Wow! What a winter it has been. I can hardly remember a more persistently cold winter; and with plenty of snow. As I write this, we have just begun to break out of the Polar Vortex. You might think that the prairie plants would suffer a lot in this cold winter, but I think that for the most part they are just fine. The vast majority of species that live in the prairie are herbaceous perennials. This means they are not woody, but have soft succulent tissues and they persist for several years; often for many years. The tops, the …
Winter 2013-2014 Nature Notes
A Visit From St. Ben Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the HWM Not a creature was stirring, except the nocturns; The seeds were flung around with care, In hopes that St Ben soon would be there; The plants were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of spring were coded in their DNA. I apologize for the cheeky editing of ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’. What I was trying to address was the question of “What does a Benedictine Monastery have to do with caring for the earth?” I guess I was trying to work in …
Nature Notes Fall 2013
Right after Labor Day almost every year, the weather seems to change, and it appears sudden. Autumn with its particular feel has arrived. It is cooler, the angle of the sun is different, the days are shorter, the typical asters and goldenrods are in flower and the leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs are turning. We had a wonderful growing season this past spring, with an extraordinary, record-setting amount of rain. Plants that suffered so much in the drought of the previous summer appeared this year to almost jump out of the ground with exuberance. In this early autumn season …
Nature Notes Summer 2013
“Summer time, and the livin’ is easy,” says George Gershwin. Well, at the beginning of summer this year I do believe the livin’ is easy for the plants and animals at Holy Wisdom Monastery. In comparison to last summer’s drought, the differences are dramatic. We have received lots of rain, it has been cool and as far as the prairie plants are concerned, the drought never happened. They are just plain exuberant. There are not that many species of prairie plants that flower before the beginning of summer, although there are a few, pasque flower, shooting star, and prairie smoke …
Nature Notes Spring 2013
Pasque flower at Holy Wisdom Monastery (not this year yet!) The land at Holy Wisdom Monastery was exceedingly dry at the beginning of the winter, as we had experienced one of the most severe droughts on record, the worst since the dust bowl drought of the 1930s. Prairie plants have evolved in the open with little to no shade and one of the compensating evolutionary strategies in this high water loss situation was to develop a really deep root system. For example, prairie dock and big bluestem grass, which you can find at the monastery, have roots that go …
Nature Notes Winter 2012-2013
After a warm, Saint Louis-like fall, full-blown winter weather came almost on the winter solstice. What a beautiful snow it was, except from the end of a snow shovel! After the drought last summer this snow is extraordinarily important to help replenish the moisture deficit in the soil. Despite the fifteen inches of snow, the sub soil is still exceedingly dry. It is impossible to tell whether this one event or the drought of last summer constitutes evidence of climate change, however, I feel that all of these increasingly frequent and out of the ordinary weather events must certainly be …
Nature Notes – Autumn 2012
After coming through one of the worst droughts since the dust bowl years of the 1930s, we have finally gotten some rain. Clearly it is still inadequate to compensate for the precipitation deficit, but plants and I’m sure many animals are benefiting from the rare moisture. One of the interesting things that you might note from looking at the prairies at Holy Wisdom Monastery is that most of the plants have survived and look much better than the corn and soybeans in the fields of Dane County. Prairie plants have “learned” through evolution that drought conditions happen now and …
Nature Notes Winter 2011-2012
The sun sets very early in the evening and rises late in the morning during the winter season. At the winter solstice or the beginning of winter in late December the days are the shortest they will be all year, and will get longer and longer until they are the longest at the summer solstice in late June. The main reason for this change in the length of the day and the change in temperature is because the earth tilts 23 degrees in relationship to the sun between the summer solstice and the winter solstice. Since we are in the …
Nature Notes Fall 2011
Fall! The obvious things that fall at this time of year are the leaves of deciduous trees and shrubs. The evolutionary advantage for this is to sever the leaves from the tree, which loose lots of water during a time of year when water is less available. Also when the water is frozen in the soil in winter, it cannot be taken up and therefore it is important for the plant to reduce water loss. In contrast, some plants from other parts of the world loose their leaves when it gets too hot in the summer and therefore less water …
Nature Notes – Summer 2011
Ahh, the warm days of summer, when we can go outdoors without the encumbrance of coats, hats and gloves! The growing season for plants is in full swing and birds and bees are busily feeding on the bounty of the season. The exuberance of the prairie is a wonder to see. I guess my favorite time on the prairie is in late July and the beginning of August, because my favorite prairie plants are in flower and it can be breath taking. Prairie dock and black eyed Susan and blazing star all compete for attention from their pollinators, and we …