Calendar of Events and Programs

CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW EMERGENCY
 
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The basics of seed propagation will be presented as well as resources that have the details you need to know to grow each native species? seed from collecting through to sowing. 
 
Members, please bring native plant seeds to swap.  Please label them with the Latin name and if possible with common name as well.  The seeds don?t need to be removed from the seed head if you aren?t sure how to do it but don?t leave much stem on the seed heads.  If you don?t have any seeds to bring, no worries.  There are ALWAYS plenty from those that do bring them!  Also remember to bring something to put seeds in such as envelopes, paper bags or ziplocks in which to take seeds home with you.
 
Speaker: Lynn Emler-Fleak: Growing up on a farm in northwest Ohio in the 50?s, Lynn?s favorite spot was an old beech tree with spring beauties and trout lilies underneath. Having never gotten over her love of native plants, Lynn has always used them in her own gardens and those that she has designed.  Lynn was a master gardener in Delaware County for 10 years, and is now the Horticulturist for Tartan Fields Golf Club in Dublin, where Lynn continues to use natives as much as possible.
 
THIS IS A MEMBERS ONLY PROGRAM.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, follow the link above and join Wild Ones!

Lunch & Learn Opportunity: Due to the need to cancel our January Seed Exchange & Potluck with a presentation by Lynn Fleak, we decided to add this event. We will meet at McDonalds for lunch and then do our seed exchange there. Lynn Fleak is planning on being there to answer any questions regarding propagation of seeds. After lunch, any native seed left over will be hand sown at the ?Wesley Ridge Woodland Project.? by the group.  

HISTORY of Wesley Ridge Woodland Project: This woodland restoration project started in 2014 with a request for wildflowers to be added to the woodland for the residence to enjoy.  Barbara Velez Barbosa was asked to head the project by Fairfield MGV Coordinator Connie Smith. The area was over grown with many types of invasive plants; some trees were removed and replaced with native species, part of woodland was graded and paid for by people that donated money to GO FUND ME, native shrubs and wildflowers have been added over the past 3 years.  Fall of 2017 the a Rain Garden, Herb Garden, picnic table along with pots of flowers by the benches were added.  Organizations involved are: Wild Ones Columbus, Branch Out Columbus, National Wildlife Federation, Fairfield Master Gardeners, Boy Scout Troop #256 and many individuals wanting to give back to the retirement community.  We look forward to you joining us.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

Join Darlene Sillick in this hands-on program as she shares helpful information to attract cavity nesting birds to your backyard and help us make birdhouses. She will address habitat needs, food and native plants that attract these birds. We will have kits priced at $20.00 each that we will build during the program. Bring your cordless drill! Darlene will have the rest. Come prepared to be inspired to jump into conservation after Darlene?s talk!!!  KIDS WELCOME!

PLEASE RSVP BY Friday 2/2/18 to Cecelia Jokerst at [email protected] or 614-203-3479 with number of boxes you want to build. Payment (check with phone # or cash, no credit card) will be collected at the 2/10/18 program/activity.  Also, if desired bird is other than bluebird, ?Hole Reducers? and Wren style boxes will also be available to buy.

Speaker: Darlene Sillick

Darlene is involved in a monumental cornucopia of activities and organizations involving Bluebirds and other birds! Chances are she is involved with something you are connected with such as Ohio Young Birders Club, Boy Scouts, differently-abled individuals, TAASC, Ohio Bluebird Society, Audubon, OOS, OCVN, Dublin Parks, Ottawa NWA, Glacier Ridge Metro Park, Columbus Zoo, etc. To find out more, come to our program!

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: 

Spring ephemerals are those long-awaited spring flowers we often have to go to the woods to see. They are perennial plants that have a short life-cycle before dying back to their roots. Examples of plants we enjoy in Ohio include: Spring Beauty, Dutchman Breeches, Virginia Bluebells and Bloodroot. This program will focus on when and how to plan for your 2018 shade gardens providing year-round color starting with spring.  We will also learn what to plant under a Black Walnut Tree Juglans nigra.

Presenter: Gale Martin

Gale is part-owner of Natives in Harmony Nursery near Marengo Ohio. Gale is also a trustee on the Ohio Prairie Association Board.  Gale believes that the preservation of local-genotype plants is of the utmost importance. Local-genotype means the strain is correct for the area. She believes this is a very important detail. Natives in Harmony has multiple wildflower patches and prairie on its grounds which are used as the seed source for nursery propagation.

CONTACT INFO:  Phone 419-688-9800 Email- [email protected]

Today we will tour the garden of one of our members, Don Reuter. Don's garden features native woodland ephemerals, shrubs and trees. It should be a perfect time of year to enjoy his spring ephemerals. He describes his garden as...."certainly not an English garden. It's mostly wild with certain areas somewhat controlled. There is no plan other than I wanted it to look like a Ohio native woodland. I wanted to attract native birds, butterflies, etc." It sounds wonderful! Here is a sample of what we will see in his garden.

Once again we will hold our popular plant sale, coordinated by president Cecelia Jokerst. Plan to come early for the best choice of plants. In addition to plants from member gardens and those rescued, we will again have plants grown at Natives in Harmony. Owner, Gale Martin (who spoke to us in March) always shares her profits with Columbus Wild Ones and is such a good partner to have. Gale always has a wide selection of starter plants that are reasonably priced.

Our location is the same as in the past two years, behind the Whetstone Recreation Center in Clintonville. As usual, we will have several knowledgeable members present to help you find plants good for your yards.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Join us today as we visit Deer Haven Park in Delaware County. This park encompasses 90 acres adjacent to Havener Park, a Liberty Township Park. The park contains a simple loop system of trails, taking visitors through woodland, prairie, and wetland habitats. The park contains the Amy Clark-Bader bird sanctuary, which includes the park?s southern woodland habitat. For this reason, dog walking is limited at the park to trails north of the parking area.  Spring migration is a good time to see a variety of warblers and other migrating song birds. The park is home to many nesting species as well. 

The park has a visitor center at the park that provides restroom facilities as well as exhibits on native Ohio wildlife, a bird viewing area and classroom space for a multitude of programs. Native plant gardens surround the building including an educational pollinator garden established through a grant from the OEPA.  A natural play area provides kids, and adults, a natural play space to enjoy. Trails are gravel except for the upper portion of the Bent Tree Ridge Trail. A lower loop provides easy access and hiking. The upper Bent Tree Ridge  trail and creek crossing connector provides a little more of a strenuous hike. There is a wildlife viewing blind at the pond, but we are getting ready to build a new, just not sure if it will be constructed by the time we take this tour.  

Speaker: Rich Niccum, Education Services Manager, will be our tour guide. If the weather is inclement, he will do an indoor program for us. Rich has served as the Education Services Manager for Preservation Parks of Delaware County since 2010. Rich is a member of the National Association for Interpretation, Environmental Education Council of Ohio, and the Association for Nature Center Administrators. He is also currently the President of the East Central Ohio Audubon Society.  He loves to be outdoors whenever possible and enjoys gardening, hiking, camping, fishing, and photographing the natural world. 

We will be outdoors so be sure to bring your water bottle. 

We have taken field trips in the past during July, but they often don't seem to attract many people with busy summer schedules. So, we are suggesting that, if you wish,  you plan your own field trip as it fits into your schedule. Ohio has wonderful places to visit. Here are just a few suggestions from Trip Advisor. Some are nearby, others a day trip but so many look interesting. Let us know if you do any!

We are excited to have the opportunity to visit the garden of Toni Stahl. You have gotten a glimpse of what is going on in her yard from reading her Nature Scoop Newsletter. Now you can discover how she attracts all those birds, butterflies and other creatures to her yard.  This yard is a functioning, Wildlife Habitat in a small, typical residential yard (100 ft X 50 ft) certified by National Wildlife Federation in 2003. One example of bringing diversity to the yard is that Toni went from seeing 2 kinds of butterflies to 33 different kinds because the yard contains a wide variety of native plants (including nectar and host plants for caterpillars). It has matured since this photo was taken. It contains a butterfly log cabin for overwintering. Pollinator plants also attract hummingbirds and a wide variety of insects. It has many native bees and has had two successful friendly, native bumblebee nests the last two years. Toni and her husband, Bill, see songbirds, hummingbirds and have a Chimney Swift Tower in which Chimney Swifts have successfully raised babies every year since it was erected. There are a wide variety of prairie plants, including prairie dock, downy sunflower and royal catchfly. The backyard was made into a native forest edge with tall canopy trees and understory trees, including a hackberry tree and chokecherry. Below are bushes and forbs, including gray dogwood and heart-leaved aster. The shade garden has a variety of plants including brown eyed susan and mistflower. There is ground cover in many areas, including native violets. The front yard has a broken arbor that is being replaced in March 2018, so the rare trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) will be cut back at the tour, but should still be visible. We suggest you bring your water bottle. We will also have water on-hand if you forget. There will be handouts and Q & A. You can get more information by checking out her website for National Wildlife Federation.

TOUR: In this tour, we will have the opportunity to visit Riverside Native Trees. Ed grows containerized native trees and shrubs from locally collected seeds in this .  He?ll show us around his facility and tell us about starting and growing native trees and shrubs, their desirable attributes, etc.

This is the place to find local genotype trees and shrubs for your yard. If you?re interested in buying anything for your yard, Ed can help you choose what would be best.  

Tour Guide & Owner: Ed Kapraly

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: In this presentation, Guy will examine the origin, make-up and occurrences of the tallgrass prairies of North America and specifically, the tallgrass prairies of Ohio. Included will be a detailed description of how to go about making a prairie garden whether only a few square yards or several acres in size. Lastly, he will take a look at the benefits of having a tallgrass prairie garden from the beauty of the plants themselves to the diversity of wildlife such prairie gardens attract.

Speaker: 

Guy L. Denny is an interpretive naturalist, writer and photographer with a wealth of knowledge about the natural history of Ohio. Mr. Denny retired in 1999 from his position as Chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Natural Areas and Preserves after a professional career spanning 33 years of public service. As Chief of DNAP, he was responsible for administering the state's natural areas and scenic rivers programs. He is author of several booklets and articles on Ohio natural history and is past editor of the DNAP Newsletter in which he published numerous articles and photographs. His most recent publication is the Prairie Penninsula which he co-authored with Cleveland photographer Gary Meszaros. Mr. Denny has served on several boards including the Natural Resources Advisory Council for the Clean Ohio Fund, Midwest Biodiversity Institute, the Ohio Environmental Council, Trust for Public Lands, Scenic Ohio, the Friends of the Governor's Residence and Heritage Garden and the Brown Family Environmental Center at Kenyon College. He is the current President of the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association which he helped establish in 2011. He resides on a small farm in Knox County with a magnificent 20-22 acre tallgrass prairie he created. 

If you are interested in purchasing the book and having Guy sign it, purchase it (perhaps at Amazon) and bring it to the program.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

We will have the opportunity to swap native plant seeds as well as learn the basics of seed propagation. Our speaker, Gale Martin, will also pass along resources that have the details you need to know to grow each native species? seed from collecting through to sowing. 

Members, please bring native plant seeds to swap.  Please label them with latin name and if possible with common name as well.  The seeds don?t need to be removed from the seed head if you aren?t sure how to do it but don?t leave much stem on the seed heads.  If you don?t have any seeds to bring, no worries.  There are ALWAYS plenty from those that do bring them!  Also remember to bring something to put seeds in such as envelopes, paper bags or ziplocks in which to take seeds home with you.

Presenter: Gale Martin

Gale is part-owner of Natives in Harmony Nursery near Marengo Ohio. Gale is also a trustee on the Ohio Prairie Association Board.  Gale believes that the preservation of local-genotype plants is of the utmost importance. Local-genotype means the strain is correct for the area. This is a very important detail. Natives in Harmony has multiple wildflower patches and prairie on its grounds which are used as the seed source for nursery propagation. 

THIS IS A MEMBERS ONLY PROGRAM.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND, please follow the link above and Join WILD ONES !