Plant of the Week

New Jersey tea
Ceanothus americanus L.
other common names: red root, mountain sweet, wild snowball, wild pepper, spangles, walpalo tea
Ceanothus: an ancient name, the meaning of which is lost in antiquity
Americanus: meaning “of America”
Buckthorn family: Rhamnaceae

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition

UI Explorers Lecture Series opens with talk on Iowa flooding Sept. 23

 http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2010/september/091410explorers_lectures.html

Cornelia F. Mutel, A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008

Don't miss this seminar...

Anatomy of the Flood –Preparing for the Future – Seminar

The Iowa Floods of 2008 are receding into history, but information gleaned from the disaster can help mitigate against future floods.

A two-hour session on “Anatomy of Iowa Floods:  Preparing for the Future” will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 21, in Red Oak, Iowa at the Montgomery County Historical Society building. Topics will include climate change trends in Iowa precipitation and run-off; floodplain management strategies; rural-urban watershed coalition building; water quality; the work of the Iowa Flood Center; and a review of public policy issues. 

This seminar is hosted by the University of Iowa’s Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research, Rebuild Iowa Office, University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa League of Cities and the Iowa State Association of Counties.

If you can't make this seminar, please keep an eye on the blog for posts of future events, and please check out A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008 edited by Cornelia F. Mutel.

Rain Garden Photos

If you're in Iowa City and curious about rain gardens, the University of Iowa Press has a lovely one that you can stop by and see any time. Here are some photos from last weekend's sign installment.

Top photo: informational sign about the Paul Christiansen Memorial Rain Garden.

Bottom photo (from right to left): Liz Christiansen (director of the University of Iowa office of Sustainability), Jeremy Bril (from Engineers for a Sustainable World), Maeve Clark (from the Iowa City Public Library) and, Holly Carver (former director of the University of Iowa Press) others are students from Engineering for a Sustainable World group.

Plant of the Week

Small-flowered gaura
Gaura parviflora Dougl.
other common names: velvet gaura
Gaura: from Greek, meaning “superb”
Parviflora: from Latin, meaning “small flower”
Evening primrose family: Onagraceae

Photograph by Thomas Rosburg, Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest, Second Edition