Keynote Speaker, Heather Holm
“Creating and Managing Landscapes for Native Bees”
When creating and managing thriving habitats for native bees, many factors such as seasonal phenology, nesting strategies, and flower preferences must be considered—and with approximately 3,600 species in North America (north of Mexico), there are many unique aspects to keep in mind when managing successful landscapes for bees.
Join pollinator conservationist and author Heather Holm as she explores the nesting habitats, life cycles, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of some of the most common native bees in eastern North America, while highlighting the pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees. Learn about pollen specialists, the presentation of floral resources, and how the physical characteristics of bees can influence their effectiveness as pollinators. Heather will also discuss ways to manage landscapes to enhance bee diversity, plant selection considerations, and ultimately how to think like a bee!
Rob Zimmer
“Native Orchids of Wisconsin”
Join Rob Zimmer for an intimate exploration of the native wild orchids of Wisconsin. Throughout the seasons, Rob will take you on a journey to the wild places of our state in search of native orchids.
Rich Fischer
“Going Native 101”
Are you new to native plants and want to learn how you can improve your landscape with natives? Rich will inspire you by sharing his 24 year journey of adding native plants to his landscape. We will examine how you too can incorporate natives into your existing landscape and how to create a small manageable prairie. Rich has had excellent success propagating native plants via the winter sowing technique which we will also discuss.
Lisa Mick
“The Changing climate and native plants”
Conditions are changing at record speed and out plant and insect friends are struggling to keep up. How can we help them survive and ultimately adapt? Let’s talk about our part in the process.
Susan Carpenter
“Practical tips for creating and enhancing resilient native plant gardens”
Start small or go big—discover ways to successfully incorporate native plants into your gardening and landscaping. We will explore site characteristics and preparation, plant selection, garden management, and monitoring. Garden with nature!
Patricia Trochlell
“The extraordinary world of sedges and grasses”
Sedges and grasses are among the largest plant families with species that can grow almost anywhere, from wetlands to prairies to forests. We will explore some of the species of sedges and grasses that grow in Wisconsin, the diverse habitats where they are found and how they interact with other species in their environment.
Dr. Bridie Fanning
“The key steps for a Prairie and Woodland restoration”
Learn the steps involved in establishing a restored prairie, woodland and savanna and the pitfalls to watch out for. Learn how to stage your conversion to native so you can manage the multi-year journey for different levels of ecological succession and your workload!
Katie Reed, PhD
“Connecting Land and Water: Native plants benefitting water quality”
Native plants on the land can help improve the water quality of our lakes, rivers, and streams. We will take a look at the water quality challenges the Fox-River Basin is facing, and how shoreline restoration plays a role in protecting our waters. We will discuss different ‘do-it-yourself’ projects using native plants to capture and filter water, which can be used upland too.