Take a walk with me through the prairie......
- Thread starter Native Hunter
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Native Hunter
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Looks like they are hitting yours hard too.
Native Hunter
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Here are a couple of wetland species that I spotted recently. Neither of these plants will be browsed by deer, but they are the bomb for insects and butterflies. The first is swamp milkweed. This was growing in a damp meadow that hadn’t been mowed this year. The second is Joe Pye Weed. There is a lot of this along my branch where it joins the prairie.
Here is one I noticed on the bank of one of my ponds. It is on a slope in a shady spot where the ground should be fairly dry. This plant is called Whiteleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum albescens). I didn’t see any browsing, and this doesn’t surprise me, because mint type plants are not a favorite of deer. However, it is my understanding that there is a lot of insect use of this native plant.
Here is one I noticed on the bank of one of my ponds. It is on a slope in a shady spot where the ground should be fairly dry. This plant is called Whiteleaf Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum albescens). I didn’t see any browsing, and this doesn’t surprise me, because mint type plants are not a favorite of deer. However, it is my understanding that there is a lot of insect use of this native plant.
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dogghr
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Native you probably would like following this guy. Shows some really cool native species and promotes their plantings. Mostly southern stuff but some mid Atlantic. I’m sure he can be found elsewhere than FB
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1477110392724878?fs=e&s=cl
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https://www.facebook.com/reel/1477110392724878?fs=e&s=cl
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Native Hunter
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I found some of his videos the other day on YouTube. He is really into the native plants for sure.
Triple C
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Native - Been an inspiration following this thread to the point that I’ve become somewhat proficient at identifying plants at my place. Problem with being 66 is that I have to see em bout 10 times before I can commit em to memory. I use the Seek app and it’s the best I’ve found at identifying plants for me.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Glad you are enjoying it TC. My memory is definitely not getting better with age. Sometimes I see something, and it's 2 or 3 minutes before I can think of the name. I agree that those new apps are really nice. They get things wrong sometimes, but overall are very good.
We have a lot of Lizard’s Tail in wetland areas. I dont see wood ducks seeking it out. They may eat the seed when they happen to be in the area - but I dont see concentrations of them where lizard’s tail is plentiful. I have not noticed beavers using it - but our beavers vanished quite a few years ago and even though we have a lot of lizard’s tail on our place - we havent had beavers in six or eight years.I have a new one for you guys that's in a marsh on my dad's farm - not in my prairie. It's called Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus). I've never been able to find out much about this plant. It's in a big colony in a wet spot, and I have read that beavers and wood ducks feed on it. I have also read that Native Americans had some medicinal uses for it. A strange looking plant, and I don't remember seeing it anywhere else I have ever been.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Ive learned that it is more common than I thought. We don’t have that many swampy places so that’s why I haven’t seen it much.
Triple C
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Yep. Certainly not 100% accurate. Identified a monarch month and western swallow tail butterfly today with the app. I get somewhat of a kick riding through the fields and woods with kids and wife and being able to identify many more plants and now butterflies than I could years ago. Keep posting!
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
Today let's take a break from plant IDs and just enjoy a little beauty without worrying about anything else.
FYI, In the first picture below, I now have this area where the plants I want come back every year without me hardly having to do anything. Before I started, this was a mess of useless trees like sycamore and sweetgum - along with undesirable plants like marestail, etc... A little work and now I have this, which is close to self sustaining. Deer feast in this every year:
This area can be self sustaining like the one above once I take care of all the sweetgums and rid the seedbank of them. I'm working on that and getting closer. In the meantime, I have to mow it each year, which I dislike doing.
A few more for your enjoyment.
FYI, In the first picture below, I now have this area where the plants I want come back every year without me hardly having to do anything. Before I started, this was a mess of useless trees like sycamore and sweetgum - along with undesirable plants like marestail, etc... A little work and now I have this, which is close to self sustaining. Deer feast in this every year:
This area can be self sustaining like the one above once I take care of all the sweetgums and rid the seedbank of them. I'm working on that and getting closer. In the meantime, I have to mow it each year, which I dislike doing.
A few more for your enjoyment.
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MarkDarvin
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Very nice! I’m finally starting to get some good ones on my place too. Been a lot of saw work to push forward the native browse. Jewelweed is one that’s made a good leap forward this year.
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Native Hunter
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I love jewelweed. I killed some sedges in that area this year and expect those holes to fill up with JW next year.
Native Hunter
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Here is one I haven’t posted before. It’s called Leafy Elephant’s Foot. I found this today when I was at my 20 acre place at the edge of the woods. (I liked the picture I got there today of the new 150 better than this though. 
)
I don’t recall ever seeing this plant in the prairie. From all I can find it is supposed to be deer resistant, and that would be my observation as well. I did not see any browsing. But it is a very beautiful plant.
The prairie is really taking shape now that the partridge pea is blooming and the Indian Grass is finally making a head and bolting.
This is something I see mostly around fence rows, but recently noticed it right out in the middle of the prairie. It’s Wild Potato Vine.
Enjoy
)I don’t recall ever seeing this plant in the prairie. From all I can find it is supposed to be deer resistant, and that would be my observation as well. I did not see any browsing. But it is a very beautiful plant.
The prairie is really taking shape now that the partridge pea is blooming and the Indian Grass is finally making a head and bolting.
This is something I see mostly around fence rows, but recently noticed it right out in the middle of the prairie. It’s Wild Potato Vine.
Enjoy
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Native Hunter
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Here are two that I noticed recently. The first is Cutleaf Groundcherry. Everywhere I found this plant it was browsed hard. After I got home I realized that my pictures were more of the browsing than a good look at the plant. However, you can look this up on the Internet and see some better pictures.
This is Cardinal Flower. It is very beautiful and attracts insects, but deer do not browse it the best I can tell.
Now is not the best time to be walking through the prairie…lol….
But I saw a little grove of thistles and went into attack mode.
Maybe for the rest of the year I will just stick to the trails. Enjoy!
This is Cardinal Flower. It is very beautiful and attracts insects, but deer do not browse it the best I can tell.
Now is not the best time to be walking through the prairie…lol….
But I saw a little grove of thistles and went into attack mode.
Maybe for the rest of the year I will just stick to the trails. Enjoy!
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Native Hunter
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As I was doing habitat work recently, I came upon this little shrub. As you can see, it is browsed almost to the ground. There is a reason for that. This is "Strawberry Bush," which is an "ice cream" browse plant for whitetail deer. The only places I find these in better shape are where they are protected by briers or something else that obstructs the deer. This year I found some nice ones and transplanted them with a cage. The deer keep them trimmed back right to the edge of the wire.
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I have worked in areas similar to what you have going on but unfortunately don’t really own any of that type land even though Home 10 (30) is the closest we have to it and I believe it is because as I was growing up it was cattle pasture and some of that hoofed fertilizer helped out. Here on the hollow the shallow flint ground doesn’t seem very conducive to plants like this and I hope with some clearing and a little bovine help it gets better. What is the background of your place?
Native Hunter
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The fields were cattle pasture for decades and we cut fescue hay off of some of it. The woods were dominated by oaks, sweetgum and maple. I converted all of the fields to NWSGs except for 12 acres that I planted in trees, which tied two other pieces of timber together. It has been quite a transformation from what it was.
Native Hunter
Well-Known Member
My plant today is one that is not a native, and it is considered by some to be invasive. It certainly is invasive, but it will never be invasive where deer exist. This is because they love to eat it so much, they will destroy it. The plant I'm speaking of is Winterberry Euonymus (aka Euonymus fortunei). The only place I have ever seen this plant thrive is in spots close to houses or roads - and possibly in some spots that are blocked off from deer. As you can see below, the only place on my entire farm that it exists is facing the highway - but even there, deer have stood out on the blacktop at times and browsed it.
This plant is very unusual. It starts as a groundcover, but it can also take the form of a shrub or climbing vine. When it climbs a tree is when it starts making orange berries. I'm sure the birds eat the berries and spread this plant, but before it can establish in a new place, deer will eat it to the ground and destroy it.
I'm going to do a little experimenting with this plant. I'm going to start it in some cages at a few places and let it get established. Then at some point I will remove the cages and see if it can survive the browsing. Or, it might be better to leave the cages and let it climb the cages. That way the deer can eat from the outside and not be able to completely kill it.
I would like some feedback from you guys on where you have observed this plant. My guess is that you will tell me in yards and cities but not out in the wild. Let me know................. PS - this has to be in the top 5 plants of preferred deer browse that I have ever seen.
This plant is very unusual. It starts as a groundcover, but it can also take the form of a shrub or climbing vine. When it climbs a tree is when it starts making orange berries. I'm sure the birds eat the berries and spread this plant, but before it can establish in a new place, deer will eat it to the ground and destroy it.
I'm going to do a little experimenting with this plant. I'm going to start it in some cages at a few places and let it get established. Then at some point I will remove the cages and see if it can survive the browsing. Or, it might be better to leave the cages and let it climb the cages. That way the deer can eat from the outside and not be able to completely kill it.
I would like some feedback from you guys on where you have observed this plant. My guess is that you will tell me in yards and cities but not out in the wild. Let me know................. PS - this has to be in the top 5 plants of preferred deer browse that I have ever seen.
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