Chapter Events

Perhaps no other group of plants inspires more interest and enthusiasm than the orchid family (Orchidaceae). What is an orchid, what makes them recognizable, and where do orchids fit into the global biodiversity picture? How many orchids once occurred in Illinois, which ones remain, and which don't? When and where can orchids be seen in Illinois and what are some of the challenges in conserving viable populations? Please join us as we explore these questions during a brief respite from winter dormancy. 

 Speaker Bio: Dr. John Taft has a BS, MS in Botany from Souther Illinois University at Carbondale and a PhD in Plant Ecology at University of Illinois. He has served as a botanist and plant ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey from 1984 to 2015. During this time, Dr. Taft conducted botanical surveys in nearly every Illinois county and written countless technical reports concerning Illinois botanical resources. In addition, about 32 research papers have been published, ranging from topics such as the developmental anatomy of the horned oak gall to composition and species diversity of grasslands in the central Tien Shan Mountains. Additionally, he served on the Endangered Species Protection Board from 2008 to 2014 and taught Native Plant ID and Floristics at the University of Illinois since 2009 along with mentoring numerous undergraduate and graduate students.

This presentation will focus on the use of native trees/shrubs/perennials planted in the Town of Normal along with some existing naturalized areas. The naturalized areas will include Fransen Nature Area and Maxwell Park.

Speaker Bio: Bobby Jones works as a Horticulturist for the Town of Normal in the Parks and Recreation Department. He has an AAS in Ornamental Horticulture from Illinois Central College and a BS in Plant and Soil Science from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. He is also has been an Illinois Certified Arborist since 1999 and an Illinois Certified Nursery Professional since 1992.

This program covers the main highlights of the design principals of sustainability known as Permaculture. The concepts and principals were designed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren to help people easily access ways and techniques to fulfill the most important Permaculture principals: Care of Earth, Care of People, Share the Abundance. Anyone can learn and practice Permaculture and in this presentation by Caron Wenzel.

In this tour, Wild Ones members will observe three different approaches to gardening with natives in Normal. First, we will look at a garden with a very diverse assemblage of plants, many of which are native. Next, we will visit gardens that have been established and expanded over many years to include four woodland beds and two primarily prairie beds. The last stop will be gardens that recreate an Illinois woodland area. There will be a variety of spring ephemerals, including Spring Beauty, Hepatica, Trilliums, Toothwort, Trout Lilies, Dutchman's Breeches, and Bluebells, and other woodland plants such as Bloodroot, Solomon's Seal (False and True), Spiderwort, Columbine, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and Wild Ginger.

When most of us live in urban communities, we face many environmental challenges creating healthy, functional living spaces. However, if we plant a diversity of native plants around our homes, these natives furnish valuable ecosystem services to people and native animals. This presentation will explain why native plants are more beneficial than non-native plants, why biodiversity is healthy, and what groups of native animals can be attracted to home landscapes with natives. Lastly, we will discuss what habitats can be created around our homes by planting certain species of wildflowers, shrubs and trees (many of which will be offered at the native plant sale on Saturday, May 21). 

Speaker Bio: Dave Tylka is a semi-retired Professor of Biology at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, where he taught full-time for over 20 years. He still teaches native landscaping and Ozark ecology courses. When not in the classroom, he and his wife are outside enjoying their home native landscape, where they grow over 200 different species of native plants. Dave was the first St. Louis Urban Biologist for the Missouri Conservation Department, a position he held for 14 years. In 2002, he wrote the Missouri Conservation Department book, Native Landscaping for Wildlife and People, which he then revised in 2009 for the second edition. Dave has also written many popular pamphlets and articles on backyard landscaping, bird feeding, and butterfly gardening. As an educator, biologist, nature author, and photographer, he brings together a wealth of information on native species and ideas that can inspire any gardener.

More details to come.

This month's program focuses on a variety of topics that relate to natives. Specifically, you will learn about drought-tolerant natives, propagating natives from seeds, and natives for shade. Our presenters are Sherrie Snyder, Robin Vandermay, and Jan Turner. The program will be in a roundtable format, where each presentation is given three times. Attendees rotate from one presentation to another, which allows you to take advantage of each. Please come with your questions about native gardening, even if not specifically related to these topics. We look forward to seeing you!

Presenter Bios Sherrie Snyder, our current chapter President, is also a founding member. She has been integrating and learning about natives in home landscaping for over 10 years. She is also a Master Naturalist. Robin Vandermay has been involved with landscaping and natives for many years. She is involved with the many beautification projects for the City of Bloomington. Currently, she oversees the chapter's special native planting projects such as the Community Cancer Center. Jan Turner has been propagating native plants for about 25 years after visiting the Funk's Grove area with a friend. Currently, she owns Native Plants of Illinois Nursery. 

Have you been intrigued by the concern surrounding Monarch butterflies and wanted to learn more about them and the difficulties they face? Join Kay Henrichs, Janet Rasmussen, and Sharon Welch as they share information on the interesting life-history of monarch butterflies, citizen science opportunities (such as monarch tagging and the online reporting of monarch sightings) and various monarch conservation initiatives at the federal, state and local levels. They also hope to bring some monarch caterpillars for everyone to see.

Presenter Bios

Kay Henrichs is a Master Gardener who for many years has been educating the public about Monarchs and has also reared monarch caterpillars, travelled to the Monarch overwintering site in Mexico, and participated in the Monarch Watch tagging program.

Janet Rasmussen and Sharon Welch are Wild Ones members and Master Naturalists who have also raised monarch caterpillars to adulthood and have a keen interest in Monarch butterflies and sharing their knowledge about them with others.

Illinois was a pioneer in the natural areas movement and the result is a statewide network of natural areas and nature preserves. Virtually every county in Illinois has a natural preserve yet many people are unaware of them. The "Rare Plants and Unique Natural Areas of Illinois" presentation highlights the many beautiful natural areas found in the different regions of Illinois with professional photography and insightful commentary.

Speaker Bio:

Christopher David Benda is a botanist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. He is also the current President of the Illinois Native Plant Society (INPS) as well as President of the Southern Chapter of INPS. Chris moved to Illinois in 2004 and earned his Master's Degree in Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign in 2007. He worked on the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory Update from 2008 - 2012 and most recently conducted botanical surveys for the Forest Preserves of Cook County's Natural and Cultural Resources Master Plan. Chris teaches "The Flora of Southern Illinois" at Southern Illinois University in the summer and "Tree ID and Ecology" at The Morton Arboretum in the fall.? He lives in Makanda, Illinois. Many of his photographs can be viewed on the Illinois Botonizer Facebook page and blog.

Edward Cope will give a fascinating peek into the world of ferns, discussing their evolutionary history, ecological value, and life cycle. He'll also examine the benefits of including them in native landscaping and cover the ins and outs of propagation. An overview will also be given on which species are native to the region and where they can be enjoyed in a natural setting.

Speaker Bio:
Edward Cope is a Restoration Ecologist for the Natural Land Institute. He has two degrees from Montana State University in Land Rehabilitation and Wildlife Habitat Management. He has nearly 10 years experience managing native landscapes and propagating rare plants.

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 your own place setting including a bowl for soup and a cup for beverages.

For the Seed Exchange
Note: Even if you have don't have seeds to contribute you are welcome to take seeds.

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.