Upcoming Events
Landowners and families who want to learn more about planting monarch and pollinator habitat should consider attending a field day Aug. 26 near Creston.
The event is being hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Iowa Pheasants Forever, USDA-NRCS and the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/monarch-and-pollinator-habitat-highlights-field-day
This series is a collaborative effort between the Monarch Joint Venture and the National Conservation Training Center. https://monarchjointventure.org/news-events/events
Presenter Cat Nelson has been interested in bonsai since her youth, and has been actively growing them for over 15 years. Before moving to Iowa she was active in numerous bonsai clubs, including a stint as President of the Midwest Bonsai Society (Chicago). She was a volunteer working on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Bonsai Collection, a past secretary of the American Bonsai Society, an author of one ABS booklet and several articles for the ABS Journal. This presentation is free and open to the public. There is some seating at the center, but feel free to bring your folding chair.
http://www.enablinggardenpcmg.org/events/2019-garden-talk-intro-to-bonsai/
Join WLL for a tour of Red Earth Gardens and learn about their composting activities. Learn about vegetable growing and composting from Ajay Nair, ISU associate professor, Department of Horticulture. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ShowEventDetail.asp?programID=299343&sessionID=372979
Tour of Eden Gardens, Homegrown Responses to Food Insecurity, Free sampling of local produce, Visit to Local Garden projects and Farmer’s Market, and enjoy the Taste of Storm Lake at Chautauqua Park: Farm to Fork Food Truck with show to follow - Mary Swander’s Farm to Folk Tales with local storytellers and Singer/Songwriter Ann Zimmerman - Tickets for full day’s events: $10 (includes Taste of Storm Lake meal) Tickets for Taste of Storm Lake meal: $7 Story tellers and Concert at Chautauqua Park: free and open to the public https://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ShowEventDetail.asp?programID=298679&sessionID=372187
Learn how to tag Monarch Butterflies in Storm Lake
Whether a landscape, home garden, pasture, or urban space, fire ants can cause distress. Dr. Tim Davis, UGA Extension, will deliver this exciting webinar on red imported fire ants. Understanding their life cycle is the only way to choose and apply a management strategy that will work. https://learn.extension.org/events/3600
Join the senior citizens in learning how to make and maintain a succulent fairy garden at Tama Senior Center. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ShowEventDetail.asp?programID=301716&sessionID=376071
Come to the Iowa Arboretum for the two-day Gardening School. Topics include vegetables, fruits, turf, and pests. https://iowaarboretum.org/event/national-garden-clubs-inc-gardening-school-course-2-series-13/
The Monarch Festival will highlight the miraculous migration of the monarch butterfly and will offer everything from traditional Mexican dancing, monarch tagging and crafts and activities for the whole family. We will even have a Bug Parade, so dress the kids up in their favorite insect costume!
https://www.blankparkzoo.com/events/calendar/monarch-festival/
A discussion of pollinator best practices followed by a recap of the International Master Gardener Conference. http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=pbdpyznab&oeidk=a07egi833z72a531e88
This series is a collaborative effort between the Monarch Joint Venture and the National Conservation Training Center. https://monarchjointventure.org/news-events/events
Melanie Louis, volunteer coordinator with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, will discuss beneficial native plants as well as her role assisting with land management across the state on both private and public land, protecting Iowa’s land, water, and wildlife. This presentation is free and open to the public. There is some seating at the center, but feel free to bring your folding chair. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ShowEventDetail.asp?programID=298997&sessionID=372569
The Scott County Master Gardeners invite you to spend “A Day with Rick Darke and Doug Tallamy”, the nationally recognized authors of The Living Landscape. This exclusive event will inspire you to continue to provide an easily manageable garden space for all living creatures, from birds and bees to mammals. Your garden will thrive and provide enjoyment for you and your family all year round. Register at https://www.eicc.edu/future-students/events/growing-along-the-river/. The $45 registration fee includes lunch.
cale insects are odd looking creatures. In fact, you may have sad plants in the landscape, and not recognize these insects. Dr. Jeremy Pickens, Alabama Extension will provide clues to their identification and strategies to keep them under wraps. https://learn.extension.org/events/3601
Come learn how to put together a pumpkin full of succulent! This will be a fun activity and educational experience to get you in the mood for Fall! We will provide the Pumpkins and Succulent material. However, the succulent material will be limited. If you would like anything special please feel free to bring it along! The cost will be $15 per person or $20 for any two people coming to the workshop together. Please RSVP by October 10th by 5:00pm. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/marshall/
Spiders can be found almost anywhere - indoor closets to outside dwellings - and in the soil too. These 8-legged beneficials often get a bad rap. Vicky Bertagnolli, Clemson Extension, will talk to us about identification, ecology, and management of our commonly found spiders. https://learn.extension.org/events/3602
The red-cockaded woodpecker has been the focus of conservation efforts for many years. Management of their nesting sites is extremely important for reproduction and longevity. In this webinar, we will learn about the behavior, history, and management strategies to bring endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers back to the urban forest. https://learn.extension.org/events/3603