Tagged with Lewis & Clark Recreation Area …

Another Look at Late Bloomers

By late September here on the Northern Plains, most plants have had the big flower or fall color reveal. If not, like many maples this year, red leaf color started and halted with hard frosts; crunchy brown leaves remain. Most locust trees had their golden color. Sunflowers had a fine season of showy blooms. Goldenrod … Continue reading →

Fall Retreats

As the end of growing season, golden cottonwood leaves define our path as plants get ready for winter. Some of the giant Siouxland cottonwoods, prairie aspen, haven’t lost leaves yet. Ash tree leaves are already matted beneath trees and maples are just beginning to lose their fall green. Little bluestem and other native grasses burn … Continue reading →

Lilacs in Spring

Have you ever experienced a bouquet of fragrance lilacs held tightly in the arms of a child to present as a gift, maybe on Mother’s Day? Lilacs are a commonly grown, low maintenance shrub or small tree of the Northern Plains. Long abandoned farmsteads still have lilacs that bloom in early spring. Some associate the … Continue reading →

Beginning Good-Bye to Winter

Good-byes to winter begin. Yesterday the force of extreme prairie breezes lifted stocking caps and waves pushed blocks of ice onto shore at Lewis & Clark Lake on the Missouri River. It’s 40 degrees F. and much calmer today. We go for a walk at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area, USDA 4-5a. Much too soon … Continue reading →

The Plots Thicken

Pollinator plots continue at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area after challenging weed and weather issues of the past five years. Shane Bertsch, District Park Supervisor at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area and Dale Dawson, Conservation Foreman there, planned and implemented large wildflower and native grass pollinator plots at the park entrance. Wildflowers such as these … Continue reading →

Plants on a Winter Walk

It’s this kind of day for bunnies here. For deer and turkeys and other wildlife too. For us humans, though, it’s lots of windshield time, not out in nature. Our local parks exist for helping us connect with nature on a simple walk. Let’s take a walk by a couple of area parks to see … Continue reading →

Tree Nursery at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area

Welcome to Plant Exchange, where we feature plants and people who grow them. This week we are fortunate to feature a park professional who works with trees. How to manage and care for multiple trees is the responsibility of Dale Dawson, South Dakota State Park Conservation Forman at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area in Yankton, … Continue reading →