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MPG North

MPG North

Protecting Open Space for Future Generations

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MPG North Field Note - Summer 2021

Beau Larkin shares summer observations of growing shrubs, toppled trees, and hanging spiders.

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Tiny bunchberry plants thrust their fruits above a collar of leaves, just a few inches from the ground

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A boxelder’s canopy spreads fleshy leaves near Home Pond.

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In July, many needles had yellowed and dropped, and new growth looked stunted, on girdled conifers near Home Pond.

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A winter storm snapped this Douglas-fir just above a dwarf mistletoe infestation.

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Many large trees blew down last winter, but this spruce fell between my recent visits on June 29th and July 13th

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This fresh cone is the first I’ve seen on a planted white pine at MPG North

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Sunlight bakes the planted exclosure near Old Camp, and competitive grasses gulp spring moisture.

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Rich, spongy soil from Entrance Marsh has alleviated some of the harshness of this site.

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The pink outline shows where the field crew applied the herbicide clopyralid to Canada thistle and mullein.

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Inside the pink circle, dense grasses have so far excluded weeds

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Non-native Deptford-pink abounds this year.

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I noticed a bowl-and-doily spider hanging upside down in its dome shaped web, waiting for prey

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 I’ve noticed goldenrod in all restoration areas this year, its sudden abundance surprising me.
Posted on 8/13/2021 by Beau Larkin

Habitat Types: 

  • Deciduous Woodlands
  • Grassland or Open
  • Mixed Conifer

Locations: 

  • Entrance Marsh
  • Entrance Meadow
  • Home Pond

Related

  • MPG North Field Note - Entrance Marsh and Upland Restoration
  • MPG North Field Note - Entrance Marsh and Upland Restoration
  • Cooney Creek Wildlife - White-tail Deer Rut

Photos

Thistle
In early September, MPG teamed up with researchers at the U.S Forest Service Dorena Genetic Resource Center (GRC) in Cottage Grove, OR, to explore the endophytic communities of five needle pines and their relationship to blister rust resistance. At Dorena
Deptford-pink, by Jeff Clarke

About MPG North

Established in 2005, the property boundary at MPG North encloses 200 undeveloped acres in Western Montana’s Swan Valley. Researchers and field staff manage the property to improve habitat quality for wildlife, discover new ways to restore damaged landscapes and study forest ecology. We also create opportunities to share what we've learned with local conservation organizations, students of all ages, management agencies and volunteers. Through these education and outreach efforts, we seek to inspire others to work together and protect undeveloped landscapes.