Chapter Events

Few sights are more of a delight to behold than the Midwestern forest floor in early Spring. Even before the snow begins to melt, the race is on for our native woodland flowers. Within a period of only a few weeks or less, they must employ specialized adaptations to maximize sunlight and reproduction before the tree canopy closes. Come along with Amanda and Steve as we take you on a seasonal journey through the flora of the Spring forest. Along the way, we’ll take a closer look and explore their physiology, life strategies and folklore. We’ll share our favorite locations to see them and provide tips on incorporating some of them into our home landscapes. Approx 60 min

Steve Sass and Amanda Smith are the co-founders of Indiana Nature LLC. Their ventures include the IN Nature and Ecometrid brands, and the ecological education website indiananature.net. Through environmental outreach such as the Facebook Group “IN Nature,” which contains the Great American Indiana Nature (GAIN) projects, they have engaged thousands of Hoosiers to collaboratively build a database of moth, butterfly, tree, and wildflower populations in the state. They have collectively served in numerous capacities for Indiana environmental organizations, including land trusts, native plant societies, and Audubon societies. Amanda resides in Hamilton County and is the Superintendent of Natural Resources and Education for Hamilton County Parks, while Steve is a small business owner in South Bend. One of their most recent collaborations has been co-authoring a comprehensive, new Natural Resources Management Plan for the city of South Bend Venues Parks & Arts department.

Jessica Merkling is the Urban Wildlife Biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (Division of Fish and Wildlife). She has offered to speak to our group about what changes we can make in our yards and landscape to make them more habitable for all the wonderful non-human species native to our area. Transforming "yards" back into natural ecosystems is the sustainability strategy at the heart of Wild Ones.

No speakers this time, just a quick gearing up for spring! Bring you're ideas, calendars, and nimble fingers because we'll be packaging up some seeds to give away at upcoming events. This will also be a good opportunity to select some concrete dates for future plans.

In the face of challenges posed by climate change, habitat loss, and wildlife decline, how we design and manage our land is changing rapidly. Ben Futa, native plant landscaper and owner of The Botany Shop presents practical tools and strategies for integrating ecologically vibrant plants into established landscapes. Together, we’ll demystifyessential landscape design elements for homeowners and explore regenerative plant combinations suited for urban and suburban settings.

When we started as just a wee seedling one of the first emails I received was from a very kind KAWO member named Paul, inviting us to join them on a Spring Ephemerals Hike. I, feckless turd that I am, said, "Sure! As long as you bring donuts." (If there are any other WMU dropout alum here you know about Sweetwater's Donut Mill ) He coyly replied he would TRY to make that happen. If so, I'll bring milk and coffee and the fixin's, because there's nothing like getting loaded up on caffeine and sugar and looking at breathtaking flowers! This should be a lot of fun, please join! We'll be sure to spot some of the beauties Steve and Amanda highlighted in their Spring Flower presentation. 

Love Creek Nature Center is approximately 35 minutes from South Bend, so lets try to carpool when possible. We would be leaving a little after 9 am and whoever rides shottie gets to pick the music. Please join, this will be a lot of fun!

Wild Ones South Bend is up to 29 members now and growing! As I muddle through keeping all the ducks in the air and balls in a row it is nice to come together and touch base with members about what our goals and intentions are as a group. I find that our desires for real (and often physical) change often outstrip my ability to schedule activities and get everyone involved. I want to focus this meeting on flushing out our calendar for the rest of the year so I can tell everyone what events are coming up with ample time for people to be involved. So if you have a project you can't get out of your head and want to bring it to the table this will be a perfect opportunity.

Wild Ones South Bend is up to 29 members now and growing! As I muddle through keeping all the ducks in the air and balls in a row it is nice to come together and touch base with members about what our goals and intentions are as a group. I find that our desires for real (and often physical) change often outstrip my ability to schedule activities and get everyone involved. I want to focus this meeting on flushing out our calendar for the rest of the year so I can tell everyone what events are coming up with ample time for people to be involved. So if you have a project you can't get out of your head and want to bring it to the table this will be a perfect opportunity.

Please join us to learn what Wild Ones South Bend will be doing this fall, learn more about our organization, ask questions about native plants, and meet others interested in environmentally friendly landscaping, biodiversity, and the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities. 

All are welcome. 

We'll work together to identify the plants we are collecting seed from as we go. Collect for your own use and for the chapter. Bring extra paper lunch bags if you have them...and your sense of wonder! Children are welcome. 

We'll gather to sort and package native wildflower seeds that we gathered at Prairie Winds Farm on 10/22/22. These will later be given out to the public at our tabling events. 

Dr. Thomas Clark of IUSB will talk about the complex interactions between insects and the plants they rely on for their survival, and the important role of native plants in residential areas for preserving biodiversity. 

Melissa Gunter, of the Elkhart-South Bend Audubon Society will talk about the birds in our backyard habitats, common threats they are facing and ways we can help them out....as well as how to enjoy these magical creatures.