Events

This presentation explores the biology, ecology, and management of mason bees in mid-Michigan, highlighting their role as solitary pollinators in agricultural, residential and community landscapes. Through a combination of field observations and experimental results spanning nine years, the talk covers species identification, nesting behaviors, life cycle, and other seasonal activities.  It presents data on nesting site selection, drilled block designs, nesting material preferences, revealing strategies that enhance bee reproduction and habitat utilization.  Timelapse footage and videos reveal the bees’ industrious routines.  Odor analysis of mason bee cocoons is also presented, offering valuable insights into how nesting site selection is influenced by scent.  The presentation concludes with a discussion on the cooperation with Dow Gardens including yearly hosting of the bees and presenting at the annual “Viva la Pollinators” pollinators event.  By combining research findings along with experience and practical guidance, this session is designed to equip attendees with the knowledge they need to start raising mason bees and support pollinator populations in their own communities.

This program will take place at the Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland, MI. Meet at the Visitor Center. The public is welcome to attend.

 Speaker Bio

Matt Masters is an analytical chemist with a B.S. in Chemistry from Saginaw Valley State University and 18 years of professional experience at Dow. Raised on a farm in southern Michigan, Matt is known for an easygoing personality and a passion for learning, teaching, and testing new ideas. While Matt is devoted to his family, he still manages to find time for his passion—raising mason bees and educating others about them.

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This program is brought to you by the Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter, part of a member-based national organization whose mission promotes environmentally-sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities. The Mid-Mitten Chapter is based in Midland, Bay, Saginaw, and Isabella counties. It meets monthly on the second Monday, and welcomes new members. For more information go to @midmittenwildones.

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

Join us in a hands-on session in creating seed packets with labels to be given out at future events. If you have saved seeds that you are willing to give away, please bring them to this meeting. We will print labels and place seeds in envelopes. This is a great way to learn about our native plants, see what the seeds look like, and learn about their growing conditions.

This program will take place at the Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland, MI. Meet at the Visitor Center. The public is welcome to attend.

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This program is brought to you by the Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter, part of a member-based national organization whose mission promotes environmentally-sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities. The Mid-Mitten Chapter is based in Midland, Bay, Saginaw, and Isabella counties. It meets monthly on the second Monday, and welcomes new members. For more information go to @midmittenwildones. 

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.!  

Join Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter as Steve Thomas describes the use of native plants among solar arrays. Steve is a consultant with Environmental Technology & Consulting, and his responsibilities include remediation around solar arrays. Steve will describe seed selection and seed mix development to provide optimum plantings. He will also provide examples of these used in Michigan. 

This program will take place at the Chippewa Nature Center, 400 S. Badour Road, Midland, MI. Meet at the Visitor Center. The public is welcome to attend.

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This program is brought to you by the Wild Ones Mid-Mitten Chapter, part of a member-based national organization whose mission promotes environmentally-sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities. The Mid-Mitten Chapter is based in Midland, Bay, Saginaw, and Isabella counties. It meets monthly on the second Monday, and welcomes new members. For more information go to @midmittenwildones. 

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.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!