May - Puccoon
(from the Sedge Valley Almanac)
Parker Anderson’s “Sedge Valley Almanac” was created as a method of record keeping during his work and deep study of the ecosystem of Central Wisconsin. This journal entry is one of many records of the thriving ecology and natural beauty of the area, done as an homage to “A Sand County Almanac” written by Aldo Leopold, considered the father of conservation in America.
Hoary Puccoon 1 - Anderson
The Hoary Puccoon (Lithospermum canescens) is a charming native plant in the Sedge Valley ecosystem. Referred to simply as Puccoon, this plant’s showy yellow flowers attract the eye of observant wanderers in the meadows and a variety of bees. Bees seek it out as a source of forage and human’s seek it out for its ecological importance and its beauty.
The bright yellow color revealing itself this spring is a welcoming gift. It is not the first flower to bloom this spring but its attractive color and its charismatic morphology are a friendly site after the muted colors of late winter and early spring. I have grown to really appreciate this plant as it is considered difficult to propagate and spread, however I have noticed it in some curious areas of the property, revealing itself in some areas of significant disturbance.
The golf landscape of Sedge Valley was once a thriving prairie habitat, on the south edge of a great White Pine forest. Human industry replaced that ecosystem with a vast monoculture of Red Pine for the production of pulp for making paper. These vibrant prairie/meadow ecosystems were, in many areas, lost. With the creation of the golf courses of the Sand Valley resort as the engine, these Red Pine stands were removed and many species have reemerged as a result.
Hoary Puccoon 2 - Anderson
The process for preparing the land for golf is to first harvest the Red Pine, then pick the area clean of large debris. Then the top layer of vegetation is scraped off usually with the careful bucket work of an excavator. The pure sand resting below the organic material is excavated and “flipped” so that the organic material is buried underneath a few feet of sand. What is left is a sandy soil that is ideal for growing grass.
Yet, even after this great disturbance to the vegetation and to the soil, many of the native species (and plenty of invasives as well) are re-revealed in their native ecosystem. The Puccoon is one of those native plants that has shown itself in some very surprising places during the construction of Sedge Valley. This reveal of nature that is encouraged through the creation of the golf course has sparked many thoughts on the reveal of the golf course as it is being built in this vibrant ecosystem.
It is often said that a great golf course architect simply reveals a golf course that is already present in nature, it is just hidden. Their role is to daylight the master work of nature. The landscape where Sedge Valley sits contains an incredible bounty of landforms that are exceptional for golf. Tom’s brilliant routing through this landscape has revealed the beauty and variety of this ecosystem, hidden by decades of attempted extraction of the ecosystem, now replaced and revealed as an enjoyable and challenging golf course and a thriving and beautiful ecosystem.
Hoary Puccoon 3 - Anderson
Written by: Parker Anderson, Greener Golf
Photos: Parker Anderson, Greener Golf