Master Gardener Association of Northwest Michigan

04/06/2026

DTE Hickory Meadows Arbor Day Tree Planting

Join District staff in planting native tree species that will provide shade relief for trail users, increase wildlife habitat, and increase native biodiversity throughout Hickory Meadows! This event is sponsored by DTE with match funds to plant potted stock trees across Hickory Meadows landscape.

When: Friday, April 24th from 10:00am - 2:00pm
Where: Hickory Meadows Natural Area, meet at Randolph Rd Trailhead
Registration: Please visit our website to register.

01/23/2026

01/15/2026

https://www.oakparkflowerfarm.com/flowers

Oak Park flower stand The self-serve flower fridge is in downtown Travers city.1007 Washington St, Traverse city Mi,49686 Learn more Flower CSA A bouquet CSA operates the same way a vegetable CSA. In return for your investment you receive a weekly or bi weekly share of the finest quality flowers, re...

12/20/2025

https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/entangled-life

"Entangled Life is a mercurial, revelatory, impassioned, urgent, astounding, and necessary read. It’s fearless in scope, analytically astute, and brimming with infectious joy." — Helen Macdonald

12/18/2025

Happy ! At our next lunchtime webinar, we’re stepping out of the water and onto the shore. Next month’s session features our close partners at Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network (ISN), a local nonprofit helping landowners in their four-county service area manage invasive species.

Audrey Menninga, Director of ISN, will teach you what to do if you find invasive species on your property, and how you can make your property a healthier habitat for everything from bugs, to birds, to mammals.

Join us January 15 from 12pm to 1pm for the talk!

RSVP on the events page of our website.

12/18/2025

🌿 Celebrate the season by creating healthy, beautiful habitats🌿

When planting for beauty and biodiversity, native plants make all the difference. Take American Holly vs. English Holly as an example:

🌱 American Holly (Native!)
✔️ Supports local birds and pollinators
✔️ Berries provide winter food; evergreen leaves offer shelter
✔️ Grows naturally in balance with our ecosystems

🚫 English Holly (Invasive)
❌ Spreads aggressively through bird-dispersed seeds
❌ Forms dense thickets that crowd out native plants
❌ Reduces biodiversity in forests and natural areas

That glossy holiday look may seem appealing, but invasive plants come at a cost to our local wildlife and landscapes. By choosing natives like American Holly, you’re helping protect habitat, strengthen ecosystems, and keep our natural spaces healthy for generations to come.

🌎 Plant native. Protect local. Make your yard part of the solution.

12/15/2025

🌿Grasslands are an overlooked player in climate change mitigation.

90% of their carbon is stored underground, where their diversity helps increase the amount of organic carbon stored in roots and soils.

Because of this, and because many grasslands plants have deep and resilient root systems, their carbon stores may be more stable than those in forests, better able to withstand environmental stressors like drought and fires.

👉Learn more about the many benefits of grasslands: go.wri.org/grassland-benefits-fb

12/14/2025

12/13/2025

💡Fun Fact! The flower type, shape, color, odor, nectar, and structure vary by the type of pollinator that visits them.

💚For example, hummingbirds are more likely to visit red, funnel-like flowers, while beetles might be the pollinators for large, bowl-like flowers (these flowers might also be thicker and tougher to withstand some beetle chewing)!

💡Think about different flower types in your yard - do you have a diversity to support a diversity of potential pollinators? If you'd like to learn more - have a search for 'pollinator syndrome' to read more!

Source: US Forest Service Website: Pollinator Syndromes

12/12/2025