Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Doug Tallamy & Mariette Nowak to Speak in Stevens Point April 12, 2019

Great news! Nationally known speaker and Wild Ones Honorary Director Doug Tallamy will be a keynote speaker for the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention and Water Action Volunteers Symposium to be held April 10-12, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. Doug will speak on April 12th at 9AM.

Additionally, Mariette Nowak, Author of Birdscaping in the Midwest, Past Director of Wehr Nature Center, Milwaukee County and President of Wild Ones Kettle Moraine Chapter will be speaking later in the afternoon from 2:45-3:45PM.

The Keynote Presentation

With a conference theme of “Pay it Forward,” Dr Tallamy’s presentation argues we all can “pay it forward” to nature by including many more native plants in our domesticated landscapes. He will take a closer look at how nature can (and does!) provide for itself through the complex web of life which is most often based on the relationship between plants and insects. Whether at an “up north” cabin or in the middle of Milwaukee, our deeds will be multiplied and eventually will return to us in the form of a more diverse and resilient natural community.

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for nearly forty years. His research demonstrates the enduring connections between plants and the insects that feed on them. Though we may think of these insects as pests, they are in fact critical food sources for native birds and small mammals.

Dr Tallamy is the author of the best-selling garden book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writers Association. He also co-authored with Richard Darke The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, a how-to book to “enable you to create a garden that is full of life and that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.”

Birdscaping Your Shoreline Property

The Tennessee Warbler migrates through Wisconsin from the Canadian Boreal forest. It is often referred to as a “nectar thief” because it will pierce the base of a flower tube to get nectar and not exchange any pollen. Photo by Dave Nowak

Mariette will present ways to increase the variety of birds on your shoreline property by growing native plants which offer birds a natural habitat and a yearlong smorgasbord of berries, nuts, seeds and insects. By doing so, she’ll show you how you can play a vital role in preserving and enhancing native communities that support not only birds, but also other wildlife including butterflies, bees, and bats. By taking on this role, you become a steward of your piece of Earth and pay forward its diversity and beauty to future generations. 

To register See you there!

Wisconsin Lakes Partnership

Sponsored by the UW-SP College of Natural Resources, UW-Extension Lakes Department, the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership is made up of three partners: the Department of Natural Resources (which supplies scientific research, technical expertise and regulatory authority), the UW-Extension Lakes Program (which provides supporting educational materials and programs), and Wisconsin Lakes (which mobilizes citizens to be advocates for lakes).

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A Guide to Restoring the Little Things that Run the World

Great news! Dr Doug Tallamy, Wild Ones Lifetime Honorary Director, will be speaking here in Wisconsin again! He will be a keynote speaker for the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention and Water Action Volunteers Symposium to be held April 10-12, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. Doug will speak on April 12th at 9AM.

The Presentation

With a conference theme of “Pay it Forward,” Dr Tallamy’s presentation argues we all can “pay it forward” to nature by including many more native plants in our domesticated landscapes. He will take a closer look at how nature can (and does!) provide for itself through the complex web of life which is most often based on the relationship between plants and insects. Whether at an “up north” cabin or in the middle of Milwaukee, our deeds will be multiplied and eventually will return to us in the form of a more diverse and resilient natural community.

Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has taught for nearly forty years. His research demonstrates the enduring connections between plants and the insects that feed on them. Though we may think of these insects as pests, they are in fact critical food sources for native birds and small mammals.

Dr Tallamy is the author of the best-selling garden book, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writers Association. He also co-authored with Richard Darke The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, a how-to book to “enable you to create a garden that is full of life and that fulfills both human needs and the needs of wildlife communities.”

To register

Wisconsin Lakes Partnership

Sponsored by the UW-SP College of Natural Resources, UW-Extension Lakes Department, the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership is made up of three partners: the Department of Natural Resources (which supplies scientific research, technical expertise and regulatory authority), the UW-Extension Lakes Program (which provides supporting educational materials and programs), and Wisconsin Lakes (which mobilizes citizens to be advocates for lakes).

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Digging in the Dirt — WOFVA Chapter Plant Sale Orders due April 1st

I know it’s difficult to get excited about spring this year, but the snow will eventually melt and then we’ll all really get excited about spring and getting out in our yards. And, one of my favorite things about spring, is digging in the dirt. If you read this blog, I’ll bet it’s one of yours, too — digging in the dirt to plant new plants, trees and shrubs!

It’ll be difficult to wait this year for the soil to get warm enough to dig!!

WOFVA Chapter Plant Sale Orders due April 1st

Cheerful volunteers help get ready for the WOFVA Chapter annual plant sale 2018.

With that in mind, I wanted to remind readers from the Fox Valley Area in Wisconsin the orders for the Wild Ones Fox Valley Area (WOFVA) Chapter’s annual native plant sale are due April 1, 2019. We are again taking pre-Orders for not only native forbs, grasses and ferns, but also trees and shrubs. Pick-up date is May 18th.

Native Pants are Hosts and Food Sources for Insects

Native plants are the host plants and food source for most native pollinators and insects. They evolved together, so it’s natural they would rely upon each other for their preservation. In this day and age of bee colony collapse, monarch butterfly loss and insect eradication, it’s important for all of us to do our part by gardening for wildlife. Without bees and other insects, many of the foods we eat would not be pollinated naturally which means our meals would be a different experience and prepared for a higher price.

Order Form

The Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter’s annual spring native plant sale will be held at the WILD Center in Neenah, Wisconsin on May 18, 2019. Pre-orders are preferred, but there will be more than a thousand extra plants available for purchase on May 18th. Buyers who pre-order should be assured of getting the plants they want, while on the day of pick-up species variety and quantity will be limited. Trees and shrubs are only available through pre-order.

Volunteers sorting pre-orders for WOFVA Chapter’s Annual Plant Sale 2018.

The plant sale order form identifies all plants, trees and shrubs offered as to ecotype (shade, sun, mesic, etc). There are also some pre-designed collections of prairie and shade plants available, and a listing specifically for monarchs and pollinators. Plants are in 4″ pots and are more than reasonably priced. There is also special pricing available for non-profits purchasing plants for their outdoor learning centers and habitats.

Don’t forget to place your order!

Pre-orders are due Monday, April 1, 2019.

Pick up is May 18th from 9AM to 2PM.

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Propagating Native Plant Seed

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) pod and seeds. Photo by Tim Lewis.

Assuming you gathered native seed this past fall from your own plantings or were successful in purchasing Valentine’s Day Seed from Prairie Moon Nursery, and you haven’t yet done a winter seeding, you may be considering starting some seed indoors. Well, now is the time to get started.

Cold Treatment Stratification

If you haven’t already done so, start the stratification process by mixing equals amounts of clean dry seed and clean moist sand in a suitable storage container. Place the container in refrigerator for four to eight weeks.

Germination

After the stratification process has been completed, spread the seed and sand mixture into your germinating tray and cover lightly with more soil. Water gently and cover with a sheet of paper. Place in a location indoors near a window or other light source, or outdoors where it can catch the sunlight. Keep the sand and seed mixture evenly moist.

Transplanting

When the seedlings have three to four leaves, transplant to temporary individual pots or directly outdoors. Because these leaves will be tender, the best time to plant outdoors would be in the evening or on a cloudy day so the leaves won’t get burned by immediate and intense direct sunlight. If you have the time, consider hardening them off first, by moving them outdoors for short periods of time before transplanting them permanently to the planting site. Then for the next one to two weeks, make certain to maintain an even amount of moisture.

Royal Catchfly (Silene regia), Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpura) at Donna’s prairie

Typically you should not only have marvelous new plants come summer, but you’ll also have experienced the satisfaction of starting your own plants and seeing them grow up, and bloom — after a couple of years

Please be patient. Remember most native perennial plants take two to three years to blossom. First they must put down substantial enough roots to adequately accommodate the  eventual burst of blossoms and the visiting pollinators.

See also Sowing Native Seed.

 

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