Wild Ones Twin Cities Minnesota

Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 15, 2019

6:30 pm-7:00 pm | Social
7:00 pm-8:45 pm | Program
Wood Lake Nature Center
6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, MN 55423
All meetings are free and open to the public.

Tools for Finding and Exploring
the Rich Natural World of the Twin Cities

John Moriarty
Author & Senior Manager of Wildlife

Novices and long-time naturalists alike will enjoy viewing this visual journey of the Twin City region’s significant patchwork of remaining native and restored habitats including prairies, woods, and wetlands. The beautiful photography in this presentation illuminates 30 places within an hour of the Metropolitan Twin Cities area where you can see a wide variety of native plants and wildlife. Hear John’s expert insight on how to discover and explore the rich natural world of the Twin Cities. John’s new book A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities will be available for purchase and author signing. Interested in exploring specific habitat in the Twin Cities? Come and ask John where to find it!

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A huge thank you to our September speaker, Don Arnosti!

If you didn't get a copy of his handout, you can download it here:
What Can I Do About Global Warming?

Here is the link from his presentation to the National Audubon Society Climate Report.

See more about the Christmas Bird Count here, and read about last winter's count here in Minnesota.

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Cranes over the Mississippi River at Frontenac State Park, September 14, 2019

Woodland encroaching on the prairie.

Thanks to Bonnie Harper-Lore and Steve Winter for guiding us on a member-only tour of Frontenac State Park on Saturday, September 14th with the Minnesota Driftless Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts!

We had a lovely day and learned much!

Frontenac offers "visitors a rich diversity of natural communities and landscapes: bluffs, prairie, floodplain forests, and hardwood forest in its 2,300 acres."

Here is Bonnie's handout on the Natural History of Frontenac and a publication on Natural Vegetation of Minnesota at the Time of the Public Land Survey, 1847-1907.

Bonnie leading the way through a prairie path, surrounded by a sea of Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)

Carefully making our way to a remnant prairie on the bluff.

Steve Winter of the Minnesota Driftless Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts helps Trudi ID a plant on the cliff

Spectacular view of the Mississippi Rive we enjoyed during a lunch break.

Natural treasures rewarded those who made the steep climb up the remnant goat prairie...like...

...clumps of Dotted Blazing Star (Liatris punctata)...

... though there were plenty of exciting finds along the roadside, like this Monarch caterpillar
on Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

Asters & Goldenrods abounded across the park, a few of the many late summer species visited by a variety of busy pollinators while we took in their combined beauty!

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And a BIG thank you to our chapter volunteers as we begin a new program season!

If you would like to know more about how we are positioning our chapter for 2020 and beyond, please read "Beyond the Scenery" - a message from our co-presidents.

2019 SUMMER TOURS

Native Plant Garden Tours are free and open to the public.

Wednesday, August 14th | 5 pm

Corcorcon Pollinator Garden Walking Tour

Wild Ones Twin Cities is very pleased to host a tour of the Corcoran Pollinator Project (CCP) in South Minneapolis.

Still in it's infancy, the CCP is a great example of how communities can come together and support wildlife by helping each other plant gardens. In this neighborhood walking or cycling tour you will visit several established native gardens along with many 1st, 2nd and 3rd year installations, an example of where we are start down this path to reducing our lawns and growing more habitat in the city. Below is sampling of what you'll see when touring native plant gardens in Corcoran.

Featured Donor Gardens

Bill Blood in his native plant garden

We have relied on Cynthia's beautiful, huge garden for plants for almost all of our installations. It is an amazing oasis in the neighborhood.

Bill Blood and his wife, Liz, are long time members of Wild Ones Twin Cities. Their established native plant landscape includes a lovely labyrinth and water feature in the backyard. Each year Bill adds something new.

2017 CCP Installations

Nykol's garden was planted in 2018 and was the first of four gardens we've planted so far on this block of Longfellow. It contains some plants that Nykol started at our seed starting event this winter, along with an uncommon sedge that we sourced from another garden in the neighborhood that is doing great in the boulevard.

Anne's CPP garden is in the raised bed in the front yard, not the boulevard. We planted it in 2017. It contains a few nonnative perennials that were already there, along with native plants such as big bluestem, liatris, bee balm, and butterflyweed. This year we added several more species including native lupine.

2018 Installation

Adam is a master gardener who already has an established pollinator garden in his back yard. This boulevard garden added more species to his yard.

2019 Installations

Judy's garden is doing amazingly well considering we just planted it this year. It has about 20 species of prairie plants donated by the UMN Bee Lab. We planted the entire boulevard so that Judy doesn't need to haul her mower down to the sidewalk to mow.

This is our most ambitious installation to date, essentially comprising all of Charlie's steep front yard. We planted a few hundred seedlings here this July (2019) and are hoping they survive and thrive.

Thank you ...

to all the CCP volunteers, homeowners with installations on tour and native plant donors for allowing Wild Ones to feature your project in our 2019 tours!

Maps will be available at two locations

in the Corcoran neighborhood of Minneapolis:

3539 22nd Ave and 3519 24th Ave S

See More about the Corcoran Pollinator Project here!

Are you a member of a Minnesota Wild Ones Chapter?

Join us for a

WILD ONES MEMBER PICNIC AND TOUR

on Saturday, August 17th

at the Bush Lake Izaak Walton League
10 am - 1 pm

7515 Izaak Walton Rd W, Minneapolis, MN 55438

WOTC Members are invited for a special tour of the Izaak Walton League's beautiful property on Bush Lake! Bring your own lunch and enjoy a the view of August wildflowers along the shore of this natural gem within the Twin Cities Metro!

Due to limited parking, please plan to carpool. For more details, please RSVP to Holley Wlodarczyk. Thank you!

Everyone is welcome to join the
Minnesota Driftless Chapter of
The Prairie Enthusiasts and

Wild Ones Twin Cities

for a co-sponsored field trip at
Frontenac State Park in Goodhue County
on September 14th from 10:00–2:00!

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet people who represent a broad range of complimentary interests and passions such as prairie conservation, native plant landscaping, and pollinators. There are multiple remnant and restored prairies and savannas sites available to explore and mid-September wildflowers in bloom should include goldenrods, asters and sunflowers.

The field trip will start at an area with numerous trails that represent easy-moderate terrain and conditions but field trip participants are welcome to explore off-trail and along steeper bluffs.

Note that vehicles entering Frontenac State Park are required to have a valid State Park permit. It is unknown at this time if the park office on the entrance road will be open on September 14th, but permits can be purchased online at the Minnesota DNR website.

We’ll meet at 10:00 in the parking lot that is between the enclosed picnic shelter and the promontory at the edge of the bluff overlooking Lake Pepin. You can find the location of the parking lot HERE. If you have questions about the field trip please contact Steve Winter at stephen.winter@okstate.edu or 402-310-5460.

COME VISIT US AT OTHER TWIN CITIES EVENTS THIS SUMMER:

Saturday, September 7th | 10 am to 4 pm
Monarch Festival
Lake Nokomis & Nokomis Naturescape | 49th St and Woodlawn Blvd, Minneapolis

This year’s Monarch Festival will occur on Saturday, September 7, 2019, from 10 am to 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.

The 11th annual celebration is Saturday, September 7, 2019, 10 - 4pm. From the first year on, Wild Ones Twin Cities have been essential partners in this festival. The Wild Ones adopted garden, the Nokomis Naturescape, was a catalyst for the event. To learn more visit http://monarchfestival.org Come join us for the festivities!

VOLUNTEER at one of the Wild Ones/Nokomis Naturescape tents: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090D4FA4A82CAAFB6-20192

Nokomis Naturescape

Nokomis Naturescape Gardening

Since 2002 Wild Ones Twin Cities chapter has helped maintain the three prairie gardens located at the 4-acre Nokomis Naturescape. These demonstration gardens are designed to encourage people to plant native species to liven up their own yard.

Get on our email list for current updates on Naturescape volunteering, garden bloom’s and wildlife, native plant gardening tips and more. For more information contact Vicki at vbonk@usiwireless.com or call 612-232-8196. Also check out our facebook site to keep you current with happenings:
https://www.facebook.com/NokomisNaturescape

2019 Challenges and an

Adopt-Garden/Task Request

Every year presents difficulties alongside the gratifying experiences. What lush year we’re having! The plant growth is getting beyond our capacity to keep up. Other obstacles include cancelled gardening sessions due to weather conditions and lower volunteer turn-out. Please help us make the Naturescape a better demonstration garden and prepare for the upcoming Monarch Festival. Maybe the Tuesday evenings don’t work for you yet another time would, please feel free to contact Vicki (info above). We can consider another time, adopting a small garden space or a special task that would work for you. Ideas welcome!

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Save the dates!

Wild Ones Twin Cities

Fall 2019/Spring 2020 Program Schedule

6:30 pm-7:00 pm | Social

7:00 pm-8:45 pm | Program

Wood Lake Nature Center

6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, MN 55423

All meetings are free and open to the public.

September 17, 2019 

Don Arnosti

“America’s Flyways: Challenges and Opportunities”

Living in the Twin Cities near one of the world’s greatest migration corridors—The Mississippi River Flyway—offers residents wonderful opportunities to observe birds throughout the metro, including their own backyards. The Twin Cities, perched near the top of this amazing bird funnel, brings an annual “river of birds” from South and Central America, the Caribbean, and more, right to our backdoor. But, climate change and dwindling habitat are imperiling both migratory and non-migratory birds. Learn what these challenges are and what can be done to help birds not only in your own yards, but the greater community as well.

October 15, 2029

 John Moriarity

“Tools for Finding and Exploring the Rich Natural World of the Twin Cities”

Novices and long-time naturalists alike will enjoy viewing this visual journey of the Twin City region’s significant patchwork of remaining native and restored habitats including prairies, woods, and wetlands. The beautiful photography in this presentation illuminates 30 places within an hour of the Metropolitan Twin Cities area where you can see a wide variety of native plants and wildlife. Hear John’s expert insight on how to discover and explore the rich natural world of the Twin Cities. John’s new book A Field Guide to the Natural World of the Twin Cities will be available for purchase and author signing. Interested in exploring specific habitat in the Twin Cities? Come and ask Don where to find it!

November 19, 2019 

WOTC Membership Meeting,

Seed Exchange & Potluck Dinner

Join us for our annual membership meeting and potluck dinner, and help shape the future of our chapter!

January 21, 2020 

Tom Dickhudt

“Surprises that Await us in our Native Pocket Gardens”

Dr. Tom Dickhudt founded and ran the Sunrise Native Plant Nursery in St Croix, MN for nearly two decades. In January as our hearts are yearning for the greening of Spring, Tom will inspire us with his beautiful photography as he documents the wonderful surprises he has discovered in his native plantings. These surprises will include wildlife critters, native plants you can eat and interesting ways of seeing the native plants we love. Tom will share strategies for developing a pollinator habitat. Each of us will take home a colorful “Native Pocket” guide suitable for the conditions in our yard.

March 17, 2020 

Ron Bowen

“Lessons Learned from 40 Years of Repairing the Earth by Restoring with Native Vegetation”

Back in 1977 when Ron Bowen founded Prairie Restorations, restoring land using regionally native vegetation was rare—especially in urban and suburban landscapes. Not only were native plants and seed hard to come by, so was finding staff who were well acquainted with the individual “personalities” of native plants as well as native plant communities. Over 40 years later, Ron has built “the longest operating full-service ecological restoration company in the United States.” Throughout the decades, he has helped restore thousands of acres of prairies, woodlands, shorelines, wetlands, home landscapes, and solar sites—always with an eye to providing habitat for wildlife. Join us for a photographic journey of Ron’s projects over the years; hear his stories and learn about his experiences striving to create habitat that welcomes a diversity of insect life as well as other wildlife.

April 21, 2020 

9th Annual Table Topics

Learn the basics of native plant gardening in the Twin Cities with local experts!

May 19, 2020

 Liz Stanley 

“Giving Nature a Home:

How our yards are among the last best places for birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife”

Liz Stanley, avid birder, Master Naturalist, and Wild Ones and Richardson Nature Center volunteer, will take us on a photo journey of the amazing transformation of her typical suburban Bloomington backyard into a bustling naturescape that welcomes wildlife. Learn how she created a wonderful space that delights humans while providing “safe places” and habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 17, 2019

WILD ONES TWIN CITIES SUMMER TOURS & EVENTS • August & September

2019 SUMMER TOURS