Contact Mariette Nowak mmnowak@wi.rr.com with questions about our chapter and events.

Contact Jennifer Crone crone.jen@gmail.com with suggestions or changes to the web site.

We meet the 2nd Saturday of each month.

May - October meetings will be a variety of field trips, conducted outdoors at different locations each month. Check our Calendar of Events for more details.

November - April (excluding December) meetings are indoors at the following time and location: WHEN: 1:00 pm, 2nd Saturdays, Nov - April, WHERE: South Kettle Moraine State Forest Headquarters in Eagle.

Resources

Other Events In SE Wisconsin

    Nov 10, 2012 (Sat)    

Vicki Piaskowski:  If You Plant it Who Will Come?  
Bird species that will use your native plantings.
Vicki  Piaskowski, International Coordinator of the Birds Without Borders – Aves Sin Fronteras project  for 15 years, will talk about simple ways to make your yard bird-friendly and the different bird species you can expect to see in your yard and on your land if you landscape with native plants. She will also describe how scientists learn about the insect foods that birds find on plants.

    Dec 01, 2012 (Sat)    

No Meeting in December - See you in January!

    Jan 12, 2013 (Sat)    

Three Easy Ways to Propagate Your Native Seeds by Theresa and Gerhard Stegemann

Gerhard and Theresa Stegemann will demonstrate three easy and inexpensive methods of propagation that anyone can master.  They will also describe the transformation of their three-quarter acre Whitewater Lake shoreline property from a Canadian goose respite to an abundantly diverse wildlife habitat of trees, shrubs and prairie/savanna plantings.

    Feb 09, 2013 (Sat)    

20 of My Favorite Native Plants by Mike Yanny

Mike Yanny, Senior Horticulturist at Johnson’s Nursery, will present 20 of his favorite native Wisconsin plants. He’ll also discuss their natural occurrences and his personal involvement with them. Plant propagation, seed dissemination, culture, and uses will also be described. A poetry lover, Yanny will also recite several of his own poems

    Mar 09, 2013 (Sat)    

Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants by Charlotte Adelman & Bernard Schwartz

Co-authors of The Midwestern Native Garden - Native Alternatives to Nonnative Flowers and Plants, An Illustrated Guide, Charlotte Adelman and Bernard Schwartz, will be presenting this program based on their book. Distinguishing introduced flowers and plants from Midwestern natives can be confusing. But our native flora, and the butterflies and birds they support face endangerment, so choosing native flowers and plants for our gardens and landscapes - instead of introductions from Asia and Europe (some invasive)  - is environmentally important. This program will show you beautiful native flowers to use in your landscaping. Their book will be available for purchase and autographing.

    Apr 13, 2013 (Sat)    

Why Natives? – An Introduction by Tim Lewis

Tim Lewis, national president of Wild Ones, will give an introduction to landscaping using native plants. The presentation explains the history of our ecosystems, how we got to where we are today and why native plants are vital to the environment. The benefits and fallacies of natural landscaping will be explained. Finally, examples of native plant landscapes will inspire you to change your thinking about your own landscapes.

    May 11, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program --- Tour the woodland restoration at the home of Susan Bong

Sue Bong remembers the beauty of the maple woods from her childhood. This has spurred she and her family to restore the family’s woodland in Elkhorn.  The woodland is about 20 acres - mostly old growth trees. The restoration has been ongoing for about ten years and many wildflowers have re-established themselves in the process. They have removed invasives and replanted some areas with native plants. Paths are well established and the walk will be about a mile and a half.

    Jun 08, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program ---Tour of the prairie garden funded by Wild Ones and the savanna restoration at
Timber-lee Christian Camp

Visit Camp Timber-lee to see their restoration efforts to bring back oak savannahs and prairies, see their tools for prescribed burning, and enjoy the Kettle Moraine beauty in late spring! We will also see the prairie garden funded by a grant from the Wild Ones “Seeds for Education” Program. Emily Stahl, Director of the Science Center, will lead the tour.  Emily has developed a Land Management plan for Timber-lee’s land and uses prescribed burns to manage the property.  Meet by the main office/parking lot at 1p.m. for a 1 ½ hour tour and time for questions.  The land is hilly, so be prepared to hike paths and traverse a good span of land.

    Jul 13, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program ---Tour of 2 naturally-landscaped homes & library in Hartland

Vicki Piaskowski and Larry Hopwood’s 1.5-acre property had an existing prairie, small pond and small woodland when they purchased it in 2010. To make the land more bird-friendly, in 2011, they had the backyard landscaped with diverse types of native plants that benefit birds.

Long-time Wild One Mandy Ploch moved to her 1/4-acre subdivision site nine years ago.  The 15-year-old home offered a blank slate of mundane plants in river rock "mulch".  Now it's totally transformed into a private oasis of mostly native plants.  

When the charming Town Hall Library expanded, landscape designer Mandy Ploch volunteered her services for the landscape master plan utilizing mainly native plants.  The local high school ecology club planned and planted two rain gardens and the property is a certified Master Gardener project site.

    Aug 10, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program ---Tour of Prairie Village in Whitewater

Chris Kaplan of Tallgrass Restoration will lead this tour of the native landscaping designed and implemented by his company at Prairie Village, a retirement community in Whitewater. The aim was to have a retirement community that surrounds residents with the natural beauty of native landscapes. Prairie Village received the 2009 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Chicago Wilderness Conservation and Native Landscaping Award. The awards recognize the excellent work performed in restoring prairie, wetlands, ponds and oak forest.

    Sep 14, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program ---Tour of pond, hummingbird garden & woodland restoration at the home of Anne Moretti.

Anne credits the naturalists at Retzer, and a talk by Lorrie Otto, for putting her on the path to restoring the family’s 3 acres of land in the South Kettle Moraine. She and her husband have removed most of the invasives, resulting in native flora emerging. Fifteen years ago, they added a water feature in order to attract birds to our otherwise dry woods, which thus far, has attracted 77 species of birds, including migrating warblers, thrushes, tanagers and orioles that might otherwise fly over. The sunny front yard is a haven for pollinators and hummingbirds.

    Oct 12, 2013 (Sat)    

Outdoor Program ---Tour of wetlands, prairies & savannas at the home of Ron & Marti Martin

The Martin’s 5.5 acre property has a gently rolling terrain of wetlands, sand prairie,
mesic prairie, savanna communities, along with rain gardens and shelter belts. Their goal in restoring and managing their property is to provide for a high diversity of plants and animals, while greatly reducing the need for repetitive tasks of mowing, trimming, weeding and mulching. Structures for attracting wildlife include nest boxes, wildlife cribs, fox dens, and snake hibernacula. Ron Martin is owner of Midwest Prairies LLC.

    Nov 09, 2013 (Sat)    

Rainwater: Catch it Where it Falls and Slow the Flow by Mike Marek

From green rooftops and permeable driveways, rain barrels and rainwater harvesting systems, through bio-swales and rain gardens to the stream banks and shorelines, there's a way to mimic what nature always did well. Mike is the vice-president of Marek Landscaping, LLC, a Milwaukee based ecological restoration firm.

    Dec 14, 2013 (Sat)    

No program. Happy Holidays

Other Events in Southeast Wisconsin

Watch this space for future events.

Native Plant Resources in Southeast Wisconsin

Wisconsin DNR - Native Plant Nurseries and Restoration Consultants in Wisconsin Website