Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum), often called Stiltgrass or most commonly Microstegium, is a shade tolerant grass in the Poaceae/Grass plant family. This is the second most biodiverse plant family in Kentucky right behind Asteraceae/Sunflower family. Given the massive number of species in the family and the distinctness between members in the family, recognizing Microstegium can be tricky but I hope to help so that native plant lovers can start to remove this species from their landscape!
Description
It is likely if you have hiked along a creek in a disturbed area or walked along a road, you have probably come across Japanese Stiltgrass and thought nothing of it. However, this should be of great concern to landowners/land managers/native plant enthusiast. Once you can competently identify the next patch of Microstegium you come across, you can help eradicate it from the area.
DISTINCT FEATURES
By far, the most distinctive feature for Microstegium that I use in field identification is the faint silver line running down the middle vein of the leaf. This characteristic is not as prominent and distinctive among any other native grasses in Kentucky.
Silver line on leaf of Microstegium (picture taken by Nick Koenig).
APPEARANCE
Japanese Stiltgrass is a “weak-stemmed annual, branching, decumbent [running along the ground then rising up], rooting at the lower nodes [points where leaves or stems come out].” (Weakley 2015).
Picture of a few Microstegium shoots prior to flowering and seeding (picture provided by Jeff Nelson).
LEAVES
As described in the Flora of the Southeast (Weakley), the leaves are ovate-lanceolate (meaning oval and much longer than wide, roughly 2.5-7 times longer than wide ), 2-10 cm long tapering at the base.
HABITAT
Microstegium can most likely be found in “disturbed areas, colonizing moist, rich soil, especially in floodplains” such as along a creek bank where it is often found (Weakley 2015). Due to the Japanese Stiltgrass’s ability of being shade-tolerant, the species can make deep incursions in a forested area.
I am a transplant. I’m not a Kentucky native, and I’ve become naturalized here. In 2012, I shifted my lifestyle from migratory traveler to a rooted homesteader when I moved from the arid southwest to the lush and verdant southeast. By staying in one place for the past several years, my restless wandering spirit has calmed down. In the forest garden that my partner, Russ Turpin, and I call our yard, I find unexpected joy in relationships between myself and the place, the plants, and the animals.
Curiosity and a disdain for boredom spurs me to learn more about the natural world. I don’t take for granted the beauty of our natural yard that buffers our home from the traffic, heat and noise of the city.
My home environment is much more urban than many of the places I’ve lived, so it’s important for me to bring nature as close as possible. A landscape full of native plants, providing habitat for insects, birds, amphibians, and mammals, is also a vibrant space for human creatures like me to just be. Daily comforts of my forest-y yard include the smell of moist leaf litter, dappled shade of oaks and redbuds, rain droplets bejeweling jewelweed, wild mushrooms appearing in all colors and shapes, and spicebush hedges that provide a privacy screen.
It’s not all peace and harmony though. Nature can be a difficult neighbor. I’d like to share four main considerations for the novice natural landscaper to be mindful of. In any relationship, it’s important to manage our expectations and work with natural tendencies.
1. Scaling Down
As I’ve come to terms with the smaller adventures that await me just outside my back door, my appreciation for the little things has grown immensely. I had never known the spectacular scenes of fireflies as a child, so I’m full of wonder at these luminescent fairy-like creatures on warm summer nights. (https://www.hobbyfarms.com/the-decline-of-fireflies/)
A spicebush swallowtail caterpillar graced our garden and kept us turning leaves over to check on it for weeks. Finding other insect eggs underneath leaves is like discovering new life on another planet, but it’s right under our noses all the time! Within our 7,000 square foot yard, keeping an eye out for the incremental changes in the landscape gives me a reason to take slow and quiet walks, and look and listen closely.
Spicebush swallowtail
Fitting everything we want into the property requires a lot of creativity, and some compromises. Planting in layers maximizes space. I have learned that there are not many colorful flowers that grow in the shade, so our yard is monochromatic compared to our neighbors’ sunny and nearly treeless lots. Accepting that the yard is a woodland rather than a park ecosystem was an important step in stopping the cycle of wanting something to grow just because I like it, only to watch it die because it’s the wrong plant in the wrong space.
Now, we have agreed to leave a space open until we find the right shade-loving plant for the forest floor layer. Some happy residents there are wild ginger (Asarum canadense), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica), and a variety of ferns and sedges. Our newest additions are forest medicinals: black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). Planted last fall, they are thriving under the protection of our big pin oak. It feels like we have made a new friend who feels right at home. Their habitat is the right size, has the right amount of light, and fits them with just the right amount of space.
Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is the most widespread and arguably the most invasive of the nonnative invasive honeysuckle shrubs in Kentucky. Jeff Nelson’s article on Amur honeysuckle provides a general overview of the species. This article provides some details as to why this species is so invasive and why is an ecologically undesirable species.
Amur honeysuckle, native to central and northeastern China, Japan (rare), Korea, and far eastern Russia, occurs as an understory shrub in open hardwood and mixed hardwood-conifer forest consisting of oaks, elms and other hardwoods and fir, spruce and hemlock. It is also known from and more common in riparian and scrub communities (Luken and Thieret 1996). It grows as scattered individual shrubs or small clumps, not unlike viburnums do in Kentucky. Large, dense stands do not typically occur, but in open, riparian areas it can be weedy. In its native range, individuals typically do not exceed 4 inches diameter and 20 feet tall (Yang et al. 2011). In Kentucky, the species is often an understory shrub in open forest, but forms dense thickets at forest edge, along fence rows and in open areas. It grows larger here as well, to 6 inches diameter and 30 feet tall (personal observation).
Large Amur honeysuckle, two stems 5 inches or greater in diameter. 29 April 2020. Photo by David Taylor
This shrub leaves out early in spring, often breaking bud in mid-March, long before native trees and shrubs. By mid-April of most years, leaves are fully expanded, and the shrubs are actively growing. In the fall, Amur honeysuckle typically senesces (leaves turn yellow and drop) in late October to mid-November, and sometimes not until early December. Native trees and shrubs typically break bud late March to mid-April and do not fully expand until early May. In eastern Kentucky, they are actively dropping their leaves by mid- to late October in most years. The extra 5-8 weeks of photosynthetic activity in the honeysuckle allows it to store additional energy giving it an edge over native species (McEwan et al. 2009). It is also somewhat tolerant of late freezes. Both promote its invasive nature.
Tall Amur honeysuckle, approximately 27 feet tall. 29 April 2020. Photo by David Taylor
While Amur honeysuckle grows better in full sun (Luken 1995), it is known to survive in 1 percent of full sunlight in the heavy shade of trees (Luken et al. 1997a). The native spring flowering spice bush (Lindera benzoin) by comparison, requires about 25 % of full sun to survive (Luken et al. 1997a). Forest grown Amur honeysuckle under heavy shade tends to produce few stems which grow upward toward light specks. They tend not to have much branching, nor do they attain much diameter. In the open, individual shrubs produce numerous stems and branching is extensive. Maximum diameters are obtained in the open (Luken et al 1995a). Overtopped Amur honeysuckle shrubs respond with the production of long, upright stems that seek light. Honeysuckle in open forest may branch extensively and produce heavy shade.
We could all use a little help in the garden, but good help is hard to find. Thankfully, nature provides the best helpers money can’t buy: bees! The trick is attracting these handy pollinators to your garden.
Monarda by John Lodder
1: Native Plants, Please
One of the best ways to lure bees to your garden is by filling it with native plants. The scarlet bee balm (Monarda didyma) is a great option. It erupts in firework shaped red blooms in June and requires full sunlight. The native lonicera will also attract bees, unlike the invasive lonicera or busy honeysuckle, which is pollinated by moths.Native plants are crucial for creating a healthy ecosystem, and they practically take care of themselves. Since they’re acclimated to Kentucky’s climate and soil, they’ll need little water or maintenance. Certain natives can even decrease water runoff and erosion. In addition to bees, they’ll attract other native wildlife to your garden.
2: Make it Colorful
Use many colors.
Bees have an acute sense of smell and a keen eye for color. Bees use color to help find the best flowers for pollination: certain colors (yellow and blue) will draw their attention more than others. By diversifying your garden’s color palette, you’ll entice even more bees. Try adding purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurea) to brighten up your garden. These flowers produce star-shaped blooms in June and July, and also attract monarch butterflies. You can also add sweet coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) for a splash of yellow. Sweet coneflower blooms from July to September.
3: Shady Spaces
Creating a hospitable environment for your garden helpers is easy. Choose plants that create enough shade and shelter from the wind and direct sunlight to give your guests a place to rest. The longer bees stay in your garden, the longer they can pollinate your plants! To keep bees in your garden longer, create a small bee bath. Fill a shallow dish with water and rocks or decorative pebbles. Be sure to change the water frequently. This lets your visitors take a quick, refreshing sip without leaving your garden.
4: No Pesticides
Keep pesticides out of your garden. Even organic pesticides can harm and deter bees from visiting. Native plants will naturally deter harmful pests. Pesticides won’t kill only visiting bees. Workers crawling over your blooms carry the pesticides back to their hives. The introduction of pesticide to a hive can contribute to Colony Collapse Disorder. This causes the other bees to abandon their hive, resulting in the death of the colony.
5: Bee Our Guest
Supply a bee hotel.
Create a safe place for your bee visitors to rest by building your own bee hotel. Group bamboo tubes or cardboard tubes together. You can also drill holes into wooden blocks. Bee hotels do need to be maintained, so it’s something to consider when you start working on your new DIY project. The hotels provide bees with safe nesting options to ensure they stick around your garden. In addition, experts suggest that you keep them small and specific; attracting too many species to the same hotel can increase disease and predation.
Bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem, and harmful practices have endangered them. Choosing native plants makes your garden a hospitable place for our pollinating friends.
Emily is an environmental journalist whose home is filled with native plants and flowers. When she’s not tending to her indoor plants, you’ll find her in her vegetable garden, which she doesn’t mind sharing with the local wildlife. She loves pugs and pizza, oh, and her husband, too.
Authors, Judy Burris and Wayne Richards; Publisher, Storey Publishing
Reviewed by Susan Harkins
When authors Judy Burris and Wayne Richards were kids, they spent most Saturdays in the woods with their mother. Those early adventures turned into a passion for bugs—lucky me! I say lucky me because Judy and Wayne channeled that passion into one of my favorite books, The Life Cycles of Butterflies.
This award-winning book, originally written for children, is a great resource for all ages. After an informative and creative introduction to butterfly anatomy and life cycle, the remaining book focuses on individual species. Four consecutive pages are packed with gorgeous photos and useful information on a single species. Within those four pages you’ll see pictures of the species’ egg, chrysalis, caterpillar, and adult. You’ll also see host and nectaring plants, and read interesting facts such as breeding range, average wingspan, and so on.
If you’re educating or entertaining children, you have all you need from the get-go. The book tells you what to plant to attract a specific species and then helps you identify what wanders into your yard and sets up a nursery. It’s easy to take this book out into the yard and quickly identify a species by egg, chrysalises, or caterpillar. But you don’t need to be a child to appreciate this book.
Perhaps the back cover is my favorite part; it’s covered with pictures of butterflies common to our region. Often, I don’t even open the book. Rather, a glance helps me identify an adult quickly with little effort, and before it flies away–that beats a traditional field guide in my book!
Even though this book is marketed as a children’s book, it
is a tremendous resource in any adult library.
It’s important to note that not all plants mentioned in the book are natives, although an asterisk marks invasives. Be sure to do your homework before purchasing plants. The authors are available for public programming.
Hummingbirds are fun birds to watch flying through the garden. There is something very intriguing about them that draws our attention. Maybe it’s that they are small yet strong, fast flyers, and hover in midair to drink nectar from flowers. It’s no wonder so many gardeners desire to draw them nearer by planting a hummingbird garden.
In my own garden, I like to plant both native and non-native flowers to attract them. I have been quite surprised to see what flowers the hummingbirds like. It is true hummingbirds are very attracted to the color red, but they are attracted to other colors as well. They are also typically attracted to plants that have tubular shaped flowers, but not always. There are some native plant choices that I’d consider necessary in any hummingbird garden.
One of the best plants for a
hummingbird garden are the bee balms (Monarda). The most common bee balm
you find in home gardens is red bee balm (Monarda didyma) and its
cultivars. This species of bee balm likes average to moist soils. Its cousin,
wild bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) also attracts hummingbirds and likes
average to dry soils. For the hummers that are traveling through in spring, try
attracting them with Bradbury bee balm (Monarda bradburiana). It flowers
earlier in the season than the other bee balms. It is a shorter plant, so it is
excellent for more compact garden spaces.
The native red honeysuckle vine (Lonicera sempervirens) is also an easy hummingbird attractor. Its long red tubular flowers bloom nearly all summer. This vine needs some room to grow, so plan to grow it on a good-sized trellis or arbor.
One other native plant not seen as
commonly in home gardens is hoary skullcap (Scutellaria incana). I have
this planted near my hummingbird feeder, and the hummingbirds cannot get enough
of this plant. It has purple flowers that flower nearly all summer, which is
another great reason to plant it. It does like to spread by seed, so if you
want to reduce its spread, just remove the ripe seed heads in late summer and
fall.
Royal catchfly (Silene regia)
One of my favorite plants that attracts hummingbirds is the native blue sage (Salvia azurea). It flowers later in the summer and will continue into fall, so it is a great nectar source for hummingbirds as they prepare for their fall migration. It’s a tall and slender plant, and one of the few flowers that has a true blue flower. Other notable native plants that attract hummingbirds are royal catchfly (Silene regia), fire pink (Silene virginica), Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica), tall phlox (Phlox paniculata), beardtongue (Penstemon), wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
There are also many non-native
annual flowers that attract hummingbirds. I enjoy planting many of these around
my patio spaces to encourage hummingbird visitors to the garden and the feeder
near my patio. Some of my favorites are verbena, pineapple sage, lantana,
tomatillo, annual salvias, Mexican sunflower, and Spanish flag vine. Many of
these plants are native to Central and South America, so hummingbirds are
familiar with them from their southern migration.
Spanish flag
Hummingbirds love to take a rest
and perch, so they will appreciate something to rest on near your feeder or
hummingbird garden. It’s also a great opportunity to watch the hummingbirds or
take photos. I once watched a hummingbird sit on the perch I have near my
feeder take a bath in the summer rain.
To attract hummingbirds throughout
the year, plant your hummingbird garden with a diversity of plants that will
flower throughout the season. Planting them in a grouping together will
encourage the birds to visit your garden routinely and provide more
opportunities to watch them all summer.
Katrina Kelly is a native to Lexington, Kentucky. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and has a degree in Landscape Architecture and Music. She is the owner and solopreneur of EARTHeim Landscape Design in Lexington, which focuses on creating unique garden designs with native plants and backyard homesteads. Her interest in native plants began when she volunteered at Salato with Mary Carol Cooper in 2005. She is a board member of the Wild Ones organization in Lexington. In the small amount of time she is not thinking about gardens or gardening, she enjoys photography, writing, science, fitness and nutrition, and building or crafting things around the home.
On a cold, but sunny Saturday in late February, eighteen members of KNPS met at the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor’s Center to begin the process of developing a long range strategic plan for the Society. It was a great mix of members with decades of membership in KNPS, brand new members, professional botanists, and amateur naturalists.
Strategic planning is simply the process of defining the long term direction (or strategy) of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, and then making decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy. The strategic planning process begins with an organization’s mission statement. A mission statement simply defines the purpose of the organization answering the question, “why does KNPS exist?”
“The mission of the Kentucky Native Plant Society is to promote education, preservation, and protection of Kentucky’s native plants and ecological systems.”
After discussing the mission of KNPS, the members broke into small groups to brainstorm the Society’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and challenges to the Society from outside events and forces. This was a great process and resulted in a good understanding of both the internal and external environments that the Society functions within.
The group ended the morning session with a review of the Society’s long term goals. These are:
To serve as the KY native plant education resource
To promote appreciation of the biodiversity of native plant ecosystems
To encourage the appropriate use of native plants
To support native plant research
To support efforts to identify and protect endangered, threatened, and rare native plant species
In the afternoon the group used a process called structured brainstorming to develop a list of initiatives and actions that should be taken to create the desired future for the Society. In developing the initiatives, the group focused on the mission and goals and considered how the initiatives could move the Society in the direction set by those elements. A list of over 60 possible initiatives were generated. The group narrowed that list down to 10 (list below).
Unfortunately, shortly after the session, COVID-19 changed everything and additional work on narrowing down the list to the top 3 strategic initiatives was put on hold. Fortunately, that gives you, the members and friends of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, the opportunity to participate in the process. Review the initiatives below and then go to this online form and let us know what initiatives the Society should concentrate on over the next 3-5 years.
Potential Initiatives for KNPS to Undertake
Education and Outreach
Continue/re-do the native plant stewardship program with a required practical element
Presence at more conservation (“green”) related events
Bring back the botanical symposium and have it be a real collaboration of botanical professionals
Governance/Leadership/Organizational Structure
Volunteer Coordinator or Volunteer committee
Restructuring board to create more positions to share the workload – make sure everyone knows what their jobs are
Communications Director for press releases, etc./someone needs to work with sister organizations
Preservation, Conservation, and Restoration
Shortage of plants used in restoration projects…some states have set up prisons to produce plants. We could work with government agencies to set up plants. Coordinate with Master Gardeners
K12 Education/Children Involvement
Partner with local parks/schools for kids mini garden… children’s gardens
Creating a board position that is K-12 outreach coordinator, teaching and outreach (schools, scouts, etc.)
