Fair Meadow Habitats LLC

02/06/2026

Winter mowing. Believe it or not these 2 words name an awesome prairie management tool! We often think of mowing as a summer task, such as when a homeowner mows the lawn, or when a farmer mows a hayfield. But take a prairie in need of help because of woody brush encroachment and 'winter mowing' becomes a top management choice.

Terry and Rita Socha are diligent managers of their property. As land stewards they actively work to improve and restore natural plant communities, which benefits the wildlife using those habitats. This in turn increases the Socha's enjoyment of their property which also benefits their quality of life. Their prairie gives them year around enjoyment.

Yet invasion by two exotic shrubs, autumn olive and common buckthorn had become a problem in their prairie. How to find a management solution for these difficult to control shrubs? The aggressive growth habit of these invasive species had shaded and outcompeted the prairie plants. After some research it was decided that a nearby equipment rental company had just the right tool for the job, a 60 horsepower Kubota skid steer with rubber tracks. A 5.5' wide rotary mower capable of cutting 2" diameter woody brush stems was mounted to the front. The rubber tracks, rather than tires or steel tracks which can damage the soil surface, allows more gentle travel and causes less disturbance to the landscape.

The benefits of winter mowing include:
• The leafless winter vegetation gives the operator greater visibility.
• The frozen ground allows for easier movement and turning of the skid steer.
• The stiff dormant woody stems are more brittle and cut better during cold winter weather.
• The dormant native prairie plants can withstand the skid steer disturbance.

The photos' that follow show an operators view through the windshield of the mower in action.

The equipment did the job! The invasive brush was efficiently mowed and chopped into small pieces. The ground surface was left undisturbed.

Follow-up reconnaissance visits by the landowner this spring will help plan the next course of action. Mowing does not generally kill the invasive brush. The cut off stumps will grow new shoots this summer, so additional treatment will be necessary. A summer follow-up with herbicide can be the quickest method to kill the invasive brush. Winter mow followed by summer spray, a one-two punch to control invasive woody brush.

12/18/2025

The ultimate birding experience in southern Wisconsin happens after a December snow. First the snowplow operators clear the roads to make travel safe for us motorists. Next they remove the snow from the road shoulders. People know that snow-free shoulders are safer for winter driving. The birds know that the exposed sod and gravel become a major attraction, like a magnet for our winter sparrows. Do our readers know why especially the sparrows flock to these roadside attractions?

Let's first determine what types of sparrows we are seeing. Subtract Wisconsin's dozen or so species of summer sparrow residents which have long since migrated south. Then, know that Southern Wisconsin receives two northern sparrow species which migrate here to spend the winter. The most well known and loved of these is the dark-eyed junco. The snow bird! It's contrasting colors of dark grey above to the white underneath, as if it were dipped in snow, light up the hearts of many a birder. Another key field mark, the white outer tail feathers, the junco flashes on and off while feeding and flying. Its winter calls are simple and unique yet difficult to describe. Tip: Put out a backyard bird feeder with some white millet or cracked corn. With a little luck you will have junco's calling for you to hear!

Coming down from its northern breeding territory, the American tree sparrow spends the winter here too. The warm colors of brown and chestnut, the rufous cap and eye stripe, and the white wing bars adorn it's upper body parts. The American tree sparrow also shows a dark spot in the center of its greyish breast. The winter snows help reveal the wonderful feeding habits of these sparrows. Walk into a prairie, or even just a weedy field after a snowfall. Be a detective searching for clues. The dried flowers and grasses leave their seeds as signs in the fresh snow. The sparrows leave their footprints as signs, tracks they have left while searching for the seeds!

Now back to our question. The roadside at first glance does not seem like suitable habitat for any bird, let alone our winter sparrows. What would cause these bare scrapes, made by humans but for a different reason, to attract so many winter sparrows? Their small size tells part of the story, with the other part being told by their feeding habits. As ground feeders, both the junco and the tree sparrow require small seeds to survive the winter. Their small feet cannot get through the deep snow on their own. The roadside offers tiny seeds from weeds and grasses. A little bird biology is needed for the final piece of the roadside puzzle. Birds eating hard seeds need help grinding their food. The roadside offers exposed patches of very small sand and gravel particles. Once swallowed, the grit meets the seeds in the bird's stomach, called a gizzard, where the seeds are ground for digestion.

And there you have it. A wonderful bird story you can witness yourself. So get out and explore the world of birds.

11/24/2025

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, let's all take a moment to consider the quality of life and rich bounty that our land has to offer. Our natural resources provide scenic beauty, abundant clean air and water, and abounding wildlife for our use and enjoyment, including the blessings of harvest, which take the surplus of our fish and game animals. What comes to mind for most Wisconsinites during late November is the gun deer season, the excitement of seeing deer, the thrill of the hunt, the pleasure of the camaraderie among family and friends.

As stewards of our land, all of mankind is accountable to use our natural resources wisely. So let's heighten our awareness of the land ethic, which teaches us about good land stewardship. Landowners have a special responsibility and must be mindful of good management practices such as conserving soil and water and improving natural habitats for the wildlife that use them. All citizens benefit from these good land practices, and, must respect the land too.

Deer hunters, abide by the laws of the hunt, the rules of hunter safety, and the principles of game management. Where the deer population abounds and extra antlerless tags are available, consider harvesting an extra antlerless deer. If possible donate a deer to the Wisconsin Deer Donation program. Sharing the rewards of a plentiful deer harvest produces benefits for both the receiver and the giver.

Fair Meadow Habitats LLC sponsors the Deer Donation Partner Program in Columbia County as an advocate and liaison between the three principle cooperative groups: deer hunter, meat processor, and food pantry. Last year we had 11 deer donated!! Together we are making a difference. Won't you join the cause! Please go to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/donation o to learn more about the Deer Donation Program and find out how you can help.

11/04/2025

Frogs are incredible creatures. Amazingly they can grow from an egg, to a tadpole, to an adult within only a few month's time. There is much to know about the life cycle of the frog which cannot be covered in a short facebook post. Our intention is to open the door to the fascinating world of frogs in Wisconsin and nurture an appreciation of what they ecologically contribute, and require, as an animal group.

Of course, frogs are amphibians. Like their cousins the salamanders, their life story requires both an aquatic and a terrestrial habitat for survival.

Did you know frogs need good quality habitat for all its life cycles; from hibernation to mating to reproduction of offspring to growing adults. Because their life story revolves around water, can you imagine the importance of clean clear water to keep the frog healthy. As wintering adults, frogs such as the green, mink, leopard, and pickerel, sleep beneath the fresh clean water until spring arrives. Other frogs, such as the spring peeper, gray tree frog, and wood frog overwinter out of the water, in places such as the leaf litter on the woodland floor. Their bodies produce a type of antifreeze to prevent them from freezing solid. They do not breath and their heart stops beating.

A frog's skin performs several important functions:

● Cutaneous breathing, also called skin breathing, is critical for the frog, especially while underwater. skin allows oxygen from the water (and from the air when out of the water) to diffuse into its body, and for carbon dioxide to diffuse back out.

● A mucous barrier covers the skin which protects the frog from physical and environmental hazards. The mucous also makes the frog slippery, a good defense mechanism against predators.

● Evaporative cooling by the skin is a form of thermoregulation as evaporating skin moisture removes heat from its body.

A frogs' habitat needs do not necessarily stop at the waters' edge. Protected shorelines that serve as banquet areas for feeding frogs can be impacted by human activities far from shore. Several species move away from water to search for food during the summer and early autumn. The leopard frog, some tree frogs, young green frogs, and sometimes the pickerel frog utilize moist meadow habitats to forage for invertebrates.

We recommend using the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, NHC program field guide booklets titled Wisconsin Amphibians and Reptiles Field Guides. They can be ordered from the DNR website: dnr.wi.gov and by typing 'amphibian' into the search bar.

08/22/2025

If spotted knapweed seems a 'tough cookie to crack', then let's practice on a plant that's easy sleuthing for, but much harder to get to the bottom of! Are you ready to tackle some invasive common burdock? As a biennial plant, first year burdock grows low to the ground. Look for large leaves, growing similar to a clump of rhubarb. Use your detective skills. Feel the leaves. Burdock leaves feel wooly, with fine hairs on the underside, and a topside that lacks the sheen of a rhubarb leaf. In its second year, burdock produces a tall stalk with flowers that ripen to round prickly seed clusters. Burdock roots run deep. A good detective will carry a shovel to dig and pry the plant from the ground. Left uncontrolled, burdock seed clusters will attach to the clothing, or the fur, of any unsuspecting passerby, which not only is annoying, but worse because it's seeds get transported and spread far and wide.

08/21/2025

Being a good prairie detective often takes a keen eye to spot unwelcome invasive plants. Be sure to read the caption on both photos for some tips on tackling the invasive spotted knapweed.

07/19/2025

Oftentimes we hurry through our prairies acting something like a bumblebee as it zips from flower to flower, momentarily landing here or there, but never spending enough time, so it seems, to appreciate the simpler beauty of the native grasses growing there.

On one particular outing several weeks ago we discovered that the prairie june grass had somehow come from out of nowhere with its nicely rounded tufts of soft leaf blades and short stems, called culms, rising up from the center of each tuft.

Another purposeful visit about one week later to discover more about june grass revealed that the culms, over 18 inches tall now, were topped with beautiful seed producing heads, called the inflorescence. The tight cluster of small flowers atop each culm resembled shiny silver wands. A characteristic of our cool season grasses is a quick flowering and ripening of seed.

Now it is July and surprisingly the june grass tops have changed into brown and tan colored awns. The seed is quickly ripening and some will be available for birds and small mammals to eat. Some seed will fall to the ground in hopes of lying dormant until next spring when it may produce new june grass tufts.

We have also discovered other amazing prairie grass species now appearing before our eyes. It is time for the warm season grasses. Still tucked away during late spring, here now during early July the sideoats and the big bluestem are growing quickly, flourishing in the warm summer sun. The side oats grama with its inflorescence of spikelets arranged and dangling on one side of the culm. The big bluestem with its tall chest high culms and the swollen node revealing where the still hidden inflorescence will soon appear. Both the side oats and the big bluestem will wait until later summer to display flowers and then seeds, a characteristic trait of warm season grasses.

06/25/2025

These high temperatures🌡 have us reflecting on some cool season grasses.

✓Needle grass aka porcupine grass (Hesterostipa spartea):

• Native to Wisconsin.
• A cool season grass because it begins growing early in the season, while soils are cool.
• Aptly named because the awn, which is a bristle-like appendage on the seed, is long and sharp.This specialized awn is able to help plant the seed, once ripened, into the soil.
• Suited to growing in mesic to dry soils including sandy and gravely sites.
• Beneficial for insects, mammals, and birds within prairies and oak savannas.

∆ Every prairie practitioner does well to include both of our native cool season grasses when planting drier upland sites.

06/24/2025

These high temperatures🌡 have us reflecting on some cool season grasses.

✓Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha):

• Native to Wisconsin.
• A cool season grass because it begins growing early in the season.
• Aptly named Junegrass because its flowering stage occurs in June.
• Aesthetically appealing with its fine texture and silvery green seed heads.
• Grows in bunches/clumps.
• Drought tolerant.
• Suited to growing in dry to dry mesic soils.
• Supports biodiversity in both prairie and oak savanna plant communities.
• Beneficial for insects, small mammals, and birds.

05/25/2025

04/26/2025

We've been keeping busy with prescribed burns the past few months. We had an eager observer who had so much fun learning all about the process, he had to get his own water pack🔥💧

10/14/2024

Collecting Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) seed. Click through the images to learn about the collection process!