Presenter: Art Gara, founder of Art and Linda’s Wildflowers

Art Gara brings 20 years experience to creating wildflower gardens in the rich soil of Midwest home gardens, the compacted clay of construction sites, and the sand prairies of Illinois State Beach. He knows the right plant for your location. You'll love Art's old-school slide show, showcasing the distinctive beauty of wildflowers in rain, prairie, habitat, and woodland gardens, along with landscape elements that accentuate them. Learn more. 

Photo by Arthur Smith

The Interfaith Green Network, Green Community Connections and West Cook Wild Ones are collaborating on “Birds, Bees & Butterflies: A Native Garden Tour” in Oak Park and River Forest on Sunday, August 6, 1-4pm. Learn more: Native Garden Tour. To register: Garden Tour Tickets

Plant Sale Extras

A limited number of plants are available for purchase, including Monarch Kits. Prices are reduced.  To view plants, visit: WCWO Shopify

 

After planting milkweed for the Monarch butterfly, you will likely see other insects on your milkweed. Read Stephanie Walquist’s Milkweed Cosmos post to learn about the three most likely insects and what to expect from them.

Some of you have asked about protecting milkweed from aphids, the sap-sucking insects that cause damage throughout the garden. In the post Aphids: What To Do,  Stephanie shares garden maintenance practices that will support beneficial insects that are predators.

 

 

Lots of readers are planting a Monarch Garden Kit from our plant sale. Give your plants special attention these first few weeks. A few easy steps will help root systems establish and get the plants off to a good start. Learn more. 

Citizen science is as easy as observing and entering notes or photos into the project’s website. Scientists need data, and a lot of it. Dr. Emily Minor, a UIC Urban Ecologist identified 12 citizen science projects of interest to the West Cook Wild Ones community. We even have our own iNaturalist Project. Help science, and along the way, you will connect with the richness of nature around you. Learn more.