BWSR Policy
- BWSR Native Vegetation Establishment and Enhancement Guidelines
(posted May 14, 2012)
- Best Value Calculator (posted December 26, 2012)
- Vegetative Management and Enhancement of Conservation Easement Lands (Dec. 17, 2008)
Seed Mixes
- Summary of Seed Mixes (Index of names and numbers - Posted March 18, 2010)
- State Seed Mixes (Includes mixes used by Minn. Dept. of Transportation-Posted February 10, 2011)
- Substitution Table (List of species that may be substituted in state seed mixes - Posted March 18, 2010)
BWSR Establishment and Management Resources
- Recommended Seeding and Planting Dates for Restoration Projects (posted October 2012)
- Guidelines for Inter-seeding Grasslands to Restore or Enhance Native Species Diversity (posted January 26, 2012)
- What's Working - feedback from BWSR grant recipients and other conservation professionals on effective methods of establishing native vegetation for conservation projects
- Planting and Maintenance Recommendations for Wetland Restoration and Buffer Projects (posted January 27, 2012)
- Functional Benefits of Native Plants
- Minnesota Wetland Restoration Guide (under development/review)
Plant Identification
- Wetland Restoration Plant ID Guide (New!)
- Field Guide to Wetland and Buffer Plant Seedlings
- Minnesota Wildflowers
Other Resources
- Restoring Minnesota
- Restore Your Shore
- Minnesota's Native Plant Communities
- Plants for Stormwater Design Volume 1
- Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin
- A Soil Bioengineering Guide for Streambank and Lakeshore Stabilization
BWSR Featured Plant
Each month, BWSR posts a featured plant on this page. To sign up for monthly “Featured Plant” messages that include updates on current restoration and native vegetation topics go to the “BWSR Media Center” section of the BWSR Home page.
Current Plant:
American Basswood – May 2013
American basswood is an important species for conservation efforts as it provides many landscape functions including habitat and food sources for a variety of bird and animals, shoreline stabilization, urban and stream cooling, carbon sequestration, and soil enrichment. Basswood is our featured plant, as we are covering a series of species this spring and summer that can play a role in proving habitat for declining pollinator populations. Basswood is a rich nectar source for native pollinators and honey bees, and may facilitate more honey production per acre than any other species. Several other native trees and shrubs such as prairie plum, serviceberries, viburnums, dogwood, chokecherry, black cherry, pussy willow and red maple are other woody species that are important for native pollinators. The loss of wood lots and tree lines along fields has decreased the abundance of some of these woody plants, increasing the importance of replanting these species in their native range.
Previous Species:
- Golden Alexanders – April 2013
Golden Alexanders is a widespread species in Minnesota found in a variety of plant communities. Its ability to grow in a range of moisture conditions and light levels has made it a common species in natural areas and old fields across Minnesota, and a species that is commonly included in seed mixes. The species is important for pollinators because it is widespread, starts blooming early in the season (May) and has a long bloom period well into June. The genus Zizia was named for the German botanist Johann Baptist Ziz; aurea is Latin for “golden”. - Minnesota Thistles – March 2013
Mention thistles and many people’s thoughts go right to the familiarly pesky Canada Thistle or the even more prickly Bull Thistle. But there are actually 9 species of thistle in Minnesota, five of which are native, and a tenth species with the potential to show up from neighboring Wisconsin (the non-native European Marsh Thistle). With more than half of our thistles being native, and with a few non-native species being dropped from the noxious weed list in the last few years, it pays to know which is which. - Narrow-Leaf Coneflower - February 2013
Echinacea angustifolia is a wildflower native to the prairies of western Minnesota. Narrow-leaf coneflower has a long history of medicinal uses by Native Americans of the plains and early settlers, and is widely available as a medicinal herb today. It also provides many ecological functions in native plant communities. Factors including habitat loss, landscape fragmentation, and overharvesting have led to a significant decline in numbers of the species and renewed efforts to protect existing populations and establish the species in new restoration projects... -
Glossy Buckthorn - November 2012
Similar to the more widespread common buckthorn, glossy buckthorn was brought to the United States from Eurasia for use as an ornamental shrub. The species has high seed viability (lasting in the soil two or more years) and can form thickets that create significant competition for native plants... -
Virginia Wild Rye - October 2012
Virginia wild rye is a perennial cool-season native bunchgrass. It is used for a wide variety of conservation projects as it is fast growing, a good stabilizing species and it can grow in partial shade... -
Tussock Sedge - August 2012
Tussock sedge is a species that is found in a wide variety of Minnesota wetland plant communities and is often a dominant plant in sedge meadows... -
Wild Lupine - May 2012
Wild lupine is a showy perennial plant that grows on dry, sandy soils in prairies and savannas. The species has been a focus of planting efforts -
Northern White Cedar - April 2012
Northern white cedar is a slow growing evergreen found in coniferous bogs, lakeshores and streambanks of northeast Minnesota... Northern Wild Rice - March 2012
Wild rice (Minnesota's State Grain) has great significance culturally, economically, and ecologically to Minnesota...
