Events

This 4-part series is part of the Start in Your Yard Initiative provided by Wild Ones of Greater Kane County and the Elgin Sustainability Commission in partnership with the Gail Borden Library of Elgin Illinois.

Registration and information at startinyouryard.com/community-read

A nature movie presentation.

This 4-part series is part of the Start in Your Yard Initiative provided by Wild Ones of Greater Kane County and the Elgin Sustainability Commission in partnership with the Gail Borden Library of Elgin Illinois.

Registration and information at startinyouryard.com/community-read

If you don't know what we mean by the term, "invasive plants," you'll learn what they are and why it's important to address them where you live.  If you're already aware, you'll find information to expand your understanding of the issues and of specific plants.  Go to the link below or click this QR code to register for online for free.

Originally done only in St. Charles, we and 12 other nature oriented agencies signed on to do this across Kane County.  Using the iNaturalist app, individual users record spring ephemerals they see in the time period.  

This 4-part series is part of the Start in Your Yard Initiative provided by Wild Ones of Greater Kane County and the Elgin Sustainability Commission in partnership with the Gail Borden Library of Elgin Illinois.

Registration and information at startinyouryard.com/community-read

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

Horticulturist Ken Williams will bridge the gap between horticulture and native plants and give us ideas about using native plants without scaring the neighbors.

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

A spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Pam Otto.

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

Spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Barb McKittrick.

Spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Mary Alice Masonick.

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

This 4-part series is part of the Start in Your Yard Initiative provided by Wild Ones of Greater Kane County and the Elgin Sustainability Commission in partnership with the Gail Borden Library of Elgin Illinois.

Registration and information at startinyouryard.com/community-read

A spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Mary Ochsenschlager.

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

A spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Sarah Kimber.

A spring ephemeral walk with naturalist Sue Bohne.

Come and listen and talk with people experienced with native plants.  Listen, ask and answer questions. Learn from others with experience; share your experiences with others. Opening night:  Meet our native plants.  

No agenda, no pre-registration.  Just go to: startinyouryard.com and click Monday-night Roundtable to join in.

Annual public sale will be on 5/13 at Gray Willows Farm in conjunction with Campton Township Open Space. Plants from 6 nurseries will be offered.   Also for sale this year, vegetable starters and herbs by separate vendors.

We collaborated with Wild Ones of Greater DuPage County to attend the gardens of two private homes.

We had tours of 4 different gardens in Elgin.  

We will tour the Wind and Talons area of rescued raptors that cannot be released into the wild.

We toured the gardens of member Kathy Morrison and then drove .6 mile to see Snuffy's Prairie, which is part of Dundee Township Open Space. 

We will have a tour of Peck Farm to look for dragonflies with dragonfly expert Cindy Crosby.

Terry Miesle will lead us on a walk to look for native bees.  2 sessions, 9 and 10:30

This is the annual prairie fest hosted by Campton Township.  We will have a table there. 

We will have a tour of the sustainable farm, Rustic Road, then eat your own sack lunch at Jean Eakin's home across the street (we  provide drinks, chips and cookies.)  Then we will have a tour of Jean's gardens.  Also offered is a chance to do native journaling with member Joette Conger. 

 Walk at Dick Young Forest Preserve with Forest Preserve naturalist Barb McKittrick. We will be touring the restored prairie that is entered on Main Street, not Nelson Lake Road. 39W115 Main Street, Batavia.  Walk will be about 1 hour over level ground.  

Walk at Culver Forest Preserve.  6S496 Hankes Road, Sugar Grove, IL.  Stewards Dale Swanson and Karen Burkhalter and other volunteers just began working here last May.  This a good opportunity to a see a forest preserve where almost no restoration work has been done and how it is accomplished.  Walk about 1 hour, 9 AM  

 Walk at Lake Run Forest Preserve with steward Jeff Hedrich.  40W255 Tanner Road, N. Aurora.  This forest preserve has been in the process of being restored for almost 4 years by Jeff and volunteers.  See what great things can happen with restoration efforts, both woodland and prairie.

 Enter on Prairie Street off Kirk Road.  You will need a Real ID or a current Passport to enter Fermilab per federal regulations.   (See regulations here: https://get-connected.fnal.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/REALID-Documents.pdf)

After you enter, proceed to the Lederman Education Center parking lot, and we will walk from there.  Our guide will be Wally Levernier, who has been the lab ecologist at Fermilab since 2018. He is a restoration ecologist and coordinates research projects, conducts invasive species control, collects native seed, conducts plant surveys, leads prescribed burns, as well as many other activities.  Fermilab has 2 remant tallgrass prairie areas, each less than 3 acres. Prairie restoration efforts began in 1975.  Currently, nearly 1000 acres of tallgrass prairie ranging from mesic to wet are being restored. 

Walk at LeRoy Oaks Forest Preserve with Forest Preserve naturalist Barb McKittrick.  37W700 Dean Street, St. Charles.  This preserve has restored prairies, woodlands, Ferson Creek and a nature center.  Restoration has been ongoing here for quite a while, and it is a beautiful area.  Walk about an hour, 6:30 PM.

A tour of a nature preserve in Algonquin, IL, which is part of Dundee Township Open Space.

Join us for a wonderful program on our regular meeting day of Thursday, September 28 at 7 PM.  The title of the program is: To see Nature at its best:  Timing is Everything.  Our presenter will be David Schwaegler.  Dr. Schwaegler has had a lifelong interest in nature.  In his early life he was a music educator with a PhD in music from the University of Iowa.  He has been a steward at Lake in the Hills Fen since the 80’s and has taken pictures of natural areas which he has set to music. This is sure to be a memorable experience.   We will be meeting in a new place—Campton Township Community Center, 5N082 Old LaFox Road, St. Charles, IL.  (just a few minutes from downtown Campton Hills/Wasco)

Join Wild Ones Honorary Director Heather Holm as she explores the nesting habitats, life cycles, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of some of the most common native bees in eastern North America, while highlighting the pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees.

When creating and managing thriving habitats for native bees, many factors such as seasonal phenology, nesting strategies, and flower preferences must be considered—and with approximately 3,600 species in North America (north of Mexico), there are many unique aspects to keep in mind when managing successful landscapes for bees. 

Take a walk in Burnidge Forest Preserve with Wild Ones member and naturalist Mary Alice Masonick.

Be prepared to give flowers a whole new look.  You know you love flowers, but do you know what you are really seeing? With Jack's help we will learn to look more closely at flowers.  Although there are ore thatn 250,000 kinds of flowers in the world, their incredible variety is due mostly to variations in a few  common parts:  sepals, petals, stamens and pistils.  Our goal is how to really look at a flower. 

Join Wild Ones member and naturalist Pam Otto on a walk at Hickory Knolls Nature Center. 

Join us for an enlightening webinar featuring authors, Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox, as they present their latest book, "The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants." This comprehensive compendium is a treasure trove of knowledge for gardeners looking to incorporate native prairie plants into their landscapes. Neil and Hilary will delve into the making and application of this essential guide, sharing rich historical and ecological insights about prairie ecosystems, all while showcasing stunning images of prairie flora. 

This is a holiday party for Wild Ones Greater Kane County members