[Editor’s Note: This story was posted originally on the Bring Conservation Home blog on September 19.] By Dawn Weber Board Member-at-Large, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter On Sunday, September 18, I spent a few hours planting new trees and shrubs in an area that was previously covered in English…
By Dawn Weber Board Member-at-Large, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter On May 23-25, 2016, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) hosted a Butterfly and Skipper ID workshop in Warsaw, MO. Warsaw, in case you’ve not heard of it, is located south of Sedalia near Truman Lake, on the western…
Gardening for Butterflies: How You Can Attract and Protect Beautiful, Beneficial Insects Xerces Society Timber Press: Portland OR, 2016 287 pages Reviewed by Carol Boshart Member, Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter Written by the Xerces Society which is dedicated to invertebrate protection, this book is designed for both novice…
By Dawn Weber Board Member-at-Large Wild Ones – St. Louis Chapter St. Louis sits at a pivotal migration point for monarchs, right in the middle of what is known as the Central Monarch Flyway. The importance of our location makes the success of the Milkweeds for Monarchs program significant, aiming toward the goal of increasing…
The new campaign announcement for Project Pollinator is not a typical tabling event, but the Wild Ones banner will be displayed, and we will have information available to spread the word about our organization’s mission. Members of our St. Louis Wild Ones chapter, Bob Siemer, Ann Earley, and Betty Struckhoff participate…
By Dawn Weber Board Member-at-Large, St. Louis Wild Ones UPDATE: March 19, 10:00 a.m. – CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER March 26 is still scheduled. Each month a different native plant that serves as a nectar source or host plant will be featured as a gift with purchase at Greenscape Gardens….
By Ana Grace Schactman In the early morning of January 4, 2016, I heard crows cawing in our front yard in Webster Groves, and I went out to see what they were fussing about. A mature bald eagle was perched in one of the tall oak trees in our front…
By Peggy Whetzel To go birding or to photograph wildlife, two of his favorite activities, Bill Hoss has only to step outside his white frame house on North Forest Avenue in Webster Groves. From the street, just about the only hint that there’s something unusual about the 43 by 315-foot…
By Marcia Myers Not only does this amazing plant act as a nursery, provide nectar, and serve as an important food source, it provides extra protection from predators. Both monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and queen butterflies (Danaus gilippus) store cardenolides, toxins obtained from their milkweed (Asclepias spp.) diet. Why aren’t the butterflies poisoned? Monarchs…
By Marcia Myers Monarch butterflies are in serious decline, so raising and releasing them must be good, right? It would seem so, but some experts have concerns. On October 8, “a group of 10 monarch researchers and conservationists from across the U.S. issued a statement highlighting concerns with the release…
