Members’ Native Plant Sale Kicks Off Our annual plant sale got off to an early start this year, thanks to warmer weather and some nice big plants donated by Brian Black at Bay College. Members got first dibs on some special species that quickly sold out, including wild petunia, purple clematis, and bottle gentian. Yet […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, June 2025"
BYO brush pile for wildlife We heard a revealing presentation on building brush piles for wildlife at our last meeting. Hint: it’s not just about throwing stuff in a heap. The talk is recorded. If you’d like to learn more about building your own brush piles to help wildlife, check out our Youtube video here. […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, May 2025"
May 31 tour of the peat mesocosm experiment at USFS lab Keweenaw Wild Ones and friends are invited to tour the peat mesocosm, a long-standing experiment at the U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station in Houghton. This is a rare chance to peruse a bog’s sphagnum moss and native wetland vegetation up close in the […] Continue reading "Secrets of the mini-bog"
Finally! A natural landscape designer for the Keweenaw Plenty of people love native plants but don’t feel confident designing their gardens. Now we have a professional who can help. Mary Richardson is a trained landscape designer with a passion for natural landscapes. Formerly of Petoskey, she followed her heart and came to the U.P. Based […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, April 2025"
Native Plant Symposium coming April 12 Don’t forget to register for the eighth annual Keweenaw Native Plant Symposium, happening from 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 12, on Zoom. Register here. Our keynote address is by nationally known landscaper and horticulturalist Kim Eierman (pictured), who will speak on “Selling Native Plants with Cues to Care,” […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, March 2025"
The panelists About Doug Tallamy Dr. Douglas Tallamy is arguably the leading voice for ecological landscaping in America today. He has written and presented extensively on the biodiversity crisis and how adding native plants to our home landscaping can bring back disappearing wildlife. His work has been featured in publications such as The New York […] Continue reading "“What’s the Rush?” Coming to Houghton March 14"
Native plant unit a hit with middle schoolers Symbiotic Schoolyard, the middle-school science unit WOK provided to Chassell science teacher Beth Squires, is proving to be an inspiring learning tool for kids. At the Feb. 18 board meeting, Beth discussed how she integrated the unit into her nature skills course. Her students took on the […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, February 2025"
It’s one thing to put in a pollinator garden, another all together to convert many acres to a biodiverse, native landscape. George Jaeger, the outdoor education program lead for Ottawa County Parks and Recreation, will discuss how it’s done at 6 p.m., Monday, February 17, at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw in Houghton. His […] Continue reading "Feb. 17 Talk on Going Native in Public Spaces: How Ottawa County Is Bringing More Natives to Parks"
Co-op Program raises $1,281 for WOK The Keweenaw Co-op raised $1,281 for Keweenaw Wild Ones in 2024 through its round-up program. During check-out, customers voluntarily round up their bill, with the proceeds benefiting a local food pantry and another area nonprofit, in this case, WOK. Many thanks to the co-op for choosing us, and additional […] Continue reading "What’s Up with WOK, January 2025"
Learn to grow native plants the easy way! Register now for Winter Sowing 101 and make your own mini-greenhouses for growing natives. What is winter sowing? As the name suggests, winter sowing involves starting seeds in winter, but with a twist. Instead of sprinkling seeds on the ground or in an open tray, participants will […] Continue reading "Winter Sowing Workshop Jan. 23"