I thought somebody threw spaghetti in the ditch! Again. Actually I have found spaghetti in the ditch along our country road, among many other strange things. I’m sure Badger Sportsman readers aren’t the ones bringing their broken TVs, couches, bags of salt, pumpkin pies, old tires, deep fryers, kittens, dogs and yard waste out to [Continue]
Highbush cranberry isn’t a true cranberry, although the berries are similar in both taste and appearance. The Latin name is Viburnum opulus var. americanum, which is important to know if you buy plants for growing cranberries for your own consumption or to support wildlife. Highbush cranberries are multi-stemmed shrubs growing 10–15 feet tall and 10-12 [Continue]
Do you remember the story of Johnny Appleseed from grade school? It is more than just a story; Johnny Appleseed was a real person named John Chapman, born in 1774. Legend has it that he spent years walking throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, West Virginia and Ontario, Canada randomly dropping apple seeds along the way. [Continue]
Starry stonewort. Such a cool name, isn’t it? It looks kind of nifty too. I wish there were good things to say about it, but unfortunately starry stonewort is an aquatic invasive species, so here comes the bad news . . . Starry stonewort is actually an algae, but it doesn’t look like [Continue]
When the forest is still a dreary brown and gray in April, a graceful spray of white flowers might catch your eye. These are the flowers of the wild plum. Wild plum trees and shrubs can be found in prairies, woodlands, pastures, and hedgerows, and along roadsides and riverbanks. They may be multi-stemmed shrubs or [Continue]
The Perennial Plant Association has chosen butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa, as its 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year. You might wonder at the choice of a plant with “weed” in its name, but this beautiful plant is anything buy weedy. It is a versatile plant that is at home in both formal landscapes and more [Continue]
Sometimes landscape plants in our own yards are invasive and we may not even be aware of it. These plants may be the cause of environmental disruption in natural areas nearby or even miles away. Here are three common alien invader landscape plants that are classified RESTRICTED by the Wisconsin DNR. You are not required [Continue]
Edelweiss, Edelweiss Every morning you greet me. Small and white Clean and bright You look happy to meet me. Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow Bloom and grow forever. Edelweiss, Edelweiss Bless my homeland forever. Many of us are familiar with the song “Edelweiss” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1965 musical “Sound of [Continue]
If you are male, you’ve likely never heard of evening primrose. If you are female, you may have, especially if you are interested in natural health remedies. Without going into detail, evening primrose oil is said to help with a range of “female problems.” It is also effective for a long list of other maladies [Continue]
We all want to do what’s best for our environment in order to support a healthy ecosystem so that the animals we love to hunt and fish will thrive. Controlling invasive plants is an important part of that. An invasive plant is one that causes economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. They [Continue]