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"
by Stephanie Walquist Sprezzatura Rembrandt, an Old Master who used earth tones to offset golden light, used a technique he termed sprezzatura, meaning apparent carelessness. In the spirit of artistic and environmental sensibilities, let us native gardeners unite under this term. Allowing the gardens to stand during fall and winter, we might appear careless about […] Continue reading "Sprezzatura in the Fall Garden"
Calling local non-profits and organizations! We are excited to announce our Garden for Nature Grant Program. This grant is for those who would like to improve the environment and engage the public through a native plant garden. If you are part of a local non-profit that wishes to connect young people and nature, there is no […] Continue reading "2022 Garden for Nature Grant Program"
About 500 species of birds will migrate through IL. Some will remain here to nest through the spring and summer while others will continue to make their way to Canada’s boreal forest. The Chicago area is an important refuge for the migratory species, many of whom have just flown over the corn belt where places safe […] Continue reading "Is your yard ready for spring migratory birds?"
Announcing: Recipients of Garden for Nature Grant West Cook Wild Ones launches its 2020 Garden for Nature program by announcing grants totaling more than $4,500 to 14 nonprofit and public organizations in the Chicago area. About the grant and the process: Garden for Nature funds projects mainly in western Cook County that engage young people […] Continue reading "Announcing: Recipients of Garden for Nature Grant"
5 Reasons Why Edible Gardens Need Native Plants by Stephanie W We often get asked if it’s ok to grow natives with edibles, and the answer is yes, as that’s what many of us native gardeners have been implementing with great success. In fact, on a larger scale, many farmers are beginning to experiment with […] Continue reading "5 Reasons Why Edible Gardens Need Native Plants"
Recap of The Amphibians of Chicago presented by Joey Cavataio Joey Cavataio condensed many years of experience and research into a beautifully presented talk for us on Feb 25. Along with the lovely images of our area’s amphibians, another welcome sight was the many middle-schoolers who were attending for an extra credit assignment from their […] Continue reading "Recap of The Amphibians of Chicago by Joey Cavataio"
Native Plantings to Attract Migratory Birds After a little good-natured group tribute to Doug Tallamy, Judy Pollock told us about the real conservation work we can do. Where? Not in faraway places at all but simply in our own yards. In Judy’s own yard in Evanston, IL, she has observed 125 migratory species in her […] Continue reading "Notes from Judith Pollock’s Presentation on Attracting Migratory Birds"
Deer Resistant Plants We’ve been asked a few times about deer-resistant plants, and we’ve done some research and have compiled the below list sorted by sun requirements. To assemble the document we cross-referenced from different sources that report these native plants as being deer resistant. Sources include personal experiences from prairie restorationists, Prairie Moon Nursery, […] Continue reading "Deer Resistant Plants"
West Cook Wild Ones will bring Jack MacRae, a Naturalist from the DuPage Forest Preserves, to present Behind the Scenes at a Wild Animal Hospital.” This presentation gives a look at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, the oldest and largest wild animal hospital in the U.S. Mr. MacRae will speak to us about the animals that […] Continue reading "Behind the Scenes at a Wild Animal Hospital & Seed Swap"