Wild Ones Twin Cities Minnesota

April Presentation

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:08:00 +0000

A bubble rock Diane installed to replace her birdbath.
Birds are attracted to the sound of moving water.
They bathe and drank from it, as do the squirrels!

A hummingbird sitting in a nest in Diane's yard.

April 23, 2026

Gardening for Birds

Presenter | Diane Hirigoyen

Social 6:30pm - 7:00pm

Presentation 7:00pm - 8:15pm

Richfield Community Center

7000 Nicollet Ave, Richfield, MN

Diane Hirigoyen will review the diet of birds, and then compare birds and insects in relation to ecosystem services, threats, habitat requirements, actions people can take, and some resources.

Diane was born and raised in Michigan. She received a degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Michigan State University and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota in Medical Microbiology. She worked at Hennepin County Medical Center for 37 years in the microbiology and molecular laboratories. Upon retiring Diane focused on birding and gardening. She has been a member of Wild Ones since October 2019. In the fall of 2022 she was accepted into the Xerces Society Ambassador program.

Spring Member-Only Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:13:00 +0000

Pasque Flower Meadow and Nine Mille Creek Trail Hike, Bloomington

April 19th, 1:00- 2:30 pm

Bonus Native Garden Visit | 2:30 to 3:00 pm

REGISTER HERE

Meeting Place: Parking Lot at Rock Church, 2201 W. 108th St., Bloomington

Hike leaders: Roz Johnson and Nathalie Shanstrom, Wild Ones Twin Cities members, Bloomington residents.

Please join Wild Ones Twin Cities members on a hike to see a rare Metro prairie meadow where Pasque wild flowers should be in bloom. We’ll then walk down to the Nine Mile Creek trail, currently undergoing Phase 1 of a major restoration project, to see what's emerging after a long winter. This hike is somewhat hilly so bring your hiking poles if you want. Wear good hiking shoes and bring water.

Optional extension activity: Around 2:15-2:30 pm, we will drive to nearby Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, 2200 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington to see the Vanatta Memorial wildflower garden. You will see an example of Pasque flowers as well as other spring natives in this micro climate garden designed by Nathalie Shanstrom in collaboration with Julia Vanatta.

We especially encourage new members to attend. Group will be limited to 15 people. If it rains, hike will be rescheduled and you will be notified.

Life Beneath Our Feet: Understanding Soil

7515 Izaak Walton Road W, Bloomington, MN 55438

Saturday, May 2nd, 11:45am-4pm

Space is Limited- Members Only | REGISTER HERE

Come and learn about the Izaak Walton League Bush Lake ecosystem where over 12,000 native plants have been installed. Jim Etzel will give a presentation on healthy ecosystems, healthy soil and water infiltration. We will extract and view soil cores, and soil infiltration rates. Some samples will be sent to a lab and results will be available at a later date.

This event is open to members of Bush Lake Ikes (register on their website), Wild Ones and by invitation on a first come basis. Space for parking is limited, please walk, bike or carpool if possible. If you would like to attend and are not a members, please join today!

Note: Parking on site is very limited, we encourage everyone to use bicycles (if you live nearby) or carpool.

Agenda:

11:45 am - 12:15 pm    A tour of Bush Lake Izaak Walton League
12:15 pm - 12:45 pm    Complimentary Pizza and soft drinks will be provided
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm        Presentation by Jim Etzel, Understanding Bush Lake’s Ecology & Life Beneath Our Feet: Understanding Soil
2:00 - 4:00 Observe soil ecology, collect soil samples and perform soil infiltration test.

Questions:

For Ikes and invited guests, email Jill Crafton
For Wild Ones Twin Cities members, email Susan Van Baerle

March Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 02:07:00 +0000

Due to the heavy snow over weekend combined with forecast for more snow Tuesday evening, we have moved our Tuesday, March 17 chapter program to Tuesday, March 24.

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Social 6:30 pm | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center | 7000 Nicollet Ave

LIVE STREAM HERE

Visualizing the Native Garden:

A Practical Design Tool for Planning Gardens

Presenter | Dustin Demmer

Many native gardeners have extensive plant lists—but translating those lists into cohesive garden designs is another challenge. This presentation introduces a unique, illustration-based native plant design tool that offers a fresh, hands-on approach to garden planning. Unlike traditional paper or digital layouts, this novel visual system allows gardeners to visually test layouts, experiment with layering, and evaluate bloom progression in a more intuitive way. After introducing this intuitive design process, we will go through a design scenario for a small, city garden with plenty of flowers and short grasses in the increasingly popular mixed style of gardening.

Dustin Demmer founded the native plant nursery Blazing Star Gardens 13 years ago with a mission to bring native plants back into our communities. By promoting practical, low-maintenance strategies, he works to make native gardening accessible to beginners and experts alike. He is especially known for his use of short sedges and grasses as the structural backbone of a garden—so much so that one customer once remarked their design had “too many grasses,” even though Dustin had already reduced them by half of what he typically recommends.

February Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 23:18:00 +0000

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Social 6:30 pm | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center | 7000 Nicollet Ave

Landscaping for Pups & Pollinators:

Creating a Dog Friendly Garden

Presenter | Jackie Lutes

Join presentation online HERE

Join us as we discuss creating a beautiful garden that not only pollinators will enjoy, but also your pup! Topics covered include potential hazards in the garden, fun elements to incorporate for your dog in a garden setting, and how to identify dog friendly native plants in the garden.

Jackie Lutes has been a plant lover for most of her life. She started off as an indoor plant enthusiast, but has transitioned her plant skills to include outdoor gardening with the purchase of her family’s first home. She and her husband began their native plant garden journey in 2021, and have spent the last few years removing invasive plants and establishing in their place, native plants. She has two wonderful pups, Porter & Lincoln, who love to join her while she works out in the garden.

January Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 18:30:00 +0000

Saturday, February 7

Winter Dreams Garden Social

2 pm - 4 pm

Community Room at Oak Grove Presbyterian Church

2200 W Old Shakopee Rd, Bloomington, MN

The ground may be frozen, but that doesn't mean we can't dream of spring and plan our next gardening projects. Dig out a favorite native plant garden photo or a design idea, grab your favorite native plant book or catalog, and come in from the cold to meet with other members. This winter warm-up gathering is Wild Ones Twin Cities 2026 kick off event. Please join us as we begin the celebration of our chapter's 25 year anniversary year.

Free and open to Wild Ones members and guests. Families with children, please contact us if you would like us to provide a children's activity so we can make arrangement in advance.

November Member Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Tuesday | November 18, 2025

Annual Meeting, Seed Exchange and Volunteer Recognition Pizza Party

Pizza and Seed Exchange | 6:00 pm

Annual Meeting | 7:15 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

Please join us to celebrate another amazing year as we reflect on all the educational programs, tours, plant sale and community events where volunteers like you brought our message out into the greater Twin Cities area.

We'll start the evening with Pizza and a Seed Exchange with ample time to socialize, followed by a brief and official Annual Meeting to elect chapter officers for 2026. We've also invited members who are Artists to showcase their work and share a little about how their love and passion for native plants has influenced their art or craft.

Do you have native plant seeds to share?

Start collecting and bring seeds in containers or small sleeve envelopes. Label with common and scientific name along with any pertinent information about date and location seeds were collected.

Are you a chapter member and artist?

Please contact Susan Van Baerle at svb3@comcast.net to receive an invite to showcase your work. More details will be sent out in a letter to active members.

Would like more information about joining our chapter leadership team?

We have several board members stepping down this year and look forward to a new generation of Wild One members stepping up to carry our chapter and mission into the future. Please contact any chapter leader or email info@wildonestwincities.org for more information.

Reflecting on our last program at Wood Lake Nature Center prior to their closing to rebuild. We look forward to returning to Wood Lake in the future. Photos by Laura Burlis.

October Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Sun, 21 Sep 2025 12:52:00 +0000

Thursday, October 16, 2025

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

Ants: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Elizabeth Chaigne

Watch the live stream of our program online HERE.

In this presentation we will be looking at the rather unsuspecting and yet ever present insect: the ant. With their armies, they bring about many benefits to our yards and gardens and of course some disadvantages too. Topics covered include some basic morphology, most common species in MN, life cycle and roles they play in their colonies and how to best manage them. We will also cover some interesting and fun facts about these sometimes overlooked little critters.

Elizabeth Chaigne has been an enthusiastic gardener from early childhood to the present day. She has been a master gardener with the University of Minnesota since 2014. Her backyard garden in Golden Valley is filled with some tried-and-trues and some vegetables that are perhaps a little less common. Her most recent project has been working in her garden at her home in France where she gets to explore a growing season of plants that extends up to growing zone 9! She draws from her years living and cooking in France as well as her experience as a master gardener in Minnesota to create meals and eat directly out of the garden. Other than vegetables, her gardens are self-landscaped into various perennial flower and shrub areas leaving plenty of space for her three dogs to romp.

September Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 14:22:00 +0000

September 18, 2025

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

Click here to view the presentation online.

Asters and Goldenrod:

Powerhouse Plants for Pollinators

Presenter: Rhonda Fleming Hayes

You see them blooming on roadsides in the fall, these beauties of blue, purple, and gold. They are some of the most important plants for pollinators as the growing season comes to an end. Learn more about their value for pollinators, the different varieties, and how to grow them in your garden.

Rhonda is a freelance writer and author. Her work has been published in the Star Tribune, Northern Gardener, Mpls St Paul magazine, Southern Living, Midwest Living and more. Her first book was Pollinator Friendly Gardening and coming in Spring 2026 is Gardening for Life: Strategies for Easier, Greener, More Joyful Gardening as We Age.

Monarch Festival & September Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 00:18:00 +0000

Minneapolis Monarch Festival

Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 10 am-4 pm

The Festival celebrates the monarch butterfly amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales and plenty of opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and what you can do to make a difference.

SIGN UP HERE to VOLUNTEER

We need volunteers at the Minneapolis Monarch Festival (Festival de la Monarca) to help visitors learn more about Nokomis Naturescape and Wild Ones, and their message of growing native plant habitat. Please join us!

The Nokomis Naturescape is located on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis at 50th St. and Nokomis Parkway. It is a 4-acre landscape planted only with Minnesota native plant species and is an official Monarch Waystation, National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat, and the original site for this festival.

The Wild Ones is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to educating about preserving and restoring biodiversity of our native plant communities, beginning in our own yards and gardens. Since 2002, Wild Ones Twin Cities has helped the area's residents maintain the Nokomis Naturescape demonstration gardens and led in native plant educational outreach..

Questions? Email Vicki Bonk at vbonk@uswireless.com

See you at the Habitat Tent!

Tour of Leslie Prilgrim’s Native Plant Gardens 

September 7, 2025 | 1:00 to 3:00 pm 

Private residence in Mendota Heights, MN

Wild Ones Twin Cities invites you experience the vibrancy of Leslie Pilgrim's late summer naturescape gardens.

Registration is required: Location is a private residence in Mendota Heights, MN. Please email name and number in your group to info@wildonestwincities.org by end of day Thursday, September 4. We’ll send you an email with directions.

Note: No Pets Allowed. Attendees will be given booties to avoid introducing invasive species to Leslie’s gardens.

Leslie's goal has been to create biodiversity in their yard, here is her story:

I don’t garden. Rather, I like to think I naturescape. To me, gardening is to create pretty for me. Naturescaping creates pretty for both me and wildlife. Everything in this yard (except two trees and two shrubs) was planted by me. My guess is that about 75 percent of the vegetation in this ½ acre is native. I’ve done some things right over the decades to build biodiversity in this ½ acre, and some things wrong. Early on, I knew lawn was a waste of time and resources so a huge swath of the yard was smothered in landscape fabric and mulched. Yikes. Don’t do that. Along the way I learned that separating the natural world above from the living world below chokes off all kinds of important life cycle processes. I have been ripping out this chemical-infused covering and replacing with native vegetation for years now. Lesson learned.

The Eastern white pines scattered around the yard were all serendipitously planted by me. Some were not planted very well, hence the current root-chokehold on many of these gorgeous pines. Duly noted: know how to plant trees correctly. I loved the white pine in my youth not knowing until years later what a robust native species this is: pines rank fourth, nationwide, in the list of the top genera of native keystone trees (number one is the oak, followed by native willow, native cherry, native pine, and native poplar). I hope my overstory pine cathedral manages to hang on in our overly warm present and our even hotter future.

I am constantly trying to create layers for wildlife in this yard—from the ground up. Nutrient dense fallen leaves stay (or are raked from the lawn to the margins). Forbs (flowers), grasses, shrubs, smaller trees, and overstory trees ring the property. Layering offers nesting sites, bird habitat, food, shelter, overwintering insect habitat, and more.

In addition to naturescaping, there a so many mindful things one can do on one’s own property (or schoolyard, place of worship, boulevard, etc.). I keep many (super clean!) birdbaths on the property. I clean and fill them with fresh water every day. Birds rely on this all season long (invest in a winter water heater). Think about your own neighborhood: where is there a reliable source of clean water for birds nearby? I have no birdfeeders. My yard is the birdfeeder. Birds did not evolve to eat from birdfeeders. Disease transmitted from avian traffic of all kinds can do more harm than good.

Of course, I avoid all CIDES: herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and more. Last note: No matter what “they” tell you, spraying for mosquitoes in your yard equals spraying for insects in your yard (meaning bees, butterflies, and more). Insecticides know no boundaries. Even if the product is touted as “organic” or “all natural.” (For more on this, reference Supporting Ecologically Sound Mosquito Management, Xerces.org.)

The 30 percent or so of non-natives in this yard are mostly still here because I do not have enough energy to remove them (I’m looking at you hosta, dropped at the bottom of my driveway each year by my long-deceased sweet neighbor, Bill). Some I keep because they are helpful in some marginal way and are not invasive (until I learn otherwise and then change my “behavior.”). The Autumn Joy sedums get to stay (for now). The seemingly innocuous alliums (THESE ARE NOT CHINESE CHIVES!) my lovely neighbor Dorothy gave me years ago get to stay. Unfortunately, Adeline’s lily-of-the-valley had to go as they became unwanted bullies. Additionally, each year I put together a few pots of non-native zinnia purchased from a source that guarantees they do not contain any systemic insecticides. (Note: the new question to ask is, “do these plants contain systemic insecticides?” In this day of “whack-a-mole” neonics have been replaced with other systemics. So, learn how to ask the right questions.)

I hope those who tour this landscape connect with its reason for being. I am honored to be a part of the Wild Ones mission and hope to inspire others to renature any “dirt” they can—their own yards, boulevards, places of worship, local parks, road sides, school yards, a neighbor’s yard, city hall—and more! Onward with resolve.

August Garden Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 18:42:00 +0000

SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2025 | 10 am - 12 pm

Bria Abeles-Allison and Kendra Rysan's Indigo House Prairie in South Minneapolis

Wild Ones Twin Cities invites you to join us for a tour of Bria and Kendra's Indigo House Prairie gardens in south Minneapolis. These gardens have gone through a tremendous transition over the last four years. Join to hear about the process taken, mistakes made, and discussion on future management decisions.

In May 2021 the backyard was a conventional grass yard, by Summer 2022 it had transformed to a lush non-native garden, and by Summer 2023 was once again in transition to a fully native garden with the addition of a new alley pocket prairie planted with Lawns to Legumes funding.

In Spring and Summer 2024 the rest of the backyard was densely planted with 150+ species of self-winter-sown MN natives and seeded with additional grasses in January 2025. The shady front yard remained all hostas and creeping bellflower until they were removed Fall 2024 in preparation for 2025 planting. Recently Bria finished their design and installation of a native plant boulevard garden as Kendra continues to transition shady areas into a woodland garden.

The back yard is now a well-loved 1-3 year old native prairie. The focus of this prairie has been on creation of habitat diversity, early on satisfying Bria's urge to have as many plant species as possible, and now being reined in with native plant communities in mind. Tour guests will see dead-hedge type pathway edging, creative gutter routing, early establishment phase green mulch and rock paths, and a lot of passion.

Bria and Kendra are looking forward to sharing their whimsical gardens with you all.

Accessibility: Street parking, moderately narrow paths with some uneven footing, limited seating available. Please let us know if there are accommodations we can make to enable you to attend!

SIGN UP HERE

to VOLUNTEER at the

Minneapolis Monarch Festival!

Saturday, September 6, 2025 | 10 am-4 pm

Questions? Email Vicki Bonk at vbonk@uswireless.com

See you at the Habitat Tent!

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 00:37:00 +0000

SATURDAY | JULY 12, 2025 | 10 am - 12 pm

Tour Emily's Gardens in West St Paul

Emily discovered her passion for native plants when a neighbor in Minneapolis pointed out a hummingbird hawk-moth (Macdroglossum stellatarum) in their wildlife habitat garden.

Emily and Michael Benson, along with their two young sons, moved to Minnesota seven years ago. A few years later they moved to their new home in West St Paul. The nearly one-acre lot near Dodge Nature Center was riddled with invasives, including buckthorn, crown vetch, bindweed and lawn weeds. It didn't take long for Emily to get started. She began to deal with invasives and created new gardens with a variety of native plants.

After the first few years of gardening with purchased plants, Emily learned about winter sowing and took full advantage. In the winter of 2023, she started 120 species in 150 jugs, the following winter added another 105 species in 120 plugs. Her gardens

now include prairie, woodland (newly established, including a spring 2025 installation) hedgerows and shrubs, pollinators, wildlife.

Emily said her interest is much more about creating habitat, not designing for the human eye. She wants to create a place where birds and insects are happy, getting what they need for a full life cycle. She is somewhat intentional in design, including cues to care that offer a more naturalized aesthetic. They are still working to remove invasives, future plans include adding a pond.

While the gardens are all Emily's, her husband Michael is a big help when it comes to moving mulch, and her sons enjoyed watching all the insects that visit their gardens. They maintain areas of lawn for pathways, soccer practice and other lawn activities.

Accessibility: Ample street parking. Nothing is super steep, some of the gardens are on a hill with stepping stones. Some may be challenged walking the path.

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 16:18:00 +0000

SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULE

Addresses and other logistics will be published on our website prior to each event. All native plant garden tours start at 10:00 am unless noted. In the event of severe weather, Saturday tours move to Sunday at 1:00 pm. Thank you to George Watson for coordinating our summer tours in 2024 and 2025. If you have an interest in coordinating tours for 2026, please contact any board member or email info@wildonestwincities.org.

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SATURDAY | JUNE 21, 2025

Adrienne's Gardens in St Louis Park

Adrienne got hooked on native plants and continues to add to their gardens. Together with her husband, Patrick, and their two children, the family gardens now include visits by fox, rabbits and toads. Their Bird Weather monitor has detected 157 birds, with 30 species they see frequently. Adrienne said they have been mounding leaves under the larger shrubs instead of mulching and to their delight, fireflies were spotted last July - a huge highlight!

We look forward to seeing what's in bloom on June 21, and thank Adrienne for inviting us to visit their habitat gardens.

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SATURDAY | JULY 12, 2025

Emily's Gardens in West St Paul

Prairie, woodland (newly established, including a spring 2025 installation) hedgerows and shrubs, pollinators, wildlife. Emily is hopeful to complete installation of a wildlife pond this summer with a high diversity of plants, including rare species.

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SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2025

Bria and Kendras's Indigo House Prairie in South Minneapolis

Indigo House Prairie is in South Minneapolis and has gone through tremendous transition over the last four years; it is now a well-loved one to three year old native prairie with high plant diversity.

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SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 6, 2025

Minneapolis Monarch Festival

This year is the 17th Annual Minneapolis Monarch Festival! WOTC has always been the host of the Habitat Tent. There are many opportunities to volunteer and enjoy the celebration too! Stay tuned for website volunteer sign-up. Want to get your hands dirty? The Nokomis Naturescape Gardens are the roots of this festival, help maintain the gardens by sending an email to Vicki Bonk vbonk@usiwireless.com.

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SUNDAY | SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 | 1:00 pm

Leslie's garden in Mendota Heights

Leslie's goal has been to create biodiversity in their yard, she doesn't garden. Per Leslie, "To me, gardening is to create pretty for me. Naturescaping creates pretty for both me and wildlife. Everything in this yard (except two trees and two shrubs) was planted by me. My guess is that about 75 percent of the vegetation in this ½ acre is native."

Native Plant Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Wed, 21 May 2025 15:59:00 +0000

Native Plant Wild Roots Market

(not just a Wild Ones native plant sale!)

SATURDAY | JUNE 14, 2025

Noon to 3:00 pm

Bloomington MN

An old idea made new 2025! Wild Ones Twin Cities is hosting a fundraiser where members donate native plant volunteers from their gardens. Our last donated sale was in 2020, discontinued after learning about invasive Asian Jumping Worms, most often spread through exchange of plants and garden soil. Since then we’ve continued to teach methods that allow for sharing plants safely, no hitchhikers, be it invasive earthworms or creeping bellflower.

We invite members and guests to come peruse the wide selection of native plants, from young seedlings to mature plants including some woody shrubs. Some of the choices are popular and in limited supply at local nurseries, others are plants you may not be familiar with.

In exchange for what you take home, we ask that you offer a Free Will Donation to our chapter. Proceeds will help us continue to offer educational presentations, tours and excellent printed booklets and resource materials. At 3:00 pm, any remaining plants and tools will be given away or donated to another organization.

Regarding safe gardening practices: We are only accepting plant donations that are free of soil from home gardens. Plants may be native plant extras from winter sowing (potted in clean soil), bareroot plants wrapped in newsprint or re-potted in clean soil after bare rooting. We have and continue to offer Bareroot Clinics and Potting Sessions to help gardeners learn this practice. The plants folks bring to the clinics will be available at Wild Roots Market. All plants will be labeled with common and botanical names. An inventory of what we receive in the clinics will be posted a few days prior to sale.

We’re also accepting native plant and garden related items, such as Garden Tools, Wheelbarrows, Yard Ornaments and Native Plant Books. PLUS +++ We’ve learned we’ll have 40 bags of Certified compost from Dakota Prairie Compost!

After four Bareroot Clinics plus a generous donation from Debbie Hanson, owner of Naturally Wild, we've amassed well over 1,000 native plants. Some are seedlings grown by members, but most are mature plants that have had their roots cleaned before re-potting. In the past few days we took inventory and identified over 90 native plant species, a few of some, full flats of others. Check out the list of plants we've received below. We expect more to arrive on Saturday morning.

FERNS

Cystopteris bulbifera • Bulblet Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris • Ostrich Fern
Onoclea sensibilis • Sensitive Fern

FORBS

Agastache Foeniculum • Anise Hyssop
Agastache scrophylerafolia • Purple Giant Hyssop
Allium canadense • Wild Garlic
Allium cernuum • Nodding Onion
Anaphalis margaritacea • Pearly Everlasting
Anemone canadensis • Canada Anemone
Anemone virginiana • Tall Thimbleweed
Antennaria neglecta • Field Pussytoes
Aquilegia canadensis • Columbine
Arisaema triphyllum • Jack in the Pulpit
Asarum canadense • Wild Ginger
Asclepias Tuberosa • Butterfly Weed
Baptisia alba • White Wild Indigo
Campanula rotundifolia • Hairbell
Coreopsis palmata • Prairie Coreopsis (Tickseed)
Doellingeria umbellata • Flat Top Aster
Eurybia macrophylla • Big-leaved Aster
Eutrochium maculatum • Joe Pye Weed - Sweet
Eutrochium purpureum • Joe Pye Weed - Spotted
Fragaria virginiana • Wild Strawberry
Galium boreale • Northern Bedstraw
Geranium maculatum • Wild Geranium
Helenium autumnale • Sneezeweed
Helianthus strumosus • Woodland Sunflower
Helianthus tuberosus • Jerusalem Artichoke
Heterotheca villosa (Chrysopsis) • Hairy Golden Aster
Hydrophyllum virginianum • Virginia Waterleaf
Linum lewisii • Blue Flax
Maianthemum canadense • Canada Mayflower
Maianthemum stellatum • Starry Solomon's Seal (Plume)
Mentha Arvensis • Wild Mint
Monarda fistulosa • Beebalm
Penstemon digitalis • Foxglove beardtongue
Physostegia virginiana • Obedient Plant
Polemonium reptans • Jacob's Ladder
Polygonatum biflorum • Solomon's Seal (smooth)
Pycnanthemum virginianum • Virginia Montain Mint
Ratibida columnifera • Long-headed Mexican Hat Coneflower
Ratibida pinnata • Yellow Coneflower Grey Headed
Rudbeckia laciniata • Wild Golden Glow Cut Leaf Coneflower
Rudbeckia triloba • Brown eyed Susan
Ruellia humilis • Wild Petunia
Sanguinaria canadensis • Bloodroot
Silphium perfoliatum • Cup Plant
Silphium terebinthinaceum • Prairie Dock
Solidago flexicaulis • Zig Zag Goldenrod
Solidago rigida • Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa • Showy Goldenrod
Stylophorum diphyllum • Wood Celandine Poppy
Symphyotrichum cordifolium • Heart-leaved Aster
Symphyotrichum ericoides • Heath Aster
Symphyotrichum lanceolatum • Panicle Aster (we think)
Symphyotrichum novae-angliae • New England Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium • Aromatic Aster
Symphyotrichum oolentangiense • Sky Blue Aster
Thalictrum dasycarpum • Tall Purple Meadow Rue
Thalictrum dioicum • Early Meadow Rue
Thalictrum pubescens • Tall Meadowrue
Tradescantia ohiensis • Ohio spiderwort
Uvularia sessilifolia • Sessile-leaf Bellwort
Verbena hastata • Blue Vervain
Verbena stricta • Hoary Vervain
Vernonia fasciculata • Ironweed
Veronicastrum virginicum • Culver's Root
Viola canadensis • Canada Violet
Viola sororia • Common Blue Violet
Zizia aurea • Golden Alexanders

GRASSES

Andropogon gerardii • Big bluestem
Bouteloua curtipendula • Side Oats Gramma
Bouteloua gracilis • Blue Gramma
Carex spp. • Sedge - unknown
Carex pensylvanica • Penn Sedge
Elymus hystrix • Bottlebrush Grass
Eragrostis spectabilis • Purple Love Grass
Hierochloe odorata • Sweet Grass
Koeleria macrantha • June Grass
Panicum virgatum • Switch Grass
Schizachyrium scoparium • Little Bluestem
Sorghastrum nutans • Indian Grass
Sporobolus heterolepis • Prairie Dropseed

SHRUBS

Diervilla lonicera • Bush Honeysuckle
Spirea alba • Meadowsweet Spirea
Symphoricarpos albus • White Snowberry

VINES

Clematis virginiana • Virgin's Bower

Native Plant Sign Sales*

*If you would like to pre-order native plant signs to pick up at our Wild Roots Market, please fill out this form and email to wotcsigns@gmail.com by Wednesday, June 11th. Thank you!

________________________________________________________________

SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULE

Addresses and other logistics will be published on our website prior to each event. In the event of severe weather, unless otherwise noted, Saturday native plant garden tours move to following day at 1:00 pm. Thank you to George Watson for coordinating our summer tours in 2024 and 2025. If you have an interest in coordinating tours for 2026, please contact any board member or email info@wildonestwincities.org.

SATURDAY | JUNE 21, 2025

10 am - 12 pm

Adrienne's Gardens in St Louis Park

Adrienne got hooked on native plants and continues to add to their gardens. Since beginning to add natives they have had foxes, rabbits, toads and their Bird Weather monitor has detected 157 birds, with 30 species they see frequently. Adrienne is are now mounding leaves under the larger shrubs instead of mulching - fireflies were spotted last July - a huge highlight!

SATURDAY | JULY 12, 2025

10 am - 12 pm

Emily's Gardens in West St Paul

SATURDAY | AUGUST 9, 2025

10 am - 12 pm

Bria and Kendras's Indigo House Prairie in South Minneapolis

SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 6, 2025

10 am - 4 pm

Minneapolis Monarch Festival

An annual event where Wild Ones hosts a habitat tent - many opportunities to volunteer and so much to see and do!

SUNDAY | SEPTEMBER 7, 2025

1-3 pm

Leslie's garden in Mendota Heights

May Resource Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 13:11:00 +0000

Wild Ones' Spring Native Plant Resource Fair

TUESDAY | MAY 20, 2025

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Open to Public from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

May is a busy time in our gardens, so much to prep while we await the arrival of all those native plants we ordered or planted from seed! There is always something new to learn, especially in this rapidly changing climate.

Wild Ones Twin Cities has invited professional native plant landscape designers, experienced Wild Ones members and partners who share our mission to offer tips and answer questions on native plant habitat gardening. Information will be available on plant selection for Minnesota gardens, garden site care and maintenance, how to transplant winter sown seedlings, landscape design, flora fauna relations, pollinator lawn areas and all of the education resources provided by our chapter.

Thank you to our partners and professionals who accepted our invitation.

WILD ONES PARTNERS

Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington

Learn how to tease out new native seedlings from winter sown jugs. Plant it into a newspaper pot to take home. Learn about our hyper-local community supporting one another while creating habitat in lawns, patios, and balconies.

Blue Thumb – Planting for Clean Water®

Blue Thumb is a network of clean water and native plant stewards creating change to bridge the gap between knowledge and action by offering resources and programs to Minnesotan residents. We'll have planting templates and other native plant info to share with folks at the event.

The Xerces Society

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their inhabitants. Areas of education, research, and advocacy include pollinator conservation, endangered species conservation, and reducing pesticide use and impacts.

Friends of Minnehaha Park

Our organization was founded in April 2023, out of our common love for the Minnehaha Regional Park and awareness that the park needs our care and our support. We coordinate environmental stewardship events, engaging with volunteers to support restoration events such as invasive species removal, planting, seeding and litter cleanup events.

Nokomis Naturescape

Learn about the 4-acre Nokomis Naturescape at Lake Nokomis, installed in 1998. This beautiful landscape has inspired community programs that demonstrate (gardens), educate (Grow Home Habitat), and celebrate (Minneapolis Monarch Festival). We strive to showcase the ecological importance and the unique joy of growing native plant habitat everywhere you can!

Minnesota Bird Coalition

Learn how to protect birds at home by preventing window collisions and creating bird-friendly habitat. Our booth features hands-on displays, giveaways, and simple steps you can take to make a big impact.

Izaak Walton League of America - Bush Lake Chapter

The Izaak Walton League of America is one of the earliest conservation organizations to set an aggressive course to defend wild America by changing public policy. The Bush Lake Chapter continues this rich legacy today, raising awareness of important environmental issues. Visit our table to learn about our current concerns and how you can help.

Minnesota Dragonfly Society

Ensuring the Conservation of Minnesota’s Dragonflies and Damselflies through Research and Education.

Pollinator Ambassadors

Plant it and they will come! Learn about the diversity of pollinators that visit our native plants. Test your knowledge playing a Pollinator Trivia game. Presented by Pollinator Ambassadors and the University of Minnesota Bee Lab.

PROFESSIONALS AND MEMBER BUSINESSES

ReWild Native Gardens

ReWild Gardens creates natural, intentional habitat spaces that beautify the landscape while also supporting a myriad of important native insect and bird species. Gardens that utilize native plants and embrace pollinator-friendly practices provide nectar, pollen and sustenance for butterflies, bees and other beneficial organisms – giving them support for their entire life cycle. ReWild provides planning, installation and maintenance services for new and established wildlife-friendly natural plantings in the metro area.

Pasque Ecological Design

Pasque Ecological Design specializes in sustainable landscape architecture design services, including designs that emulate, restore, or preserve native plant communities; designs that draw out the regional beauty of native plant communities; sustainable stormwater management; edible gardens; healing gardens; and nature based classrooms and playgrounds. Clients include residential, commercial, public, and institutional clients, including, schools and faith based communities.

Earthwise Organic Consulting

Over 30 years experience of organic management of landscape, garden and turf, focusing on regenerating soils and plantings that thrive and heal the Earth. We can help you plan a way forward through overwhelming choices with effective, sustainable results. Alternative turf, all native bee lawns, inexpensive bed preparation and creating a healthy environment for families and pollinators.

Agrarian Seed

Agrarian Seed & Garden is a practical garden center that suits the needs and curiosities of casual and serious gardeners alike. We offer a diverse selection of seeds, vegetable plants, herbs, flowers, native and non-native perennials, tools, and an assortment of other useful products.

Garden Variety Art by Holley Wlodarczyk

My art and patterns are inspired by the beauty, diversity and interactivity of native plants and the wildlife they attract and support. Designs featuring birds, butterflies, bees and pollinators that visit my habitat gardens decorate sustainably made products that bring a bit of nature into everyday life.

WILD ONES EDUCATION AND MERCHANDISE

Wild Ones Twin Cities will offer all of our most popular educational resources plus merchandise, including plant signs* and books. We'll also have a special "What's In a Bee Lawn" information table for our urban landscapes. This is a follow up about availability and options to seed mixes and ideas referenced in our February panel.

*If you would like to pre-order native plant signs to pick up during the Spring Resource Fair, please fill out this form and email to wotcsigns@gmail.com by Sunday, May 18th. Thank you!

2024 Resource Fair photos in pic collage by Ava McKnight. Thank you Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington for your contributions to this event.

April Program & Spring Events

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 16:39:00 +0000

THURSDAY | APRIL 17, 2025

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

CLICK HERE to watch program online

Landscape Design for Life:

Basics and Local Examples

Presenter | Nathalie Shanstrom, Pasque Ecological Design and Consulting

After a brief introduction on how to design with native plants, this presentation will use a range of case studies to illustrate by example how to design with native plants to: maximize sustainability and ecological function, draw out the beauty of regional landscapes, and create functional spaces that foster healthy, invigorating, meaningful connections between people and their environment. A range of examples of varying scales, context, and site uses will be included to show how the design process can vary from site to site.

SPRING EVENTS IN THE TWIN CITIES!

Garden Art Fling—Features Wild Ones Members

Saturday, April 5th, 10am to 6pm Indoors, at the Flux Arts Building,

699 NE Lowry Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Join us for this vibrant event, showcasing a lively mix of music; interactive story telling for kids and adults by Wonder Weaver Storytellers at 11am, 1pm, and 3:30pm; and art vendors.

Wild Ones Member and Educator Vicky Bonk will host a TC Wild Ones Information and Outreach Table, exploring the vital role of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.

In addition, at the next booth, husband Richard Bonk will have a selection of his fascinating mandala art available, and Vicky will have her own Pollinator photographs available for sale.

Wild Ones member Laura Burlis will have a selection of Minnesota Landscape switchplates and Garden Fairy Houses on display.

Wild Ones member Holley Wlodarczyk is launching her new graphic design business, Garden Variety Art, which features native plants and habitat gardens, especially the interactions between wildflowers and the wildlife/pollinators they support, and will have a variety of merchandise available at her first in-person art sale.

There will be several hands-on activities for the public, including mosaic stepping stones at Clay Squared to Infinity, “Butterfly Baths” at the Clay Squared Gallery and “Pollinator Palaces” at the ACW headquarters. For more info: https://fluxartsbuilding.com/the-garden-art-fling/

Pollinators are essential to the world’s food and flowers, and their importance reminds us of how we too are better together. In community, we create possibility, joy, and positive change for all. This event is a powerful reminder of how nature and the arts come together to inspire!)

Earth Day Events

Come Celebrate With Wild Ones Twin Cities!

Chasing Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 17:48:00 +0000

Bristly sarsaparilla at Tettegouche State Park

Thursday, March 20

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Richfield Community Center, 7000 Nicollet Ave

Stream online HERE.

Chasing Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers

Meet Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, authors of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers; A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.

Lesser purple fringed orchid

Phyllis Root is a writer, Kelly Povo is a photographer, and they love searching for and learning about Minnesota's native wildflowers—the ones that have been growing here for centuries. They happily climb steep hills, wade streams, search in bogs and fens, and brake for wildflowers they see along the road. Learn about the wildflowers they search for, why they search, and where they (sometimes) find some of Minnesota’s little-known native wildflower treasures. They will also share stories of their own adventures (and misadventures) that led to their first book, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award finalist, and to their forthcoming book, Wildflower Chasing: An Adventurous Guide to Minnesota's Native Wildflowers and Their Unique Habitats.

Well-dressed flowerchasers

Phyllis, an award-winning author, has written many picture books about Minnesota, including Big Belching Bog, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, One North Star, and The Lost Forest, all published by the University of Minnesota Press. Kelly, a professional photographer for over thirty years, has exhibited in galleries and art shows across the country. Her photographs have been published on posters, calendars, note cards, and in books.

After their first book about wildflowers Kelly and Phyllis started a blog (flowerchasers.com), and they frequently send audio postcards of their searches to Minnesota Public Radio. They are still chasing flowers and love sharing what they learn with fellow wildflower lovers.

Whatever they are doing, Phyllis and Kelly laugh—a lot.

Kelly and Phyllis will be bringing their wildflower book to sell, along with some of Phyllis' children's books on Minnesota: One North Star, Plant a Pocket of Prairie, Big Belching Bog, The Lost Forest, and Begin With A Bee, which she co-authored with Jackie Briggs Martin and Liza Ketchum.

Miss our Live Panel Discussion:

What's In a Bee Lawn?

Watch it HERE

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:50:00 +0000

THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 20, 2025

Meeting and Panel Discussion | 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Livestream, open to public

WATCH LIVE HERE

Limited in person seating for Wild Ones members and guests

REGISTER HERE

What's In a Bee Lawn | Panel Discussion

Moderator | Ren Graham

Panelists | Bonnie Harper-Lore, Heather Holm, Andy Scott and Dan Tix

A panel of experts will discuss the trend of converting turf lawns into bee lawns containing a blend of fescues, Dutch white clover, self heal, and creeping thyme. The Bee Lawn movement arose from multiple incidents of bee kills in 2012 and 2013 linked to improper use of pesticides.

Our moderator, Ren Gram, will open the evening with background on the current Bee Lawn trends. Guest panelists represent different perspectives, including how to meet the needs of Minnesota native bees, native plant landscape design and maintenance, ecological restoration, and historical trends, including how lawns are part of our culture.

Questions we hope to answer: Do Bee lawns support the habitat goals for our native bees and pollinators? What are the consequences of adding more nonnative clover into our ecosystems? What are some lawn alternatives Wild Ones supports?

A good read to learn more:: Why a Clover Lawn Isn't Helping Nature All That Much - Monarch Gardens

Moderator | REN GRAHAM

Ren Graham is a native landscape experimenter and writer. She had a business restoring urban soils in the Twin Cities after studying with Elaine Ingham, founder of Soil Food Web. As a Wild Ones Twin Cities member, Ren worked with Marty Rice and many others to develop an annual native plant and landscape education event. Over 18 years, the event evolved from a small Expo to an all-day conference, called Design with Nature, bringing in a host of local exhibitors and drawing upon speakers near and far. The event focused on encouraging all to share their insights on native plantings across Minnesota with a special emphasis on the future.

Ren is now focused on writing and supporting legislation in the Minnesota House and Senate on ATV trail planning. The bill to be introduced advocates for the inclusion of local voices and set guidelines to protect natural areas in Minnesota during the trail planning process.

Panelists

BONNIE HARPER-LORE | Restoration Ecologist, Author and Co-editor of Lessons Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity: Conservation in Action

Bonnie L. Harper-Lore holds a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, in which she focused on the preservation, restoration and management of native plant communities. As a restoration ecologist, she spent 20 years with state and federal roadside programs, providing technical transfers, research oversight and policy support. She spent 15 of those years as Editor of the quarterly newsletter, Greener Roadsides. She is also the author of Roadside use of Native Plants, Roadside Weed Management and Vegetation Management, an Ecoregional Approach.

HEATHER HOLM | Pollinator Conservationist and Author

Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.

Heather serves on the boards of the following non-profits: Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, Friends of Minnetonka Parks, and the new Minnesota Oak Savanna Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts. In her spare time, she is an active community supporter, writing grants, and coordinating and participating in volunteer ecological landscape restoration projects. The latest project is a 13-acre oak savanna restoration that will provide thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, mammals, and passive, nature-based opportunities for people.

ANDY SCOTT | ReWild Native Gardens

In 2017, Andy shifted career focus to pursue his passion for nature and gardening. The result was ReWild Gardens, a Bloomington-based landscape outfit specializing in nature-inspired solutions. ReWild designs and builds habitat spaces that foster native plants, healthy soils and water conservation that balance human needs with those of the local ecosystem. Andy's own property served as a testing ground to better understand how native plant species respond to urban settings and developed a natural approach to convert lawn and stressed landscape into resilient wildlife-friendly gardens. These spaces become havens for beneficial insects, birds and other fauna, contributing to vital wildlife corridors. Passionate about sharing his knowledge, Andy works closely with clients to provide education and resources to demystify the plant-pollinator relationships that their landscape will foster.

Andy has served on the City of Bloomington Sustainability Committee since 2022.

DAN TIX | PhD, CERP - Senior Restoration Ecologist, MNL Corp

Dan is a restoration ecologist with over 25 years of experience working on restoration projects in Minnesota and in the upper Midwest. He prepares Vegetation Management Plans (VMP), completes site assessments, and monitors vegetation establishment. Dan also completes botanical surveys, wetland delineations, plans for wetland mitigation, and will assist with permitting and environmental review. He has spent his career providing technical assistance for projects affecting wetlands, vegetation, and other natural resources and building respect for natural resource professionals and his clients. Dan is the principal investigator for the conservation grazing project on solar sites and seeks to lead additional investigations that further ecological restoration and improve outcomes and management.

Univ. of MN, Ph.D. (Plant Biology) | Grinnell College, BA (General Science [Biology]); Environmental Studies Concentration | School for Field Studies, Center for Wildlife Management Studies, Kenya Certification | Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP):Society for Ecological Restoration

January Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:17:00 +0000

SATURDAY | JANUARY 25, 2025

Open House | 10:45 to 1:30 pm

Demonstrations | 11:00 am and 12:30 pm

Presentation | 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield

GROWING HOME HABITAT

enhancing life on earth and sense of wonder

Presenter / Vicki Joy Bonk

Wild Ones has been a pioneer in the growing movement encouraging people to “bring nature home*” wherever they are and however they can. We will explore creating habitat on the home front and surrounding community, sharing some of the movement’s history and how-to resources. Vicki Bonk will give a shortened version of her Grow Monarch Habitat presentation as one example of moving people to bring sanctuary, wonder and hope right out their door. The reality is when we look at the habitat requirements of one wildlife species, we serve many and begin a journey of growing appreciation and understanding of what human partnership with nature can be. By planting native habitat, we can meet the role people can play in the future for a healthier, more biodiverse planet in the midst of it all.

Event highlights include:

Last WOTC program at Woodlake Nature Center before the building closes for restoration.
A take home winter sowing starter kit with native seeds and instructions.
Refreshments of popcorn, apple cider and cookies
A kid’s activity table with Flower Faces photo-op and monarch habitat coloring sheets.
Drawing for WOTC annual membership

Vicki Joy Bonk has been an active homegrown habitat advocate since the mid 1990’s, when she proposed a butterfly garden at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, that became the Nokomis Naturescape, a 4-acre native planting. She has been the volunteer stewardship and outreach coordinator since then, generating more community projects including Grow Monarch Habitat Workshops and Minneapolis Monarch Festival. Vicki believes joining forces with Wild Ones in 2002, a fortuitous connection, that led to an enhanced learning journey with fellow enthusiasts. A Minneapolis College of Art and Design Intermedia Arts major, she considers the documentation and advocacy of native habitat work at home and in community, an ongoing art project.

Wild Ones Twin Cities Member-Only Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:53:00 +0000

Snowshoe Tour at Fort Snelling State Park

January 15, 2024 | 3:50 pm

Join Wild Ones members for a fun-filled adventure at Fort Snelling State Park at 3:50 pm on January 15, 2024. Strap on snowshoes provided, or bring your own, and explore the winter wonderland with Kao Thao, a knowledgeable Naturalist leading the way. Learn about the park's wildlife, history, and ecosystem while enjoying the beautiful snowy scenery. This event is perfect for nature enthusiasts of all ages. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to experience the great outdoors. Hot cocoa will be provided after the adventure.

Event is limited to the first 20 members that REGISTER HERE.

If you have questions, contact Ginny Halloran at gkhalloran@gmail.com (612) 210-7177.

November Membership Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 15:33:00 +0000

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Social 6:30 pm

Membership Meeting & Officer Elections 7:00 pm

Program 7:15 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield MN

Join us for our Annual Business Meeting, Seed Exchange & Membership Appreciation Pizza Party!

Thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who help our chapter fulfill our educational mission throughout the year! Please join us so we can celebrate all you do!

If you have any photos from 2024 WOTC activities you'd like to share, please send them to Holley no later than Sunday, November 17th for inclusion in the slideshow.

During our brief Business Meeting we will hold elections for our 2025 Executive Board Members: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary & Membership Chair. If you are interested in serving in any of these positions, please contact Julia.

SEED EXCHANGE

Please bring any Minnesota native plant seeds you are sharing in labeled containers. Data should include Latin name, common name, date and location of where the seeds were collected. Any additional information on seed origin is welcome, such as which nursery you purchased your plants, etc. At the end of the evening, any seeds that remain will be collected by Wild Ones volunteers to be packaged for our January 18 Winter Sowing event.

Following the Business Meeting, we will have a short presentation:

Lessons Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity

Presenter: Bonnie Harper-Lore

"We have everything we need to begin solving this crisis, with the exception of the will to act. But in America, our will to take action is itself a renewable resource." (Al Gore, 2002)

Bonnie Harper-Lore will share an introduction to recently published book she and her husband, Gary Lore, have been working on for the past several years.

Lesson’s Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity, Conservation in Action is the book Bonnie wished she had in grad school before entering the real world of conservation work. This collaborative effort of 85 authors shares how they got things done, in other words the many ways they took action to bring about change and take care of the planet. Several of our local conservation pioneers and chapter members are among the contributing authors.

Earth’s biodiversity is threatened in many ways, including climate change, development and invasive species. That matters to our survival. The authors’ lessons learned explain why and how to take action, often across jurisdictional lines on a map. Building on their insights will save time and money for the generation that follows.

mapping biodiversity
adding plant species to the Endangered Species List
taking nature-based solutions to the UN
saving sage grouse, wolves, Carolina chickadees, monarchs, and mussels
restoring and/or rewilding
ecology and horticulture work together
creating the monarch highway
controlling terrestrial and aquatic invasives
taking conservation issues to Washington D.C.
partnering from the ground up

Authors include: Gary Paul Nabhan, Reed Noss, Janet Marinelli, Ted Williams, Curt Meine, and 80 more. All had the freedom to write in their own style or voice from academic, to research, to reporting, to op ed and/or story telling. I think the 647 page result is an eclectic and interesting read for students or anyone interested in conservation advocacy.

Students and professionals alike in applied ecology, wildlife biology, entomology, botany, land management, landscape architecture, horticulture, journalism, ethics and public policy benefit from these authorities’ stories. Lesson’s Learned in Protecting and Restoring Biodiversity, Conservation in Action is packed with actions already taken, to build on in the future. There is never enough time or money to waste on recreating the wheel.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND EDITORS

Gary K. Lore holds a BA in environmental ethics, economics, and communication from Metro State University, Minnesota, USA. For 17 years, he developed integrated vegetation management plans for Colorado’s highway rights-of-way and provided safety and operational training. He also worked as a consultant and regional manager for rights-of-way contractors and suppliers. Gary then spent 12 years as a federal public affairs officer. Over time he edited and wrote features and columns for The Metropolitan, Minnesota Vietnam Veterans Quarterly, Colorado Streamside Quarterly, Trout magazine, “Outdoor Lore” and more. Gary continues graduate studies at Metro State.

October Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Sun, 22 Sep 2024 21:59:00 +0000

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield MN

Join the meeting on Zoom here. If asked for a code, here it is: fN4Fi?

The Forager's Garden

Presenter: Tim Clemens

Foraging promotes connection to native species, the land, and water. Join Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging Co. to learn how participating in humanity's most ancient story can help you be a better steward of our world.

Ironwood Foraging Co. was founded by Tim Clemens in 2017 to offer hands-on foraging workshops to the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Tim is the Consulting Mycologist for Minnesota Poison Control, Past President of the Minnesota Mycological Society, a Minnesota Master Naturalist, and a Certified Wild Mushroom Expert. Tim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Minnesota and Certificates in Nature Education and Environmental Education from Cornell University.

September Program

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:45:00 +0000

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm

Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield MN

This hybrid program will also be available on online, but will not be recorded.

Click here to join the Zoom no earlier than 6:30 pm on Tuesday 9/17.

Monarchs & Migration

Presenter: Leah Darst

Explore the lives of monarch butterflies with an overview of their life cycle, migration, and conservation. Discuss their plant preferences and the best ways to help this charismatic flagship species.

Leah Darst is an Education Specialist, offering professional development workshops, public programs, and other outreach through Monarch Joint Venture. She has been a naturalist for over 20 years: at seven nature centers across Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo, and through her own business, Nature Enthusiations. She's been on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Dragonfly Society since 2018 and is also their Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator and current President. This 'bug lady' is an enthusiastic educator who loves finding connections with people to collaboratively learn and share about the natural world, with a special interest in invertebrates and conservation.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Habitat Tent at the Monarch Festival!

Here's our first annual COLORING PAGE to celebrate the Monarch Milkweed Connection.

TO BE RESCHEDULED DUE TO ILLNESS:

Chasing Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers

Meet Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, authors of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers; A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.

Lesser purple fringed orchid

Well-dressed flowerchasers

Whatever they are doing, Phyllis and Kelly laugh—a lot.

16th Annual Monarch Festival – Festival de la Monarca

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:15:00 +0000

Join Wild Ones Twin Cities at the Minneapolis Monarch Festival!

Saturday, September 7, 2024

10 am - 4 pm

Lake Nokomis Park

Want to volunteer? Click here to sign up!

The Festival will be held just east of the Lake Nokomis Community Center in the area bounded by E. Minnehaha Parkway, Woodlawn Boulevard, and E. Nokomis Parkway. Map & Directions

Like Monarch Butterfly this time of year, we are busy! The festival is coordinating with our artist friends and science colleagues to bring you activities and learning opportunities at the 2024 Monarch Festival.

Summer Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Sat, 29 Jun 2024 13:05:00 +0000

Wild Ones Twin Cities has three upcoming tours of private member gardens, each one having a unique approach to native plant gardening. Here's a preview; more information will be posted soon!

SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2024 *

Dave Crawford Gardens in St Paul

Limited Space | Registration Opens July 9

Do to the limited attendance on this popular event, we ask that register for only one tour. There is a waitlist in case of cancellations. Thank you.

1:00 to 2:00 pm | Guided tour for 10 people walking the Buffalo Grass pathways | REGISTER HERE

2:00 to 3:00 pm | Guided tour for 20 people along areas above and below the gardens | REGISTER HERE

Dave's LEED** home and surrounding gardens overlook Lake Como. The landscape consists of four rain gardens planted in 2020 and a large lawn-replacement garden planted in 2022. The plantings are 95% native, with a pollinator value preference, and are landscaped to retain or slow-flow precipitation run-off. Plants include a mix of dry prairie, shade-tolerant, and moisture-tolerant species. Pollinator species diversity is documented, and has shown an increase each year since installations.

Dave is a retired career Naturalist for the MN Department if Natural Resources (1975-2009). His long experience of teaching and a passion for the natural world, has made him a reservoir of native plant habitat knowledge, that he readily and skillfully shares. He currently volunteers as a Naturalist Mentor.

**Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green building certification program used worldwide.

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2024 *

Cass Markovich Gardens in Northeast Minneapolis

1:00 to 3:00 pm | Open to Public | REGISTER HERE

Cass Markovich and her husband, Chuck, moved into their corner lot home in Northeast Minneapolis in 2018. Having been a rental property for years, there were no gardens and a lot of Creeping Charlie. As a textile artist, Cass needed beauty but was not a gardener. Her first plants, mostly non-natives and cultivars, were gifts from neighbors; she also added clover to her lawn.

Shortly after she began gardening Cass learned of a native plant sale offered by Wild Ones Twin Cities, beginning the journey to learn about and create gardens for wildlife, climate resilience and beauty. Cass is a member of Elders Climate Action (ECA) and can readily relay the benefit native plants play in carbon sequestration.

The tour will encompass all of her gardens, a blend of the older gifts from neighbors and an abundance of established and newly added native plants. As a recent recipient of Lawns to Legumes grant, Cass has yet another native plant garden being added this summer.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2024 *

Holley Wlodarczyk Gardens in East Bloomington

Noon to 3:00 pm | Wild Ones members only | REGISTER HERE

Holley and her husband, Andrew, moved into their mid-century home in East Bloomington in 2002. In 2013 Holley discovered and joined Wild Ones, taking on various leadership roles, including organizing our Native Plant Sale for several years.

Her curiosity and intention to learn about native plants is evident in her gardens. While she says they are nothing special, simply a lot of gardens planted over times, they are a perfect example of the journey we each take as we learn about adding native plants to existing landscapes.

Holley's gardens include small rain gardens, shady and sunny plantings, bird baths and lots of pink flamingo whimsy. The meandering trails in the large yard, reveal surprising “plant rooms” around every turn. These are not formal gardens; most of them have been artful experiments to see what would grow and thrive, while providing habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

*In the event of adverse weather conditions, tours will be rescheduled for the following day.

Native Plant Sales

noreply@blogger.com (Holley Wlodarczyk) — Wed, 22 May 2024 14:20:00 +0000

Twin Cities Metro Native Plants Sales hosted or co-hosted by Wild Ones Chapters

Friday, May 31, 2024 | Edina

Wild Ones Prairie Edge Chapter’s annual plant sale has grown bigger this year:

Plants are coming from SIX growers. You’ll find annuals, perennials, shrubs.

Four of the nursery owners will be on hand to advise and answer your questions.

Available to purchase: Our new metal lawn signs “It’s Easy Being Green" listing the benefits of native plants.

Pick up our FREE BOOKLETS: Climate Resilient Landscapes; Attracting Birds and Butterflies to Your Garden with Native Plants

GROWERS ARE:

Blazing Star Gardens; meet owner Dustin Demmer
Glacial Ridge
Natrual Shore
Northern Holler Gardens; meet owner Preston Drum
Shelterwood Gardens; meet owner Frank Meuschke
Uffda Seeds; meet owner Eli Gindeles

Visit our website if you’d like more info on native plants and the Wild Ones organization: www.WildOnesPrairieEdge.org

The event is Friday, May 31, 3:00-7:00pm, in the parking lot of the Meetinghouse Church, 6200 Colonial Way, Edina 55436.

Saturday, June 1, 2024 | Lake Elmo

Wild Ones St Croix Oak Savanna is a co-host of 2024 Landscape Revival and Lake Elmo.

This event is organized by St Paul Audubon Society along with many partners and regional native plant growers. The farmer's market style native plant sale provides one stop shopping from several growers in a central location. It also includes education resources and experts to answer questions. For a complete list of vendors and partners visit their website.

Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9, 2024 | Arden Hills

Wild Ones Big River Big Woods annual plant sale is accepting orders through May 31.

They will also have additional plants to select from on pick-up day. For more info visit their website.