When you do field work on public lands you need permits and there are all sorts of rules and regulations, blah, blah, blah… But when you work on private lands, the situation tends to be a little more relaxed and come with benefits. Private landowners often invite you to eat with them, offer you cold … More Field Work Perks
Here in central Oklahoma, we have had less than 0.1 inch of rain in 6 weeks. We have also had baking heat of 100º for a couple weeks. We would like to think this flash drought and heat wave are unusual, but climate trends are showing us otherwise. Therefore, I am watering my front yard … More You water your native meadow?!?
Teaching a three credit field course in two weeks is an exhausting challenge, but I am so glad we were together again at the OU Biological Station again! After two years of trying to teach a field class over Zoom, it was refreshing to see students faces, chat with them over meals, and get our … More In-person again!
A few years ago, I decided that I was just going to jump in and start improving the biodiversity of the boring mowed spaces in our human habitats. I regularly limit myself by claiming that “I am not an expert” or “I don’t know enough” to tackle a project. However, as I get older (maybe … More Pollinator Meadows!
In honor of Endangered Species Day, I ask you to consider reducing or removing your lawn. The single biggest factor to cause a species to become “endangered” is loss of habitat. Where does that habitat go? To parking lots and grocery stores and hotels and farms and suburban neighborhoods. Will removing your lawn provide habitat … More Endangered Species Day
The Field Studies in Conservation Biology class added to the pollinator meadow by filling in some gaps in our Phase 1 area by planting our greenhouse grown native species. We planted these in the early evening of May 30th and watered them regularly for the next 10 days. Photos by Josh Kouri, teaching assistant
The pollinator meadow is thriving in this usually wet spring and early summer. I can’t say if we would have had as much success with seed germination or perennial plant growth without the abundant rain we have received this season. During the two week period May 28-June 7, I observed over 17 butterfly species in … More Pollinator Meadow – early summer
Phase 1 of the pollinator meadow that we planted with perennials during the summer of 2018 was filled with leaves that needed to be raked in the early spring. This revealed a lot of bare dirt that is good for ground nesting bees and annual seeds to sprout. Not much was available in this section … More Spring in the Pollinator Meadow – April-May 2019
Mid-December we held a field day to collect and plant seeds in the second phase of our pollinator meadow at the OU Biological Station at Lake Texoma. Students and private landowners helped to gather seeds from a nearby remnant prairie and spread them in a newly solarized patch of ground.
Last week I had the privilege to attend the Tribal Alliance for Pollinators workshop in northeast Oklahoma. TAP provides training and technical support for tribes throughout North America that want to conserve and restore grassland ecosystems in order to help threatened pollinators and to preserve the native plants that serve as the foundation for Indigenous … More Inspiration for Pollinators
Priscilla H. C. Crawford 