Spring blooms Illinois sand prairie

[Gloria]

Another video from In Defense Of Plants. Spring blooms amid the standing dries grasses and plant stems on an Illinois sand prairie look very attractive. Illinois has quite a diversity of habitat.

Producer, Writer, Creator, Host:
Matt Candeias (In Defense of Plants)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjhD...ature=youtu.be

[amelanchier]

Whoa! I know that guy! We were in a botanical society together. Anyway, thanks for passing along the video. Interesting plants and a strikingly different natural community from any I've had a chance to explore.

[rhauser44]

Gloria, I loved the video and podcasts. I'll be watching more of the videos and podcasts this week.

[dapjwy]

Great video!

I'm surprised to find that I have a few of the species he highlighted--mainly blue-eyed grass, prickly pear cactus, and birdsfoot violet.

I was thrilled to see my birdsfoot violet blooming the other day--I was afraid that I had lost it. Although I planted it with companions I had seen it grow with in nature [Antennaria and Potentilla (simplex?)], the Potentilla really overran that area. After seeing the video, I may try to create a more sandy area for it--we live in an area that had been covered in glaciers...and there is very sandy soil on the floodplain below us. Nearby is a company that sells gravel and such from that area (sad, it used to be farmland, and now the soil, gravel and sand is being harvested by machinery--but, they seem to be leaving large bodies of water in their wake, so, I'm hoping eventually it will benefit wildlife. Anyway, I may purchase some of the sandy soil just to create/mimic that kind of habitat.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by amelanchier

Whoa! I know that guy! We were in a botanical society together. Anyway, thanks for passing along the video. Interesting plants and a strikingly different natural community from any I've had a chance to explore.

How cool is that!?

Originally Posted by rhauser44

Gloria, I loved the video and podcasts. I'll be watching more of the videos and podcasts this week.

Yes, I am enjoying them, too.

[Gloria]

More from "In Defense Of Plants". Interesting read about how behavior changes in prey insects caused by the presence of spiders (predators) increases biodiversity.

How Spiders Increase Plant Diversity ? In Defense of Plants

The researchers found that when spiders were present, overall plant diversity increased. This is not because the spiders ate more grasshoppers. Instead, its because the grasshoppers shifted to a diet of goldenrod, which knocked the goldenrod back just enough to allow other plants to establish. Its not just plant diversity that changed either. Spiders also caused an increase in both solar radiation and nitrogen reaching the soils!

[jack]

Originally Posted by Gloria

More from "In Defense Of Plants". Interesting read about how behavior changes in prey insects caused by the presence of spiders (predators) increases biodiversity.

How Spiders Increase Plant Diversity ? In Defense of Plants

Another interesting and informative article, Gloria. I guess I had already surmised this before reading it, but it's nice to get confirmation of our ideas and observations. Like the wolf, spiders keep problem species under control and allow the system that has evolved with these creatures over countless millennia to work as they always have when the system is working properly. Of course, we are the villains in this tale, as we are the ones who upset this system and take control without understanding the system or the consequences of interfering with it.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Gloria

More from "In Defense Of Plants". Interesting read about how behavior changes in prey insects caused by the presence of spiders (predators) increases biodiversity.

How Spiders Increase Plant Diversity ? In Defense of Plants

That is awesome.

I recently posted (on Facebook) about wolves changing a river--wolves reintroduced caused the deer/elk to avoid certain areas which plant species to grow and help retain the banks/reduce erosion. It was much more amazing than just that...all sorts of species returned and diversity increased dramatically.

I'm thinking of posting about this next time.

Thanks for sharing.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by jack

Another interesting and informative article, Gloria. I guess I had already surmised this before reading it, but it's nice to get confirmation of our ideas and observations. Like the wolf, spiders keep problem species under control and allow the system that has evolved with these creatures over countless millennia to work as they always have when the system is working properly. Of course, we are the villains in this tale, as we are the ones who upset this system and take control without understanding the system or the consequences of interfering with it.

Very well stated.

Thanks, Jack.