Bird & Nature Outing
Aldo Leopold Nature Center, Monona 300 Femrite Drive, Monona, Wisconsin 53716
press release: Fourth Saturdays (usually), 10 am, at Edna Taylor Conservation Park; meet at the Children's Leopold Shack between the parking lots. Outings are free, fun, family friendly, and educational. No registration required, no pets. Wear a face mask and comfortable hiking shoes and clothing appropriate for the weather. Bring insect repellent and binoculars or a camera if you have one! Post pictures and comments on the ALNC and Edna Taylor Facebook pages! Co-sponsored by Madison FUN partners Madison Parks, Madison Audubon, Aldo Leopold Nature Center and Friends of Edna Taylor. See http://cityofmadison.com/parks/blog and the ALNC and Friends of Edna Taylor Facebook pages for updates and more suggestions for walks and activities.
Upcoming outings:
Sat Sep 28 10am "Prairie Seed Collection" Bird and Nature Adventure at Aldo Leopold/Edna Taylor - Alex Singer
330 Femrite Drive, meet at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center parking lot area, water and bathrooms available
Join Master Naturalist Alex Singer for a free family friendly guided walk to see and learn about seed dispersal strategies of prairie plants. Anyone can help start native wildflower seeds and plant them for birds, butterflies, and bees! What do you look for when collecting seeds? How can you start a native wildflower garden in your yard? What do Madison ordinances say about native plantings? Start with something simple like Milkweed and Coneflowers that are easy to identify and great for Butterflies! Look for a Milkweed pod along the path that is turning brown. Open it to reveal hundreds of seeds inside, each attached to a white fluffy parachute plume that can carry it on the wind to a new location where it might take root. Help Mother Nature along by taking some seeds to a nearby unmowed natural area or corner of your yard and use your heel to scrape and stomp some native seeds into the soil. Most native prairie seeds do not have to be buried very deep. They need to be somewhat exposed and freeze over winter to germinate. The new shoots get started and take root in the Spring.