The Native Plant School, co-sponsored by St. Louis Wild Ones, is a year-round series of mostly outdoor learning sessions in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden at Shaw Nature Reserve. They will cover various aspects of native home landscaping, flower arranging, and woodland/prairie/savanna/ re-establishment. Please bring your questions, comments, photos, drawings, plant…
From Kathy Wright The quarterly Illinois Audubon Society (IAS) magazine is adding a new feature and is looking for volunteers to write 25-word, seasonally-appropriate landscaping tips. The magazine editor, Kathy Wright, provided these basic guidelines: Submit approximately 25 words/tip. Tips may be edited by technical experts and the IAS editor….
November 4, 2015 Thirty-two members and six guests attended our annual potluck dinner and seed exchange, held at The Heights community center of Richmond Heights. Copies of our chapter membership list were distributed. President Ed Schmidt invited us to join in the discussion of what to do in your yard…
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…
By Cori Westcott of Bring Conservation Home While enjoying the expansive vista of a prairie, my eye stopped upon a strange looking little creature just beyond the boardwalk. A buckeye (Junonia coenia) caterpillar was dining upon a slender-leaved false foxglove (Agalinus tenuifolia), formerly a Gerardia. The false foxglove flowers from…
Learn to identify some of the common seasonal, wild edibles found in Missouri. Like spring and summer, fall brings us a bounty of possibilities and even winter offers some nutrients. This class will discuss tips for foraging, plant identification, and some processing techniques. Also, participants will have the opportunity to sample…
By Marcia Myers The catered food from Local Harvest tantalized taste buds. The booths provided education, games, and even food from native plants. And of course the Whitmire Wildflower Garden‘s natural beauty hosted tours. Celebrants enjoyed a diversity of activities during the Native Plant School’s 10th anniversary celebration at Shaw Nature…
By Bill and Linda Bennett We hope to start a Wild Ones chapter in the Arcadia area. In order to generate interest, we are planning a Native Plant and Pollinators workshop on Saturday, May 14, 2016. Grow Native! is assisting with the planning process and Betty Struckhoff has agreed to be…
The Tupelo chapter of Wild Ones recently formed near Murphysboro, Carbondale and Carterville in southern Illinois. It’s short notice, but they have a meeting tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 28. Visit their Facebook page for more information. That means there are now four chapters within driving distance of St. Louis (click any…
