Nature Happenings
Prairie Season at Whitnall Park
An Article Written by Mariette Nowak, former director of Wehr Nature Center, for the Greendale Village Life, August 20, 1975. This article from Wehr’s archives describes the origin of Wehr’s prairie and highlights tallgrass prairie natural history. The prairie was called “Whitnall Park prairie” in 1975 since it was established ten years before Wehr Nature…
Read MoreFrom Yard to Natural Habitat
Here’s How We Did It! by Sarah and David Stokes When my husband, David, and I moved to Hales Corners in 2017, our yard consisted of a green grass lawn and several trees. We are both environmentalists and knew that a natural yard was in our future, but were not sure how to get started.…
Read MoreWehr’s Natural Diversity: The Upland Woods
The all-season beauty of the upland forest along our Blue Trail makes it must-see for visitors to Wehr. The 53-acre stand is diverse. Oaks, hickories, and black cherry trees are common in drier areas, while sugar maples dominate in moist north facing locations. Everything in the woodland revolves around these trees. Competition for light creates…
Read MoreWorms Threaten Wehr’s Woodland
Wait, what? Worms are supposed to be good for the environment, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. All worms in Wisconsin are technically invasive. Worms were wiped from the Great Lakes’ landscape by glaciers that receded just 15,000 years ago. European settlers reintroduced worms such as nightcrawlers and red wigglers when they arrived. But while…
Read MoreA Great Time to be a Birder – updated 5/14/21
Written by Jennifer Rutten “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” Aldo Leopold “A Sand County Almanac” In his foreword to A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold wrote these familiar words. They ring true to me as a newish birder (3 years now) for I along with others cannot lie…
Read MoreKeep Calm and…SQUIRREL!
Written by Holly Walz Who’s that bushy-tailed, gray, and furry fellow on the birdfeeder?! It’s no bird – must be a gray SQUIRREL! Common visitors to parks and backyards in Milwaukee, squirrels also live in hardwood and mixed coniferous hardwood forests throughout Wisconsin – wherever there are trees with nuts. If you have a bird…
Read MoreCharmed by Hummingbirds
by Brooke Gilley To see a group of hummingbirds (also known as a charm or tune) is a marvelous thing. I remember my first experience witnessing a charm of hummingbirds. It happened at the Woodlands Nature Station located in Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area in Western Kentucky Among the multiple native plant gardens…
Read MoreBluebells and the Bumble Bee Brigade
By Brooke Gilley The blooming of Virginia bluebells marks the busy season for bumble bee queens and the beginning of monitoring season for the Bumble Bee Brigade. Bumble bee queens have been hibernating underground, waiting for the soil to warm up so they can start to gather the nectar and pollen needed to lay the…
Read MoreSkunk Cabbage: Spring’s Weird, Smelly Wonder
Wisconsinites are always on the lookout for the arrival of spring. We celebrate each January or February thaw, even though we know it is just a tease. Hearing the “Konk-ka-ree” of the first red-winged blackbird in early March raises our spirits too, but nothing defines the arrival of spring quite like the blooming of the…
Read MoreIf Birds Could Be Clowns, This One Would Fit The Bill
The American woodcock (Scolopax minor)– aka Timberdoodle, Bog sucker, Mudsnipe, Hokumpoke, Night partridge, Labrador twister, and Mud bat to name a few – is a bizarre looking woodland shorebird in the sandpiper family with unique looks and interesting behaviors. Woodcock adaptations include an exceptionally long probing bill with a flexible tip, ideal for finding their…
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