Grassland Restoration Forum

In case you missed it - coming up on Wednesday!

What is this poop-like thing and what is its purpose? . This is known as black knot fungus and it resides on trees of the Prunus species (chokecherries, plums, ...etc.) . In this picture it is on the branches of Prunus Virginiana (chokecherry). Although the popular opinion is that this fungus is evil and to be eradicated at all costs as it can harm and sometimes kill the tree, I like to take a different approach to it. . I have been observing mine in its natural habitat for several years through a permaculture lens. Nature doesn’t create things that are all bad, so what purpose does this serve? I’ve noticed that it usually creeps up where the bush is insanely dense and branches are competing for light, rubbing up against their neighbours in the process. . Therefore, I feel as though it comes about to clear space within the bush for other plants to thrive. . What are your thoughts on it? Do you know if it’s a food source for any other animals? What benefit can we find to it? . #permaculture #permaculturegarden #prunus #blackknotfungus #natureisbeautiful #learnfromnature See more

This week's Flora Friday highlights Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis (Dwarf Raspberry). Rubus arcticus belongs to the rose family and is common in swampy woods, bogs... near forests, and fens. It's distribution includes boreal, foothills, montane, alpine, and arctic regions in rich moist sites of Canada, Northern USA, Northern Europe, and Northern Asia. Rubus, the Genus name, in Roman translates to red. All related species have a place among traditional medicines. The red berries are delicious, but considered too juicy to preserve. Foliage, flowers, and fruit were eaten. Leaf infusions were used to treat diarrhea, vomiting, to prevent miscarriage, reduce labor pains, and increase milk flow. Leaves have rather remarkable properties for reducing cold symptoms and were a well known laxative. Plants are small, essentially non-woody, grow from spreading rhizomes, and grow up to 15 cm tall. Leaves are divided into three leaflets, and grow from 1.5 to 3.5 cm long and toothed. Sepals are bent backwards and petals are 10-15 and deep rose. Fruit is a fleshy red raspberry. As a group Rubus species are adapted to a wide variety of habitats and can be grown from root or stem cuttings. Seeds have a hard coat coat that requires scarification. Photo was taken west of Water Valley, by Kathy Tannas (Senior TCS Taxonomist). #tannasconservation #tannaconservationservices #tannasconservationab #florafriday #alberta #calgaryplants #edmontonplants #albertaplants #flowers #plantlovers #edmontonnature #calgarynature #albertanature #calgary #edmonton #cochrane #stalbert #fieldwork #plant

EDIT: If you purchased a moss ball after January 1, 2021, it must be destroyed by following our guidelines linked here: https://bit.ly/3rCDJtK. It is VERY impor...tant that you DO NOT dispose of anything (moss balls, water, plants, rocks, etc) by flushing it down the toilet, dumping into a drain or waterway, or putting it into the compost. Destroying all moss balls that have been purchased in Alberta this year needs to occur, whether you can visibly see mussels or not. Invasive mussels have been found in moss balls being sold in Alberta, and we need you to take action to prevent the introduction of this species and protect Alberta’s waters! Yesterday AEP staff discovered that a distributor in Alberta received a shipment of moss balls that originated in the Ukraine the same place the United States also received mussel-fouled moss balls from. Staff inspected the moss balls, and confirmed that invasive mussels were found. Hilo, our Conservation K9, was also given the opportunity to sniff out mussels on a substrate he’s never smelled before he alerted to a mussel-fouled moss ball. The moss balls were then seized under the Fisheries (Alberta) Act. Here’s what we need you to do to help: Inspect your moss balls for invasive mussels both visually and by feeling for hard shells. Remember they can be very small! If you think you have found invasive mussel, call our 24/7 hotline at 1-855-336-2628 (BOAT) for further instructions. Place the moss ball into a sealable plastic bag and freeze for at least 24 hours. After this, place the moss ball and any of its packaging in a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it in the trash. Please do not flush moss balls down the toilet or dispose of them in the compost. Invasive mussels pose a serious threat to Alberta’s aquatic ecosystems, fisheries and water infrastructure like irrigation canals. Never dump aquarium tank pets, plants or water into any residential water system or Alberta waterway. Please share this post and encourage anyone you know who has moss balls in their aquariums to check them. We’ll share more information on this page as the situation unfolds. Learn more about invasive mussels here: https://bit.ly/3sTwRbs