Our next indoor program is Wednesday, February 24th. Please see our chapter page for further details on our upcoming programs and field trips.

    Feb 24, 2010 (Wed)    

Ann Fraser, Associate Professor of Biology at Kalamazoo College, will present a program on “Native Bees and Pollination” for Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7:30 p.m., at the Christian Church, 2208 Winchell, Kalamazoo. Her program will be the second for this year in Wild Ones’ continuing series on “Sustaining a Community of Life in Our Yards.

Declines in European honey bee populations have raised questions about the status of our native bees. Efforts are underway across the country to document the diversity and status of native bees on local scales. Michigan alone is home to over 300 species of native bees, many of which are important pollinators in natural and managed landscapes. Ann Fraser recently began researching bee diversity in the Kalamazoo area and will use this program to provide an overview of local bee diversity and biology. We will learn about the varied life histories and nesting requirements of bees to better understand how we can help promote bee diversity. Information will also be provided on organizations, programs and resources that support wild bee education, research and conservation.

Socializing begins at 7 p.m. Announcements and the program follow at 7:30.

Professor Fraser will follow up her February program with a field trip in June to local sites where she has been doing research on native bees and their importance for pollination

    Mar 24, 2010 (Wed)    

PROGRAM - Ilse Gebhard, “Butterflies and Moths: Attracting Them to Your Yard.”

    Apr 24, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Richard Brewer, field trip for Spring Ephemerals. Big Island Woods in Schoolcraft

    May 22, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Chad Hughson and Tyler Bassett, field trip for Late Spring and Early Summer Wildflowers in the Oak Barrens. Allegan State Game Area.

    Jun 06, 2010 (Sun)    

PLANT EXCHANGE - Tom Small, host for the 18th Annual Spring Plant Exchange--and Memorial Celebration of the life of Nancy Small. Nancy Small’s Garden.

    Jun 19, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Ann Fraser, field trip for Native Bees. Location To Be Announced.

    Jul 17, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Mary Ann Menck, “Placing Native Shrubs in Your Landscape,” field trip to Mary Ann’s Michigan Trees and Shrubs, Paw Paw.

    Aug 21, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Russ Schipper, Ilse Gebhard and Kalman & Becky Csia, A Tour of Members’ Yards (Emphasis on Sustaining the Community of Life). Open to the general public

    Aug 29, 2010 (Sun)    

PLANT EXCHANGE - Tom Small and the Wild Ones, hosts for the Wild Ones Fall Plant and Seed Exchange. Tom Small’s Home

    Sep 11, 2010 (Sat)    

FIELD TRIP - Nate Fuller, field trip to explore the Diversity of Plant Life in the Bow in the Clouds Preserve, Kalamazoo.

    Oct 27, 2010 (Wed)    

PROGRAM - Sharon Gill, “Urban Ecology: The Lives of Plants and Animals in the City.

    Nov 17, 2010 (Wed)    

PROGRAM - Tom Small, “Working with Nature to Sustain the Community of Life.”