[To see photos and stories of this prairie in other years, go to the links on the main Pine Point Prairie page.]
At the very beginning of the year I spread prairie seeds in the western part of the area that Erik had mulched last fall. The ground is still littered with chunks of wood from the mulching process, but I hope the seeds will find a way down to the soil and begin the transition to prairie. Now the whole strip that used to be a pine plantation has been cleared and planted with prairie.
Erik and Beth worked on clearing more of the savanna in March – the trees above the cleared strip.
We didn’t have much snow in the fall and winter, so I spent days cutting and treating the brush and weeds that have come back after the mulching. The worst weeds are Mullein and Burdock, and the brush is mostly Box Elder, Wild Cherry and Buckthorn.
I found a large Cecropia caterpillar on a Box Elder shrub, and many leaf mines of Phyllocnistis insignis on American Burnweed.
1/18/2023
1/18/2023
2/18/2023 We never figured out what this was – it looked like a slide made by an animal.
2/18/2023
2/25/2023
3/21/2023
3/21/2023 Erik and Beth at work on the savanna
3/23/2023
4/1/2023
4/3/2023
4/3/2023
4/30/2023
5/24/2023 Indian Paintbrush on the mowed area below the savanna
5/24/2023 Wild Lupine below the savanna. It’s nice to see prairie plants coming up.
5/24/2023 The top edge of the prairie, looking through the restored savanna and up to Big View Prairie
5/24/2023 The savanna with Pine Point Prairie below, and Big View Prairie above
6/9/2023 Golden Alexanders
8/22/2023
8/28/2023 – a sea of goldenrod
8/31/2023 This is the western part of the mulched area with brush and weeds.
9/9/2023
9/12/2023 Mike mowed as much of the mulched area as he could – here he’s outlined the area but hasn’t finished mowing.
9/13/2023 The mowed area
9/13/2023 The western mulched area. I’ve cut and treated a lot of the brush, but there’s still more to go.
9/13/2023 In spite of being messy looking, there are plenty of interesting creatures living here. This was a large Cecropia caterpillar I found on a Box Elder shrub. I took it home and it pupated a few days later.
9/13/2023 This is the leaf mine of a tiny moth – Phyllocnistis insignis (it has no common name).
9/28/2023 Phyllocnistis insignis adult emerged from one of the mines I found.
9/25/2023 A drone photo of the western area where I’ve been cutting returning brush
9/25/2023 Another drone photo – Pine Point Prairie below with the brushy part at the far left; Big View Prairie above
9/25/2023 Drone photo – the newly mowed part of Pine Point Prairie
10/18/2023
10/19/2023 I’ve cut and treated most of the brush and weeds in the foreground. Beyond there are still weeds and brush, especially honeysuckles.
10/19/2023 Another view
12/20/2023 Getting close, but still more to cut.
