AUGUST 2026 NEWSLETTER
Sharing the Joy of Native Plants
August makes me think of days spent at the beach, long hikes in the woods and reading a good book in my hammock. We usually go camping in August, and I always manage to discover a new-to-me native plant, even when we return to the same campground year after year. Last year it was Cylindrical Blazing Star (Liatris cylindracea). I can’t wait to see what I find this year!
This month’s newsletter is about sharing a love of native plants with others. When you find something endlessly interesting your enthusiasm is infectious. All of my friends know that I love sedges, and many of them had never heard of sedges before. If I’m lucky, they will share something they find endlessly interesting that I have never heard of and then we are all richer and more curious about the world around us.
Here are the highlights of this month’s newsletter, a line up of formal and informal ways we are learning about and sharing our love of native plants:
- This Newsletter
- Our Summer Team
- A Summer Student’s Perspective on Sedges
- Sedge germination paper
- How to get to know a native plant
- New species in stock
This Newsletter
One of my favorite ways to share about native plants is through this newsletter. Each month I look forward to talking about some new aspect of native plants, whether it is how to grow them, or the germination experiments we have been trying, or the insects we are finding on the plants. One of the four core values I chose for Swallowtail Native Plants is curiosity. Through curiosity we are constantly discovering new and wonderful things about native plants and their role in our local ecosystems.
This is a Gray Comma butterfly (Polygonia progne) I found while out hiking last month.
Our Summer Team
This summer we hired two university co-op students to help us with planting and maintaining our native seed production beds. We hope that while they are here, they will have the opportunity to get to know some of the plants they have been working closely. There are many ways to learn about native plants: you can find them growing in the wild, you can read articles and books about them, you can learn about them from talking to other people and you can grow them yourself. We have given our students the chance to interact with native species in all of these ways during their time at Swallowtail.
A summer student’s perspective on sedges
Guest author: Andrew Clarke
Although Carex (true sedges) is by far the most plentiful genus of plants in Canada, details about many species are frequently unknown or undocumented. We’ve been testing a new germination method, which involves submerging the seeds in a jar of water. This has been successful for many species. A few interesting examples include Bebb’s sedge (Carex bebbii), which didn’t germinate from any standard sowing methods, including cold stratification pretreatment, and Shortbeak sedge (Carex brevior), which grows naturally in dry habitats. This method has also shown promise as a way of “skipping” a stratification period. Species such as Muhlenberg’s sedge (Carex muehlenbergii) only germinated when sown after at least 90 days of cold stratification, but we found it would also germinate if submerged (without stratification) in water. I found the diversity of methods involved in germinating native seeds to be quite interesting, how many contrasting species germinate from similar methods and the unique environmental situations they need for success.
Sedge Germination Paper
For the past year we have been running a series of germination trials on a number of different sedge species. We had so many questions about how sedges germinate that we had to try to find some answers. Which species need light to germinate? Which ones need cold stratification, and for how long? Does fresh seed germinate better or worse than seed that has been stored for a few months? What happens when you put them in a jar of water? What happens when you add an aquarium bubbler to the water?
We have written a paper on our findings that will be released this fall. Of course, now we have even more questions, and further research is required. That is just how curiosity works.
one of the sedges featured in our germination trials.
Getting to know a native plant
How do you get to know a new native plant? The best way is to spend some time with the plant. In July our summer team participated in a bioblitz at Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park. On the way home I found an unfamiliar sedge growing on the side of the road. While it is time consuming, one way to learn a new species is to use a dichotomous key. While you work through the key, you will learn important features of the plant that you may not have noticed. After about half an hour I figured out that my new plant friend was Delicate Quill Sedge, Carex tenera. I also learned that it was in the same group (Ovales) as some of my other plant friends, Shortbeak sedge (Carex brevior) and Bebb’s sedge (Carex bebbii).
Another wonderful way to get to know a plant is by drawing a sketch of your plant. This also forces you to pay attention to small details and the form of the plant. When you meet your plant out in the wild again you will be able to recognize those things that make your plant unique.
Of course, growing a plant from seed, watching it flower, mature and set seed through the seasons is one of the best ways of all.
New species available
We have a few new species available this month. The first two species, Muhlenberg’s sedge and Poverty oatgrass, enjoy the harsh growing conditions of dry, sandy soils in part shade to full sun. The third species is Red-osier dogwood, a familiar shrub with striking red stems, white flowers and white berries.
I hope that you manage to find a slice of vacation this month.
Perhaps you will discover some new native plants wherever your travels may take you.
Andrea