tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30877168.post5206752305843618872..comments2024-01-30T03:16:18.674-08:00Comments on Vestal Grove: MADE FOR EACH OTHER: bird and flowerStephen Packardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01811489977185760340noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30877168.post-26331341020825915292017-12-20T07:34:04.844-08:002017-12-20T07:34:04.844-08:00For what it's worth, we recently got seed for ...For what it's worth, we recently got seed for this hummingbird plant from a black soil prairie or savanna less than 10 miles from Somme. This is the kind of gene pool we especially want to conserve. <br /><br />And in the last couple of years, the hummingbirds have also been summering in Somme Woods. Thanks to restoration, it's now open enough to have the rich, natural flora that so much of wildlife depends on. The hummingbirds especially appreciate the hundreds to thousands of Michigan lilies, cardinal flowers, figworts, and many more. Stephen Packardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01811489977185760340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30877168.post-78021320568236190032012-09-28T18:10:34.564-07:002012-09-28T18:10:34.564-07:00Stephen,
As the crow flies, Illinois Beach State ...Stephen,<br /><br />As the crow flies, Illinois Beach State Park (from the middle) is 15 miles from Somme Prairie Grove. I too would use a more local seed source if one could be located. I do not believe Castilleja coccinea lives in my area of the county. I think most of the remaining populations are closer to Lake Michigan.<br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30877168.post-85595272715796565372012-09-28T07:04:16.878-07:002012-09-28T07:04:16.878-07:00James, thanks for the good suggestion. Yet, actual...James, thanks for the good suggestion. Yet, actually, we can't use it. Perhaps a brief explanation would interest some readers. We wouldn't use Illinois Beach seeds for a number of reasons. First, we have rich soil, and we don't introduce seed from sandy soils, where we suspect the plants may have different adaptations. Second, we seek plants from spontaneous (presumed natural, original) populations from within fifteen miles. Small populations do survive in this range, and we'd hope to get seeds from them. It these days of global warming, a good argument could be made for seeking seeds from farther south, but our protocol (and thus, the definition of the experiment we're doing at Somme) is to stick with very local gene pools, if they exist. At some point perhaps that should change. But we've abided by it for more than 30 years, and we should at least study the results and consider the issues carefully before we change it. Stephen Packardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01811489977185760340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30877168.post-82143535562483118552012-09-26T20:11:47.611-07:002012-09-26T20:11:47.611-07:00Stephen, You might ask Illinois Beach State Park ...Stephen, You might ask Illinois Beach State Park for some Castilleja coccinea seed.<br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com