Wild strawberry is an edible ground cover that tolerates full sun or shade. An excellent addition to a permaculture lawn. Best of all is supports early season pollinators. WIN! Tiny, sweet, groundcover pretty much says it all. Not only is the fruit edible, but the leaves can be used for tea. Wild strawberry, just like cultivated strawberries, reproduces by …
This shorter and more colorful version of sneezeweed is somewhat common in eastern North America, but rare in Kansas and virtually unknown to Nebraska. In fact, there is only one known population in Nebraska, although it is possible that others are out there. Purple sneezeweed stands 4 feet tall as opposed to the 4 to 5 foot height …
Allium is the genus name for onion. We have 6 species of native onion in Nebraska. Most common in the eastern third of the state is wild garlic and prairie wild onion. Both are Allium canadense, but one produces bulblets where the flowers should be with an occasional floret between the bulbs. This is Allium canadense variety (var.) …
Bush’s sedge was a pleasant surprise on Wedding Prairie at Witt’s End Homestead. We first noticed it in the wheel tracks of the path to this go-back prairie in a year when rain was plentiful. Like most sedges, it likes mesic or moist sites, but it also grows well in this upland prairie hillside. It still shows up …
Most people are aware of the value of milkweed as a host plant, to one of our favorite pollinators, the Monarch butterfly. A few of you are aware of its use as the fluff in comforters and coats. But did you realize there are 17 species of milkweed native to Nebraska, some of which are perfectly well-behaved companions in …
YELLOW SUNDROPS Oenothera serrulata (Syn. Calylophus serrulatus) (Yellow Sundrops, Plains yellow primrose) is a plant without a lot of press, but it is amazingly beautiful. Pictured in the lower right in the photo at the left. It blooms with Poppymallow, butterfly milkweed, pale coneflower and prairie phlox. In the prairie, it is a diminutive plant, but in a landscape …
Aquilega candensis, also called Columbine, is a striking native plants with bright intricate red and yellow flowers. The genus name “Aquilegia” comes from the Latin “aquila” which means “eagle” and refers to the spurred petals that many believe resemble an eagle’s talons. These spurs also hold nectar which provides amino acids needed by hummingbirds, hawkmoths, and bumble bees. …
Our plant of the week this week is a sedge. Like all sedges, it has a triangular stem. Long-beaked sedge is one of the best sedges for shade, and makes a wonderful plant for dappled shade or sun. It is an excellent filler for the landscape with gracefully drooping leaves which make a good backdrop for flowers such …
Astragalus crassicarpus, also known as ground plum, is a low-growing perennial legume. It is found on dry prairie hillsides and makes an excellent border edge. It has a taproot that breaks up prairie soils and like other legumes is a nitrogen fixer, making food for other plants and for the soil microbes that are busy storing carbon. In March …
if you count all the recognized hybrids and varieties of native plants in Nebraska, the total number is well over 1550 species
