In recent years, our region (Upper Midwest, United States) has benefitted from increasing awareness of native plants and initiatives such as plantings on public and private land to increase their extent and many benefits. However, while this region historically featured a rich tapestry of forest, woodland, wetland and aquatic plant communities, most planting/restoration efforts on upland areas have involved native herbaceous prairie grasses and forbs. Prairie species are indeed compelling choices for a native planting. Prairie restoration projects can help to reverse the historical near complete destruction of prairies as a consequence of agricultural and urban development. Prairie plants respond relatively fast, often maturing within just a couple of years to beautify the landscape with rich displays of flowers and foliage textures while also providing wildlife habitat and many other benefits.

Native woody plants, however, deserve more attention. Successive waves of introduced tree pathogens and pests have selectively killed off millions of forest canopy trees, an issue that may be addressed in part through planting of a wider diversity of native tree species. Land use changes have also tended to impede the natural reproduction of Oaks (Quercus spp.), the native trees arguably having the greatest ecological value. Native shrubs have likewise suffered from environmental change. Millions of acres of forest and woodland have been severely degraded by the advance of non-native, invasive shrubs such as Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), Amur Honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) and Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). Open areas and property boundaries in urban and suburban areas often come to be colonized by these invasive shrubs along with just a few weedy native trees, such as Boxelder (Acer negundo) and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra).

The following lists particularly compelling features of native shrubs as home garden and habitat restoration plants:

• Bird food sources – many native shrubs provide berries as food sources for birds and other wildlife, in some cases persisting on the plant well into the lean winter months (e.g. Highbush Cranberry [Viburnum trilobum])
• Insect nectar and foliage hosts –

Few traces of the prehistoric world capture the imagination like fossilized Dinosaur bones. While the history of life on Earth extends to more than 4 billion years ago, it was during the relatively recent Mesozoic Era (251.9 to 66.0 million years ago) that the Dinosaurs evolved with their fantastic variety of reptilian forms and sometimes colossal proportions. In life, the largest Dinosaurs must have been imposing sights to see, and they currently attract the most research attention. But study of smaller species may inform additional palaeocology insights.

The smallest known non-avian dinosaurs are a few related species in Genus Microraptor, four-winged dromaeosaurids described from fossils unearthed in Northern China. These very little creatures were only about 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) in size and probably arboreal. While fossil beds in China and Mongolia, among other localities, have yielded numerous other small dinosaurs, until recently North American species skewed larger in size with few smaller than about 50 pounds (23 killograms). This status changed with the 2009 description of Hesperonychus elizabethae. Fossils of this animal, collected in 1982, are fragmentary, with only a partial hip bone and a few toe bones, but they were determined to have come from fully-grown individuals, rather than hatchlings or juveniles, and indicated an adult size of only about 4.2 pounds (1.9 kilograms). With a localities in the Oldman Formation and Dinosaur Park Foundation, H. elizabethe fossils are dated to about 75 million years ago in the Campanian Stage of the Late Cretaceous Epoch.

This project was built as a speculative Hesperonychus elizabethae habitat in a roomy (24″ X 24″ X 32″ [61cm X 61cm X 81cm]) glass enclosure combining live terrarium plants with diorama elements. Plant selections are intended to represent the species diversity of a Cretaceous forest with Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) saplings, Ferns (Pteridophyta) and early-diverging flowering plants (Angiosperms). While it can attain enormous proportions, Coast Redwood adapts well as a terrarium plant. It requires only moderate lighting and, unlike many other conifers, responds well to pruning.

Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) trunk pieces on sturdy plastic bases recreate the stems of towering ancient Redwoods, while a natural conifer leaf litter completes the forest scene. Oval-shaped Hesperonychus elizabethae eggs, arranged in a characteristic Theropod ring shape on a low mound, were first built as 3D models, then turned as smooth shapes on a wood lathe. A 2-part flexible silicone mold was poured around these to subsequently cast numerous additional copies in hard epoxy. Sanded smooth and with a finish of light mint green paint, the speculative replica eggs seem to create a convincing effect. There are no known fossilized H. elizabethae eggs, but based on fossil nest remains of related Dinosaur taxa and comparison with the eggs of modern birds, I designed the egg shape to have about 1 cubic inch of volume. This is about 1/2 of the volume of an egg from a bird, such as a small Chicken, having the same size as H. elizabethae.

The edaphotron visualizes an under-appreciated process, the formation of soils, with a wall-mount enclosure, natural materials, live organisms and electronic components. Bonsai soil gravel simulates weathered rock parent material, slowly blending with organic matter created as invertebrate animals, fungi and bacteria decompose forest leaf litter. A microcontroller and other parts in a t-slot array monitor temperature, humidity and volatile gas composition inside of the edaphotron, while also driving air pump air circulation.

Day 1, 10 October 2023.

We hung up a single piece in the Textile Arts Center of Madison non-juried members show, Interwoven, September 13-October 18, 2024. There was beautiful work on display, including intricate embroidery, lovely hand-stitching and explorations of natural fibers.

Our piece, Vented Mini Edo Dako, Ultralight Construction, is an edolito-style kite in ripstop nylon, dacron tape and carbon fiber exploring traditional Japanese kite designs. With the multi-line Edo bridle invoking nautical and architectural themes it stays aloft with a lively, dancing flight.