Brooklyn Bridge Park Lessons (so far!) in Constructed Ecology

​Hosted by Wild Ones Prairie Edge, Big River Big Woods and Twin Cities Chapters

Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre, organic park in the middle of New York City, was created with ecology in mind. The Park’s award winning piers host top notch recreation, from opera to outdoor films, all of it beautifully designed. But the piers also contain native woodlands, freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, and numerous meadows. These areas closely mimic native ecosystems and are managed with an emphasis on wildlife habitat. 

This talk will detail many of the strategies employed to design an ecological park, as well as the management techniques used to cultivate biodiverse parkland. If we can do it, so can you.

Rebecca McMackin is an ecologically obsessed horticulturist and garden designer. By day, she is the Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she manages 85 acres of diverse parkland organically and with an eye towards habitat creation for birds, butterflies, and soil microorganisms. In her imaginary free time, Rebecca writes about landscape management and pollination ecology, as well as designs the occasional garden. Her writing has been published by the New York Times, the Ecological Landscape Alliance, and the Landscape Institute. 

This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. 

Photos © Rebecca McMackin

Building habitat, building community: 

Three inspiring stories of local habitat projects (and the leaders who launched them)

PRESENTERS

Ava J T McKnight | Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington

Sara Nelson | Corcoran Pollinator Project

Daniel Schultz | Greater Longfellow Community Wildlife Habitat

MODERATOR

Karen “Ren” Graham, Education Committee

How can you expand native plant habitat beyond your own back yard? What are some ways you can help your community get excited about hosting their own native plantings? Join us for an uplifting conversation with three Wild Ones members who took action to launch habitat projects in their communities. Ava J T McKnight, Sara Nelson, and Dan Schultz will share the stories of these habitat projects — from the seed of an idea, to taking root, to flourishing. A Q&A will follow the three presentations. 

PRESENTERS AND THEIR PROJECTS

Ava J T McKnight founded the online community Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington in 2019. Ava has been a community activist and organizer their entire adult life. Their skills lie in helping those who have made that inner decision to change, but need the skills or confidence to make it a reality. They are self-taught in native plants, pollinators and gardening, and are a Minnesota Water Steward. Their personal experience with extensive childhood trauma informs their style of working one-to-one to create positive change in the community. 

Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington was founded in response to residents who were expressing a desire to change their lawns — or asking questions about water issues — but who were not finding support from local cities, watersheds or nonprofits. Altlawns seeks to help residents who want to move away from conventional lawns to establish native habitat, produce local food, or plant low-input turf using native low-flowering species. Through online networking and conversations during native plant giveaways, Altlawns grew to 260 people in 2021. Altlawns provides links to online information and local resources, encourages networking and neighbor-to-neighbor help, and has begun onsite consulting. We are affecting change in local city government.

Sara Nelson is the founder of the Corcoran Pollinator Project. She has worked as a field botanist for the Minnesota Biological Survey, studied tropical ethnobotany in Costa Rica, created the zine Weeds of Minneapolis, and serves as the cacao farmer liaison for Squash Blossom Farm Chocolate. She is a master’s student in conservation sciences at the University of Minnesota and a project assistant at Great River Greening.

The Corcoran Pollinator Project is a grassroots neighborhood initiative in the Corcoran neighborhood of Minneapolis that aims to increase urban biodiversity via a “crop mob” model, in which neighbors help each other install new pollinator gardens. To date the project has involved more than 100 neighbors in planting 60+ gardens, including more than 100 different species of perennial pollinator plants. Plants for the project were donated by other neighbors or grown from seed in volunteers’ own backyards.

Daniel Schultz is a Minnesota Master Naturalist and Habitat Team Leader of the Greater Longfellow Community Wildlife Habitat project. In hearing Douglas Tallamy talk in 2019 about his book Bringing Nature Home, Dan learned that the cherished woods and wildlife of the U.S. were in peril — and something had to be done about it. As Dan trained as a Master Naturalist volunteer, his experience pulling buckthorn at local and regional parks made clear how degraded our few remaining wild spaces are. Now, Dan is leading local efforts to encourage people, schools, businesses, municipalities and other organizations to make their property wildlife-friendly. By reconnecting people to nature, even in backyards and urban areas, Dan believes we can make the world can be a better place for humans and wildlife.

Dan recently completed certifying the Greater Longfellow area of Minneapolis as a Community Wildlife Habitat, with the help of the National Wildlife Federation. Many neighbors, schools and local organizations came together to achieve this goal. The heart of the program involved creating a mentorship program that begins with a habitat design course, and then matching the new gardeners with experienced local gardeners who could share examples, knowledge and even plants from their own yards.

Join Us for a Gathering of Wild Ones Friends: Ones We Know and Those We Have Yet to Meet!

Guided Phenology Tour at Dodge Nature Center (West St. Paul) 

Saturday, March 26 • 10:30 a.m. - 1 pm

Cost: $10  |  Limited to 35 Attendees - Purchase your ticket HERE

It has been a long time since "Wild Ones" from across the state have gathered! So, let's get together to reconnect, share a hot beverage, take a wonderful phenology hike through Dodge Nature Center's property in West St. Paul and, most of all...have fun! 

Pete Cleary, director of environmental education, will be our guide:

"Egrets blanketed in snow or red-winged blackbirds singing? Maple trees dripping sap or opening flowers? Geese resting on the ice or fighting for nesting territory? The end of March is always a tossup when it comes to the markers that herald the arrival of spring. We’ll explore Dodge to look and listen for ourselves."

Our gathering will begin at 10:30 in the recently restored Olivia Irvine Dodge Library and History Center. We'll have a half hour to mingle, reconnect, and introduce ourselves until Pete begins his tour at 11.a.m. Over the pandemic, naturalists have been taking a deeper look into the phenology at the Dodge property and Pete will share his observations with us as he guides us through the Center's woodlands, wetlands, and restored prairie.

After our 60-90 minute tour, we will reconvene at the Library for light refreshments and more conversation. We have a lot to catch up on. We hope to see you soon!

Note: this event is limited to 35 attendees so please be sure to sign up soon! This event is being hosted by Wild Ones Twin Cities.

SPRING INTO PLANTING WITH WILD ONES TWIN CITIES

Presenter: WOTC 2022 Plant Sale Committee

Which native flowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs and trees are especially valuable for wildlife? Which will thrive in your garden conditions? Learn what to consider with us as we explore highlights from this year’s WOTC plant sale list — and provide suggestions for other great species to accompany them. Find out why and how we began creating themed collection flats, including “Hot & Dry Boulevard” and “Pollinator Shade Garden.” Bring it all together with a few simple design ideas, and get ready to host a diverse feast for your garden’s wild visitors!

Note: PLANTS will be available for pre-order beginning March 28th through May 17th. Check our 2022 plant sale page to learn more.

Spring Wildflowers in Bloomington's Minnesota River Valley

Mound Springs Park Trail, Bloomington MN

April 10 Bloomington Wildflower Tour Rescheduled for May 1st.

As eager as we all are to see spring wildflowers, this year’s bloom is running a couple weeks late compared to last year.  In light of this delay, we’ve moved the date of our first wildflower walk along Bloomington’s Minnesota River Valley to Sunday, May 1st. from 2:00 pm-3:30 pm.

 If you registered for the April 10th walk but cannot make it on May 1st, please let us know so we can open additional tickets for Wild Ones Twin Cities members. Thank you—and we look forward to walking amongst the wildflowers with you soon!

Join Wild Ones Twin Cities for a guided wildflower walk with Nathalie Shanstrom down the Spur Trail toward Mound Springs Park in Bloomington.

John Crampton, Bloomington historian, will provide background information about the Native Americans, mainly Dakota, who lived along this area of the Minnesota River.

Though the forest is quite degraded, this stretch of the Minnesota River Corridor has a surprising diversity and assemblage of spring ephemerals, including, among others: wild leek, hepatica, Dutchman’s breeches, and even Snow Trillium! Snow Trillium is listed by the DNR as a “Special Concern” species, and is described by Minnesota Wildflowers as “a rare find throughout its range."

WILDFLOWERS TO LOOK FOR ALONG THE TRAIL:

Snow Trillium
Bloodroot
Hepatica
Dutchman's Breeches
Yellow Trout Lily
Violets
Virginia Waterleaf
Wild Leek

The Mounds Spring Spur Trail connects with the Bluff Trail running on the north side of Long Meadow Lake (see map for this and more Bloomington Hiking & Biking Trails).  Please be advised that the trail we'll be following runs along a creek, is unpaved (and at times very uneven), and we'll be walking downhill (and up again).  This trail is also used by bicycles.

WHAT TO BRING:  Wear good hiking shoes, bring water and binoculars if you have them.  Also, if you want to help identify wildflowers and other plants, download the app Seek, by iNaturalist on your iPhone.  It’s a great, free app.  The photos you take contribute to a large Citizen Science database. 

PARK at the intersection of 100th St E and 11th Ave S. 

Spring Wildflowers Nine Mile Creek in Bloomington

Saturday, May 7, 2022, 1:00-2:30 pm

Nine Mile Creek Trail, Bloomington, MN

Join Wild Ones Twin Cities for a guided wildflower walk with Nathalie Shanstrom and other Bloomington WO members along a section of the Nine Mile Creek Trail.  

We will be hiking down to the trail along the creek, stopping at a high meadow overlooking the river.  The terrain down is fairly steep but there are steps.  Hiking is easy along the paved main trail. Nine Mile Creek Trail connects to the Minnesota River unpaved trails.  

WILDFLOWERS TO LOOK FOR ARE:

Bloodroot
Canada White Violet
Downy Yellow Violet
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Hoary Puccoon
Marsh Marigolds
Nodding Trillium
Skunk Cabbage
Virginia Waterleaf
Wood Anemone

WHAT TO BRING:  Wear good hiking shoes, bring water and binoculars if you have them.  Also, if you want to help identify wildflowers and other plants, download the app Seek, by iNaturalist on your iPhone.  It’s a great, free app.  The photos you take contribute to a large Citizen Science database. 

PARK at Life Church, 2201 W 108th St, Bloomington, MN

Living Mulch: An eco-smart technique to replace wood mulch, suppress weeds, retain moisture

Presenter: Kaitlyn O'Connor

Do you wish you could eliminate wood mulch in your gardens? If so, this event is for you! During this presentation, you'll learn more about native plants used as living mulches, including benefits, species selection, implementation, and potential challenges.

"Living mulch," also known as green mulch, is using plants to fill in spaces between other plants. These plants are usually short, spreading ground cover that occupy the lowest herbaceous niche in a garden, a niche that is often occupied by abiotic (wood, rock) mulches in more traditional garden design.

Kaitlyn O'Connor is a native plant enthusiast from the Driftless Region of Minnesota. In her professional role as a Plant Ecologist at ISG, she is responsible for integrating habitat restoration and biodiversity into the built environment to enhance ecological and sustainable design goals. Her past work as an educator and consultant for Prairie Moon Nursery and University of Wisconsin Extension has given her extensive knowledge on conservation, horticulture, native landscape design, and restoration. Outside of her professional life, she considers herself a homesteader and keeps busy with gardening, food preservation, and tending to her small flock of chickens.

Plant Sale Pickup and Habitat Gardening Expo
 

PICKUP for WILD ONES TWIN CITIES NATIVE PLANT SALE

Friday, June 3rd  | 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center

6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, at the outdoor amphitheater

Pickup is for plants pre-ordered through our annual native plant sale.

Please observe social distancing protocol when picking up your order.  If you are exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in direct contact with someone who has tested positive, please contact us and we'll make arrangements for delivery to your driveway.

Wild Ones Twin Cities volunteers will be present to fill orders and answer native plant gardening questions.

And be sure to pick up a few NATIVE PLANT SIGNS when you come for your plants! 

Click here for a list of signs available.  Feel free to print a copy, fill out your order and bring it with you. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted.

You can also email us with any questions about our native plant signs.

Not picking up a native plant order? Come see us anyway if you're in the neighborhood!

There will be a limited number of ADDITIONAL PLANTS FOR SALE from 2-7 pm on Friday, June 3rd, including:
 

3 pack of XL plugs - $6 each
Agastache foeniculum - Fragrant Giant Hyssop
Aquilegia canadensis - Wild Columbine
Carex sprengelii - Long-beaked Sedge
Dalea candida - White Prairie Clover
Echinacea angustifolia - Narrow-leaved Coneflower
Eurybia macrophylla - Large-leaved Aster
Geum triflorum - Prairie Smoke
Liatris ligulistylis - Meadow Blazing Star
Liatris punctata - Dotted Blazing Star
Monarda punctata - Spotted Bee Balm
Penstemon gracilis - Slender Penstemon
Prunella vulgaris - Self-heal
Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan
Solidago flexicaulis - Zigzag Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum laeve - Smooth Blue Aster
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense - Sky-blue Aster
Verbena stricta - Hoary Vervain
3.5” pots - $5 each
Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern

Athyrium Filix-femina - Lady Fern
Onoclea sensibilis - Sensitive Fern

3.5” pots - $4 each
Asclepias exaltata - Poke Milkweed
Asclepias speciosa - Showy Milkweed
Asclepias sullivantii - Sullivant's Milkweed
Asclepias syriaca - Common Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed
Asclepias verticillata - Whorled Milkweed
Geranium maculatum - Wild Geranium

Penstemon digitalis - Foxglove Beardtongue
Phlox divaricata - Wild Blue Phlox
Polemonium reptans - Jacob's Ladder

Ruellia humilis - Wild Petunia
Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Symphyotrichum shortii - Short's Aster
Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie Dropseed 

Carex pensylvanica - Pennsylvania Sedge
Ceanothus americanus - New Jersey Tea

4” pots - $3 each
Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot

We'll also have Wild Ones Twin Cities Volunteers there with information on...

Gardening with NATIVE PLANTS in urban and suburban yards!
Creating HABITAT for Monarch and other Butterflies, Native Bees and Pollinators and more! 
Preventing the spread of Jumping Worms and other invasive species!
Becoming a MEMBER of Wild Ones and joining our community!

And to celebrate our return to live events at our Wild Ones home at Wood Lake Nature Center, we are offering 2 guided walks with a naturalist. 

Each 45 minute walk is limited to 15 attendees, and registration is required. Please sign up for only one tour so more people can attend. Thank you!

TOUR 1 • 3:00-3:45 pm - Forest Loop

Walk through the forest focusing on both the restored and unrestored portions of the forest.  The focus will be on woodland wildflowers, birds, and insects.  The wildflowers and shrubs of Wood Lake have for years been hit hard by white-tailed deer. This is the first winter in over 20 years that we have not observed deer so it will be interesting to see how the plants respond.

TOUR 2 • 5:00-5:45 pm - Boardwalk Loop

Walk through the east side forest looking the flowers planted and seeded in the recently restored portion of the forest by the nature play area.  We will continue onto the elevated trail that leads to the boardwalk.  This elevated section of the trail allows for nice views of water birds (herons, egrets, cormorants, several species of duck, and others) as well as painted and snapping turtles. The loop continues through forest again on the west side.

EDUCATION is our MISSION!

And we are proud to present a new set of informational resources developed by Wild Ones Twin Cities! Check them out, and look for even more new native plant and habitat gardening resources coming soon.

Favorite Native Plants for a Shady Boulevard Garden

Favorite Native Plants for a Sunny Boulevard Garden

Favorite Native Plants for Dry Shade

How to Create an Alternative Lawn

How to Create "Green Mulch" in Your Yard

Ideals for Edible Plants for Your Native Plant Garden

Keystone Species & Soft Landings

Native Plant Winter Seed Sowing

Native Shrubs to Plant after Buckthorn Removal

Native Trees for a Changing Climate (Twin Cities Urban & Suburban Areas)

A Selection of Regionally Native Vegetation for Birds

Raingarden 101

The Nokomis Naturescape Gardeneers Summer Solstice Pizza Picnic

Saturday, June 18th 

by Wild Ones Twin Cities

Location to meet: Nokomis Naturescape 

50th St. and Nokomis Parkway, Minneapolis MN 55417

Join us for the Nokomis Naturescape Gardeneers habitat gardening session, then enjoy gathering with fellow gardeners for a pizza picnic, conversation, activities, and a few surprises!

NOTE: we change locations for event from garden to picnic area.

Gardening Session: 10 am - 11 am at the Nokomis Naturescape. 

(Bring garden gloves and favorite gadening tool.)

Games and Social Hour: 11 am - 12 noon 

Regroup at the Lake Nokomis Park picnic area near Woodlawn Ave. and 49th St. Nokomis Park (near hilltop of Nokomis Naturescape Oak Savanna)

Pizza Picnic: 12 noon-1 pm

Field tour of the Bush Lake Izaak Walton League property in Bloomington on July 20th.   
 
This free event is hosted by members of Wild Ones Twin Cities and Bush Lake Izaak Walton League - Vicki Bonk, Sue Van Baerle, Roz Johnson and Paul Erdmann. 
 
Paul Erdmann, property caretaker, will lead us on a walking tour of the property and  discuss restoration progress that has been made on the beach, wetland and wooded areas.  A Soft Landings project is being planned and we will visit the site.  
Snacks and beverages will be available. 
 
When: July 20, 2022
 
Time: 5- 7 pm
 
Location/Parking:  Bush Lake Izaak Walton League, 7515 Walton Rd W., Bloomington, MN 55438.  Parking is limited so if you can car pool please do. 
 
Hope to see you July 20th at this historic and beautiful site! 
 
For more info: bushlakeikes.org

Wild Ones Twin Cities Garden Tour

DATE: Sunday, July 31

TIME: 4-6 pm

Self-guided, in-person tour. Free and open to Wild Ones members and public.

WOTC Member Garden Tour: 

A MASTER GARDENER’S JOURNEY INTO NATIVE GARDENING

Master Gardener Robert Hatlevig’s garden story began when he and his wife, Helen, purchased a unique, Midcentury Modern home (originally a parsonage) atop a hill, overlooking a church, in South St. Paul.

For the past four years, Robert has enthusiastically embraced gardening with native plants on his 0.4-acre property, making great progress on the transition from “traditional” gardens to native gardens. While this landscape includes the remnants of traditional, inherited gardens (and a few invasive species to boot), Robert has an inspiring vision to guide the transition of this unique site into a rich, native landscape.

    Tour large, sunny native plant gardens rich with pollinator favorites, including blazing stars, milkweeds, coneflowers, anise hyssops and more.  Follow the story of each garden in signage around the yard, including Robert’s ideas for native plantings for the yard’s shady areas.  Discover the creative, inexpensive ways Robert has supplied native plants for his gardens — including a Lawns to Legumes grant. See how the gardens embrace the resident violets as a living mulch, as well as a visually beautiful “understory" companion to the inherited hostas.  Find out how Robert has included his neighbor in his gardening endeavors.

Please note: This entire property and featured gardens are on a slope; only the driveway and upper yard area are fully accessible.

311 16th Avenue North, South Saint Paul.  Luther Memorial Lutheran Church is on 15th Avenue North, and the house is up the hill from that church. There are 15 - 20 diagonal parking spot between the church and house.  

14th Annual Monarch Festival

 

Monarch Festival - Festival de la Monarca

Saturday, September 10

10 am - 4 pm 

Visit Wild Ones Twin Cities at the Habitat Tent!

The Minneapolis Monarch Festival celebrates the monarch butterfly amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales and plenty of opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and what you can do to make a difference.

The Festival will be held just east of the Lake Nokomis Community Center in the area bounded by E. Minnehaha Parkway, Woodlawn Boulevard, and E. Nokomis Parkway. Map & Directions.

Like Monarch Butterfly this time of year, we are busy! The festival is coordinating with our artist friends and science colleagues to bring you activities and learning opportunitiesat the 2022 Monarch Festival.

CLICK HERE to VOLUNTEER with WILD ONES at the MONARCH FESTIVAL!

The Monarch Festival location is adjacent to the Nokomis Naturescape, an official Monarch Waystation and National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat. Wild Ones Twin Cities Members have been maintaining the demonstration gardens at the Naturescape for more than 20 years. See upcoming dates here. Come join us to learn and garden with friends!

All About Seed Saving: Glorious, colorful, wonderful seeds!

Presenter: Vanessa Van Alstine

Have you ever wanted to try seed-saving, but didn’t know where to begin? Vanessa Van Alstine will share her successes (and failures) as she digs into the specifics: how to collect seeds from native flowers and other plants, prepare them for storage, store them, and “wake them up” next season.


 

Why save seeds when you can buy them easily? What plant biology do you need to know to successfully save seeds? How can you tell if your seeds are viable? And, what should you think about in planning next year’s garden to incorporate seed-saving? Vanessa will provide answers to these questions, show us different types of seeds, and demonstrate each step of the process — including use of seed-cleaning equipment. 
 
Time permitting, Vanessa will answer questions on processing seeds collected by guests after her presentation..
 
Vanessa Van Alstine is an enthusiastic home gardener who has been growing vegetables, herbs, berries, and flowers in Minneapolis’s Longfellow Community since 1998. Her gardens are also certified National   Wildlife Habitat. Vanessa starts all of the seedlings for her own garden and shares extras with family, friends, and neighbors. She has trained at the Seed School at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, and taken multiple classes with the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance.
 

Insect Tracks & Signs on Native Plants

Presenter: Eric Vehe

Did you know there are far more insects interacting with native plants in gardens and natural spaces than just pollinators and persistent Japanese Beetles? Many of these visitors leave obvious signs, while others are much more obscure and cryptic. 
 
Naturalist and certified wildlife tracker Eric Vehe will lead you through the basics of identifying some of the major types of sign that show evidence of insect interaction on plants. Not a purely insect talk nor a purely plant talk, but a look at the ecology and natural history of both types of organisms to highlight the fascinating stories of coevolution found in gardens and natural spaces. Guaranteed to give you obscure facts to wow your friends with on your next walk outdoors!
 
Eric Vehe is a naturalist and the interpretive program coordinator at Wargo Nature Center. He has previously worked at numerous other environmental education sites, including the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. He holds a level III certification in Track & Sign identification through Tracker Certification North America and a certificate in ecological restoration from the University of Minnesota.

We invite you to attend our Annual Membership Meeting either online or at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield. We strongly encourage in-person attendance, mask use is welcome. Officer elections will be held during the brief hybrid business meeting.
 
Following the business meeting and election, there will be a short program on Climate Resilient Landscapes, based on the new native plant gardening guide produced by Wild Ones.
 
We'll also have a native seed exchange and volunteer appreciation pizza party for those who attend in-person! 
 
Please bring any native seeds you've collected, labeled with the following information:

Species Botanical/Latin name
Common Name
Seed Source/Location

PRESENTATION:
Climate Resilient Landscapes
 
Are you looking for something you can do to help slow down climate change, promote climate resilience and fight biodiversity losses all at the same time? Fill your garden with native trees, shrubs, grasses, and flowers! Native plants pull carbon from the atmosphere and keep it safely stored in soil. A well-designed native garden can help manage flooding and stormwater runoff - or conserve water if you’re facing drought. These beautiful plants also reduce polluting toxins, lower energy consumption, and provide habitat for threatened species. Learn how you can put their earth-healing powers to work in your garden.
 
All members attending in person will receive a printed copy.
You can also download a printable copy here.