Chapters in Michigan

Sue Hodapp, Conservation Steward for the Kal-Haven Trail and fellow volunteers from the Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail will lead tours to view spring wildflowers along a section of the Kal-Haven trail.  There are four tour times: Saturday, April 27, 10:00 - 11:30 am AND 11:30 am - 1:00 pm; Sunday, April 28 10:00 - 11:30 am AND 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.  We will have sign up sheets for each tour to limit group size to 20 per tour.  We encourage parking at the the 10th Street trailhead and carpooling to the F Avenue starting point.

Carolyn Miller, Botanical Technologist and Plant Recorder at the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden at Michigan State University, will lead this public wildflower walk and has invited the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter to join in. Come out and see spring ephemerals at their finest!

Park at Holmes Hall, 919 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing, MI 48825.
Meet at the entrance gate behind, and between, Holmes and McDonel Halls.
This 34 acre natural area is a sugar maple-beech forest with floodplain species.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: MATTHAEI IN MAY

Guide: Calla Butler, Native Plant Horticulturist, Matthaei Botanical Gardens

The Great Lakes Gardens at Matthaei re-create our region’s natural habitats with woodlands, open dunes, alvar, and prairies. Calla Butler, Native Plant Horticulturist at Matthaei, will lead us through the early season of these native plant communities providing cues for the conditions they require to thrive. This is an opportunity to learn about both rare and familiar natives in emergent phases, to identify the cycles of their growth, and to know what plants might be suited to thriving in your own home environment. The tour ends with a visit to the beaver's handiwork on Fleming Creek. 

MEETING POINT: We’ll gather in the Gateway Garden, directly east of the entrance to the Visitor Center (to the left if you are facing the Visitor Center entrance), before proceeding to the adjacent Great Lakes Gardens.

Here is a welcome message from Calla, with some of the highlights of her journey with plants!

Hi Wild Ones! My name is Calla Butler and I am the Native Plant Gardens Horticulturist at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. I started this role in March, but I previously worked at Matthaei for two years as a seasonal horticulture technician. Before Matthaei I was a Head Gardener at a landscape design and maintenance company, and I also worked as a floriculturist at the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle.

I have been working with and interested in native plants for most of my life. My mom started a native plant nursery outside of Philadelphia, so I grew up working and learning there. I feel very lucky to have had that experience, because I believe growing plants is one of the best ways to really learn, understand, and appreciate them. 

As the Native Plant Gardens Horticulturist I maintain the Great Lakes Gardens (alongside wonderful volunteers!), collect and process native seed, and propagate plants for both restoration and our native plant sale. Maintaining the Great Lakes Gardens has been a wonderful learning experience. I can’t think of many gardens with such a variety of native plants—a little over 300 species! My current favorite plant in the gardens is Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica). The blue flower is a striking color, and the fact that hummingbirds like it makes it even better!  

I hope to see many of you on the walk through the Great Lakes Gardens, where we can visit our prairie, alvar, woodland, and dune! I will discuss some of our maintenance techniques in these spaces, and we will see what’s in bloom, before ending with a walk to the newly established beaver dam on Fleming Creek. See you there! 

Carolyn Miller, Botanical Technologist and Plant Recorder at the W. J. Beal Botanical Garden at Michigan State University, will lead this public wildflower walk and has invited the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter to join in. Come out and see spring ephemerals at their finest!

Baker Woodlot: Park in Lewis Arboretum lot 101 (N. side of Service Rd. halfway between Farm Ln. and Bogue St.)
Meet at the NW gate to Baker woodlot near the corner of Farm Ln. and Service Rd.
This 78 acre woodlot is a bird sanctuary for neotropical migrants and has been designated an old growth forest.

Maps to help with parking are available on our website.

The Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter will hold a native Michigan plant sale on Sat. May 11th. Come shop our wide selection of wildflowers and grasses at the Meridian Farmers' Market. The plants are grown by Bendy Stem Farm in Dimondale, Michigan. Native plants support birds, bees and pollinators. Add some to your landscape and watch it come to life!
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Proceeds from this fundraiser will help the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter continue our educational programs and provide grants to help establish native gardens in the greater Lansing area. Thank you for your support!