Filed under Plants That Grow Here …

Regional Plant-Related Event

Loess Hills Wild OnesSioux City area    Join Sarah Nizzi from Xerces Societyfor our Loess Hills Wild Ones February Program on Zoom!  February 12th at 2PM  (Zoom connection opens at 1:30 but the program begins at 2PM) Sarah will present: “Site Prep, Plant Selection, and The Needs of Pollinators” Learn about the steps YOU can take in YOUR OWN SPACE– Conserving and … Continue reading →

More on the Emerald Ash Borer

Wild turkeys found some ash tree seed nourishment after the heavy winter snows. Even in winter, keeping up with Emerald Ash borer information is worthwhile. More than four years ago, Yankton heard the alert when an Emerald ash borer was identified in Omaha and Sioux Falls ash trees. With highway travel and rivers linking the cities, … Continue reading →

Try Strawflowers Again

Strawflowers (Xerocurysum bracteatum), also called Paper Daisies or Golden Everlasting, are a commonly found summer annual that blooms from summer to frost in this region. Colors include red, orange, pink, purple, yellow, white, and others. The herb is rather avoided by chewing mammals. Native to Australia and a perennial there in about USDA Hardiness 8-11, strawflowers … Continue reading →

Blue Spruce Defends Itself

You may find a green tree like this nearby. The Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pugens) is found in many yards and in public spaces in the region.  This one is about 30 ft. tall and nearly twenty years old. Evergreen trees add green to the winter landscape, while deciduous trees have lost leaves and are dormant … Continue reading →

Eastern Redcedar—Prized and Despised

Trees are highly regarded in this region of the Northern Plains. Yankton proudly introduces travelers to a “Tree City USA” with signage at the edge of town. But Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) and the earliest photos before statehood portray the land as a sea of waving grasses, except for trees in river valleys and … Continue reading →

Precious Water Resource

This week, a news story aired about the nearest large city exploring additional sources of drinking water. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the middle of the United States, has experienced the second year of drought, and aquifers need to be recharged. Water is a precious resource for humans, plants, and animals.  Also this week, a … Continue reading →

Dibbles and Bits

This week, we’re considering two of the many amazing features of plants—adaptability to where they are planted and drawing pollinators. Specialized plant roots help bulbs and corms grow at the correct depth. Tulips are a spring favorite and many were planted earlier this fall in our region. Guides are helpful to find the correct depths … Continue reading →

Protect Our Nature

We often watch for stop-over Monarch butterflies as they migrate south in August – October in this region. They show us that animals (and plants) need a suitable place to live. In our Northern Plains location of the middle-United States Monarch flyway to Mexico, September is a good month for Monarch sightings. Native Agastache is … Continue reading →

Cole Crops for Cool Weather

What can grow at this time of year when it is 29 degrees F. today with wind from the north? As Fall deteriorates, cool weather becomes harder to ignore. But gardeners often gamble and plant a few seeds for the mild shoulder season that we have had so far.  Cole crops, varieties related to cabbage … Continue reading →