Yard & Garden Line News
Volume 5 Number 6                                                               May 1, 2003
Features this issue:
 How Will Climate Change Affect Birds in Minnesota?
Tip Toe Through Broken Tulips
Watch for Ants Swarms in Spring
The Garden Ecosystem: Role of Insects
Gifts for Moms Who Garden
Backyard Composting CD-ROM Is Now Available
Editorial Notes


How Will Climate change Affect Birds in Minnesota?
Tammy Mercer, Wildlife Technician, Bell Museum of Natutral History

White Throated Sparrow Photo credit: Lisa Hyatt
During a Minnesota winter with temperatures plunging near zero and winds howling, it is tempting to think that global warming might not be such a bad thing. But increasing temperatures could have a devastating impact on those features that make our landscape special: our 10,000+ lakes and wetlands, prairies, deciduous forests, and particularly our coniferous forests. In addition, changes in the climate combined with changes in the landscape will certainly mean changes for wildlife as well, and many of our favorite birds may no longer show their colors and sing their songs in Minnesota. In fact, many species of animals and plants may not survive the changes at all.

Global warming is happening. While some still debate the cause, there is overwhelming evidence that human activities are having a significant impact on our climate, greatly accelerating the rate of warming. As Minnesota temperatures rise, it is not clear how rainfall will be affected. Will Minnesota be dry, leaving us with a climate more like the southwest? Or will it be wet, with a climate more like the southeast? More importantly, will the climate warm too rapidly for Minnesota birds and the habitats they require to adapt?

Within Minnesota, three major habitats meet: the prairie in the southwest, the deciduous forest stretching from southeast to northwest, and the northern coniferous or boreal forest in the northeast. This diversity of habitats gives Minnesota a rich diversity of wildlife.

Each of these habitats receives different amounts of rainfall and has different temperature regimes. Global climate change will alter the boundaries of these habitats, which will in turn change the landscapes of Minnesota (Weflen, 2001).

Nashville Warbler. Photo credit: Lisa Hyatt
Many birds have expanded their ranges northward in recent decades, including the northern cardinal and the red-bellied woodpecker (Janssen, 1992). Many warblers have already shifted farther north, and projections show that dozens of birds will be forced completely out of Minnesota and into Canada, including vireos, flycatchers, blackbirds, finches, the boreal chickadee and the red-breasted nuthatch (Williams, 2000).

Those birds that are generalists, such as the house sparrow and American crow that can live in a variety of habitats and conditions, will be able to adapt to changes more easily. However those that require specific habitat conditions will have a much more difficult time surviving the climate changes.

Birds are far more mobile than trees and other plants upon which they depend. Birds can fly farther north to escape the warmer temperatures. However they may not find the plants and insects they need when they arrive.

With warming temperatures, each of Minnesota's major habitats will likely move northward. Coniferous forest will likely be replaced by deciduous forest species, and the deciduous forest replaced by oak savanna and prairie species. However, it will not be a simple shift of habitats. Projections show that the climate will change much faster than trees and other plants can move. Also, soils may not readily support the incoming species of plants.

The seeds of trees, shrubs, and understory plants are spread in a variety of ways, including wind, mammals and birds. Some species spread much more slowly than others. Those species with heavy nuts are likely to spread more slowly than those spread by birds. The result will be forests with less diversity of vegetation that will support less diversity of animals.

Common Yellow Throated Warbler Photo credit: Lisa Hyatt
The coniferous forest will likely be the first to decline. Spruce and fir trees will likely die out before trees of the deciduous forest can spread northward. The result will be a habitat that is far less diverse, and less likely to support a variety of birds. Those of you with cabins or homes in this part of Minnesota are likely to see fewer of the beautiful wood warblers and other songbirds nesting in your area.

The glaciers from the lasts ice age left a large expanse of prairie potholes - lakes and marshes of various sizes throughout the prairies of Minnesota, the Dakotas and extending into Canada. These potholes are significant migration rest-stops and breeding areas for a variety of waterfowl. Unless global warming is accompanied by a significant increase in rainfall, many of these wetlands could shrink or dry up completely, greatly reducing the breeding success of many ducks and geese.

The bobolink is a lively bird that nests throughout Minnesota in prairies and fields. According to a study referenced by the Environmental Protection Agency website (2003), the southern edge of the bobolink breeding range could move from northern Missouri to Northern Minnesota with a doubling of the levels of carbon dioxide.

Many of the birds we enjoy in MN will be susceptible to changes in their wintering grounds and all along their migration routes. The wet and dry seasons in the tropics could be altered, affecting food supplies and other conditions in their wintering grounds. Birds need places where they can stop to rest and refuel during their long migrations. Those forests, wetlands, and other habitats will likely be altered, jeopardizing the survival of many migrants. A rise in sea level could affect the coastal conditions where our state bird, the common loon, and other waterfowl spend the winter.

Humans have already stressed populations of many animals and plants with habitat destruction and fragmentation, pollution, introduction of invasive species, fire suppression, pesticide use, etc. When rapid changes to climate are added, small, isolated, and otherwise stressed populations of plants and animals may no longer have the genetic diversity or resiliency to adapt to changes and survive.

Cardinal. Photo credit: U of M Extension Service
There are many economic consequences of global warming and the loss of bird diversity. Bird and wildlife watching generates billions of dollars each year. Another consequence will be the loss of pest control services provided by birds. Without a variety of warblers and other songbirds, populations of insect pests, such as spruce budworm, could devastate remaining plant populations.

It is hard for us to comprehend the kind of changes that scientists are predicting will result from global warming. However it is likely many of us will see significant changes within our lifetimes. The northward expansion of the northern cardinal is one change that many of us have enjoyed. However we may loose many of the variety of birds that enrich our lives each year in Minnesota.

References:
Janssen, Robert B. 1992. Birds in Minnesota. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, MN.
Tester, John R. 1995. Minnesota's Natural Heritage. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, MN.
Weflen, Kathleen. The Crossroads of Climate Change. Minnesota Conservation Volunteer. January-February 2001. p. 8-21.
Williams, Jim. 2000. Global Warming and Our Birds; Minnesota's Environment Will Feel the Heat. Minnesota Birding 37(2)
Climate Change and Birds. 2003. American Bird Conservancy. Boulder, CO. http://www.abcbirds.org/climatechange/. Accessed 4/22/03.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2003. Global Warming - Impacts http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/Impacts. Accessed 2/27/03.

Tip Toe Through Broken Tulips
Janna Beckerman, Extension Plant Pathologist

Broken tulips commonly occur where stone fruit trees are planted. Aphids that feed on these trees, feed on and transmit the virus that causes the color break. Photo credit:  Janna Beckerman
After a long, hard winter, nothing makes us happier than our spring blooming tulips. In fact, springtime in Minnesota could be described as "tulipmania." However, "tulipmania" in modern-day Minnesota is nothing compared to the "tulipmania" of 17th century Netherlands.

The tulip was not reported to have arrived to the Netherlands until the 1590's. By the 1600's "tulipmania" had gripped the entire nation, and the price of a single bulb would be equal to an entire house. And although the 17th century is often referred to as "The Age of Reason," there was nothing reasonable about the "tulipmania" that had taken over the Netherlands. At the center of this social maelstrom were "broken" tulips, also called "Bizarres" and "Bybloemens." No, we're not talking about Minnesota tulips, beheaded by squirrels and rabbits, but the tulips depicted in Dutch still-life paintings by the "Dutch Masters," that depict dark tulips with streaks of color. The reason so many pictures of tulips exist is because the soaring cost and the frailty of both plant and flower led owners to commission paintings of their beauty. Many of the paintings were more affordable than the tulips themselves!

Although easily obtained today, tulips pose a challenge for the 17th century cultivator. Plant breeders could not quickly breed these broken tulips. Tulips take seven years to produce a flowering bulb from seed. Seed is a sexual product, the offspring of two parents, and consists of the traits of both parents. Therefore, seed does not tend to breed true. Furthermore, all tulips from seed start as solid colored flowers. The "magic" as it were, was the ability of some flowers to suddenly "break" into a riot of color. These most highly prized "broken tulips" were rarities and could not be bred, only propagated by bulbs and bulbils(offshoots) that have the same characteristics as the parent bulb, and often the same infections. It was recognized that tulips grown by fruit trees had a higher incidence of "break." In the early 1600s, it was found that grafting bulbs together transmitted the "break" from "broken tulips" to solid colored bulbs.

Tulip break was one of the first identified virus-induced plant disease. Although at least five viruses have been identified to cause "tulip break," the primary causative agent is tulip breaking virus, which is transmitted by aphids. Unfortunately, the Dutch tulip growers who began to dominate the trade in the 1600s had no way of knowing this. Back then, growers did notice a higher incidence of break when tulips were planted in the orchards of stone fruit trees, like peaches. Plant viruses, like the tulip break virus, have not evolved a mechanism to actively penetrate the plant cell wall. These viruses depend on the help of aphids that also feed on stone fruit trees, to enter the tulip. Once inside the plant, the viruses rapidly reproduce, with the infection spreading throughout the entire plant. Symptoms of tulip break vary with cultivar, age of plant and time of infection. The patterns are often described as stripes, feathers, flames and streaks. It is not known if the virus-induced patterns reflect the actual distribution of the virus in the flower.

Close-up of broken tulip. Photo credit: Janna Beckerman
When examining plant disease, we often divide the world into two camps: "We good; Pathogens evil." Fungi, bacteria and viruses have evolved to sicken, kill and ultimately recycle our plants and ourselves. However, in the long run, microbes have a shared interest in their hosts' survival. Let's face it: A dead host is a dead end for the pathogen. To quote Joshua Lederberg "Domesticating the host is the better long-term strategy for pathogens." This is precisely what the tulip break virus did to the 17th century people of the Netherlands.

Today, "broken tulips," like 'Union Jack', ''Sorbet', or 'Rembrandt Tulip Mix' are the result of breeding, not virus infection. However, some gardeners insist that true broken tulips have patterns that are clearer, and that the delineation between the colors is sharper. In fact, virus infected tulips are no longer commercially available (There is one cultivar available on line which the sellers claim is an original "broken" tulip, complete with virus. The cultivar is called 'Zommerschoon'), which is probably a good thing in light of the fact that the virus is lethal in lilies, and infected tulips have reduced vigor, and variable flower color. Today, to keep your tulips healthy, plant them in well-drained soil to a depth at least 6 to 8 inches during fall planting. And remember to dig up and destroy broken bulbs quickly, before aphids spread the virus to other bulbs. However, if you are a lover of classic broken tulips, plant them under a stone fruit tree and sit back and wait for your flowers to break. That is, if the squirrels even let them flower!

Please check out the new diagnostics web pages at
http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/diagnostics/

Watch for Ants Swarms in Spring
Jeff Hahn, Assistant Extension Entomologist

Carpenter ant queen Photo credits: Jeff Hahn
Virtually all ant species swarm. A swarm is composed of many winged queens and males. Queens are easy to recognize because they are the largest members of a nest and they possess normal-sized heads. Males are smaller than queens, sometimes not much larger than workers. The have heads that are proportionately smaller than their bodies. Queens and males are the reproductive castes of a colony.

Ants swarmers should not be confused for termites swarmers. Termites are uncommon in Minnesota and are generally seen only in the southern third of the state. Swarmers are rarely seen. There are several characteristics you can use to distinguish between the two insects. First examine where the thorax (the middle section of an insect) is attached to the abdomen. In ants, there is a noticeable ‘waist' while in termites the two areas are broadly joined and it is difficult to tell where are section ends and the other begins. Also ants have elbowed antennae, i.e. there is an obvious bend in them while termites have straight antennae. Both insects have four wings but in ants the first pair of wings are considerably longer than the second pair while in termites both pairs of wings are of equal size.

Ant nests produce queens and males during certain times of the year. Eventually these reproductives move out of the colony and mate. The queens then fly away to search for favorable sites to begin their own nests while the males die soon after mating. Different ant species swarm at different times of the year. There are several species that may be seen during spring.

The most commonly encountered spring swarmers are carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are important because of their habit of nesting in wood, including homes and other buildings, potentially causing structural damage. Carpenter ant queens are generally big, up to 5/8th inch in size, and black. However, there is a carpenter ant species commonly found in homes that is smaller, their queens are about 3/8th inch long. Carpenter ant swarms are seen from April into June.

False  honey ants, queen, male, worker. Photo credits: Jeff Hahn
Another ant that may be seen during spring is the false honey ant. Queens are relatively small, measuring no more than 3/16th inch long. They swarm in April and May. Unlike carpenter ants, false honey ants nest in the soil, especially in open, well shaded sites. They are also occasionally found concealed under objects, such as stones, logs, or concrete. False honey ants are not know to nest indoors, although they could be found underneath the concrete slab of a home.

Yellow ants can also be found swarming in the spring. Queens are a lemon yellow to reddish brown in color and measure about 1/4 - 5/16th inch long. Mating swarms can occur anytime from April until August. Yellow ants nest in the soil and can be found in foundation walls and under concrete slab construction. Workers are rarely seen indoors.

You may also see pavement ants swarms which are seen typically from May to July. They also nest in the soil, particularly under objects such as concrete and slab construction. Queens are about 1/4 inch long and are dark brown. Ironically, pavement ant swarmers may be more commonly seen in homes during winter than during warm weather.

When you find winged ants indoors that indicates an ant nest is inside your home or at least underneath of it under slab construction. The only immediate action you need to take is physical removal of the swarmers, e.g. by vacuuming. The swarms are short-lived and go away on their own after a few days. By themselves, winged ants are not harmful to you or your home.

But you should be sure what species is present. False honey ants, yellow ants, and pavement ants are just a nuisance and you may not even see workers inside your home. Once you remove any swarmers you find you do not need to try to control their nest.

However, if you discover a carpenter ant swarm indoors, that tells you there is a nest inside your home. Because of the damage they potentially can cause, it is important to eliminate the nest. This is usually best left for a professional pest control service. Keep in mind that if you find just one or two queens in your home, this does not constitute a swarm. These are just individuals that have dispersed from the original swarm and are looking to start a nest - one does not already exist.

It can be difficult to identify winged ants. If you are unsure what ant species you have, send it to an specialist to identify.

Get the low down on this month's insect pests at Insects http://www.extension.umn.edu/projects/yardandgarden/EntWeb/Ent.htm


The Garden Ecosystem: Role of Insects
Sponsored by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Snyder Building Auditorium
Saturday, June 7, 2003 (8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.)


The Insects and Gardens book.
Plants and insects live interdependently to create a unique ecosystem that is often taken for granted. What we do in a man-manipulated environment such as a garden can sustain or disrupt the balance. Many insects are important to plants as pollinators and as predators of harmful insects. This symposium is designed for landscape architects, government planners, nursery representatives, scientists, horticulturists, naturalists, other professionals, community volunteer groups, and gardeners to gain a better understanding of insect ecology so we can become better stewards of the ecosystem.

Join us for this full day symposium and hear presentations on: Insects and Gardeners: Living in Harmony (Dr.Eric Grissell, entomologist and author of "Insects and Gardens"), Vanishing Pollinators and Biodiversity (Dr. Carll Goodpasture, entomologist and photographer of "Insects and Gardens"), and Beneficial and Pesky Social Insects (Dr. Colleen Cannon, entomologist and Assistant Professor in Dept. of Entomology, University of Minnesota).

Class fee: $75 for Arboretum members and nonmembers. Fee includes gate admission, continental breakfast, lunch, and handouts. (= 4.5 Professional Development Hours)

For more information: call 952-443-1422 or e-mail: education@arboretum.umn.edu

Registration form

The Garden Ecosystem: Role of Insects - 2003

_____ $75 Arboretum members and nonmembers
(Fee includes gate admission, continental breakfast, lunch, and handouts)

Make check payable to MN Landscape Arboretum or:
Charge my  ____Visa    ____ Mastercard

Signature ______________________________

Card #_______________________________  Expiration_____/_____

Name on card_____________________________________________

Name ________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________ Zip code ______________________

Phone (day) __________________________________ e-mail ___________________________

Send to:  Classes
MN Landscape Arboretum
PO Box 39
Chanhassen, MN 55317

The Arboretum is hosting the Dave Rogers' "Big Bugs" exhibition from May 2 to September 28. For information on this unique display, go to: http://www.arboretum.umn.edu/whtsnw/bboverview.htm

Gifts for Moms Who Garden
Deborah Brown, Extension Horticulturist

Plant a planter! Photo credit: Deb Brown
'Lemon Lights' Azalea.
Photo credit: U of M Extension Service
Mother's Day is coming soon – Sunday, May 11th.

Flowers are a traditional Mother's Day gift. Remember back to grade school when you started a marigold seed in a dixie cup for your mom? A gift of flowers has always been a gift of love, and it's no less true today, than when you were little. If your mom gardens, all it takes to find her a great gift is a trip to your favorite garden center, or to the bountiful farmers' markets in downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul.

What kind of flowers to give mom? There are so many choices. A flowering hibiscus would be perfect for a sunny window; it can go outdoors to the deck or balcony as temperatures warm. For a long lasting indoor gift, choose a pretty wicker basket filled with foliage plants and one or two brightly colored flowering plants for accent. The houseplants will look great long after the flowering plants have passed their prime and have been thrown out.

You can't go wrong with a bouquet of spring blooms or elegant roses, but if your mother loves to garden, she may prefer a rose bush to plant outdoors. Or maybe a hardy Northern Lights azalea, hybrid lilac, or Princess Kay ornamental plum. Even an inexpensive cymbidium orchid corsage from the supermarket will convey your love in a time-honored way.

A hanging basket of impatiens, wave petunias, fan flowers, or other brightly colored annuals is particularly nice if your mom has limited in-ground space for gardening. You can also buy pre-assembled flower gardens in large containers, or choose an attractive container and plant some of your mom's favorite flowers in it yourself.

If you're looking for something a little more unusual, why not give herb plants? They're fragrant, attractive, and useful. And you can put together a gift to suit any budget, from a single rosemary plant in a decorative wrapping to a collection of plants grouped together in a pretty wicker basket. (Tuck a blooming geranium into the basket for color.) You could tailor-make your gift by choosing herbs for Italian cooking, herbs for teas, or herbs for sachets or potpourri.

Or give an array of different herbs in small containers. Then offer to transplant them outdoors to your mom's garden in a week or two, when the soil is warmer. Or plant several in a large pot to be grown on a sunny deck or balcony. She could even grow some herbs on her kitchen window sill – provided it's bright enough – then pluck off fresh leaves all summer to use in cooking and for making salads.

Last but not least, consider buying mom an ergonomically correct garden tool that will make her gardening easier. Many tools are scaled smaller for women's hands; often their handles have foam padding for ease of gripping. Others have handles that adjust to the perfect length. There are also several designs of short carts or stools on wheels that combine storage space with room for sitting, and thick foam rectangles and knee pads for kneeling. The list of possibilities is almost endless – and these gifts are sure to be appreciated.

Backyard Composting CD-ROM Is Now Available
Tom Halbach, Extension Specialist--Composting

A comprehensive guide to backyard composting has been created by the University of Minnesota, Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, Extension Unit. This interactive CD-ROM includes photographs, movies, and animated diagrams to explain the key concepts of backyard composting.

Two levels of text will meet the needs of homeowners as well as master gardeners, students, teachers, and anyone who loves to compost. Narrated by Mark Seeley, Extension's State Climatologist and weather commentator on Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Edition, the CD covers from the history of composting, to tips on producing better compost in less time.

Whether you're interested in trying composting for the first time or if you have years of practical experience you will find new illustrations, and references that will help you become a better composter.

The Backyard Composting CD-ROM version 1.03 runs on personal computers that have the Windows operating systems 98; 2000; ME; or XP. The central processing unit (CPU) needs to be a Pentium 300 MHz or faster. The minimum random access memory (RAM) size is 64 MB. In order to hear the narration and sounds on the CD-ROM you must have a sound card and speakers that operate in Windows. The current version 1.03 does not run on Apple personal computers. We hope to have an Apple version available by June 1, 2003.

The price is just $19.95 + s&h from the Yard and Garden Line. Visit our web site http://www.compost.umn.edu/ for more information. Fill out the order form and mail it with your check. Buy yours today!

Editorial Notes

Muscari
latifolium
Photo credit: Netherland
Flower
Bulb Info
'Carnagie' hyacinths with M. latifolium for contrast. Photo credit:  Beth Jarvis
I just returned from a trip to New York City and eastern Pennsylvania. They were not much ahead of us, if at all, spring-wise. The forsythia were dazzling as were the ornamental cherries and plums and, of course, the magnolias, like Star magnolias which are hardy here (Zone 4), and those huge saucer magnolias, that generally aren't.

The weather turned nasty just before Easter but happily the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden both have lovely conservatories for horticultural respite.

Some of the bulb growers are shipping catalogs now while we're all admiring the spring bulb flowers. The bulbs will be delivered for fall planting. Perhaps, to whet your imagination, I offer the following images. The photos at left are of a two-toned grape hyacinth like those I saw everywhere last spring in Holland and an example of it being used in a bed with some 'Carnagie' Dutch hyacinths at Keukenhof. The blue grape hyacinth really set off the colors of the other spring bulbs. Grape hyacinths also seem to last along time in the garden, giving a bigger bang for the buck than some wimpier plants.

I am really impressed with Lisa Hyatt's bird photos. It takes a lot of skill, patience and equipment to get that close to wild birds. I'm pleased that sneaking up on Shasta daisies to photograpah them is a whole lot easier!

We're back to twice a month publication, so the deadlines come thick and fast. In the next issue, we'll have a piece on landscape design. For June 1, Doug Foulk will once again share his knowledge of fruit trees. This tme, he'll be writing about plums.

Please feel free to cut and paste any of the articles for use in your own newsletters. All we ask is that you give our authors credit.

Back issues Yard & Garden Line News are on the Yard & Garden Line home page at www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/. Our home page has clickable links to most of the components of the Yard & Garden Line, such as Bell Museum of Natural History, INFO U and the Soil Testing Lab.

Deb Brown answers gardening questions on Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) "Midmorning" program on the first Thursday of every month at 10 a.m. Katherine Lanpher hosts the program that is broadcast on KNOW 91.1 FM, and available state-wide on the MPR news radio stations.

If you have gardening questions, please call the Yard & Garden Line at (612) 624-4771.

If you would like to receive an e-mail reminder when the next issue of the Yard & Garden Line News is posted to the web, just send an e-mail to: listserv@lists.umn.edu (note: the second E in listserve is omitted), leave the subject line blank, then in the body of the message, type: sub yglnewslist or to unsubscribe, enter: unsub yglnewslist

Happy gardening!

Beth Jarvis
Yard & Garden Line Project Coordinator


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