Program Roots
Searches & Surveys
Seeds of the Earth
Species Spotlight
Botanical Bites
100
When a new population of a rare species is found, MN PlantWatch staff may decide to collect a whole plant specimen to be stored as a physical record or 'voucher.' These specimens will be dried, pressed, and sent to be stored where?
A) The MN DNR's NHIS database.
B) The Landscape Arboretum Rare Plant Seed Bank.
C) The Bell Museum of Natural History.
D) Next to the dried seasoning herbs and tea leaves in the breakroom cupboards.
C) The University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History maintains an herbarium collection of over 900,000 plant specimens collected from across the world, including 160,000 from Minnesota. Specimens can be viewed on a digital database known as the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas.
100
When searching for a target rare species in a landscape, which one of these is NOT a good strategy to use?
A) Look for the best habitat.
B) Listen for the plant calls.
C) Read the notes from previous surveys.
D) Walk back and forth in a grid formation through the EO polygon.
B) Although there are sounds associated with plants (such as wind movement through leaves), listening for plants is generally not a great method to locate a specific species.
100
When looking for good seed to collect, a characteristic you are looking for is whether the seed is:
A) A green rookie.
B) A teenage nonconformist.
C) A mature model.
D) A sprouted daredevil.
C) Seeds must be mature or ripe at the time of collection. The typical 'mature model' will look brown or tan in color, be hard when squeezed, and will readily release from the plant.
100
Which of these plants is dioecious, meaning it has separate male and female plants?
A) Soapberry (Shepherdia canadensis).
B) Lance-leaf violet (Viola lanceolata).
C) American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius).
D) Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii).
A) Soapberry or Shepherdia canadensis has separate male and female plants. Therefore, in order to produce fruit, both male and female plants must located within proximity to each other for pollination. Soapberry has been found at 2 MN PlantWatch sites, however only one site had plants producing fruit.
100
What was the very first plant species that MN PlantWatch surveyed with the help of volunteers in the entirety of the program?
A) Kitten-tails (Synthyris bullii).
B) Wild sweetwilliam (Phlox maculata).
C) Ram's head orchid (Cypripedium arietinum).
D) Snow trillium (Trillium nivale).
C) Ram's head orchid (Cypripedium arietinum) was our first survey completed on June 7th, 2023 in Itasca county.
200
When walking through sensitive habitat looking for rare plants, which of these is NOT a recomended method you can use to minimize your impact on the habitat?
A) Walk a different route out than you walked in.
B) Always use large leaping steps to reduce the number of footprints you make.
C) Always brush off your shoes prior to entering and leaving to avoid spreading weed seed.
D) Always look before you step backwards or set down your pack to ensure you don't trample rare plants.
B) Although large leaping steps may reduce the number of footprints you make, leaping your way across a natural habitat is more likely to lead to injury and is not recommended.
200
When conducting a survey, what is the first thing you should do after you think you've found your target plant species?
A) Collect seed.
B) Count the plants.
C) Pluck the plant for a closer look.
D) Verify the plant ID using your resources.
D) Use the Species ID guide or other resources to verify the plant matches the identification characteristics to ensure you have the right species. Avoid damaging the plant!
200
Who can collect seed from rare listed plants in Minnesota?
A) Anyone who finds them!
B) All MN PlantWatch volunteers.
C) MN PlantWatch volunteers and staff that have been given appropriate permits and permissions.
D) No one is allowed to collect seed from rare listed plant species.
C) MN PlantWatch volunteers and staff that have the appropriate permits and landowner permisssions may collect seed for seed banking. Seed may only be collected when directed by staff.
200
The evolved seed dispersal mechanism of this species remains a bit of a mystery. It is theorized that an animal once existed that would eat and disperse the seed, however now the seeds simply fall and rot where they land:
A) Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana).
B) Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii).
C) Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus).
D) Whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia).
C) Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) produces large fleshy seed pods that fall to the ground and are not known to be eaten or dispersed by any living animal. It is theorized that a co-evolved animal species may have become extinct during the Pleistocene Epoch 13,000 years ago. This could explain why this tree has become so uncommon, surviving only in scattered isolated populations.
200
How many plant species native to MN are considered rare?
A) 1 out of every 5.
B) 1 out of every 8.
C) Half.
D) According to my neighbor, any plant that doesn't grow in their garden is rare!
A) About 1 out of every 5 plant species native to MN is listed as watchlist, special concern, threatened, endangered, or historic.
300
MN PlantWatch sends our survey data to a database known as the NHIS. What does 'NHIS' stand for?
A) National History Information System
B) Natural Heritage Information System
C) National Herbology Index Syndicate
D) National Herbivore Interception Service
B) The Natural Heritage Information System is a collection of databases that contains information on MN's rare plants, animals, native plant communities, and other rare features.
300
When counting plants for population surveys, you may be directed to count plants by individual stems, by clumps of plants, or by:
A) Seed heads.
B) Rhizomatous roots.
C) Rosettes.
D) Flowers that are the same color.
C) Rosettes are typically a group of leaves that emerge low to the ground from a single plant. Think of a dandelion plant!
300
When collecting seed, what types of plants do we look to collect from?
A) Only uniform healthy plants in the middle of the patch.
B) Different plants with a variety of characteristics: tall & short, middle & edge of the patch, robust & spindly, etc.
C) Only pioneering plants at the edge of the patch.
D) Every plant within the patch.
B) We aim to collect from a variety of plants of the target species that encompass different characteristics such as vigour, micro-habitat preference, or flower timing in order to preserve a greater diversity of genetics in the seed bank.
300
This rare species reproduces only by seeds that must sit in the soil over 2 whole winters before germinating:
A) Old field toadflax (Nuttallanthus canadensis).
B) American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius).
C) Edible valerian (Valeriana edulis).
D) False mountain willow (Salix pseudomonticola).
B) American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was once reported to 'carpet the forest floor over vast area' however, a market demand for its roots, as well as habitat degradation have led to the decline of this species across it's range.
300
How many recorded native plant species are now believed to be extirpated or completely lost from the wild in MN?
A) 3
B) 37
C) 52
D) None that we know of yet.
B) 37 previously recorded plant species native to MN are now believed to be entirely lost to the state. An example is Venus' looking-glass (Triodanis leptocarpa) which was last recorded in the 1930's.
Photo Credit: Alison Northup
400
What is featured in the MN PlantWatch logo?
A) A picture of a person looking at a plant.
B) Dwarf trout lily (Erythronium propullans).
C) A picture of a species that doesn't exist outside of MN.
D) All of the above.
D) All of the above. The MN PlantWatch logo is of a dwarf trout lily, which is endemic to MN meaning that the only wild populations of this species exist here in the state. In the leaf on the left is a hidden image of a person inspecting a plant with a magnifying glass. Have you seen it?
400
MN PlantWatch's second season brought the integration of this cutting-edge technology:
A) Drone cameras to check if a distant species is in bloom prior to surveying.
B) Infrared spectroscopy mapping to identify areas of high quality soil/vegetation.
C) Environmental Systems Research Institute data collection application.
D) Canines trained to sniff out specific aromatic plant species.
C) While we may dream of someday integrating all of these tools, for now in 2024, we introduced the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) Field Maps app downloaded on phones or tablets to replace datasheets as our primary tool for recording data.
400
How many rare plant populations did MN PlantWatch collect and bank seed from in 2024?
A) 29 populations.
B) 39 populations.
C) 76 populations.
D) Every population that was surveyed.
B) We collected seed from 39 different rare plant populations, consisting of 22 different species. This exceeded our goal of 35 populations, way to go!
400
This secretive perennial can grow but stay hidden underground for up to 7 years before producing its first above-ground leaf:
A) Lance-leaf violet (Viola lanceolata).
B) Blunt-lobed grapefern (Sceptridium oneidense).
C) Butternut (Juglans cinerea).
D) Narrow triangle moonwort (Botrychium angustisegmentum).
D) Narrow triangle moonwort (Botrychium angustisegmentum) not only can take 7 years to produce its first leaf, but if weather conditions are not optimal, it can decline to produce an above-ground leaf during a given growing season thereafter. Therefore finding these tricky plants can require a bit of luck!
400
MN PlantWatch assists in the work to preserve genetic blueprints of Minnesota's listed species through what means?
A) Genetic sequencing.
B) Environmental education in schools where students submit drawings of blueprints of genetic structures.
C) Attaching high-tech plant DNA scanners to deer collars.
D) Seed banking.
D) Seed banking is the practice of collecting and storing little packets of genetic material known as seeds! We bank our seeds in the MN Landscape Arboretum's Rare Plant Seed Bank.
500
Which is NOT a purpose of MN PlantWatch?
A) To collect data on the current health and threats to MN's rare plant populations.
B) To preserve the genetic diversity of MN's rare plant populations.
C) To monitor the population size and spread of invasive species in MN.
D) To engage the community in science driven conservation.
C) Although we do note the presence of invasive species in or around rare species populations, we do not collect detailed data on invasive species population sizes or rate of spread.
500
This species is the earliest spring blooming species we've surveyed with MN PlantWatch.
A) Snow trillium (Trillium nivale).
B) Ram's head orchid (Cypripedium arietinum).
C) Kitten-tails (Synthyris bullii).
D) Carolina spring beauty (Claytonia caroliniana).
A) Snow trillium (Trillium nivale) is a spring ephemeral that we conducted our first Field Maps app test survey on April 2, 2024. This species maximizes the spring sunlight by emerging, flowering, and setting seed all during the brief spring period before the leaves of the forest canopy trees have fully developed.
500
What is known as the study of when plants bloom or produce fruit?
A) Bloomology
B) Phenomenology
C) Chronobiology
D) Phenology
D) Phenology! It's like the calendar of nature helping us to estimate when plants will be at certain stages such as in bloom or producing fruit. This can vary by year, location, weather, and other influences.
500
The roots of this swamp/peatland loving species are typically confined entirely to staying within the living moss instead of anchoring into the actual peat soil below:
A) Small green wood orchid (Platanthera clavellata).
B) Lance-leaf violet (Viola lancelata).
C) Least moonwort (Botrychium simplex).
D) Narrow-leaved glade fern (Homalosorus pycnocarpos).
A) The small green wood orchid (Platanthera clavellata) confines its roots to the living moss layer. Once scattered across the metro, it is very sensitive to changes in the local hydrology and is now mostly only found in its northern habitats.
500
What is the most vulnerable MN plant that PlantWatch found in 2024?
A) Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium).
B) Narrow triangle moonwort (Botrychium angustisegmentum).
C) Godlie's wood fern (Dryopteris goldieana).
D) Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis).
A) Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) is endangered in MN, surviving primarily in remnant prairie strips remaining along railroad right-of-ways. However, many active railroad lines are now routinely treated with herbicides, further threatening the stability of these populations.