Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter

06/06/2026

Todays forest bathing walk was just lovely. Thanks again to Georgia Peterson for guiding us through the experience.

06/05/2026

Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter members have been helping to spruce up the native gardens at the Allen Neighborhood Center this spring. Stop by our booth at the June 10, 2026 Farmers market, learn about the importance of native plants, and take a tour of the gardens at 3:30 or 5:30 pm. Hope to see you there!

06/03/2026

If you're willing to make the drive to Ann Arbor, MI you will have the opportunity to shop from 20 native plant nurseries in one place this Saturday, June 6, 2026 from 9 am-1 pm. The Native Plant Expo & Marketplace is one of the largest gatherings of native plant nurseries, vendors and educational speakers in mid-Michigan. See their post below and visit the Washtenaw Conservation District website for all the details: https://washtenawcd.org/native-plant-expo

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Native Plant Sale and Marketplace, hosted by the Washtenaw County Conservation District.

📅 Saturday, June 6, 2026, 9 am - 1 pm
📌Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. 5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
🐣 8 am - 9 am: Early-bird hour - ticket required
🕑 9 am - 1 pm: Open to the public - FREE!

The Native Plant Expo & Marketplace (NPEM) offers one convenient location to shop for Michigan native plants from several Michigan native plant growers, learn how to establish and maintain native landscapes and connect with companies specializing in planning native landscapes for residents in Washtenaw County and the surrounding areas.

https://washtenawcd.org/native-plant-expo

05/25/2026

Thanks to the Wildflower Association of Michigan your donation to save Sibley Prairie will go twice as far. Let's work together to save the largest remaining lakeplain prairie in Michigan. https://wildflowersmich.org/donate/

Help us protect one of Michigan’s most extraordinary natural landscapes—ensuring that Sibley Prairie remains a thriving, biodiverse place for generations to come. Please help us save Sibley Prairie.

https://wildflowersmich.org/donate/

05/21/2026

Wildtype Nursery (900 N. Every Rd., Mason, MI 48854) is open 9 am to 4 pm Wed-Fri again this week by appointment. Saturday, May 23 no appointment is needed. Stop by and get great advice from their team of experts and find the perfect native plants for your site. The birds, bees and butterflies will thank you!

We've planned this public sale to ensure we have plenty of plants available throughout. We'll have a great selection of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers, grasses, and ferns. This sale is by appointment on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday; no appointment is necessary on Saturday. All the details can be found on our website, wildtypeplants.com.

05/10/2026

Thank you for shopping at the Wild Ones Red Cedar Native Plant Sale at the Meridian Township Farmers' Market on Saturday. Nearly 1,200 plants went home with customers where they will provide much needed habitat for birds, bees and butterflies. 🐝🦋🐛

There are more Lansing area native plant sales this week through Wildtype Native Plant Nursery, Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, and BetterFinds Native Plants. Get the details on our website: wildoneslansing.weebly.com/mid-michigan-native-plant-sales.html 😊

05/07/2026

Try the mosquito bucket challenge as detailed by Home Grown National Park rather than fogging your yard. Pesticide fogging kills the butterflies, bees and other pollinators we are trying to help by planting native plants. 🤷‍♀️

Simply fill a bucket half full of water, add a handful of plant material and a stick that small critters can use to climb out if they fall in. Most importantly, add 1/4 of a “Mosquito Dunk”. These dunks contain a naturally occurring bacteria (Bti)that kills mosquito larvae. You are creating an attractive place for mosquitos to lay their eggs then killing the newly hatched larvae naturally. Give it a try and reduce mosquito numbers while saving our pollinators! 🐝🦋🐛

02/03/2026

Take a moment to read this post and fill out the quick survey. Just a few days left until the deadline. 👍

Do you think certain introduced plants should no longer be offered for sale?

A new proposal would add six common landscaping plants (Common buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, callery (Bradford) pear, Japanese barberry, water hyacinth and water lettuce) to Michigan’s Restricted and Prohibited list, making it illegal to introduce, import, transplant, sell, or intentionally possess them in Michigan (a person wouldn’t be considered in violation of the rules if they unknowingly have these plants established on their property).

MI Dept. of Agriculture and Rural Development is asking for public comment. If you have an opinion, please fill out this short survey by February 9.
https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/news/2026/01/09/proposed-additions-to-invasive-plants-lists

These species were brought to North America by landscapers as ornamental gardening plants. They are all part of a balanced ecosystem in their native environments where, like any other plant, their populations are controlled by diseases, insect predators, and plant competitors. But those checks don’t exist here in Michigan, so the introduced plants have escaped the confines of yards and mall parking lots and now reproduce freely in natural areas, outcompeting the native plants that didn’t evolve with them but still face their own checks and balances.

The spread of these introduced plants is harming Michigan’s natural habitats. When they dominate an open field, woodland or lake, they crowd out the native plants that wildlife depend on: insects can’t find the right food plants for their larvae, birds that depend on those insect larvae can’t feed their babies, and deer eat all of the remaining native plants because they don’t like the taste of the newcomers.

We can’t help but be biased in our opinion about curbing the sale of these plants in Michigan: when we talk about ‘restoring habitats,’ these are the very plants SWMLC’s Stewardship department is trying to control!

Background info on the proposal:
https://www.michigan.gov/invasives/news/2026/01/09/proposed-additions-to-invasive-plants-lists

01/26/2026

We are fortunate to have Carolyn Miller as the Vice President of the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter. She also represents us on the National Wild Ones Board. She is sharing her enthusiasm for native plants with the next generation, and teaching them how to protect natural areas. Thank you Carolyn!

By Anna Ironside Caroline Miller is a botanical technologist at Michigan State University’s W.J. Beal Botanical Garden, as well as a master’s student. Her work has made her a driving force behind restoration projects on campus and beyond. From invasive species removal days to a growing movement ...