River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) When most plants have succumbed to gravity and fallen into the frozen February mud the river oats still stand tall waving their seeds in the breeze. I love to walk through a river bottom of river oats that remind me of a waving sea as they bend in the breeze and make a rustling sound as I push my way through. River Oats are also know as Sea Oats or the very descriptive Fish-on-a-string. They also make great cut plants for your winter arrangements. However, a word of caution! River Oats will take over your entire yard if you let them, they are very aggressive when they are happy. You will probably have regrets if you plant this plant in your flower bed of your small urban lot. The plant will spread from a single plant to a large clump within a year and start growing out of your compost pile and anywhere else the seeds fall. A great use for river oats is in drainage ditches or honeysuckle choked stream banks. I have an intermittent stream/drainage ditch behind my yard that was formerly covered in bush honeysuckle, winter creeper, and Japanese hops. After removing these invasives I planted river oats and Elderberry to help revegetate the slope. In areas with frequent flooding it is important to get new plants established as quickly as possible after removing unwanted plants so that the soil will not wash away. River oats is perfect for holding down slopes because it establishes quickly and has a strong root system. It tolerates wet soils and periodic flooding as well as hot dry summers as long as it has some shade. River Oats also grows densely enough to crowd out those pesky honeysuckle resprouts. Another alternative to river oats is Beakgrain. Beakgrain also requires shade and is flood tolerant. Beakgrain is slightly less aggressive and shorter with the same arching habit. Beakgrain is also more difficult to find at the garden center. These two plants are prime examples of putting the right plant in the right place. The right place for River Oats is a moist woodland river bottom area where it is free to spread.

Early spring is a excellent time to pull honeysuckle. It is easy to spot as the leaves burst before other shrubs. Many of our forests are filled with a green hazy right now, unfortunately it is all honeysuckle. Now that the soil has thawed and frequent rains keep it nice and soft it is a good time to pull honeysuckle out by the roots. Young honeysuckle shrubs that are 3ft or less can be pulled up by hand. Instead of going straight down, the honeysuckle roots branch out sideways just beneath the soil which makes them easier to pull out. When pulling up honeysuckle it is ok if some roots break off as long as the crown, the part where the above and below ground parts meet, is fully removed. Larger honeysuckle may require tools and strong backs to remove later but right now remove the young ones so that they never become a problem in the future. I scout my garden regularly this time of year for the hundreds of inch tall honeysuckle that the birds have planted in my yard from their droppings. The few that I missed last year are now a foot tall but I can still easily pull them out when the ground is soft. After pulling up a shrub I carefully replace the soil so that all the little overwintering critters won't be disturbed. I have learned the hard way that freshly pulled honeysuckle bushes will try to reroot themselves if their roots are in contact with the ground or a nice compost pile so I prop them upside down against the fence or pile them on the driveway until they have experienced a nice hot day. I want to get them out of the garden now before they have a chance to produce seeds and be spread to other areas. Even though my neighbor has a bush producing berries I feel I need to do my part to stop the spread. Here is a good video to watch about how to get rid of larger shrubs. Very large shrubs will require heavy equipment or at least a saw. https://www.deercreekalliance.org/root_docking_honeysuckle

My daughter and I were talking about the grocery store shortages and she commented that she wished she could be a rabbit and just eat the grass. Well, we can all be rabbits with the bounty of edible greens in our spring gardens. Looking around my garden I found several edible weeds including henbit, dead nettle, onion grass, violets, and dandelions. In my herb garden I found parsley, garlic chives, kale, and mint. For some fun color I included the edible flowers of dandelion, violet, and red bud. With all the nutrients from these hardy spring greens I should be able to avoid a trip to the grocery store for a few more days. Our family has an Easter tradition of including flowers in the Easter meal. The easiest flower to find on Easter is the violet because of the long bloom period. My garden grows plenty of violets and I harvest them often. The violet leaves are edible but the tastiest part, I think, is the flower. Some people candy or make a syrup of the violet flowers for attractive desserts. The violets I harvest go straight on a salad or as a pretty garnish on any side dish. Violets have a lot of vitamin A and C. Harvesting violets can be tedious. I have good luck picking the flowers by running them through my fingers to pull them off the stem. There are always some bugs that are living in the plants I pick so I set them out in the sun for a bit to encourage the bugs to crawl off. Whenever adding new foods to your diet, start small in case you have an allergic reaction. Also, if you are taking medicine that can be effected by your diet it is important to talk to your doctor before eating new things.

St Louis Native Plant Swap https://www.facebook.com/groups/STLNPS/ This swap page is dedicated to native plants. It is a good resource if you have a plant you are looking for or have extra plants you want to trade or give away. The group hosts a few swap events and attends other plant swap and native plant events. There is also general info about native plants, native plant events, and other resources. I try to host a couple clearing out the garden days each year where I post which plants I have in abundance and mark them in my yard. People will message me with what plants they want and when they can come over, I will give them my address and when they arrive we go out and dig up how many plants they want and they take them home. Some people will bring me plants as a trade but most are just starting gardening and I'm sure they will pay it forward in a year or two. St Louis Wild Ones https://www.facebook.com/StLouisWildOnes/ This page of the St Louis Wild Ones Chapter is a good resource to find out about native plant events coming up in the area. Wild Ones hosts native plant lectures, yard tours, and plant swaps. Most events are free to the public but many join the chapter after their first event because it is a great group for any native plant lover. This group also has a blog about native plants which they post to facebook. I follow the St Louis Wild Ones so that I can learn about all the native plant events in St Louis and get registered before they fill up. I also like going to the yard tours because it is neat to see real life native plants in the garden and the many ways that they can be used. Every gardener has a slightly different touch and the Wild Ones group tours all the best gardens in St Louis. Missouri Native Plant Society https://www.facebook.com/groups/MONPS/ This group has more of a botanical focus then a gardening focus. The best way to learn about native plants and their needs is to observe them in the wild. This page is also the go to plant ID group for all your native plant questions. If you find an unidentifiable plant in your yard or on a hike just upload a photo to the page and the group will have an ID for you in a few hours and if it is native or not. Be sure to always double check plant IDs unless they are from an admin. The Missouri Native Plant Society is also a real club you can join. They have native plant lectures monthly and guided plant ID walks. I follow the Missouri Native Plant Society so that my facebook feed is filled with plant photos. It is a fun game to try to ID the plants I see and then look down in the comments to see if I was right. I also use it to keep track of what is blooming where. Like when I want to see the peak bluebell bloom at St Francis State park I can see when the best time to go is by the photos being posted on the MONPS page. There are also many other pages that I follow including Missouri nature lovers, Bring conservation home, Missouri naturalist, Bi-state bugs, and many others.

There is an iNaturalist event coming up this month. Participate from your yard or local park. City Nature Challenge, Friday, April 24 to Monday, April 27, 2020. I have the iNaturalist app on my phone. It is a good tool for identifying plants and the insects they host. When I'm using the app I have the best luck getting a correct ID if I upload several closeup photos of different parts of the plant. The app will also tell me if certain plants have been seen in that area before. I feel more confident about my ID if someone else has found the same plant there before. St Louis has an event coming up soon called the City Nature Challenge. This is an activity that you do alone in nature with the iNaturalist app. It is a competition between cities to see who has the most biodiversity in their city. Anyone can participate in the event. Every ID that is made in St Louis using the app is uploaded to the project and counts towards our cities biodiversity. The City Nature Challenge is a fun way to be a part of a large citizen science project that provides valuable data about urban biodiversity. The challenge is from Friday, April 24 to Monday, April 27, 2020. Participants can upload their observations to the app anytime during those 4 days. Any observations you upload using iNaturalist will automatically be added to the challenge. More info about City Nature Challenge https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/sustainability/sustainability/biodiversecity-st.-louis.aspx#10705 https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/city-nature-challenge/index.cfm

A summary of, Attracting Native Pollinators, a guide published by the Xerces Society. Part 1 of 4 Our native bees and other pollinators are declining mostly because of human created environmental factors including the loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat, poisoning from pesticides, and the introduction and spread of diseases. Other problems are light pollution and climate change. Bees can be poisoned by pesticides if they are out foraging when plants are sprayed. If the mosquito spray truck drives by in the evening and sprays the front garden the bees can be killed from absorbing the chemicals. Bees can also pick up insecticide later while they are foraging on flowers that have chemical residue on them. Even soil can be contaminated with insecticides and kill bees in their nests. Plants can be engineered with systemic pesticides inside the plant call neonicotinoids. Even a small non lethal dose of pesticide can cause a bee to become disoriented and not be able to fly back to it's nest. Don't use pesticides. Home gardeners are often guilty of applying pesticide much more heavily then recommended which can damage the pollinator haven they are trying to create. A healthy and diverse landscape will encourage pest predators and parasites. Pesticides may harm beneficial insects that keep a pest in check. To protect bee habitat first recognize what existing pollinator habitat there is and protect it. Expand the existing habitat and add new type of habitat that are missing from the landscape. Minimize disturbance of pollinators using their habitat by leaving it alone. Leave leaves on the ground until pollinators emerge from their winter dens. Don't disturb bare patches of soil where queen bees might be nesting. Let rotting logs and plant stems stay to provide habitat. Brush piles and rock piles can shelter insects. Practice benign neglect in the garden.

A summary of, Attracting Native Pollinators, a guide published by the Xerces Society. Part 2 of 4 There are 20,000 or more species of bees in the word with over 200 species occurring within the city limits of St Louis. Bees can be difficult to identify without using a microscope but there are a few easy features to use to tell a bee from their look alike wasps and flies. Wasps are more flamboyantly colored, are less hairy, and never carry pollen. Flies have only 2 wings, are less hairy, have larger eyes closer to the top of the head, shorter antennae, and don't carry pollen. Many flies try to mimic bees and wasps for protection so they are hard to tell apart. Some flies and wasps can even fool bees with their mimicry. Native bees are more effective at pollinating then honey bees. This is especially true with native plants that have co-evolved with native bees and have flower parts that are specially designed to be compatible with the local bees. Pollinators play an essential role in the ecosystem. Pollinators help fertilize seeds, nuts, fruits and berries. They are a food source for birds, fish, predator insects, and some mammals. pollinators are an essential and large part of the food web. Pollinator conservation can happen anywhere. It provides a community with and opportunity to build environment awareness. Pollinator conservation enriches an area by providing habitat for other plants and animals. Managing an area for wildlife often is cheaper and easier than maintaining a manicured lawn area. Citizens can educate public leaders and agencies about pollinator conservation by advising on management of public areas. Help local conservation groups manage conservation areas for pollinators. Contact local park managers about minimizing pesticide use and especially limiting mosquito spraying to protect pollinators. Help influential people in the community understand the importance of pollinators and how to protect them. Engage the local community in pollinator education events where good management practices are used.

A summary of, Attracting Native Pollinators, a guide published by the Xerces Society. Part 3 of 4 When designing a pollinator friendly landscape there are a few common basic needs. Maintain open unshaded areas. Pollinators like the sun. Many trees are good for pollinators but they should be placed where they wont shade the pollinator garden. Have a diversity of flower species that bloom throughout the year. Early spring and late fall are the most important times to have blooms. Some plants like witchhazel even bloom and winter and are a needed resource for insects out on a warm winter day. Design the pollinator garden with large blocks of color. Insects fling by will be called in to large areas of blooms. Foraging and pollination is easier for pollinators when they do not have to travel far between blooms. "Native plants are four times more likely than nonnative plants to attract native bees, and native plant genera support three times as many species of butterflies and moths as introduced plants do." Design flower beds so something is blooming at all times. Native bees typically forage in an area from 500ft to a half mile. Placing pollinator plantings within 500ft of each other and nesting sites ensures that all bees can find the resources they need. Pollinators find it easier to locate and forage on large (3' or larger) groupings of their preferred plant. When flowers are close together a bee uses less energy flying between blooms and is more efficient at pollinating and foraging. To have a high diversity of pollinators a high diversity of flowers must be present. Flower blooms should occur constantly throughout the year when insects are active. Different pollinators are suited to different types of flower structures. Some flowers have large landing pads for uncoordinated insects to land. Some flowers require a pollinator to hover while sticking it's long tongue down to the bottom of an equally long tube. Some flowers must be pried open by a strong bumble bee. Create an ecolawn by allowing a rich diversity of low growing flowers to bloom. Sedges, violets, clover, self heal, yarrow, poppy mallow, etc can enrich a lawn that is mowed high and infrequently. To protect pollinators when mowing; use a flushing bar and mow at a slow speed and increased height to allow pollinators a chance to flee, avoid mowing at night and times when pollinators are active, and allow time between mowing for populations to recover.

A summary of, Attracting Native Pollinators, a guide published by the Xerces Society. Part 4 of 4 Pollinators suffer from habitat fragmentation. Smaller sections of habitat are more likely to be overrun with invasive species from neighboring areas. Protect large diverse habitat and connected habitats. Pollinators need nesting and egg laying sites close to their foraging areas. About 70% of north Americas bees are ground nesting and 30% are tunnel nesting. Ground nesting bees need protected patches of bare, unmulched ground to build their underground nest. Tunnel nesting bees seek out hollow plant stems or rotting trees to make their nests. Finding nests in the landscape may be difficult as they are often hidden and bees only visit regularly when they are building. Overwintering bee nests should not be disturbed. Ground nesting bees often prefer to nest in poor quality soil. Sometimes that patch of ground that is so hard to grow flowers in is the perfect habitat for a bee nest. Protect bare patches of ground for pollinators. Flower bed edges are also patches of bare ground where a bee can nest. To link a new pollinator garden to a wide range of other habitat consider urban greenspaces as sites to provide more habitat within the foraging rang of the bee. A local park or school may have an unused patch of ground where lawn can be left unmaintained to provide floral resources for bees. When vising local greenspaces first identify and protect pollinator habitat, then help develop new habitat to create a habitat corridor for pollinators. Talk to neighbors and friends about the importance of pollinators and how to protect them.

It is confusing, trying to tell if the honeysuckle vine on the back fence is native or not. We all want to remove invasive plants but don't want to make a mistake and remove something good. Unfortunately, odds are that the aggressive vine you found is the invasive and should be removed. Even if it is for sale in a garden center doesn't guarantee that it is not an invasive plant since some stores are unscrupulous. The native honeysuckle vines are an attractive addition to any garden trellis and are sure to attract some unique pollinators. Below I have outlined the three (four) vines that are commonly confused and some tricks for getting a correct ID. Invasive Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicera japonica This is the most common honeysuckle vine you see in urban gardens and invading natural areas. The vine has a woody stem with peeling bark. Since the vine is flexible they make great wreaths. The flowers are yellow and white and have a sweet smell blooming from April-July. Japanese honeysuckle can smother trees, and other plants if left unchecked. Like most invasive plants, Japanese honeysuckle does not support many other species and displaces more valuable species in the ecosystem. It was introduced in the 1800s as an ornamental plants but now we know that it's ornamental qualities pale in comparison to it's environmental costs. Yellow honeysuckle, Lonicera flava The native honeysuckle vines are a much rarer sight in nature and at gardening stores. Yellow honeysuckle has an all yellow flower blooming April through May. The vine can be delicate and slow growing for some gardeners. Yellow honeysuckle does not self pollinate so multiple plants are needed to collect seed. Yellow honeysuckle is the host plant to the bumblebee clearwing moth. Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens Coral honeysuckle has a red trumpet shaped flower blooming May and June. The flower being red and tubular, attracts hummingbirds. The native honeysuckles have a distinctive fused leaf just below the flower bloom that is not a trait of the invasive plant. It is a host plant to spring azure butterflies and snowberry clearwing moths. Coral honeysuckle is pictured, photo courtesy of Marsha Gebhardt. Honeyvine, Cynanchum laeve Honeyvine is actually a milkweed, not a honeysuckle, but if you have invasive honeysuckle you probably also have honeyvine mixed in. Honeyvine does not have a woody stem, the leaves are opposite but heart shaped. Since it is a milkweed, breaking the stem will produce a milky sap. Also, like other milkweeds, it makes a pod full of fluffy seeds. Monarch caterpillars will consume honeyvine, Honeyvine is native but generally not planted on purpose because it is so aggressive. In short; Invasive honeysuckle flowers occur all up and down the stem. In the native honeysuckle flowers only occur at the end of a stem. At the flower cluster the leaves below are completely or partially fused around the stem in native honeysuckle but separate in the invasive. Both plants have oval opposite leaves and a woody stem with peeling bark.

Our common violet is mostly a weed but I have always had a soft spot for it. When I was a kid I would draw violets in the margins on my school work. I like the heart shaped leaves and the open mouth of the flower, and purple and green are my favorite colors. Later on I learned that violets are edible so I munch on them while I'm out in the garden and feed them to unsuspecting friends. Recently I gathered a few cups of violet blooms to make simple syrup. Just gather a few cups of flowers and mix with boiling water and let sit a few days. Then strain off the violets and what is left is a beautiful purple liquid. Mix the liquid with sugar and add a few drops of lemon juice to get purple simple syrup. Now I can make purple margaritas! I took the violet byproduct and smooshed it into a cookie cutter and then pressed it between towels for a few days and ended up with a nice purple green decoration. The main reason to love violet is because of the Fritillaries. Fritillaries are a large orange and black checkered butterfly. Fritillary caterpillars will only eat violet leaves but the adult butterfly will nectar at several different blooms. When the eggs hatch the baby caterpillars immediately hibernate until spring when the violets begin to awaken. It is important that the caterpillars not hatch too early or they will starve. Will global warming mess up the timing of the Fritillary and Violet timing? The caterpillars munch away on their violet until they are large enough to pupate. Fritillary butterflies are beautiful to watch and often are so absorbed in their flower that I can even get a good photo.

Many tall prairie species can get quite leggy and flop over by the time fall comes around. Heavy blooms on aster and goldenrod can be more then the sturdy looking stem can support. Species such as culvers root, iron weed, and joe pye are used to growing in dense patches of grass that help hold the plants up and hide the lower stem. Plants grow tall throughout the growing season to get their blooms above the rest and get the best pollinators. Native plants in gardens can be given summer trims to keep them from falling over when they are at their most beautiful. Species that bloom in fall can be cut short early in the growing season. Good dates to remember for trimming the floppers is on Memorial Day and 4th of July. Any time between these two dates is fine for cutting back fall blooming plants and ideally cut them twice, once on each holiday. Late summer bloomers can also be cut back before the flowers form. In late April and early May cut back culvers root, iron weed, joe pye, bergamot, coneflower, phlox, goldenrods, asters and many others. Before pruning always check that no flower buds are forming yet and then it is safe to cut back the plant. Pruned plants will re-sprout and form a denser, multi-stemmed plant. Plants can be cut back one half to one third of their original height without stressing the plant. Just as when the deer prune a plant, the plant will bounce back. Be sure to leave several sets of leaves still on the plant. The trimmings can be dropped right at the base of the plant as green mulch. This also helps any hapless beneficial insects to find their host plant again. Plants cut back on different dates will have different bloom periods. For an extended bloom period leave some plants untouched and prune others on two separate dates. This is also a chance to sculpt a wildflower hedge by cutting plants lower close to the path and higher in the back.