NATIVE CATTAILS ALONG HWY 13
NATIVE CATTAIL
EURASIAN CATTAIL
TUNDRA SWANS ON THE BAY AT ASHLANDFriday, 7:45 AM. 44 degrees, wind W, light. The channel is dimpled, the sky overcast and the barometer predicts rain.
We have two cattail species in Wisconsin, the native Typha latifolia and the Eurasian T. angustifolia, the former with wider leaves and larger fruit (the fuzzy cigar shaped “cattail”)), the later with narrow leaves and smaller fruit. The smaller cattail is used in floral decorations and that may or may not have been how it got here. In any case, the native is common to standing water and is rather circumspect in its habitat requirements, while the intruder is more adaptable. The real trouble arises when the two hybridize, which creates a very invasive plant that has a wider range of moisture tolerance and competes with the wild rice, Zizania aquatica, which is an important cultural and economic crop of the Ojibwe and other northern Indian tribes. There is evidence that the invasive hybrid can be controlled by cutting it beneath the surface of the water, but in any case it is a potentially serious problem. For a fuller discussion, see the winter ’09-'10 issue of “Mazinaigan, A Chronicle of the Ojibwe”, a very fine free publication available by calling 715-682-6619. $5.00 annual postage outside the US and Canada.
There were two dozen tundra swans on the bay at Ashland yesterday, enlarge the photo and you may be able to see them.
Blogs will be fewer due to deer hunting for the next nine days.
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