Landbridge Ecological

06/01/2026

05/14/2026

Makin' friends out in the field today with the Abbot's Sphinx Moth.

This dark and mysterious creature is a beneficiary of some of our native vines. Caterpillars are hosted by both our wild grape and Virginia creeper.

05/06/2026

Today’s feature: Prairie Smoke
This species is a small, but fascinating plant. It likes drier prairies, but works well in a garden setting as a border. Looks best en masse. Gets to about 8-12”.

Probably the most interesting part for this species is its transition from flower to seed. And the seed stage may very well be the star. The red flowers, which typically bloom in May, droop down, with only a small opening from which to access pollen. Bumblebees will access the flowers my hanging upside down and buzzing. Then the magic begins. After pollination the flowers slowly reach for the sky and extend their styles into fuzzy pink filaments. When grouped the effect can look like a hazy smoke hugging the ground, hence their name.

Swipe through to see the progression.

05/04/2026

The Landbridge team has been busy out completing our list of prescribed burns scheduled for the spring 2026 season. Here are some shots from a recent 50 acre burn completed for a landowner in Wisconsin.

Prescribed Burns serve a few functions for our native grassland landscapes: elimination of thatch buildup, returning nutrients to the soil, reduction of tree/shrub encroachment, and in some cases reducing invasive species presence like non-native cool season grasses when timed appropriately.

04/07/2026

The crew getting into the spirit of our work.

03/18/2026

A 2for1 with a couple great species for restorations or home landscapes. Swamp Milkweed (foreground) is a host plant for the Monarch Butterfly and a great pollinator plant in general. Best in moist soils but can handle medium soils in a garden setting. Fragrant Hyssop (background) is a fantastic bee attractor, but Monarchs will also nectar on them. Best in medium to dry soils, also performs well in a garden environment. Both of these species are fairly easy to propagate and establish, and are worthy of consideration in many a setting.

01/29/2026

Cold January days always have us thinking about summer wildflowers. Come join us out there! We have a variety of positions to fill from entry level up to project manager. Check out the link in our bio to go to our website and scope out our careers page.

Let's make restoration happen, together!

01/22/2026

Recent captures from one of our winter projects. Here we are removing encroaching red cedars from a bluff prairie remnant along the Minnesota River valley. Prairies like this are some of the last holdovers of this habitat in this part of the state. Woody encroachment is one of their greatest threats.

11/04/2025

Crews are out conducting fall prescribed burns and captured this great shot on a site in Edina, MN. Burning is one of the best tools for managing prairies and savanna. Typically happening every 3-5 years on a restoration, prairie plantings usually look best the year following being burned. Planning and safety are the biggest parts of this tool.

10/30/2025

Did you know? Winter is when we perform most of our buckthorn removal? Now is when we start planning for that work, whether a backyard project or a large landscape restoration. A non-native invasive species, buckthorn is easily observed right now as it's still holding green leaves, while most other trees and shrubs have gone dormant. It threatens both understory diversity and native tree regeneration. Removal is simply one step in the process, but it's the first step. Have you thought about how you can improve forest health?