Chapter Events

Invasive plant species pose a serious problem for natural areas and the maintenance of biological diversity in Illinois and across the Midwestern US. Land managers and others concerned with natural resources conservation must be able to identify, understand, and control invasive species. This talk will discuss the problem with invasive plant species, look at distributions of invasive plants, highlight some pernicious species, and suggest strategies for control. 

About the Presenter James Ellis works as a botanist with the Illinois Natural History Survey where is coordinates and carries out vegetation surveys as part of the Critical Trends Assessment Program. He is most interested in the ecology, conservation, and restoration of the all-but-gone tallgrass prairie. James also volunteers with Grand Prairie Friends, a land trust in east-central Illinois, where he serves on the board of directors, coordinates the summer internship program, as well as other duties. He lives in Urbana with his wife and two children.

Flowers. Bugs. Trees. Mud. Time. These are all important ingredients in successful gardening with children. Led by Jessica Chambers, Illinois State Horticulture Center Director, this program will focus on her experiences in establishing the Center's Children's Garden and how to connect children to nature.

About the Presenter Jessica Chambers attended Illinois State University where she graduated with a degree in Agri-Business while focusing specifically on horticulture. She went on to earn her Master's Degree in Plant and Soil Science from Southern Illinois University. In 2005, ISU began the development of the ISU Horticulture Center off of Raab Road and was selected as the Director of the Center. Jessica was recognized with the John English Award for outstanding contributions to horticulture from the Master Gardeners and was a 2010 YWCA Woman of Distinction for her efforts.

Facilitated by Cathy Bilow, owner of Accent Nature LLC, Green Gardening, Design and Lawn Care, this informative, hands on workshop will introduce you to the key principles of landscape design. Using these principles, learn how to successfully and beautifully integrate native plants into the home garden. Each participant should bring photos and measurements of the area they would like to design. There will be time for individual consultation and expect to go home with a good start on a plan for their space.

About the Workshop Leader Cathy Bilow has been designing gardens and outdoor living spaces of all types for nearly 30 years. She is the owner or Accent Nature LLC, Green Gardening, Design and Lawn Care. Her firm is focused on developing and maintaining environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing home lawns and gardens. Cathy has most recently designed and supervised installation of the gardens at the Ecology Action Center in Uptown Normal. This garden includes native plants, a rain garden, permeable pavers, edible and medicinal plants.

What is a nativar and what makes it different than a true native plant? How do nativars affect genetic diversity? What about other concerns regarding nativars such as affects on pollinators and other wildlife, invasiveness potential, response to climate change, maintenance costs, and the potential to increase allergies? These and other questions will be discussed at this presentation as well as relevant research that has begun to investigate these plant types. 

About the Presenter Mariette Nowak, who holds a Master's degree in botany & zoology, is active in a number of environmental-focused groups and organizations. She is the Founder & President of the Kettle Moraine chapter of the Wild Ones: Native Plants, Natural Landscapes & former vice-president of the national organization. Currently, she is a Board member & newsletter editor of Lakeland Audubon Society, Citizen member, Walworth County Park Committee, and Member of Plan Commission, Town of Troy, Walworth County. Nowak is a former board member of the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology and for 18 years, served as the director of Wehr Nature Center in Milwaukee County. Last but not least, she is the author of Birdscaping in the Midwest: A Guide to Gardening with Native Plants to Attract Birds.

Author Heather Holm will share her expertise on the cooperative relationship between native pollinators and native plants. Learn about the types of native pollinators that visit our gardens and how we can foster all parts of their life cycles, including providing food, water and nesting habitat. She will highlight the top native plant species for pollinators.

 About the Presenter Author of the recently released book Pollinators of Native Plants, Heather Holm is the owner of a Minnesota-based landscape design and consulting business specializing in native landscapes. She is a passionate advocate for the use of native plants to attract and support pollinators, beneficial insects, and wildlife in home landscapes, organic farms, and restored landscapes. Heather writes for the social media website Houzz about pollinators and native plants (http://www.houzz.com/pro/heatherholm/holm-design-and-consulting-llc).

This event is free and open to the public. Grasses & sedges fit comfortably in Midwestern gardens; they are low maintenance and provide you with year-round interest. The discussion will focus on native grasses & sedges and how they can be integrated into your garden and home landscaping.

About the Presenter Bob Streitmatter has served as the Garden Manager at Luthy Botanical Garden for 10 years and as a Senior Landscape Architect at Green View Design Group for 21 years. He graduated from University of Illinois, in Landscape Architecture and is a licensed Landscape Architect.

In this local field trip, chapter members will learn about locations within Bloomington-Normal that support native plants. Remember to bring bug spray! The tour will include 3 stops and will be visited in the following order: Heartland Community College Led by Janet Beach Davis Tour of the Heartland Native Plant Garden and includes native herbaceous plants, trees, and scrubs >>Meet at the north end of parking lot F (campus map); ISU Horticulture Center Led by Jessica Chambers Tour of the the prairie planted from seed from Prairie Moon Nursery and showcasing about 70 varieties of native plants >>Drive east down Raab Road about a half mile and turn right into the main entrance (map); Downtown Bloomington public spaces Led by Robin VanDermay Tour of pots and plots featuring native plants >>Meet at the corner of Main and Washington Streets in downtown (map)

Dr. Sydney Cameron from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Entomology will explore the various native bumble bees and solitary bees species found in Central Illinois. During the presentation, she will highlight the different species, their life cycles, the habitats they prefer, and what we can do to enhance their survival. 

About the Presenter Dr. Cameron has more than 25 years of researching and publishing about bumble bees. Her lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, called the Cameron Lab, applies molecular phylogenetics to questions of social evolution in bees, focuses on the evolution of color pattern in bumble bees, and is developing new protocols to assess the status of recent population decline in North American bumble bees.

Other Resources about Bees BeeSpotter, The Other Bees. Coyne, Mari. 2003. Native Bees: What?s the Buzz. Chicago Wilderness Magazine. The Xerces Society, Pollinator Conservation Resources ? Great Lakes Region. EcoMyths, The Bee Chronicles (a video series).

All too often our landscapes are nothing more than decoration and designed as a feast for human eyes. Unfortunately, this approach to our landscapes is not sustainable. In this presentation, we will discuss why our landscapes shouldn't be "just another pretty face" and how we can contribute to a healthy, vibrant ecosystem with the use of native plants that provides both visual interest and habitat for native wildlife. 

About the Presenter  Carey Boehm-Corrie has spent the past 10 years studying native landscapes and learning how to incorporate native plants into our residential landscapes. She works at Boehm's Garden Center in Rushville and is an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional (ICN Pro) in both woody plants and perennials. She has a Bachelors in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Michael Jeffords and Susan Post will share their combined expertise on butterflies and Illinois native habitat. During this presentation we will learn about some of the 150 species of butterflies that are native to the state and what habitats help sustain them in every stage of their life cycle. 

About the Presenters Michael Jeffords obtained his PhD in Entomology from the University of Illinois and is the retired education/outreach director for the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) and was staff photographer for The Illinois Steward magazine (published from 1991-2010) that was focused on the conservation and protection of Illinois  natural resources and heritage. He is the co-author of two books: Exploring Nature in Illinois: A Field Guide to the Prairie State and Illinois Wilds. Susan L. Post currently holds many hats at the Illinois Natural History Survey including biological control of purple loosestrife research, Educational outreach including exotic species education, Coordinator of the Critical Trends Assessment Program scientific report and Co-coordinator Illinois Wilds Institute for Nature. She has written popular articles for the Nature of Illinois and the Illinois Steward Magazine along with authoring or co-authoring the books Hiking Illinois, Illinois Wilds, and Exploring Nature in Illinois: A Field Guide to the Prairie State.

Join us at 6:00 for a potluck dinner. At 7:00 we will hold our annual meeting including the election of officers for 2016. The seed exchange will take place throughout the evening.

For the Potluck The Board is providing a variety of soups and apple cider. Please bring a side item to share? and you own place setting including a bowl for soup and a cup for beverages.

For the Seed Exchange Bring any native plant seeds you've harvested and willing to share. For small amounts, please place 10-20 seeds in small plastic bags. For large amounts of seeds, bring in a large bag or jar. We will have small plastic bags for people to place seeds in. Please provide the common name and if known, species name of the seeds. Even if you have don't have seeds to contribute you are welcome to take seeds.