Happy Earth Day!

Great turn-out of students and staff for our Earth Day event out in the new and improving Oak Savannah!  We also were able to sell some of our wildflowers & grasses despite the cold and wind.

We'd like to send a big THANK YOU to Ken Schaefer and the Oakton Community College Ecology Club for bringing tools, woodland and prairie seeds, gloves, & expertise!  We'd also like to thank Art from Art & Linda's Wildflowers for bringing us the plants and helping set this all up.  And, finally to the Brookfield Zoo for donating oak, maple and dogwood trees.  Oh, yes and Jennifer Delgado from the Triblocal for this write-up!

We might shoot for another fundraiser and workday - perhaps the Friday before Mother's Day!  We'll keep you posted...

Earth Day Fundraiser & Oak Savannah Restoration

This Friday, April 20th from 3:45 - 5:30pm we will have students and staff helping out in the Oak Savannah with tree planting, seed spreading, buckthorn pulling, cattail cutting, and fundraising! We will be selling small native prairie grasses and flowers as well as some woodland plants for $4 each. The profits will help to purchase a new fence, trail signs, and seating area by the pond.  The following plants will be available:


Spring bloomers
Wild Columbine (1-3' tall, red & yellow flowers)
Prairie Smoke (1' tall, pinkish flowers)
Blue Flag Iris (2-3' tall, purple & yellow flowers, likes wet/moist soil, partial to full sun)

Summer Bloomers
Butterfly Milkweed (2-3' tall, orange flowers)
Rattlesnake Master (2-4' tall, whitish flowers)
Compass Plant (6-12' tall, yellow flowers)
Purple Prairie Clover (1-3' tall, purple flowers -->)
Prairie Blazing Star (3-5' tall, purple flowers)
Purple Coneflower (3' tall, purple flowers)
Prairie Coreopsis (1-3' tall, yellow flowers)
Little Bluestem (2-3' tall grass)

Late Summer/Fall Bloomers
Smooth Blue Aster (2-3' tall, light purple flowers)
Prairie Dropseed (1-2' tall grass)
Zigzag Goldenrod  (2-3' tall, yellow flowers, light to med. shade)
Added 1 more!!  Cardinal Flower (2-3' tall, red flowers, attracts hummingbirds, likes wet soil, light shade or full sun)

Thanks to Art of Art & Linda's Wildflowers for providing the plants, signs, containers, labels, and guidance!