Our next field trip will be Saturday, June 13th. Please see our chapter page for further details on our upcoming programs and field trips.

    Jun 13, 2009 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Saturday, June 13, 10 a.m.
WILD ONES VISIT CHAD AND KRISTIN HUGHSON'S "HIDDEN SAVANNA" FOR PLANTS, ADVICE, AND RENEWAL

Please join us for a field trip to Chad and Kristin's Hidden Savanna Nursery, to view their much expanded operation, now in its second year, and their 33-acre restoration of black-oak barren.

If you haven't yet been to Hidden Savanna this year, you have a treat in store. Chad and Kristin have expanded their operation and now offer for sale a wonderful variety of native plants, particularly for prairie and savanna plantings. The full listing of plants offered, including sizes available and prices, is at hiddensavanna.com. We strongly suspect you'll find much to tempt you, and June 13 is a sale day; so come with your check books and space in the car for plants.

Chad and Kristin's restoration work on their land is also very impressive. Chad will lead the field trip, beginning shortly after 10 a.m. in the front yard, and give a background talk about the Hughsons and the property. Then he'll lead a meander through the back yard and to the nursery area, with further discussion of the nursery operation. After that a walk on the property will include various locations, depending on what is blooming and what Wild Ones wish to see. The tour should be finished by around 12:00 or 12:15-leaving lots of time for purchases from the nursery.

Chad and Kristin are long-time members of Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones. Chad is a board member and our Membership Coordinator; Kristin is a member of the Hospitality Committee. They've both been working very hard to provide a local source for local-genotype native forbs, grasses, and sedges. Chad is a tireless seeker of local seed sources, and you'll find many unusual plants on the Hidden Savanna list, including some that no other Michigan native-plant producer provides. Earlier this year, Hidden Savanna became a full-fledged member of the Michigan Native-Plant Producers Association (mnppa.org).

Location & Directions
Hidden Savanna is located in Oshtemo Township in Kalamazoo County. The address is 100 N. Van Kal St, Kalamazoo, MI. From Kalamazoo, go out West Main (M-43 West) to Van Kal, which is on the county line, just past 1st St. Turn left onto VanKal, and look for the sign on the left side of the road. If the parking area is full, you can park in the driveway to the Hughson's house, at 18 Van Kal. Please note that Van Kal is the county line and addresses on the Van Buren County side are five digits, while those on the Kalamazoo side are two or three digits. The nursery is on the east side of the road with a sign next to the entrance. A basic map and a Googlemap link are available at the Hidden Savanna web site.

Since parking space is limited and there will be visitors besides Wild Ones, we urge that you arrange carpooling with friends. If at all possible, consider carpooling from TGI Fridays on West Main. Meet in the parking lot BEHIND TGI Fridays; Tom will be there to help organize the carpooling, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

One other note: there may be mosquitoes in the front yard, depending on the weather. You may want to bring along your favorite bug repellent.

    Jul 11, 2009 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Sundays, July 11 and 18, 1 p.m.
VISITS TO WILD ONES MEMBERS’ YARDS: *Pam & Lee Larson; *Catherine Niessink; *Tyler Bassett & Jenny Doezema

    Jul 18, 2009 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Sundays, July 11 and 18, 1 p.m.
VISITS TO WILD ONES MEMBERS’ YARDS: *Pam & Lee Larson; *Catherine Niessink; *Tyler Bassett & Jenny Doezema

    Aug 22, 2009 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Saturday, August 22, 10 a.m.
Paul Olexia, Prof. of Biology (ret.), Kalamazoo College
“THE DIVERSITY OF FUNGI IN A SW MICHIGAN FOREST”
A field trip to Kellogg Forest

    Sep 13, 2009 (Sun)    

Sunday, September 13, 1 to 5 p.m.
WILD ONES FALL PLANT & SEED EXCHANGE
*Nancy and Tom Small’s house, Kalamazoo

    Sep 19, 2009 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m.
Bill Westrate, past President, Michigan Entomological Society
“THE ROLE OF INSECTS IN THE WEB OF LIFE”
A field trip & exhibit of unusual insects from Bill’s collections

    Oct 28, 2009 (Wed)    

PROGRAM - Wednesday, October 28, 7:30 p.m.
“Ranger Steve” Mueller, Director/naturalist at Wittenbach-Wege Agriscience Environmental Center in Lowell
“HOST & FOOD PLANTS, INSECT POLLINATORS”

    Nov 18, 2009 (Wed)    

PROGRAM - Wednesday, November 18, 7:30 p.m.
David Karowe, Prof. of Biology, WMU
“CLIMATE CHANGE & THE FUTURE OF BIODIVERSITY IN SW MICHIGAN”