October Newsletter - Wild Ones Quad Cities Chapter

October-November 2022

Meanwhile back in Summer…

By: Becki Wells, President
While as I write this it’s hard to believe that Autumn is just around the corner. It’s 93 degrees and sunny. I’m sure that Autumn weather is right behind this warm front…at least that is what the weather predictors are telling us.

Our Chapter gained 13 new members since the last newsletter, making our current total 88 members! One of those new members is an Affiliate member, River Valley District Library. Thanks to all of you out in the Community doing good and participating in Events and Programs, Wild Ones QC is getting noticed. It’s all because of you! As mentioned in the last newsletter we have a goal to reach 100 members by the end of the year, and I know we can make this goal. We still have our FREE MEMBERSHIP incentive in place for referring someone who joins and mentions your name on the membership application. The person with the most referrals will WIN A FREE MEMBERSHIP FOR ONE YEAR! So, get out there and talk about Native plants and membership benefits whenever you have the opportunity! The link to join is quadcitieswildones.org If you have any questions, drop me an e-mail at [email protected].

Keep up the great work you are doing, sending the message, “Healing the Earth one Yard at a Time”.

Becki

Bees Bring Beauty
By: Wes Wells, Treasurer

The beautiful buzzing sound of the bees always brings back memories of being stung for the first time or of our parents telling us to leave the bees alone and the bees won’t bother you. While a bee sting is never fun, it will be more painful in the long run if bees are not protected.

At least one third of all foods that we eat are dependent on bee pollination; and yes we need to leave the bees alone, but we also need to protect their homes and the various habitats that the bees use. In our own small ways we can protect and help to restore the bee populations that live in the greater Quad City area and midwest in general

In the Illinois, Iowa quad cities area we might find several types of bees including Bumblebees, Carpenterbees, Plastererbees, Masonbees, Leafcutterbees, Sweatbees, Minorbees and on rare occasion the endangered RustyPatch Bumblebee. Honeybees are not technically native to the Quad City area, but are obviously very valuable nonetheless.

There are simple things can be done to help protect bees in your yard or acreage such as avoiding planting flowers using neonicanoids. Neonicanoids may keep plants looking pretty in the store, but they cause disorientation in bees and make flight and other activities difficult for bees. Also, pre-emergent herbicides and pesticides threaten bee populations. Instead try diatomaceous earth for control of unwanted insects and other bugs. It has proven quite effective when sprinked around our home in spring and mid summer and will not harm bees. Diatomaceous earth can be found at pool supply stores and many big box hardware stores.

To allow bees to thrive, place pollinators at a distance from your residence that is comfortable to you and your family. A variety of blooming times for plants with contiguous locations is also beneficial to bees. Consider planting fruit trees, Goldenrod, Wild Bergamot, New Jersey Tea, Wild Quinine, Ironweed, Purple Coneflower, Rattlesnake Master, Beardstongue and Native Asters as well as other native plants. Wait until spring to cut back your flowers. Some bees nest in the stems of native plants and leave the leaves until spring to help certain kinds of bees and other pollinators.

As a practical matter, remember that if disturbed, bees will sting when they feel threatened. Keep an Epi-Pen in your home for family or guests that may be allergic. Also, an effective folk remedy is tobacco snuff or chewing tobacco to draw out swelling when stung.

Bees are essential to the food chain. We can help them survive so that we and future generations have an adequate and varied food supply by learning to live with some of natures most amazing pollinators.

Sources include

Illinois Department of Natural Resources website.
The book Bees by Heather Holm

Nahant Marsh Learning Center Butterfly Release Party

By: Becki Wells, President

On September 10^th we participated in the Nahant Marsh Learning Center’s annual Monarch Butterfly Release Party. Again, this year Nahant had a great turnout for this event.

We served approximately 300 people by talking to them about Native plants, giving away seeds, and Monarch Butterfly stick puppets to the children. There were Monarchs in the air and shouts of delight as they floated on the breeze on their way to Mexico for over-wintering. Also, member Regina Haddock had a table of milkweed seedlings to give-away, she was very popular! Also helping at the event were members, Paula Teel, Judy Stouffer, Wes and Becki Wells.

Moline Planting – Strong Work, Wild Ones!
By: Paul Crosser, Membership Chair

Wednesday, September 7 – a solid effort towards establishing additional native habitat in Moline. The fact that it is located in a commercial/light industrial setting near Ben Butterworth Parkway is a bonus. Some native shrubs and a few redbud trees will be added. Let’s take a look at this property in June 2023 and see how well we did!

A huge thanks to those who were able to volunteer:

Judy Stouffer, Madeleine Young, Dan Dickens, Tracey Zahn, Ken Wellnitz, Julie Ross, Robbie Palm, Don Palm, Kim Bahrenfuss, Kevin Bahrenfuss, Amy Loving, Paul Crosser, Becki Wells, Wes Wells, Cindy Lenger, Evan Stewart

We are well aware of the need to get similar activities scheduled after regular working hours, so bear with us. Perhaps you have a spot that can be planted – let us know. Think about businesses. Bridgestone, the tire company, requires that native habitat be provided on properties they own. The former Bandag properties in Muscatine are good examples. Perhaps it is time for your employer to get on board!

We are standing by for the donation and we will let everyone know when it comes in.

….and now for the pictures….

Upcoming Events
October 15th – Seed Swap
9:30 am to 12:30 pm lunch will be provided by hosts Becki and Wes Wells. 306 Fairfield Road, Port Byron IL. We will be seed gathering and plant swapping. Please bring your seeds in baggies marked with the seed name and date. Also, if you have a potted plant to swap or to give away, or other unused or unwanted gardening tools or books, please bring them as well. We will also have a table of non-native seeds to give away. So if you have any vegetable seeds those are welcome too.

A short program by member, Cindy Lenger on Seed Gathering and Saving will be presented. We need a hard count of attendees to allow our hosts to plan for food/beverages. Please RSVP to [email protected] to confirm attendance. Call Becki Wells at 563-210-3455 for questions. Due to parking, this Program is limited to 30 guests, so reserve your spot soon! Directions and additional details will follow to those with reservations.

November 15th – There is a Cost in Trying to Skip the Night By: Jodi Dye Zimmerman
Join us at 6:30 pm at the Scott County Extension Service Office located at 875 Tanglefoot Ln #B, Bettendorf, Iowa to hear about the latest work on light pollution and its impact on human health and wellbeing as well as on our ecosystem.

The Program will address the various ways our plants, pollinators and other fauna are impacted by our own lighting choices and the light trespass that occurs in modern life. That is it, delete the rest of that paragraph, and end with the last paragraph about the presenter and include the RSVP

The presenter is retired high school teacher Jodi Dye Zimmerman who was alerted often by her students during the first night of wilderness Boundary Water trips due to their fear of fire. They truly thought the Milky Way was a smoke plume from an advancing wildfire as they had yet to experience enough dark to have seen the full night sky before. This experience along with reading The End of Night by Paul Bogard started her on a path of exploration on the power of light as well as dark on our world. Please RSVP to[email protected]

January 2023 – Annual Chapter Meeting
The Annual Meeting will be January 17, 2023, 6:30 pm Central Time, Via Zoom This will be a Zoom meeting. If you have never downloaded the Zoom App please do so. If you don’t know how to do that, please contact Becki at [email protected] and she will help you get it downloaded. An email with the Zoom information will be sent prior to the meeting. We would like as many members as possible to attend this meeting!

This & That

Website Blog
By: Becki Wells, President
Please check out our new Blog on our website quadcities.wildones.org! Each month we will have some helpful tips on planting Native plants, and other topics of interest. If you would like to try your hand at Blog writing, just let me know. There is always room for anyone who wishes to participate! Just e-mail me at [email protected].and let me know your topic and the month that you would like to write.

River Valley District Library
By: Becki Wells, President

River Valley District Library joined as an Affiliate in September. There is a strip of land on Library property that used to be a little Pocket Prairie. It’s not huge, about 40’ long and 8’ wide. Wes Wells and I have been working on it to restore it back to the little Native Prairie Garden that it once was. Currently we are using the solar method of killing the grass and intend to leave the tarps in place all winter. In the Spring we will seed and mulch it. There is currently milkweed and a few Native plants on the strip, and a Wild Ones Sign. We have applied for a Grant for the seeds. In the Spring we will call for a few volunteers to help us finish with the fill dirt and seeding of the Prairie.

Speaking to the Public
By: Becki Wells, President
I was asked to speak about Native Plants and Habitat Loss at the Port Byron, Cordova, Rapids City Rotary meeting in late August. There were 35 people in attendance. The attendees were very interested in the topic and the meeting resulted in two new members. This meeting also resulted in two additional speaking opportunities, one with the Rock Island Rotary and one with the Cordova Library.

Also in August, a Girl Scout Unit from the Andalusia area asked me to come to Nahant Marsh Educational Center and speak to Scouts about Native Plants, Pollinators, and Monarch Butterflies. I prepared a Power Point presentation, and it was well received. The girls ranged in age from 6-16, so a very diverse group. After the presentation, Amy Loving from Nahant took the Scouts on a nature hike.

Wild One Tour of Wapello Land and Water Preserve
By: Jodi Zimmerman, Programs Chair

The Wild Ones Quad Cities attended a guided tour of the beautiful, restored Prairie at the Wapello Land and Water Preserve in Hanover Illinois on September 10, 2022. The Jo Davies Conservation Foundation oversees this beautiful space and helps manage upkeep. The trails are mowed, and the shelter is very well designed with 2 picnic tables. Our guide Barb Seikowski was part of the planting process and discussed seed choices and pointed out successional blooming times and topographical impact on plant health. It was a lovely and informative afternoon. We also got to smell a freshly crushed gray coneflower seed head and I can highly recommend the scent experience. If you find yourself on 84 North from the Quad Cities it is well worth a stop to enjoy the views and the history of the area.

Officers 2023

By: Becki Wells, President
We will have an election of Executive Officers for 2023, sometime in November. The current Executive Officers and their intentions for 2023 are as follows:

President – Becki Wells, seeking to become Co-President.
Co-President – Nominated is Robbie Palm currently serving in that role.
Vice-President – Karene Nagel, not seeking re-election, nominees need to be brought forth by October 31, 2022.
Secretary – Julie Ross, seeking to retain her position, any other nominees for this position need to be brought forth by October 31^st, 2022.
Treasurer – Wes Wells, not seeking re-election, due to directive from National, preventing a spouse from being Treasurer concurrently with a spouse as President or Co-President. Nominations for this position need to be brought forth by October 31^st, 2022.

If you have any nominations for the above positions, they need to be submitted to Becki Wells no later than October 31, 2022. Once the deadline has passed you will receive directions as to how voting will be held. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at [email protected].

Committees and Support Positions 2023

By: Becki Wells, President
Currently we have several Committee and Support Positions, however we need HELP! Below are the current Chairs of the Committees and notations where we need to add to our support to the Chapter.

Programs Chair – Seeking a Programs Chair and 1 additional committee member, this will be a 3 person committee (one position is already filled). Training will be provided.
Membership Chair – Paul Crosser, seeking 1 additional Membership Committee Member. This addition to support will monitor our Facebook Page and reach out to individuals who “Like” our page, but are not yet members. Posting on Facebook Page. Training will be provided.
Newsletter – Paula Teel
Webmaster– Emma Harmon

If you have any questions about the support positions we are seeking to fill, please reach out to me and I’ll be glad to answer any questions that you have [email protected]. The additions that we are seeking to make are not huge time comments, but, in order to continue to grow our Chapter, it’s essential that we add these positions. Won’t you please take a few minutes a month to help our Chapter be Wildly successful?

Cleaning Your Garden Tools for Winter
By: Becki Wells, President

Cleaning garden tools for the Winter is not my favorite job, and it probably isn’t yours either. But garden tools are expensive and by maintaining them properly they can last longer than just one season.

Click on the image below to watch a quick 5-minute video with tips to get those tools in top shape and ready for Spring!

Thank you to our Business Member, Purple Violet https://purplevioletshop.com/

Please consider purchasing your native wild flowers from Purple Violet Shop, and mention that you are a member of Wild Ones!