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.
 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
Deer Resistant Native Plants
 White Tailed Deer by Colby Stopa Flickr.com Are deer using your landscape as an all-you-can-eat buffet? Download our list of deer resistant native plants below for options they will avoid. Remember that new plants fresh from the nursery are especially nutritious and succulent. Keep new plants caged to protected them until they are established. Then the listed plants should be able to survive, since deer generally find them unpalatable.
|
Plan for Pollinators
 Spiderwort and Yarrow byJoshua Mayer "wackybadger" Flickr.com Perennial plants flower at different times throughout the season. Plan your landscape to include sources of pollen and nectar from Spring until Fall so bees, butterflies and hummingbirds always have a source of food. Here is a link to a guide from Michigan State University to help you.
Native Flowering Plants | ||
Which Native Plants are Blooming this Week?
Information about how insects and other animals utilize these plants comes from www.illinoiswildflowers.info
 Black-Eyed-Susan Flowers by
"BlueRidgeKitties" Flickr.com 7-14-14 Black-Eyed-Susan is in bloom. The flowers appeal to a wide range of insects which collect pollen and nectar. Silvery Checkerspot caterpillars feed on the foliage. Goldfinches eat the seeds.
|
 Queen-of-the-Prairie Flowers by
Kingsbrae Gardens "KingsbraeGarden" Flickr.com 7-14-14 The cotton candy like flowers of Queen-of-the-Prairie are starting to bloom. This is an indicator plant of high quality moist habitats. Bees are its most important pollinators.
|
 Blue Vervain Flowers by
Kerry Wixted Flickr.com 7-14-14 Blue Vervain is in bloom. Use this species on moist sites and it's cousin, Hoary Vervain, in drier locations. The flowers attract many kinds of insects and caterpillars of Verbena moth feed on the foliage.
|
 Michigan Rose Flower by
"dogtooth77" Flickr.com 7-10-14 Michigan Rose (Rosa setigera) is in bloom. The beautiful and lightly fragrant flowers are produced on climbing vines that can be trained on a trellis or arbor.
|
 Mountain Mint Flowers by
Suzanne Cadwell "scadwell" Flickr.com 7-10-14 Mountain Mint is in bloom. Research at Michigan State University identified this plant as one of the most attractive to pollinators. The minty smell of the leaves makes it unpalatable to most mammals.
|
 Swamp Milkweed Flowers by
Elizabeth Sellers "AussieBotanist" Flickr.com 07-10-14 Swamp Milkweed is in bloom. The flowers are popular with bees, butterflies and hummingbirds seeking nectar. The foliage is a food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars.
|
 Yarrow Flowers byTerrie Schweitzer "terriem" Flickr.com 6-30-14 Yarrow is in bloom. The flowers attract many pollinators. Caterpillars of Blackberry Looper, Common Pug and Wavy- Lined Emerald moths feed on the foliage, as do grasshoppers and leaf beetles.
|
 Purple Prairie Clover Flowers byBrett Whaley Flicker.com 6-30-14 Purple Prairie Clover is in bloom. The flowers attract numerous insects. Caterpillars of the Southern Dogface butterfly eat the foliage as do rabbits and other mammalian herbivores.
|
 Elderberry Flowers by Nesson Marshall "nesson-marshall" Flickr.com 6-30-14 Common Elderberry is in bloom. The flowers attract pollinators and the fruit is eaten by numerous songbirds and small mammals. The soft pithy stems provide nesting material for Mason and Little Carpenter bees.
|
 Common Milkweed Flowers
by Peter Gorman "pchgorman" Flickr.com 06-30-14 Common Milkweed is in bloom. These large flower clusters have the sweetest perfume! The plants host the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies, Milkweed Tiger moths, and Delicate Cycnia moths.
 Purple Coneflower by
Philip Bouchard "philipbouchard" Flickr.com 06-22-14 The large flowers of Purple Coneflower create the perfect landing pad for butterflies seeking nectar.
|
 Butterfly Weed Flowers by
Lindley Ashline Flickr.com 06-30-14 The bright orange flowers of Butterfly Weed attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Plus the foliage is eaten by Monarch butterfly and Unexpected Cycnia moth caterpillars!
 Jewel Weed Flowers by
Bruce Bodjack "bbodjack" Flickr.com 06-22-14 Jewel Weed is just starting to bloom. The sap of this annual is said to soothe poison ivy. It will bloom until frost and provides and important food source for migrating hummingbirds.
|
 Wild Bergamot Flowers by
Scott Hamlin Flickr.com 07-07-14 Wild Bergamot is in bloom. The flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Caterpillars of Hermit Sphinx and Gray Marvel moths feed on the foliage. The leaves have been used for tea.
 Nodding Wild Onion Flower by
"madlyinlovewithlife" Flickr.com 06-30-14 Nodding Wild Onion is in bloom. The nodding flowers favor pollination by bees which don't mind hanging upside down to collect nectar and pollen.
|
 Sand Coreopsis by
"Stilgherrian" Flickr.com 05-30-14 Sand Coreopsis is in bloom. Many bees, butterflies & beetles visit to collect nectar and pollen. Several moth caterpillars feed on the foliage and birds eat the seeds.
|
 Daisy Fleabane Flowers by
Dinesh Valke "dinesh_valke" Flickr.com 06-04-14 Several Fleabanes are in bloom. The flowers attract bees, flies, beetles and butterflies. The plants host the caterpillars of Wavy Lined Emerald, Speyer's Cucullia, and Lynx Flower moths.
|
 Harebell Flowers by
Marilylle Soveran "withrow" Flickr.com 06-18-14 Harebell is in bloom. These delicate looking flowers are actually quite easy to grow. They attract a variety of bees which pollinate them while collecting their nectar.
|
