Winter Sowing to Restore a Wetland

Wetland restoration is an important endeavor. Indiana is a state of rivers, lakes, and watershed areas.  The state was originally 24% wetland area. 85% of the original wetlands have been drained and farmed. Wetlands are important. They provide plant and animal diversity; they filter water keeping it healthy. They mitigate flooding.  The Eagle Marsh preserve, part of Little River Wetlands Project, is a success story in urban wetland restoration.

Restoration requires the removal of invasive plants and animals that can limit food sources, reduce biological diversity, and out compete native species.  Restoration requires restoring water to the area. This might seem obvious but the land being restored is often drained wetland that was then converted into farmland. Restoration requires increasing biological diversity. This includes the reintroduction of native plants. The plants in turn have the cascading effect of improving water quality, feeding pollinators and other species, and providing shelter for native animals. Recently at Eagle Marsh volunteers have participated in removing invasive plants and preparing native plants to be reintroduced to the wetland in the spring.

The new trails (10 and 11) of the new properties of Eagle Marsh served as the focus for the removal of invasive plants. Volunteers were first instructed on the task, on safety issues, and on procedures. This included the use of clippers, hand saws and power saws and the application of herbicides. From 10 a.m. until noon the team cut and treated over 250 invasive Buckthorn, Honeysuckle, Privet, and Multiflora Rose plants  

The very same afternoon Little River Wetlands Project hosted, at the Eagle Marsh barn, a class on winter sowing native plants. Mariah Russel taught the participants a technique for starting plants, outdoors, in the winter. The technique may be used with vegetables and flowers. I have used this method to successfully start vegetables for May planting. Winter sowing may begin as early as December. At the preserve the work begins even before the creation of winter sowing containers. First the seeds must be collected and prepared for planting. This includes the removal of any pests. During the class Mariah taught the group to use plastic containers as outdoor terrariums. Plastic milks jugs, plastic salad containers, and other one use plastic containers can all be used. The containers have holes drilled on their tops to allow for water and snow and on their bottom sides to allow for drainage. Milk jugs are cut in half (while maintaining a hinge for closing). Soil and plant seeds are added, the soil is lightly waters and the containers are then sealed. However, there must be openings on top for water.

The containers are then put outside in sunny areas.  It is important to check on them so they do not dry out. Snow can function as an insulator that helps keep the seeds warm. The seeds will germinate and begin to grow based on the weather and light conditions. Participants were able to create a container and to gather seed to bring home to begin a rain garden or a native plant garden or simply to increase pollinator food and shelter choices. 

Seeds that were available at the workshop included:
Spotted Joe Pyeweed
Swamp Rose Mallow
Cup Plant
Prairie Blazing Star
Blue Vervain
Foxglove Beardtongue
Obedient Plant
Yellow Coneflower
Canada Rye
Wild Senna
Bee Balm
Common Milkweed

Some of the participants were new to working with nnative palnts. Mariah provided the class with a number of online resources to assit in learning more about native plants and how to care for them. Some of the resources included:

A primary resource for learning more about Indiana native plants: Indiana Native Plants Society
One of the oldest sites for the advocacy of introducing native plants to your gardens:    Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The Botanic Garden of Texas
A site on how to collect native seeds. This is an important resource because purchasing native plants can be expensive. Collecting-Your-Own-Wildflower-Seeds.pdf  
A scientific focused resource: The Biota of North America
One of the most useful tool availble to a naturalist or citizen scientist:  iNaturalist 
A project that envisions all of us working together to drmatically increased biodiversity: Home Grown National Park 
 
Later in December volunteers gathered at the Eagle Marsh barn to build boxes for the winter sowing. The boxes were made from cedar. Again, before beginning the work safety procedures were reviewed. The boxes were three feet by five feet. Wire mesh as connected on both the top and bottom of the boxes. This allowed for the flow of air but also protected the seeds from hungry mice, moles and voles. 

This spring we will plant the native plants that we collected on the marsh as seeds and planted into the winter sowing boxes.  Restoration takes time and effort. The birds, amphibians and reptiles, deer, beaver, muskrat, otter thank us for that effort.