Happy Summer Solstice! hard to believe the longest day of the year has come and gone already. June sure was a great month for flowers, especially on most of my trees and shrubs. A large flowered penstemon is now blooming along w/ a large variety of other plants on the front hill while we start to get eager for the juneberries to ripen next month.

Following is some info on this week's Wild Ones gathering, followed by a few tidbits of info, some thank you's, and other upcoming events/opportunities.

1. On Wednesday, June 27, starting at 6:30 PM, we'll have not one but TWO yards tours ofl Wild Ones members in Duluth. We'll start at Cathy 's house at 3700 E. Superior Street. I have not had the chance to see Cathy's yard before but am really looking forward to this, our first "show me/help me" tour of the year. After Cathy's house we will take a tour at Clayton's yard at 3020 London Road. Clayton's house features many woodland native plants as well as approximately 5,253 species of hosta (that's just my own rough estimate - come count them for yourself). Rumor has it there will be food treats such as pie involved too so come join us! Carpooling is encouraged, especially to Clayton's as there is no parking on London Rd.

2. Other announcements, thanks and news of the wierd:

- Thanks to Cindy for coordinating the annual group plant order and thanks to all that participated for your patience w/ the process. The plants from Paul looked GREAT, especially the trees and shrubs that were pretty darn big! Cindy and Jen will coordinate sending refunds or "bills" for any difference in cost.

- Thanks to Roger P for helping out w/ the white pine planting project that was organized by Bob Olen, local extension coordinator, last month. I ran into Bob and he declared that Roger was a HUGE help and that Wild Ones willl get our name on a sign as a result of his efforts.

- Comm Garden update: the good news is that the City put our WO sign in. the bummer is that they installed it in the wrong garden (surrounded by tulips and daffodils, despite Evelyn and Alden's stake in our garden noting the correct location). It was then moved to the correct location where it lasted I believe approximately one week before someone swiped it. [Image: i.p.emsad.gif] Keep your eyes peeled for it nailed to a college house porch or WAIT! hot off the press: Candice spotted it and Jen retrieved it from the nearby hill (cliff?!). Dina and I (Carol + Billy and Geneva) are on duty at the garden for the last 1/2 of June. The guy that runs the Speedie Weenie was set up nearby when we were working last Wednesday. He was nice enough to insist that he couldn't take my money since we were volunteering to spruce the place up, which was darn nice of him.

- Thanks to Evelyn and Alden (and me) for working the booth at Watershed Festival + Mike Nordin (on standby, covering nearby Sustainable Duluth booth), and to Cathy W and Clayton for offering to help too. We sold 1.5 flats of Paul's rain garden plants, which were fun to have on hand, plus a few books, and talked to a steady stream of people interested in native plants and sustainable gardening all day.

- ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST deadline will be coming up in August. YOU SHOULD ENTER! WIN GREAT PRIZES! MAKE ARROWHEAD CHAPTER FAMOUS!!! if I can win (and I have), anyone can. Also, if anyone wants to enter and have me hand-carry their entry to the Annual Conference instead of mailing it in just let me know. See the national web site at http://www.for-wild.org/conference/2007/photo/ for more info on the contest. [HEY! I just went to look up the rules, and there's one of MY pictures featured on the national web site! It's a nice shot of Billy, Geneva, Joy and David Y. planting + Evelyn's backside.] If you want to be nearly guaranteed of winning a prize I suggest entering the categories of "Wild Ones Activities," "Child or Children," "Landscaping" or Kid's Photos (Geneva was the only one that entered the kid's contest last year and she won a GREAT book on butterfly gardening - all for a mediocre picture of a bunch of canada anemone!).

- Annual national Wild Ones Conference = August 17-19 near Dayton Ohio. I scored tickets from Duluth to Dayton on Midwest Airlines, flying from here to Milwaukee and on to Dayton, for just under $200. Lodging can be had right at the conference location (a nature center of some sort) for cheap and the conf is only $75 including meals, so ... think about joining us. I always enjoy the conference and meeting WO members from around the US and a few Canadians even. See http://www.cincinnatibirds.com/wildones/Conference2007.htm for more info.

- The status of the national Wild Ones Ecocenter is still up in the air. The appraised value came in lower than the asking price, some grants were received while others were not, and other assorted issues have arrisen. it may still become a reality but we on the national board are trying to make sure we stretch our dollars as far as possible and don't make any purchases that won't work out in the long run. Watch the Journal magazine for more info.

Cheers!
Carol

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