Talk Oct. 20 on the Flora of Isle Royale
Botanist Abraham Stone will give a talk, “The Flora of Isle Royale,” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, in room G002 at Michgan Tech’s U.J. Noblet Forestry Building.
Millions of years of geological activity, climate history, and human influence have created one of the most spectacular floristic assemblages in the Upper Midwest, whose protection and recognition is now more important than ever.
In his talk, Stone will describe the ecological history of Michigan’s sole national park, highlight some of its lovely and peculiar flora, and discuss why, botanically, there’s no place in the world like Isle Royale.
Reining in the Rain
Residents of the Sustainability Demonstration House have been roughing out the borders of a rain garden at its new location on East Street, in Houghton. When completed, the garden will mitigate erosion in the front yard by trapping stormwater runoff from Seventh Avenue.
Keweenaw Wild Ones is providing plants and guidance for the project, which is also supported by Michigan Tech’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience.
Pictured, left to right, are Zoe Mazurkiewicz, Meredith Makowski, and Evi Kekoua.
Plants in the Ground at Creekside Bike Park
Roz Heidtke, right, directs students planting natives at Keweenaw Wild Ones’ newest spoonsored garden.
Hancock High students picked up where they left off last spring and planted hundreds of natives October 7 at Creekside Bike Park.
The project began in May, when Leanne Laaskonen’s sophomore biology classes prepared the site as part of a unit on native plants. They worked under the direction of WOK member Roz Heidtke, who is spearheading the project on behalf of the Hancock Bike Club. Then, students laid down cardboard and spread wood chips and compost to prepare the site, which is part of the Maasto Hiito trail system in Hancock.
This fall, Leann recruited those same students to finish the job. Now juniors, they were excused from their regular classes to make new paths and plant multiple flats of native grasses, flowers, and sedges. Michigan Tech graduate student Connor Ford, who recently joined WOK, helped supervise.
Funding for the project was provided by the Wildflower Association of Michigan and a GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant, courtesy of The Scott Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening.
Canterbury House Garden Is Thriving
After a mere three months in the ground, the garden WOK awarded to Canterbury House has dashed through the “sleep” and “creep” stages of native plant development. Instead, it has charged full-blown into “leap,” with some plants bursting with blooms their first summer.
Canterbury House, which is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, works to create a welcoming place where international students and their spouses can get help improving their conversational English, reading, and writing skills. The Canterbury House Staff also provides support services to students and the local community.
Missioner and chaplain Rick Stanitis holds the Keweenaw Wild Ones garden sign included with the garden, a selection of plants for sandy soils purchased from U.P. Native Plants, of Marquette.
Welcome to the Wild Ones Keweenaw Chapter
We are on a journey to
- educate ourselves and others about the special attributes of native plants and how to incorporate them into our gardens and civic landscapes;
- create habitat that nurtures wildlife, including bees, butterflies, and birds; and
- develop resilient landscapes that absorb runoff, protecting water quality and infrastructure.
Regular meetings are held at 6 p.m., the third Tuesday of the month, often on Zoom, sometimes in person.
Want to grow native but don’t know where to begin?
Check out our Resources section. Or visit Wild Ones’ Native Garden Design website, featuring a several downloadable native garden plans created by professional landscape designers. The plans are free, printable, and come with plant lists.
We hope these resources inspire, encourage, and motivate you in your native garden journey!