A North American Spring Bulb, the Trout Lily

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum

A walk through the woodland area behind my house was rewarded by the sighting of  the Michigan native Erythronium americanum,  or Trout Lily. The open area between the wetlands and my gardens is an oak woodland forest. Tall trees now bare until the new leaves re-appear, offer the filtered light many woodland species, including the Trout Lily, need to grow. The Trout Lily, or Fawn Lily or Dog-tooth Violets, as they are also called, are found in thick masses or clumps. They form low mottled patches hidden by the layer of leaves and mixed in the rich moist humus soil they love to reside in.

Trout Lily

Michigan Lily Lilium michiganense

A member of the Lily, Liliaceae, family, the nodding flower  6 -10 inches high can be found on the top of a leafless stem or scape.  Mottled, gray, green and brown leaves mimic the markings of the brook or brown trout. This blooming season, co insides with trout fishing season, could this explain the naming of the plant? Only plants with 2 leaves will flower. Single leaves forming the massive clumps, will take up to 7 years to mature and then bloom. The flower has 6 tepals, consisting of 3 yellow backed by a purple/brown mottling sepals and 3 yellow petals. The lily opens each morning and closes every night. In their exuberance to open to the filtered light, the tepals open so far that they curve backwards, much like the Michigan Lily that blooms later in the summer.

The flowers are pollinated by ants that crawl about the forest floor. Once the flower blooms and has produced its seeds, they disappear, as fast as they appeared, under the carpet of oak leaves. They are best used in plantings of shade or woodland gardens. Spreading of the corms, which can be found 3-5 inches underground, is how this plant spreads and also makes this plant hard to remove. Why would one even consider doing so? Take a walk in the woods today and look for the Trout Lily. Michigan Trout fishing in designated streams opens the last Saturday of April. Visit www.Michigan.org for more details.

National Wildlife Federation Certifies New Wildlife Habitat



Red Admiral Butterfly

In the mail I received the Certified Wildlife Habitat certificate for our property through the National Wildlife Federation. My husband and I are now a part of a prestigious group of people across the country who are recognized for protecting and nurturing wildlife in our yards. In order to become certified, our property must provide four basic elements that all wildlife needs:

• Food
• Water
• Cover
• Places to raise young.

By providing these four elements, we have enjoyed an increase in butterflies, moths and birds.

Our property is free of fertilizers and pesticides. Creating this type of habitat not only helps the wildlife, but it can also help reduce global warming pollution and save energy costs as well. Unlike lawns, wildlife-friendly environments using native plants don't need constant maintenance from gas guzzling lawn mowers and constant watering. An additional benefit from the addition of plants vs. lawn is plants actually absorb carbon dioxide, helping to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

Hummingbird Moth

For more information on how as a gardener you can reduce the effects of global warming go to www.nwf.org/gardenersguide. 

According to the National Wildlife Federation, providing habitats that not only nurture year-round resident birds but also provide stopover sites for migratory birds traveling between their summer and winter ranges aids the declining bird populations as well.
For more information about gardening for wildlife and how to have your yard certified please visit the National Wildlife Federation website.

Home Composting: Turn Yard Waste into Gardener's Gold

With the temperatures rising, as we are out raking the grass and cleaning out the flower beds let us be reminded that you have gold in them thar pile of leaves, grass and other yard clippings. Through the natural process of decomposition all the natural materials can be transformed into a soil-enriching substance called compost. Decomposer organisms, fungi, sowbugs, earthworms, beetles, ants and microorganisms(bacterias) too small for the naked eye to see, to the tune of 4 billion, (with a B) per teaspoon, all work together to transform yard waste into Gardener's Gold.

For a 5 minute home composting video click here. SOCWA, Healthy Lawns & Gardens.

BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING:

1. Compost improves soil structure,
2. Compost encourages root growth,
3. Compost aerates soil,
4. Compost releases nutrients slowly,
5. Compost supports beneficial microorganisms and earthworms,
6. Compost retains 10 times the amount of water held be other soils.

MAKING COMPOST IN FIVE EASY STEPS:

• Select a  plastic bin or choose an area to construct your compost bin
• Collect materials:

                                50% Brown  (leaves and yard clippings)
                                25% Green, grass clippings
                                25% Soil or previously made compost.

• Layer the materials, adding water as you go. Materials should be as moist as a wrung out sponge.
• Turn the pile, using garden or pitch fork, adding air. Needs to be aerobic.
• In 5-6 months, ready to use. Looks black, rich and smells just like Mother Earth! 

Earth-Friendly Fertilizers for Water Quality Protection 2012

As stated in a previous posting, begining January 1, 2012, Michigan law restricts phosphorus fertilizer applications on lawns. Our friends at SOCWA, the Southeastern Oakland County Water Authority, has compiled a list of  Earth-Friendly Fertilizers for Water Quality Protection.

Lillian  Dean, SOCWA, has sent out an email to Composters and this information may be of interest also.

There are some are new fertilizer products for 2012. Ace Hardware and Aco Hardware stores are carrying the products. Please be aware that two of the most popular products, thought to be phosphorus safe are not, they are Milorganite and Ringer Lawn Restore.

 As Dean states in the email, if you look carefully, Scott's does not seem to have ANY PRODUCTS FOR SALE that meets the fertilizer requirements, either. Some even have more than the required amounts of Nitrogen, another product under scrutiny. They may even have unwanted herbicides and pesticidies also. So please read labels, or if you have a company fertlilizing your lawns, request they inform you what is in their products that they are using.

Please read the previous blog and refer to the Fertilizer Act drafted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and review the application rate. (0.25 pounds of phosphorus per 1000 square feet.)

Cattails and Skunk Cabbages growing amoung dead Phragmites!

Skunk cabbages in new growth area!

My posting for March 21, 2012 showed the skunk cabbages growing in the wetlands surrounding my backyard. I hadn't ventured to the area where the Phragmites were removed last fall. I think I was afraid I might not like what was happening there, so I remained in my back yard. Like the posting for March 28, 2012, I decided I have to walk the walk if I am going to post opinions for all to read. So I went to the area and lo and behold to my surprise, I found a lot more skunk cabbages growing then in the wetlands behind my backyard. I have never noticed anything but tall Phragmites in this area before.

New Cattails sprouting.

The removal of the Phragmites allowed the plants to grow. Not only were the cabbages emerging, new cattail growth is appearing and mosses are in the water. I will continue to send updates with pictures. I will even mention if a phragmite or two emerges. I know this is a work in progress.

Fall of 2011

I am including the picture from the area last  fall with Ian and Evan and myself standing in the shadows of the 12-15 feet tall Phragmites. Success is one area at a time!

Hairy Hepatica and Bloodroot

Hairy Hepatica

Every Spring I wait for the 'Hairy' Hepatica, Hepatica nobilis,
to bloom. As a child I remember picking bouquets of them to give to my mother. As I walked through my garden today even after the cold snowy days, the native plants all survived the extreme temperature changes and are blooming.  The Hepatica last only a few days, or sometimes just for a day. 

Bloodroot

The Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis Papaveraceae (Poppy Family) is open from the pink striped exterior of the buds to the now snowy white petals.

The May Apple, Podophyllum peltatum Berberidaceae (Barberry Family) is just starting to poke its head above the surface. The fruit that is produced is edible, but the leaves are toxic.

The flower with the heart shaped leaves ranging up to 8 inches is Wild Ginger, Asarum canadense. The leaves cover the maroon flower. I was able to capture a few today.

Enjoy the natives of Spring!

Michigan Law restricts Phosphorus Fertilizers Applications on Lawns

Begining January 1, 2012, the way we can fertilize our lawns in MIchigan has changed. In 2007, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, released a report from a Statewide Advisory Committee to control phosphorus loading into surface waters. These findings and the general rule in Public Act 299 of 2010 (Act 299) states no phosphorus fertilizer may be applied on residential or commercial lawns, unless it meets an exemption. The sale of phosphorus fertilizers in the marketplace is NOT impacted. Phosphorus applications for agriculture, gardens, trees and shrubs are exempted.
Act 299 Highlights:

• Starting January 1, 2012, a person shall not apply any fertilizer with available phosphate ( P2O5) to turf. Available phosphate (P2O5) may be applied at specified rates* under the following instances:

1. When a soil test or plant tissue test indicates phosphorus is needed;
2. For new turf establishment using seed or sod;
3. A finished sewage sludge (biosolid), organic manure or a manipulated manure (like compost).
4. On golf courses whose manager(s) have completed a Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) approved training program.

* These application rates are available at www.BePhosphorusSmart.msu.edu

• Local phosphorus fertilizer ordinances in existence before December 16, 2010 are grandfathered.
• Fertilizer cannot be applied to frozen soil or soil saturated with water.
• Any fertilizer released onto a hard surface, such as a sidewalk or driveway must be cleaned up promptly.
• The other provisions in Act 299 include new definitions, setbacks from surface water, $50 civil fines and outreach information.
• For more information, please visit www.michigan.gov/mda-fertilizer or www.BePhosphorusSmart.msu.edu.

PHOSPHORUS IN MICHIGAN'S WATERS
Phosphorus is a naturally occuring, essential plant, algal and animal nutrient. Although phosphorus concentrations in healthy plants are relatively low, it is essential because it is a structural component of nucleic acids, several essential coenzymes, phospholipids and the phosphate-rich molecules that help store energy in living organisms.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth and was routinely used as part of fertilization programs on home lawns. As a result of over use of the nutrient, aquatic plants can grow to excessive levels. This potentially severe increase in plant growth, (algae and rooted plants) is usually associated with a condition known as cultural eutrophication, which leads to declining water quality. Soil testing is encourage, for not only the growth of your lawn but your flower beds. Correct application of either Nitrogen (N) or Phosphorus (P) fertilizers are an important part of sustainable landscaping.The month of April is prime time for soil testing, Join Lillian Dean and SOCWA for an informational program on soil testing and fertilizing options .
Learn more from SOCWA'S Soil Testing Flyer.