The mission of PLANT IT WILD is to foster greater awareness and appreciation of the fragile natural environment of our region. Through direct efforts we work to preserve, protect, and promote the natural beauty of the area and its plant communities.
We promote the use of native plant species by producing educational materials available at our meetings, booths, presentations, and through our website. Programs are offered from May through September featuring a wide array of speakers and topics on native plants.
Not sure which plants are native to Michigan? Click Here to view a list of some of our favorite plants from this beautiful state.
Click Here to join Plant It Wild and help us preserve, protect, and promote the natural beauty of the area and its plant communities.
Click Here to read more about who we are and how we strive to help the community be a more natural and beautiful place.
GTRLC's Angie Lucas introduced me to pipsissewa several years ago at Arcadia Dunes, Old Baldy trail, I believe. Time to go back and check it out. Don't you just love its name!In the woods of New England, the micro-majesty of understory plants rewards careful observers. Pipsissewa, a.k.a. prince’s pine and spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata), is an example. Belonging to the blueberry family (Ericaceae), pipsissewa often inhabits sandy, well-drained upland forests, including oak-pine woods with acidic soils. Though widespread in southern New England, it is rare in Maine and Vermont. Easily identifiable by its dark, blue-green leaves with pale-green stripes, pipsissewa produces from one to three waxy, nodding flowers, white to pink in color. After being pollinated by insects, its petals drop and its stalk straightens up to produce a brown seed capsule. Chimaphila is Greek for “winter lover (cheima: winter, philos: lover), which likely refers to its evergreen leaf. In the Muskogean language, ‘pipsisikweu' means to “break into small pieces,” which refers to its use to treat gall and kidney stones. If you spot this plant in northern New England, please email a photo and location to mpiantedosi@nativeplanttrust.org or to this account. —Michael Piantedosi, Director of Conservation
Photos: 1) Chimaphila maculata flowers, © Catherine Heffron; 2) flower close-up, © Frank Bramley; 3) plant form, © Arthur Haines; 4) seed capsule, © Arieh Tal
I LOVE all of my wild bees.
Focus on Native Bees, Not Honey Bees
Everyone knows pollinators are in trouble, but almost all the attention is on non-native honey bees.Go Wild, Go Native! Replace your lawn with native flowers or grasses or both for meadow habitat.Can we get the whole country on board?
Please share. 169.5 million people in the US—or more than half of the population—use Facebook... maybe we can get some support for this important idea!
LINK TO MORE INFORMATION: ourstoriesandperspectives.com/tag/dr-doug-tallamy/?fbclid=IwAR1g5nHoKudUKCqISQtYv58MpvDsXbuOudJS7...
Pesticides are dangerous chemicals. Before purchasing any, know what is causing the problem and target it specifically. If it is not eating your house or your food, it is playing an important role and you should let it be.
Toxic Pesticides Are Driving Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in the U.S., Study Warns
The country's agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to insects than it was 25 years agoA lovely Michigan native. Happy in a yard of any type.Wild-bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is a common meadow and roadside perennial throughout New England. Soft pink crowns of tubular flowers sit atop ranks of fragrant, opposite leaves. Humans and insects alike are drawn to its aroma and beauty. Thoreau writes in 1856, “Monarda fistulosa, wild bergamot, nearly done with terminal whorls and fragrance mixed of balm and summer savory.” The oils of the plant are said to resemble the bergamot used to flavor teas, foods, and scents. Growing from 3-6 feet tall, this plant is happiest with its friends in the meadows and oldfields of the region. The Meadow Garden is its home at Garden in the Woods. Visit soon to catch it. —Uli Lorimer, Director of Horticulture
Photo: Monarda fistulosa with eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly. © Uli Lorimer