Events

Topic: We will discuss pollination, meet the major pollinators in
Michigan.? We will cover the issues affecting pollinators, and and what can
be done to help them.?

Bio?-?Dr. Meghan Milbrath owns and manages The Sand Hill Farm, a small
livestock and queen rearing operation in Munith, Michigan. She began working
bees with her father as a child over 20 years ago, and has been hooked on
bees since.? She is the coordinator of the Michigan Pollinator Initiative at
Michigan State University, where she also recently worked as a postdoctoral
research associate in the?Entomology Department, studying honey bee disease
with Zachary Huang.??She is an active member in the South East Michigan
Beekeeping Association, the Center of Michigan Beekeeping Association, is
the district 2 representative for the Michigan Beekeeping Association, is
the acting president of the Ann Arbor Backyard Beekeepers and the
coordinator of the Northern Bee Network, an organization dedicated to
promoting sustainable beekeeping in northern climates.

We are going to meet at the Barton Nature Area in the west parking lot near the dam and buildings just off West Huron River Drive. There is lots of parking . We will congregate down by the river, then cross the bridge and follow the main trail that connects the two bridges and runs along the railroad tracks. You can always catch up to us. Wear boots and long pants.

Parts of this area contain a remnant of a lovely Oak Savannah with some trees that were able to spread their branches with no interference. They are magnificent. However, where will their successors grow? We will explore the impact of the growing number of deer on oak seedlings. It is easy to miss the damage as you hike along enjoying the birds or the showy goldenrod or the other pleasures of the area. However, once you learn the distinctive profile of deer browse and the resulting deer shrubbery or stumps, you have a better understanding of the pressure on our natural areas.

Remember what Douglas Tallamy said about oak trees: Quercus supports 532 species of Lepidoptera. The caterpillars of those butterflies and moths provide part of the nearly 100% protein diet that our songbirds need to raise their young.

If we have time, you are also invited to come out to our place just 5 minutes down the road. In our neighborhood, the deer herbivory is of a different order of magnitude. You will see what happens when virtually nothing is done to curtail the deer population. (We started in 1999 after much of the permanent damage was done.)

Please come and see what is happening.

A2WO-Plant Sale and Exchange at Native Plant Nursery

Once a year, Greg Vaclavek opens his nursery to us for a special sale and informal plant exchange.

If you need native plants or have extras that you would like to share, this is the place. Staff from the nursery will be on hand to offer advice and answer questions. Take advantage of this special opportunity to visit the nursery, which is not open for retail sales at any other time of the year.

Note: Because the Native Plant Nursery is not a retail business, this sale is held with special permission. Please do not visit except during this sale! To purchase plants at other times, stop by the nursery?s booth at the Ann Arbor Farmer?s Market, May through September. Or visit the Native Plant Nursery website at http://www.nativeplant.com.

It?s pleasant and economical to share a ride; please consider carpooling to this event. Or, take the AATA bus, route #7.

Note:
Time: 6:00pm (Please note we are starting earlier than usual.)
Location: 3052 Nordman Road (entrance on Butternut, west of Nordman)

Jim and I are looking forward to sharing our ongoing adventures with the elements, the bugs, and the animals. Come and see our rain garden which was designed to capture water flowing under the ground. See what happened to this underground stream after EAB came through and killed the network of ?straws? that had soaked up this water for decades. Much drama.

Water, Wind, Wildflowers, EAB, and Deer. Our Adventures on 5 Acres in Scio
3646 W Huron River Drive
Wednesday, June 8th at 6:45pm

Please wear long pants, socks, shoes/boots. You may be happier in long sleeves as well. The mosquitoes haven?t started yet, but... We have parts that are easy walking and parts that are a little more challenging. You have the option of retiring to the patio.

The turn off from Huron River Dr is invisible if you are approaching from the west and barely visible from the east. Once you get up here your GPS will not be very useful. So, here are some old-fashioned directions.

From Ann Arbor, the intersection of N Wagner and HRD is key. Go west on HRD 0.8 miles and turn right through two granite pillars, go up the asphalt drive to the second left (look for the green "3646" sign), and take this gravel drive straight back to the end. House is autumn yellow.

From the west, the key intersection is Zeeb (2.5 miles) or Delhi Metropark (.3miles) east along HRD. The turn off is easy to overshoot from this direction.

If you need to be talked in: 734-604-4674

Rain gardens are becoming recognized as an increasingly important part of urban infrastructure. New York City and Philadelphia are transferring around 50% of their storm water budgets from ever larger storm drains into these quite wondrous combinations of native plants, rocks, and soil. Imagine rain gardens in Bedford Stuyvesant!

Heavy rainfalls have not been kind to parts of Ann Arbor. A solution to part of that problem is found near Jack and Caroline.

Lindsay Nelson of Shannan Gibb-Randall?s Insite Design and Mike Appel of Mike Appel Environmental Design will be describing the design and installation of this rain garden.

It is fitting that the city sponsor this project as it forms a wonderful addition to the work of Jack and Caroline Wallace (as the volunteer park stewards of Mulholland Gardens).

As there is no parking on Mulholland, please park on Washington or at Slauson Middle School. If you can?t walk, please park at Slauson early and call the Wild Ones Shuttle Service: 734-604-4674. Best try to set this up in advance.

241 Mulholland St (between Liberty and Washington, one block east of 7th
St.. Convene at their unit which is the first as you turn into the drive
and parking area.

Join us for this end of season celebration of our triumphs (and occasional frustrations) with promoting and growing native plants and natural landscaping. Start assembling pictures of whatever part of this drama you wish to share. Bring a dish of your favorite food -- as well as bringing your own plate, bowl, and cutlery.

And, don't forget to gather and label seeds from your garden. We will be sharing those at our January 11th meeting. If any of you need particular species, please indicate this to our Ann Arbor WildOnes' mailing list. We can bring some to the potluck if you know you won?t be available in January.