WOK’s First Bird City Garden Installed
Canterbury House Episcopal Campus Ministry, in Houghton, has become the first recipient to install one of WOK’s five giveaway gardens.
They chose a perfect garden spot, directly underneath their sign, so passing traffic and pedestrians will be able to enjoy the native plants. Ian Klein, left, who handles maintenance for Canterbury House, prepared the site and installed plants June 23: prairie dropseed and a 38-plant garden for sandy soils from U.P. Native Plants, in Marquette.
WOK launched the garden giveaway contest in recognition of Houghton’s successful effort to become a Bird City. The goal is to raise awareness of the value of native plants, both as beautiful additions to gardens and as essential habitat for America’s birds. Volunteers are working to help install the four remaining free gardens in Houghton and surrounding communities by the end of the summer.
Down on the Farm Club
Students at Houghton Elementary learned about bugs, birds, and Buckets of Doom at their after-school Farm Club June 3. Plus, they got to pot their own pleasing perennials.
At the invitation of teacher Lily Venable, WOK members Karen Cayce, Sheri Hagwood, and Marcia Goodrich led a lesson on the value of native plants, followed by a primer on environmentally friendly mosquito control–the Bucket of Doom. Lastly, the kids potted black-eyed Susan plugs to take home with them.
The youngsters seemed to enjoy it, and the grownups definitely did. Many thanks to Lily for inviting us all to come play.
Big Yank Makes a Big Difference at Tezcuco Strip
Five Wild Ones helped tidy up the Tezcuco Strip in Hancock June 17, just in time for Hancock’s Juhannus celebrations. Pictured are Sheri Hagwood, left, and Roz Heidtke. Polly Havins and Jackie Manchester also put in shifts at the notoriously weedy site.
Afterward, we retired to Small Craft for snacks and libations, a fitting reward for all our hard work.
Will Weed for Pizza
Big Yank Sunday at Hancock Beach
The second Big Yank of the season is set for Sunday, June 28, at the Hancock Beach, where we will weed the bioswale in anticipation of July 4 holiday crowds.
We’ll meet at 10 a.m., weed, and break at noon for a free pizza picnic. Bring your favorite weeding tools and work gloves.
It’s Farmers’ Market Season: You Can Help
Local farmers’ markets help the Wild Ones Keweenaw Chapter by raising revenue via plant sales and, more importantly, educating the public about the value of native plants. You can help by volunteering to work a farmers’ market. Signing up is easy, and you can work with an experienced volunteer.
Lady’s Slippers Delight during Bog Walk
Well, it was actually a fen walk, WOK member Joan Chadde explained. Bogs are hydrated only with rainwater, while fens can be fed with groundwater or streams. Joan, who is steward of the Michigan Nature Association’s Robert Brown Nature Sanctuary, knows whereof she speaks and shared a depth of knowledge (including uncanny frog-call mimicry) during WOK’s visit to the preserve the evening of June 23.
Pink lady’s slippers were in full flowering abundance, as were pitcher plants and miniscule roundleaf sundews. And the frog that sounds like someone plucking a banjo string loud enough to wake the dead? That, Joan says, was a green frog.
