Looking for another way to give back to your community? Join us on the board of West Cook Wild Ones! Just 8 meetings a year and lots of opportunities to share your gardening knowledge, or learn new things, or advocate for policies in your community with our support. Link to nominate yourself or a friend […] Continue reading "Board Nominations"
About the contest: At the end of the year, we send holiday cards to our paid members, and we would like to get you all involved! For our December 2026 card, we would love to choose a photo from aWest Cook Wild Ones paid member. Our 2026 holiday card will feature the winning photograph with […] Continue reading "2026 Photo Contest: Native Plants in Winter"
Invasive Tree and Shrub Trade-in for Cook County We’re excited to offer this opportunity to give a free native tree or shrub in exchange for the removal of an invasive species on the list below. BUT–check that there are no active bird nests. ABC 7 news in Chicago covered this program–it gives the basic facts […] Continue reading "Invasive Tree and Shrub Trade-in"
Wild Ones West Cook Accomplishments 2023 2023 was another productive year! We continue to do impactful grass-roots level work. Read through the highlights of the past year. You will see how we are making a real difference in our community and ensuring the Earth will be a better place for future generations of people and […] Continue reading "2023 Accomplishment Wild Ones West Cook"
Wild Ones West Cook adopted these updated Bylaws on April 12, 2023. We rely on them to help us with governing the chapter. Read them here. Continue reading "Bylaws"
West Cook Wild Ones Invasive Species Trade-In Program Identification Page This page will help you in identifying the invasive plants we are accepting for the trade-in. These invasive species are of particular concern because they spread aggressively and degrade native habitats in various ways: they can crowd out native plants, inhibit understory growth, change soil chemistry, […] Continue reading "Identifications for Targeted Invasive Plants for Trade-in Program"
What are Chimney Swifts? Why are they important? Chimney Swifts are birds that spend nearly all their waking hours flying as they forage for insects in the sky and are a major predator of mosquitoes. They cannot perch like most birds and instead cling to vertical surfaces, so they need surfaces for roosting and nesting. […] Continue reading "Girl Scout Chimney Swift Project in Oak Park"
Announcing 2023 Garden for Nature Grantees We are pleased to announce our grantees for this year. We were overwhelmed by the number of applications this year and the quality of the projects. The proposals thrilled us reviewers–so much creative and optimistic work being done out there! Our grant is funded by our members and our […] Continue reading "Announcing 2023 Garden for Nature Grantees"
Winter Sowing Resources from West Cook Wild Ones Linda Walker and Stephanie Walquist It’s cold and snowy out, but you can still do some gardening and prepare for spring! Plant some seeds now, set them outside, and in the spring, you will have many new plants, either for free or for the cost of a […] Continue reading "Winter Sowing Resources from West Cook Wild Ones"
We love to celebrate the beauty of native plants even in winter when most of us keep them standing for biodiversity and beauty. We’re sharing the winners of the contest in this post. Members, be on the lookout for our holiday card that features the winning photo. In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful snapshots. As […] Continue reading "2022 Photo Contest Results"