Wild Ones is a not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.
Read Our 2014 Winter Newsletter Here!
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 Tiger Swallowtail on Button Bush
We meet the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm at Fenner Nature Center, 2020 E. Mount Hope Ave., Lansing, MI 48910 unless otherwise noted. (No meeting in December.) The Center is located on the south east corner of Mount Hope Ave. and Aurelius Road, see map below.
All meetings and field trips are open to the public. We always welcome interested individuals to join us in learning more about Michigan's rich diversity of native plants, and the wildlife that depend on them. Refreshments are usually served. In the summer months we visit outdoor locations instead of meeting indoors. See our upcoming events under the Calendar of Events tab! |
Native Notes
Date Night for Frogs
 Spring Peeper by Douglas Mills "dmills727" Flickr.com Spring Peepers, Chorus Frogs and Wood Frogs can be heard singing in Mid-Michigan ponds and wetlands in early April. The males call to attract mates soon after ice melts in the spring. Growing native plants will attract the insects frogs and toads need to eat. Listen to the sounds they make by clicking here.
Invasive Insects Stink
 Brown Marmorated Stink Bug by Kurt Andreas "Futureman1" Flickr.com Keep your eyes open for a new invasive insect called the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. They feed on over 300 species of agricultural crops and ornamental plants. They overwinter under tree bark and inside structures. For more information click here.
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Make a Home for Bees
 Bee House by "poppet with a camera" Flickr.com April is the time to put out a bee house to help our native bees. Many species of solitary bees nest in hollow plant stems or small holes in dead trees. If you provide a place for them to nest, they will reward you by pollinating your fruit trees and vegetable gardens. For easy directions click here.
Invasive Plants Don't Play Well With Others
 Garlic Mustardby "hspauldi" Flickr.com Garlic Mustard will be blooming soon. Spring is the time to pull these invasive plants out by their roots to keep them from taking over our natural areas. Join the Stewardship Network's Garlic Mustard Challenge by clicking here.
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Which Native Plants are Blooming this Week?
Information about how insects and other animals utilize these plants comes from www.illinoiswildflowers.info
 Spring Beauty Flowers
by "aecole2010" Flickr.com 04-20-14 Spring Beauties are in bloom. These fragrant flowers attract many bees, flies, butterflies & skippers which gather the nectar and pollen.
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 Hepatica Flowers
by "Erutuon" Flickr.com 04-21-14 Hepatica is in bloom. These delicate flowers appear before the foliage. They do not contain nectar but small bees and flies will visit for the pollen. Chipmunks eat the seeds.
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 Elm Flowers
by Marilylle Soveran "withrow" Flickr.com 04-11-14 American Elm is in bloom. The leaves of these trees host the caterpillars of Comma and Question Mark butterflies. Dutch Elm disease resistant cultivars include Princeton, Valley Forge, Delaware and New Harmony.
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 Bloodroot Flowers
by Lisa Brown "Mean and Pinchy" Flickr.com 04-15-14 Bloodroot is in bloom. Each lovely flower lasts only a day or two. They close at night and on cloudy days. Bees, flies and beetles visit them in search of pollen, and their seeds are distributed by ants.
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 Leatherwood Flowers
by Tom Potterfield "tgpotterfield" Flickr.com 04-18-14 Leatherwood is in bloom. A wonderful shrub for shaded moist areas, it blooms very early and provides pollen and nectar when few other flowers are out.
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 Red Maple Flowers
by Liz West "Muffet" Flickr.com 04-02-14 Red and Silver Maples are in bloom. These are some of the earliest trees to flower and bees will sometimes gather the pollen even though the trees are largely wind pollinated.
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 Pussy Willow Flowers
by 'Kristin "Shoe" Shoemaker' Flickr.com 04-02-14 Pussy Willows are just starting to bloom. Willows offer an early pollen source for bees, and their leaves feed many species of butterflies and moths.
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 Hazelnut Flowers
by Marilylle Soveran "withrow" Flickr.com 04-09-14 Hazelnuts are in bloom. The catkins produce pollen and the tiny red female flower is where the nuts will form. American and Beaked Hazelnuts are native to Michigan and support many birds, mammals, and insects.
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