What’s in a Leaf Pile? A lot of potential for life is in a leaf pile. Many beneficial (and beautiful) insects overwinter in our yards. For instance, the Katydid (important food source for birds during late summer) and Preying Mantis overwinter as eggs attached to twigs, stems, and/or leaves. Ladybugs and Lacewings also spend the […] Continue reading "What’s in a Leaf Pile, Or Why Not to Do Fall Clean-up"
Milkweed cosmos: A colony of milkweed is almost its own world. Most of us have planted milkweed to attract and support the Monarch butterfly, but eventually the other insects that are dependent on it find our milkweed patches. On the one hand, these bugs are just doing what they’re supposed to be doing–living off […] Continue reading "Milkweed Cosmos"
If you ordered a Monarch Garden Kit or are new to gardening, this “How-to” sheet might be helpful. Monarch Garden Planting Tips Thank you for purchasing one of the Monarch Kits! The plants will need a little TLC for a few weeks while they get settled and their root systems get established. Weve written up […] Continue reading "Monarch Garden Planting Tips"
Are you new to native plants and not sure why they’re important? This infographic can help get you started: Continue reading "Power of Native Plants"
Hold your rake! Clearing out your garden can backfire. Raking everything out and tossing into yard bags removes the building blocks of soil and destroys beneficial insects (butterflies, moths, fireflies, etc) that found a safe place in your garden during the winter. You can learn more about some of these animals in this post: What’s […] Continue reading "Rethinking Spring Clean-up"
Quick Tips to Tidy the Habitat Garden We understand the difficult balance there can be between having a presentable garden and being ecologically friendly. Although we tend to keep our own gardens through the winter, we still do a little trimming and thinning here and there. Below are some of the strategies we use: If […] Continue reading "Quick Tips to Tidy the Habitat Garden for Winter"
Summer is almost here, and plants are up. You’ve been a good dooby and left some stems standing to provide habitat/nesting areas for cavity-nesting bees (such as Mason Bees and tiny Carpenter bees). Maybe you’re also worried about pulling weeds and not sure how best to handle the situation. Below are some quick and easy […] Continue reading "Two Simple, Easy, and Natural Steps for Summer Habitat Garden Maintenance"
May has been an especially hopeful month this year with all of our young people getting involved in making a big difference for the environment. In Oak Park and River Forest, local schools have been busy planning, researching, and planting their native plants to support biodiversity and learning. Dominican University recently put in a large […] Continue reading "Local Schools Plant Habitat Gardens"
The Problem The topic of invasive plants can be a prickly one. Burning Bushes, Barberry Bushes, Callery Pears, and Asian Honeysuckles are very popular landscaping choices as are the latest plants that the horticultural industry is selling, most of which have been imported from other continents solely for decorative purposes in a yard. Invasives do […] Continue reading "Invasives Presentation Recap"
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"