Feb 21, 2012 (Tue)    

Natural Landscaping Seminar



Wild Ones business member the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee will hold its 20th annual Natural Landscaping Seminar on Saturday, February 25, 2012 at McHenry County College, 8900 Highway 14, Crystal Lake, IL from 8 a.m.–3:45 p.m.

Speakers include Wild Ones honorary board membmer, author, entertaining speaker and expert of native plant ecology Neil Diboll “Landscaping for Birds, Butterflies & People,” research scientist James Nardi “The World Beneath Our Feet: Life in the Soil,” wildlife biologist Chris Anchor “Meet the Urban Coyote: Learn the Facts and Dispel the Myths,” and the WPPC’s Carol Rice & Jim Keenan “100 Yards: Bringing Nature Home to McHenry County.”

Exhibits will feature native gardening services, products, garden art and books.

$30 in advance, $35 at the door and includes lunch.
For registration or information call Nancy at 815-455-9462 or visit WPPC website.

    Feb 17, 2012 (Fri)    

Register by Feb 20 DESIGN WITH NATURE CONFERENCE



2012 Design With Nature Conference entitled "Tending the Delicate Balance"will be held on Feb 25, 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Design With Nature Conference or on-line registration.

Tending the Delicate Balance

An intimate relationship exists between the plant and animal world – one cannot survive without the other. A tree will not bear fruit without help from pollinators, a butterfly will not take flight without nutrients from its larval host plant and a nesting songbird will not have food for her young without an abundance of nearby larvae. This circle of life is only possible when our ecosystem is healthy. Pressures from forces such as global warming and loss of habitat are interupting this delicate balance.

Wild Ones 2012 Design With Nature Conference will address these pressures and explore opportunities the scientific community is considering to save certain species. Native plants and how we manage our landscapes play a key role, adding both diversity and natural beauty to the world around us.

Speakers include:

• Jessica J. Hellmann, Associate Professor,
Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame

• Stan Tekiela, Naturalist, Wildlife Photographer and Writer

• Elaine Evans, Professor of Entomology,
University of Minnesota; Author of Befriending Bumblebees

• Larry Weaner, Natural Landscape Designer and Consultant, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates

Admission is $60 per person, includes morning snack, buffet lunch and afternoon dessert. Registration closes February 20, 2012, or when all seats are sold, whichever comes first.

    Feb 08, 2012 (Wed)    

Wild Ones On-Line



Kate Gardner of TheManicGardener.com recently interviewed Wild Ones President Tim Lewis and Wild Ones Executive Director Donna VanBuecken. The Manic Gardener podcast went live a couple of days ago. If you haven't already listened and/or downloaded, you can do so here, at Going Native: how and why to garden with native plants.

    Jan 25, 2012 (Wed)    

BIG NEWS - Wild Ones Dues Going Up!



Effective March 1, 2012 Wild Ones will be increasing membership dues by a small amount. $7 per household, $15 for other levels and $50 for business memberships. Lifetime memberships go up to $1500. For more detail, please go to the join webpage.

    Sep 30, 2011 (Fri)    

ADOPTIONS WANTED



WILD ONES ADOPT AN OAK PROGRAM
As part of the WILD Center's upland restoration landacaping plan, we will be developing an oak savanna. A donation of $200 toward the purchase of a tree for our oak savanna area will get your name added to a donor plaque and will help us purchase a 2 to 2-1/2 inch diameter bur oak. Adopt an Oak Program.

WILD ONES ADOPT A TURTLE PROGRAM

Since time immemorial, turtles have come out of the marsh onto this land that is now the WILD Center. The site no longer has the kind of soil turtles need for successful nesting, and there's also a problem with the turtles crossing the hazardous roadway. Your generous donation will help us create a great nesting area for the painted turtles and snapping turtles that want to lay their eggs on our site. We suggest a $100 donation, but of course any amount will be a great help. Adopt a Turtle Program.