A Life in Conservation Susan wrote, “Conservation has been my main interest since graduating from college. I have been in leadership positions on the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. the Open Space Council, the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Riverlands, and Tower Grove Park. “Attending Prairie Conferences years ago I was…
Long Time Member, New Garden As some Wild Ones members know, Penny Holtzmann discovered her love of native plants during a rainy camping trip where she happened upon a beautiful bloodroot bloom. Since that trip, her love of all things native flourished, resulting in her dedicated involvement with Wild…
A Lifetime of Supporting Native Plants “My earliest days of native plant gardening started many years before I joined Wild Ones. When I bought my first and current house in 1976, I brought a few plants back from my family’s 40 acres in Miller County MO and added them…
A Family Affair Ana Grace Schactman’s mother, Pat Grace, was one of the original Wild Ones St Louis chapter members. Ana joined her mother at the second meeting. Pat was a huge influence on Ana’s love of nature, because after Pat joined the Webster Groves Nature Study Society in…
The Missouri Native Plant Society (MONPS) has recognized St. Louis Chapter Member Besa Schweitzer for her native plant writing! Besa received the Erma Eisendrath Memorial Education Award. Besa’s recent book, The Wildflower Garden Planner has introduced many new gardeners in the St. Louis area to native plant landscaping and she…
post and photos by Donna Short, Chapter member and volunteer Nee Kee Nee – The East Stream at Tower Grove Park Saturday Aug 12 (33 attendees) Wednesday Aug 16 (42 attendees) We visited the East Stream at Tower Grove Park – Nee Kee Nee, or “revived water” in the language…
Jane Amid Her Purple Poppy Mallow I was excited to get the chance to interview Jane Schaefer but I didn’t quite realize how much she has helped the native plant movement in University City. Jane and Mary Ann Shaw started the organization, U City in Bloom in 1985. At…
A Native Plant Lover from Abroad Barbara grew up in England where she learned an appreciation of nature and native plants from her mother who loved wildflowers. She moved to the U.S. when she was 21. She and her husband moved a couple of times before settling in St….
A Learner and Sharer of All Things Native… “In 1999, looking forward to retirement, I decided to become a Master Gardener. It was in my DNA. My mother always had a huge vegetable garden when I grew up on a farm near Augusta, Missouri. Some of my favorite childhood…
From Weeds to Native Plants … “As a gardener my entire adult life, I have always wanted to help attract wildlife. Herbal bee (attracting) plants were favorites from my time in the St. Louis Herb Society. Garden club membership included many talks on wildflowers and tours of Shaw Nature…
