Events

Oak Savanna Garden Design: Going Beyond ‘Prairie Style’ Pollinator Gardens To Maximize Ecological Services in your Yard

Oak Savanna systems are the perfect model for creating gardens that offer what entomologist Douglas Tallamy calls “hyper-productive keystone species,” which are essential to support the complex food webs in our own yards. Most urban and suburban yards have the conditions for Oak Savanna-style gardens, so why are prairies and forests the default model for native gardens? Mike Weis, native garden designer and advocate, will explore this question and discuss how to create an Oak Savanna.

Doors open at 6:00 for social time.

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

Pints & Native Plants is an informal meet-up that takes place on the third Thursday of each month. It’s a chance to have a drink together and chat about native plants, challenges in our gardens, pollinators, and more. Everyone is welcome–come by and get to know other native plant enthusiasts and KAWO members.

Rare species are considered a bellwether of ecosystem decline as they are more dependent on functioning intact ecosystems than common species. Understanding the conservation status of rare species at regional, national, and global scales requires current high-quality data. Michigan Natural Features Inventory manages the Michigan Natural Heritage Database that currently tracks the status of more than 344 rare animal species, 451 rare plant species, and high-quality examples of 80 natural communities. These data are used by stakeholders including state and federal agencies, utilities, and land trusts to assist in conservation planning. Tyler Bassett will examine changes to the list of plant species thought to be rare, from its genesis in the 1970s to the most recent update in 2023. Using case studies, he will illustrate how data is gathered and managed, how accuracy and quality is ensured, and how impactful high-quality data is for guiding conservation of rare species and the ecosystems in which they are embedded.

Doors open at 6:00 for social time.

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

Pints & Native Plants is an informal meet-up that takes place on the third Thursday of each month. It’s a chance to have a drink together and chat about native plants, challenges in our gardens, pollinators, and more. Everyone is welcome–come by and get to know other native plant enthusiasts and KAWO members.

Spencer High is an artist, place-based educator and owner of Querkus Creative. He specializes in helping conservation based non-profit organizations cultivate their communities and further the cultural ties that they have with the land around them. Join us as Spencer shares how the creation of a simple native plant garden in his backyard helped him rediscover the awe and wonder in his every day life.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!