Pasque flowers

Program Schedule has information about upcoming meetings.

All Wild Ones meetings take place at the Wehr Nature Center and are free and open to the public, so bring your friends and family! Our meetings are usually held the second Saturday of the month at the Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W. College Ave in Whitnall Park in southwest Milwaukee County.

Thank You to all who volunteer!
If you're at all interested in helping, call Pat at (414) 529-4101.

The Beauty of Rain Gardens

Watersheds in the US are being damaged by the soil particles, pesticides, and herbicides in stormwater runoff. President of Earth and Water Works, Ellen Rulseh, explained how rain gardens temporarily hold stormwater and prevent some of the problems caused by stormwater runoff.

Ellen explained that native plants help water to infiltrate the soil because the roots of native plants go down five feet or more into the soil. About a third of the root mass dies each year. The roots that die leave small channels in the earth that water flows through to go more deeply into the underground water.

When planting a rain garden, Ellen suggests that you test the soil to see if it is porous. The test is simple. Dig a hole about a foot deep and pour a bucket of water into the hole. If the water sinks into the ground within 24 hours, the soil is good for building a rain garden.

When planting a rain garden, Elen suggested using plant plugs. She said that the plugs grew fast and some even bloomed the first season they were planted.

Many people worry about mosquitoes breeding in their rain gardens. This is not a concern because the water does not stay long enough in the rain garden to allow the mosquitoes to breed.

Our Facebook Page

See also our Facebook page. It can be found at: Wehr-Wild-Ones-Southwest-Milwaukee-Chapter

Sharing Knowledge

Everyone who attended chapter meetings was asked to share some of their knowledge. To read the results click on Wheel Enhancements