electricity, we ventured up to western Minnesota for a promising burn window. Steady northwest winds, dry fuels, and suitable conditions left us eager to burn on Monday, May 16. Alex, Per, Stuart, and I worked all morning to ready burn breaks in preparation for the afternoon. We were joined by Brad D., Dwight, and Ed C.
Our first unit of the afternoon was the ironically named “nice island.” This unit comprises an eggplant-shaped peninsula of grass extending into an agricultural field. We are studying Green Milkweed and Rough Blazing Star reproduction at this site. After taking weather, discussing the burn plan, and orienting new crew members to their tools, we ignited a test fire in the southwest corner of the unit. The crew then split in half. One group secured the eastern burn break while the second group ignited and secured the western burn break. Once sufficient black had been established, Brad ignited west along the northern edge of the unit while I ignited east along the southern edge. Our hope was the fire would close on itself rapidly but this burn was much slower and smokier than expected (probably owing to the higher relative humidity and the abundance of brome that had greened up after rain and warm temperatures). Slowly but surely, the flames came together leaving a uniformly black burn unit. We are excited to see a nicer post-burn version of nice island this summer.
Thanks to Alex C. for this series of photos illustrating our smoky and slow burn at nice island.
Temperature: 64 F Relative Humidity: 44 % Wind Speed: 11 mph Wind Direction: NW Ignition time: 1:32 PM End time: 2:29 PM Burn Crew: Jared, Stuart, Alex C., Per, Dwight, Brad D., Ed C.
After completing the nwlf burn on May 6, we packed up and drove south taking the scenic route to btg. Our goal was to get a look at TNC’s Staffanson west burn. Just north of the intersection of Hwy 27 we spotted a Swainson’s Hawk. Stuart noted this is the first time he has seen a Swainson’s Hawk in Douglas County. The Staffanson burn was ongoing, though the north and west lines were solid black. We circled around to btg in time to see a large column of smoke rising from Staffanson west. Presumably this was the head fire hitting the kettle pond.
Unlike the prior burn units, we had just received permission to burn btg and were not able to mow breaks. We decided the best course of action would be igniting along a wet line on the western and southern edges of the burn unit. We took weather, walked the unit, divided up responsibilities, and ignited a test fire. Stuart and Trygg wet lined down the western edge while I ignited. Upon turning the corner along the southern line, the more southern wind picked up and pushed a head fire across btg. The result was pretty good coverage and an efficient burned. Once the smoke dissipated, we packed up and returned to the farmhouse. Our plan was to burn Jean’s prairie garden quickly and then divide up. Alex and Trygg would take the GPS unit to shoot the boundaries of burn units while Stuart and Jared put away equipment.
Six experimental burn units in one afternoon… not too shabby.
Lighting a test fire (Alex’s photo)Wet lining the western edge of the unit (Alex’s photo)Stuart in a reflective mood while watching his all-time favorite remnant burn (Alex’s photo)Watching btg burn (Stuart’s photo)Not a bad burn to wrap up the remnant fires (Alex’s photo)
Temperature: 69 F Relative Humidity: 30 % Wind Speed: 13 mph Wind Direction: SSE Ignition time: 4:35 PM End time: 4:50 PM Burn Crew: Jared, Stuart, Alex C., Trygg
