Calendar of Events and Programs

Presentation: Chris Kline will discuss how Butterfly Ridge has tripled the size of its butterfly population in four short years. Included in his talk will be a virtual tour of Butterfly Ridge, a discussion of plants that have worked well, and a discussion of those plants that have been a disappointment. Kline will also give away a copy of his book, Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants to a lucky participant! In addition, there will be a seed exchange at this meeting. 

Presenter: Chris Kline is the former butterfly specialist at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus.

Presentation: Inspired by Ora Anderson's passionate observations and Jim Brandenburg's nature photography, Tom has been documenting nature through the seasons on a small plot of land in southern Fairfield county. Through observation and the eye of a camera, an amazing array of wildlife and bird behaviors come to life.

Speaker: Tom Sheley, former owner and manager of Wild Birds Unimited on Sawmill Road, Columbus

Presentation: On a daily basis, a new crop of invasive plants pop up in our gardens. What was once considered a desirable landscape plant yesterday, may be considered undesirable today. We, as stewards of the land, have a responsibility to utilize and encourage plant material that is beneficial to the ecosystem as a whole. The question we will set out to answer, is what native alternatives can we use to replace undesirable or invasive plants in the landscape.

Speaker: Peter Lowe, Dawes Arboretum, is Director of Landscape Operations

Tour Description: Don Reuter describes his garden as...."certainly not an English Garden. It's mostly wild, with certain areas somewhat controlled. I wanted to attract native birds, butterflies, etc." His description isn't quite accurate....this yard shows the results of much work in clearing invasives from a lovely wooded area and planting a wide array of native plants. Don is very knowledgeable about these plants and you will thoroughly enjoy his garden.

This plant sale has become very popular. Be sure to come early for the best selection. The sale will be located behind Whetstone Recreation Center in Clintonville. Plants will come from members' gardens as well as from Natives in Harmony. Gale Martin, co-owner of Natives in Harmony donates a portion of her sales to Columbus Wild Ones.

Please join us for our popular annual plant sale. We will have plants donated from members' gardens, rescued from Tartan Fields Golf Course as well as plants from Natives in Harmony owned by Gale Martin.

Please note the date and time change from the original anticipated date.

History: The idea of the Heritage Garden was first conceived in 2000 as a way to showcase Ohio's natural history and environment to the thousands of yearly visitors to the Governor's Residence. Then First Lady, Hope Taft, secured the donated services of a landscape architect and garden designer who developed a master plan that not only highlights the five physiographic regions of Ohio, but also enhances the Jacobean revival architecture of the home and highlights of Ohio botanists and hybridizers. With the help of master gardeners, arboreta, nurseries, universities, state departments, garden clubs and many friends, implementation began in the spring of 2001. The Garden has been named a Monarch Butterfly Waystation and a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

Parking: There is no parking lot. Please Park on side streets.

Important Requirements: An alphabetized list of tour guests must be submitted before the tour. Guests must provide photo ID for admittance. Handbags, purses and backpacks are not permitted on the premises. All members wishing to visit should give their names to Barbara Velez Barbosa or another board member of the Wildones Columbus by June 1. Any questions, contact Carol Allen-Rasoul at 614-558=6501

Tour: Debra Knapke will open our gardens for us to visit. Her 2/3 acre garden is used for research, teaching, testing design ideas and enjoying. "I practice ecologically-conscious gardening - my term - as I have come to realize that nature is my partner in the garden; and a most primary teacher." There are 26 different garden areas consisting of shade gardens, sun gardens, herb areas, rock areas, and in-transition conifer garden, a vegetable garden, a forest garden and more. There is something to see year-round; it is a garden for all seasons. Owner: Debra Knapke, known as "The Garden Sage" is a popular speaker at professional symposia as well as gardening events throughout the Midwest.  

Field Trip: Rick Gardener will lead us through three prairie remnants in the historical Darby Plains near Plain City. The trip will begin at Milford Center Natural Area, a prairie along an abandoned railroad grade that has numerous prairie species, including Royal Catchfly. Then we'll visit Smith Cemetery State Nature Preserve, a pioneer cemetery that has large oaks and incredible prairie plant diversity in a just over 0.5 acre plot. The final destination is W. Pearl King Savanna Nature Preserve which is the best oak savanna remnant remaining in the Darby Plains. This site has several species of plants you'll find no where else in the Darby Plains area. All sites except W. Pearl King Savanna have trails. Please dress accordingly.

Tour Guide: Rick Gardener, Chief Botanist for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Natural Areas & Preserves. Rick also manages all Ohio State Parks. He spoke to us in January about these prairies.

Meet Up Location: Milford Center Prairie is found at Connor Road, Milford Center (40 09 27.789 / 83 27 26.4). It is located in Union County, 2.5 miles south of Milford Center along SR 4; proceed west on Connor Road less than .5 mile to the powerline right-or-way. Park in the right-of-way just off Connor Road and follow the mowed right-of-way path south across Treacle Creek.

Program: The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was once found throughout the forest of the Appalachian Mountains, and was a primary component of Pennsylvania's forests. In the 1800s, plant importation brought with it a devastating fungal disease that all but eliminated the American chestnut from its original range. Researchers at Penn State have been on the forefront to restore this species, exploring the many facets required for reintroduction of disease-resistant populations.

Given all those hurdles, one might think working toward chestnut restoration is simply a setup for defeat. Luckily, current research suggests populations of American chestnut could be self-sustainable, despite changing pressures, within the next 50-100 years.  For more information, visit the American Chestnut Foundation.

Details: We will meet at the Visitor Center. There will be a 45 minute talk followed by a walk to the American Chestnut Tree research plot. The walk is approximately 3 miles round trip for those who feel up to it. 

Speaker & Guide: Sara Fern Fitzsimmons has worked at Penn State with the American Chestnut Foundation since 2003, assisting chestnut growers and researchers throughout the Appalachian Mountains.

Presentation: Join Andrea Jaeger to learn how the simple act of saving land can be the most powerful thing we can do together to protect the beauty, balance and biodiversity of our world. 

Speaker: Andrea has worked for the Arc of Appalachia since August 2016 in outreach, grant writing and education

When our originally scheduled speaker for November had to cancel, the board saw this as an opportunity! Accordingly, we will split our time focusing on three areas:

10:00-10:45am. Home Propagation of Native Plants

Don Reuter, Wild Ones member, will share how he propagates native trees. You may remember touring his amazing garden in the past two years.
Open discussion about such things as: reference guides, successes and failures you have had with propagation; recommendations.

10:45-11:30am. Member discussion about the State of the Columbus Wild Ones Chapter

Facilitated by past president, Luanne Hendricks. We are at a challenging stage in our         history related to limitations of people resources. We will discuss such things as:

Getting clarity on what members want the chapter to do and not do 
Whether we should continue with the same number of formal presentations and/or tours
Identifying new ideas to try
The amount of time and effort members have to offer to the workings of the chapter

11:30-12:00pm. Seed Exchange

If you are bringing seeds, be sure to label them with both the common and Latin names.
Bring small paper envelopes or small baggies to put seeds in.
Bring a permanent marker to mark bags.