Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy

09/02/2026

We got a lot of field mowed in preparation for burning. Thank you volunteers!

08/23/2026

Join us on Sept. 9th, 6-8pm, for a presentation on Wildlife Ecology & Management with Chris Cold. Afterwards, eligible hunters can pick up their hunting pass for the upcoming 2026 hunting season.

This is a free event, but registration is requested: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/standing-cedars-wildlife-ecology-and-management

Explore how wildlife, forests, and prairies fit together at Standing Cedars. Chris Cold will present a comprehensive account of the needs of wildlife and the factors which regulate wildlife populations. He will describe the physical and biological components of forests, wetlands and grasslands and the methods employed by agencies and individuals in managing landscapes to achieve an appropriate richness and abundance of species. Learn the values of wildlife and the sound justification for the continued tenure of wildlife in our communities. As a retired wildlife technician and educator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Wildlife Management, Cold is well qualified to discuss the practice of predator control, and predator/prey relationships. Cold is a proponent of active participation in wildlife-based recreation and harvest activities. He will briefly discuss hunter ethics and the future of hunting, trapping and fishing.

Free event. Sandwiches and beverages will be available for registered attendees.
Date: Wednesday, September 9th
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Doors open at 6:00PM, with the program beginning at 6:30PM.
Location: The Prairie Center, 229 280th St, Osceola, WI (just north of the main Engelwood parking lot)

Note: To have earned a hunting pass, volunteers must have fulfilled the hours requirement for the year. To learn more about how to get a permit visit standingcedars.org

08/22/2026

Those volunteers who have completed the required hours to earn a Standing Cedars hunting permit, and would like to pick up an archery tag can do so August 25th, at 6 PM, the Prairie Center, 229 280th Street, Osceola, WI 54020.

08/15/2026

The sky is pretty dark at our properties, and we like it that way. There are many astronomy websites, but if you want a local group to connect with, check out Dark Sky Wisconsin.

Introducing DarkSky Wisconsin Wisconsin’s DarkSky International Chapter Save the Night Light pollution is the excessive and misdirected...

08/13/2026

The sky is starting to clear, just in time for the meteor shower show tonight! Join us at Engelwood around 9:30 PM, and stay as long as you like. Mike Brown is bringing his big scope for viewing the night sky.

Photo from ESA/Hubble--Butterfly Nebula, NGC 6302

08/04/2026

The wind makes the prairie come alive, and keeps the bugs away 🦟 .

08/04/2026

The colors of summer are in full bloom in the prairie. Remember to watch for poison ivy.

07/15/2026

We are so lucky that the St. Croix and other area lakes and rivers have wild rice beds. Do what you can to protect Wisconsin's native plants and culture.

The DNR encourages shoreline owners to recognize and protect wild rice growing near their properties.

Wild rice is important to the culture, identity and spirituality of many Tribal Nations in Wisconsin and provides a rich food source and habitat for wildlife.

Here are a few steps you can take to avoid impacting wild rice. Be aware that any removal or destruction of wild rice requires approval from the DNR.

– Maintain one direct path to your dock that avoids the thickest areas of wild rice.
– Operate boats at slow, no-wake speeds near wild rice beds with the motor raised as high as possible. Wild rice is especially vulnerable this time of year. The rice will likely have leaves growing above the water and become more visible as a grass growing out of the water.
– Avoid activities that disturb the shoreland and harm wild rice, such as installation of rip rap, boat shelters and dredging.
– Keep your dock as small as possible if you have wild rice along your shore.

Learn more about wild rice in Wisconsin: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/rice

07/06/2026

Lead plant is flowering now, have you seen this plant at one of the Standing Cedars properties?

Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

Leadplant is a native wildflower at home in Wisconsin’s dry prairies and oak savannas, its silver-gray foliage and slender purple flower spikes offering both beauty and ecological depth. As a native legume, it plays a foundational role in prairie ecosystems by fixing nitrogen in the soil, enriching lean, sandy substrates, and supporting a wide array of pollinators and herbivores. Its deep, woody roots—sometimes reaching over ten feet—anchor soil and prevent erosion, making it especially valuable in restoration efforts on degraded slopes or drought-prone sites. Fire-adapted and long-lived, leadplant responds vigorously to prescribed burns, often increasing in abundance after fire. Its presence is a sign of a well-managed prairie, one that has escaped the pressures of overgrazing or prolonged neglect.

Ecologically, leadplant is generous. Its midsummer blooms attract a diversity of native pollinators, including solitary bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. The specialist bee Andrena quintilis relies heavily on leadplant for pollen. It also serves as a larval host for several butterfly caterpillars, such as the silver spotted skipper, gray hairstreak, and hoary edge, as well as some moth caterpillars, including the leadplant flower moth and the southern dogface sulfur. Its foliage feeds grasshoppers, beetles, and leafhoppers, and it is a favored browse for deer and rabbits, especially in its early years before stems become woody.

In cultivation, it prefers full sun and well-drained soils—sandy, gravelly, or loamy—and is highly drought-tolerant once established. Seeds require cold stratification or fall sowing to break dormancy, and germination is slow, often taking two to three years before flowering. Transplants or plugs can speed establishment, though young plants benefit from protection against browsing. Once mature, leadplant is low-maintenance and resilient, thriving in lean soils where other plants might falter. In a Wisconsin landscape, it pairs beautifully with other native species such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), prairie blazing star (Liatris pycnostachya), purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). These companions not only complement leadplant’s form and bloom time but also reinforce the ecological integrity of a native planting.

Sources:

USDA PLANTS Database – Amorpha canescens

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Amorpha canescens

Illinois Wildflowers – Leadplant (Amorpha canescens)

Minnesota Wildflowers – Amorpha canescens

Flora of North America – Amorpha canescens

Discover Life – Andrena quintilis

BugGuide – Andrena quintilis

Wagner – Caterpillars of Eastern North America

Moth Photographers Group – Leadplant Flower Moth (Schinia lucens)

Butterflies and Moths of North America – Host Plant Records

Tallgrass Prairie Center – Fire Ecology

Wisconsin DNR – Prairie Management

The Prairie Ecologist – Legumes and Fire

Aldo Leopold Foundation – Prairie Legumes

UW–Madison Herbarium – Wisconsin Flora

Wisconsin State Herbarium – Species Pages

06/05/2026

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the first annual volunteer and donor appreciation event at The Prairie Center. It was terrific to see old and new friends, and share good food, beverages and stories. It was a beautiful evening.