Month: July 2016

Bull thistle and Canada thistle are two problem weed species that threaten the Biocore Prairie. Mike tested whether careful spot treatments with the non-specific herbicide RoundUp can kill (or severely weaken) thistles without damaging the …

Elizabeth studied plant growth in an area of the Biocore prairie restoration where there was considerable competition from weeds. The focus was on three species: little bluestem (a grass), butterfly weed (a forb), and leadplant …

Molly studied insects in the two demonstration gardens that are part of the Biocore Prairie restoration site. The project examined the relationship between flowering prairie plants (specifically spiderwort, butterfly weed, bergamot, pale purple coneflower, mountain …

Anjan studied differences in foraging behavior among individuals of several bird species. This research examined whether juvenile birds were being displaced to the less diverse grassland site just southeast of the Biocore Prairie. Anjan used …

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Colored flags in the Biocore Prairie indicate locations where roots are being sampled from both nonnative weed species and prairie species to test for the presence of mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae fungi colonize the fine absorbing roots …

This study was set up in May 2003 to test the effect of encorporated sawdust on soil nitrogen levels and plant community composition. Six of the twelve experimental plots had 500 mg/ square meter of …

Elizabeth studied the impact of seed predators, namely small rodents and birds, on areas freshly seeded with prairie seed. She found that seed predators preferentially took larger seed when offered seed of the same shape …