Rare Plants in Wisconsin Right-of-ways

Presentation prepared by:Wisconsin Transportation Information Center-LTAP

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Right-of-ways –A resource for rare plants

• Help locate and protect endangered and threatened Wisconsin plants

• Watch for them during right-of-way work:• Mowing• Brushing• Spraying• Utility projects

Plants found in many counties

Cream GentianPurple Milkweed

Cream Gentian Map

Found in: • Brown, Calumet, Columbia,

Crawford, • Dane, Dunn, Eau Claire, Fond

du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa,• Jefferson, La Crosse,

Lafayette, Milwaukee, Monroe,• Pepin, Polk, Racine, Richland, • St Croix, Sauk, Vernon,

Walworth, and Waukesha

Historical in Chippewa, Dodge, Kenosha, Outagamie, Rock, & Sheboygan

Cream Gentian (or Yellowish Gentian)

(Gentiana alba)

• Blooms August-September• Flower

– Cream-colored – 1- ¼”– Tube shape with small opening

at top– Clusters of many flowers

• Plant– Upright – 1 to 3 feet tall– Sturdy stems – Usually not branched

• Grows in– Varied soil and moisture

conditions– Sometimes found in roadside

ditches and railroad rights-of-ways

Cream Gentian patch

Purple Milkweed Map

Found in: • Crawford, Dane, Grant,

Iowa, Kenosha, Lafayette,

• Racine, Rock, Sauk, Walworth,

• Waukesha, Waushara, & counties

Historical in Jefferson, Milwaukee, Washington, Winnebago

Purple Milkweed(Asclepias purpurascens)

Blooms June to AugustFlower

– Purple-red flower cluster

– Only 1-3 clusters to a plant

– Always at or near top of stem

– Often produces podsPlant

– Tall: 1-1/2 to 6 feet– Looks like common

milkweedOften found in ditches.

More likely in dry soil

Purple Milkweed

Other important plants and their regions

Dwarf Lake IrisForked Aster

Hairy Wild Petunia

Dwarf Lake Iris Map

Found in • Door & Brown

counties

Formerly in Milwaukee County

Dwarf Lake Iris(Iris lacustris)

• Very rare. Grows only on north shore of Lake Michigan, in Wisconsin.

• Blooms peak in late May, a few into July

• Plant– Tiny: leaves 6” long– Arranged in fans like garden iris

• Flower– Blue-purple (a few white)– 3” diameter– 3” off the ground

• Found in ditches with– Partial or filtered sun– Shallow soils (alkaline)– Near white cedars

Dwarf Lake Iris patch

Forked Aster MapEastern & Southeastern Wisconsin

Found in:• Fond du Lac, Milwaukee,

Ozaukee, • Racine, Rock,

Sheboygan,• Walworth, Washington,

Waukesha

Formerly in Kewaunee & Winnebago

Forked Aster(Aster furcatus)

• Blooms August through October

• Flower– White, star-shaped– Tiny: ½ inch across– Branched cluster of 9-18

flowers• Plant

– 12"-32" tall• Grows in moist woods

and edges, often near streams

• Rare. Only found in part of the Midwest.

Forked Aster

Hairy Wild Petunia Map Southern Wisconsin

Found in:• Crawford, Dane, Grant,

Outagamie,• Rock, & Winnebago

counties

Historical in Walworth

Hairy Wild Petunia(Ruellia humilis)

• Blooms May to October– Looks like garden petunia

• Flowers– Pink - purple – Small: 1-1/4 inch wide– Funnel shaped

• Plant– Upright– Short: 3"-18" Often less

than 12”• Has been found along

roadsides

Hairy Wild Petunia

Discovered 2005Outagamie County roadside

ProtectedNo-mow area

• Signs outline protected area

• Use general term: “Native Plants”

• Exact location not publicized

Other endangered or threatened plants that may appear in roadsides

• North & northeastern counties– Arrow-leaf Sweet Coltsfoot

• Southern & eastern counties– Pale Purple Coneflower– Yellow Giant Hyssop– Pink Milkwort

• Milwaukee & Racine counties– Axillary Goldenrod

Arrow-leaf Sweet Coltsfoot Map Northern Wisconsin

Found in: • Bayfield, Douglas,• Forest, & Oconto

counties

Arrow-leaf Sweet Coltsfoot(Petasites sagittatus)

• Blooms May-June• Flowers

– Small: ½ inch– White

• Plant– Large leaves: 12

inches– Arrow shaped

• Grows in wet areas

Pale Purple Coneflower MapSouthern Wisconsin

Found in:• Dane, Grant, Green, • Racine, & Rock

counties

Pale Purple Coneflower(Echinacea pallida)

• Blooms June to August• Flowers

– Drooping– Purple – One to a stem

• Plant – Tall: 2 to 3 feet– Several stems in a cluster

• Grows in full sun; dry to moderate moisture; sandy, loam soil

Giant Yellow Hyssop Map Southern Wisconsin

Found in:• Columbia, Crawford,

Dane• Grant, Green, Lafayette, • Racine, Rock, & Walworth

counties

Historical in Jefferson

Giant Yellow Hyssop(Agastache nepetoides)

• Blooms July through October

• Flower– Cylindrical spikes– Green-yellow 5-parted

• Plant– Tall: 2 to 5 feet– Resembles catnip– Square stem. Mint

family

Pink Milkwort Map Southern Wisconsin

Found in:• Grant, Green, & Rock

counties

Historical or formerly found in Crawford,

Dane, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha

Pink Milkwort(Polygala incarnata)

Blooms early July to mid-September

Flower– Pink – Small spiky cluster ½”-1-1/2”– Single stems with distinct

bluish-green color• Plant

– Height: 8”-24”. Often less than 12”

• Grows in dry soils• Nearly extinct in Wisconsin

Axillary Goldenrod MapMilwaukee & Racine counties

Axillary Goldenrod(Solidago caesia)

Blooms August to October Flower

– Cream to yellow – Short clusters usually 3-4– Where leaf joins stem

Plant– Upright– Tall: 12"-40”

May grow in ditches if next to woods, semi shaded

Why help preserve Wisconsin threatened and endangered plants?

• Promote biodiversity – a natural mix of many different species which provide for a healthy environment.

• Protect historic plants and habitats for future generations

• Preserve plants important to butterflies and other insects

• Preserve plants which may be future sources for medicines, treatments, etc.

• Help maintain a varied and attractive landscape

What you can do• Contact your local DNR Transportation Liaison or

Regional Ecologist to find out more• Mark right-of-ways once a species is identified

– Local citizens and groups may be available to help • Protect by timed mowing or no-mow area• Alert crews doing brushing, digging, spraying, and utility

work• Comply with administrative rule (NR27) and state

statute – It is illegal to remove, transport, carry away, cut, root up, sever,

injure or destroy a wild plant on the Wisconsin Endangered and Threatened Species List on public lands (which includes public right-of-ways). Section 29.604, Wis. Stats.

ResourcesDepartment of Natural ResourcesRegional Ecologists• Armund Bartz

Westcentral Region608.785.9019Owen BoyleSoutheast Region414.263.8681

• Sarah CarterSouthcentral Region608.275.3276

• [Vacant]Northeast Region

• Ted GostomskiNorthern Region715.635.4153

Transportation LiaisonsGet current list by county of responsibility at:http://dnr.wi.gov/org/es/science/DOT_liaison_

list.pdf

Online plants information• Wisconsin DNR, The Natural Heritage

Inventory Working List: Rare Vascular Plants

– http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/– Click on “Threatened and Endangered

Species” and then on “Vascular Plants.” Click on the scientific name for details. No search function.

• UW-Stevens Point Freckman Herbarium – http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/index.html

– Includes identifying information, photos and maps with town and range number locations of known plant populations, and links to other online resources. This is a general herbarium site covering 200,000 Wisconsin plants. search for common or scientific plant name under “vascular plants”

• USDA-NRCS PLANTS database– http://plants.usda.gov/index.html

Credits

• Rare Plants in Wisconsin Right-of-Ways, PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Lynn Entine, Senior Editor, Wisconsin Transportation Information Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. http://tic.engr.wisc.edu

• Plant location maps (updated Feb. 2006): Craig Anderson, Wisconsin DNR, Natural Heritage Inventory Botanist

• Coordination: Shelly Schaetz, Wisconsin DNR Transportation Liaison (Northeast)

• Photos:– Gentian: Thomas G. Barnes @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database– Milkweed: Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database – Iris: Clayton Alway @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database– Aster: Kitty Kohout, UW-Stevens Point– Petunia: Plants and roadside (summer): Patrick J. Robinson, Wisconsin DNR; Sign on

roadside: Michelle M. Schaetz, Wisconsin DNR– Coltsfoot: June M. Dobberpuhl, UW-Stevens Point – Coneflower: James R. Sine, UW-Stevens Point– Hyssop: Kathie and Tom Brock, UW-Stevens Point– Milkwort: Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database – Goldenrod: Kitty Kohout, UW-Stevens Point