Walk on the Wild Side: The first of two walks on Saturday, August 6 will be at Christ the King Parish in Wonder Lake. Parishoners have been working for several years on a prairie installation project on the church grounds. The site is about 2.5 acres on a total property of 23 acres. It’s an old field with only small bits mowed over the past forty years by a neighbor for aesthetics. The church scattered prairie seeds and burned, and now the site shows some success, while still very much a work in progress. The guided walk starts at 10am. 5006 East Wonder Lake Road, Wonder Lake, IL.
The second walk on August 6 will take place at the property of John and Caryn Shiel, which is a short drive from the first walk. The site features scattered islands of natural landscaping–all developed over a thirty-year period and placed within the confines of a 1/4 acre city lot. The yard is planted with a delightful combination of native plants, various grasses, native shrubs and trees. John will discuss “his dilemma” of what to do about shade created by mature trees and shrubs on his sun-loving plants. The owner-guided walk starts at 11:15am, or whenever the group arrives from the first walk at Christ the King Parish. 4707 Winnebago Drive, Wonder Lake, IL.
Details and directions for all of this year’s walks can be found by clicking on the button below. All walks are free of charge and no pre-registration is required. They are all guided walks with the tours beginning at the posted times.
Natural Garden in Your Yard: If you’d like to plant a garden full of plants native to northern Illinois but aren’t sure where to start, we can help! Our mentoring program is now taking applications for next year’s program. Planning and plant selection will take place this fall so that gardens can be planted next spring. The program will match you with an experienced native plant gardener who will help you design your garden. There is no charge for the program other than the cost of the plants. If this appeals to you, simply download the application and mail it in. For more information on the program, check out the garden mentoring page.
WPPC in the News: Our Outdoor Classrooms Committee recently collaborated with the city of Crystal Lake on the installation of an educational display garden at the site of the city’s new rain garden near the corner of Oriole Trail and Pine Street. The WPPC donated plants to the city and helped plant the garden. The collaboration and the scope of the project were the subject of a recent Northwest Herald article.
Watch an inspiring presentation that will encourage people new to native gardening or give the already convinced some new ideas. This was a zoom presentation given on March 3rd, 2022 entitled “Top 10 Things New Native Gardeners Need to Know” by Ken Williams. Enjoy! Click here for video
If you would like to learn how to plant a native garden in your yard, you can contact Kris Hall at NGYY@thewppc.org
Monarch Mania, an educational event featuring topics on our iconic Monarch
Description: On a whim about twenty years ago, Dave Zieger and John Shiel agreed that they might as well start working to restore a portion of the church property in Wonder Lake that was right across the street from Dave's living room window. Dave brought it up, since its neglected […]
Description: Scattered islands of natural landscaping--all developed over a thirty-year period and placed within the confines of a 1/4 acre city lot. The yard is planted with a delightful combination of native plants, various grasses, native shrubs and trees. John will discuss "his dilemma" of what to do about shade […]
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