Wachiska Audubon Society

Create a pollinator garden & bird habitat on a limited budget - https://conta.cc/3Xf99sN - plus Tour the Wild Side 2024

We’re looking forward to seeing friends, old and new, at the 69th Annual Willa Cather Spring Conference: Willa Cather and the Readerly Imagination, this Thursday-Saturday! But if you are unable to be in Red Cloud, don’t despair: you can still join the fun by registering as a virtual attendee! You can opt to attend certain sessions live or watch them at your leisure through the year. Also, if you are a first time attendee to one of our spring conferences, you can receive 15% off with CODE: “cathercon15” — just make sure to register by June 8 to receive virtual Whova access before the conference ends. We’ll see you online!

June 17-23 is Pollinator Week and Wachiska's Tour the Wild Side is a perfect opportunity for you to visit some great local yards and get ideas for native plants and pollinators for your yard. June 22nd, 10am-2pm. Tour the Wildside

Help Wachiska Audubon through Give to Lincoln Day, during the month of May! Your support is very much appreciated. https://www.givetolincoln.com/nonprofits/wachiska-audubon-society

You know what they say, April showers bring May flowers! 🌻 If you're out on the trail, you'll likely see a variety of spring native wildflowers already blooming.

Check out Nature Search, a comprehensive guide to the species found at Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods Nature Reserve and start learning names and facts about the plants and wildlife you see while hiking.

Learning to identify local flora and fauna enhances our outdoor experiences. Whether hiking in the woods or gardening in our backyard, knowing the flora and fauna around us adds a sense of wonder and connection to the world around us.

🔎 Visit FFNatureSearch.org to start making new discoveries about the species found in our amazing ecosystems!

🐦SPRING 2024 BIRDSEED SALE PICKUP REMINDER🐦

New Location for Birdseed pick up:
4547 Calvert St at the garage in the parking lot.
Friday, March 15, 3-6 pm
Saturday, March 16, 9-11 am

https://www.wachiskaaudubon.org/spring-seed-sale

www.wachiskaaudubon.org

Its about that time again...to let you know that it is NOT time to cut back your perennial gardens yet.

Even though it *seems* like Spring has sprung and you may be temped to get out and do some garden clean-up this weekend...don't be fooled! Remember, this is Nebraska, and the weather can and does turn on a dime!

You may have heard the general rule of thumb that it is safe to cut back your gardens once the day temperatures reach a steady 50 degrees F. While we're definitely going to be a lot warmer than that this weekend and into early next week, the second half of the rule also requires that the threat of a hard freeze has completely passed. The average last freeze in Lincoln generally occurs sometime during the last week of April, so we still have the potential for a lot more Winter weather, and keeping those dead sticks, stems, and leaves around just a little while longer is imperative to ensure that all of the native insects and other critters utilizing those materials for shelter still have access to them when the temperature, and likely more snow, inevitably falls again.

So please, we ask that you resist the urge to clean up your gardens this weekend and wait until at least mid, if not late April. The pollinators will thank you!

And as always, when it does come time to cut everything down for the year, remember to try and leave approximately 12-18 inches of the dead stalks standing so that our many species of stem-nesting bees can utilize them to successfully rear their offspring.

The wonderful graphic below (click to see the full image) developed by Heather Holm, Elaine Evans, Colleen Satyshur, and Sarah Foltz-Jordan shows the importance of this practice in the year-long lifecycle of this amazing group of pollinators!

For more detailed information about Leaving the Leaves and Spring Clean-Up visit our website at https://www.midwestnativesnursery.com/helpful-information

To download this graphic as a PDF and learn more about different types of pollinators, visit Heather Holm's website at https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/plant-lists--posters.html

🌼SPRING 2024 BIRDSEED SALE REMINDER🌼
Ordering Deadline is almost here 🐦

Reminder to order your spring birdseed from Wachiska. Forms are included in the February newsletter and can be found at www.WachiskaAudubon.org.

You can also order on-line from this site https://www.wachiskaaudubon.org/spring-seed-sale

The last day to order online is
Thursday, March 7th.

Birdseed orders can be picked up at 4547 Calvert St at the garage in the parking lot.

The pick updates and times are:
Friday, March 15, 3-6 pm
Saturday, March 16, 9-11 am

This is a major fundraiser which began about 35 years ago. What can be a more perfect project than providing nourishment for our feathered friends!

Home | Wachiska Audubon Significant population declines of diverse bird species in the U.S. and Europe have been linked to neonicotinoid pesticides in the environment. “Neonics” are heavily used in crop, aquaculture, forestry, and livestock production. While these pesticides have the potential to kill some animals acut...

Please help us spread the word about this interesting and fun family event! See you there.

https://www.birdcount.org/?fbclid=IwAR0sfn-bqU3Ilo1RDnv7EWUl5REWc9vzINfujRWg0EMx1kAziO9iFv-Bvw4

Something of interest for you.

The Threat to Our Grasslands That Isn't Getting Enough Press: Trees Invasive Species The Threat to Our Grasslands That Isn't Getting Enough Press: Trees By Juli BosmoeMay 01, 2023     By Juli BosmoeMay 01, 2023 Birds in This Story Chestnut-collared Longspur Latin:  Calcarius ornatus Bobolink Latin:  Dolichonyx oryzivorus Sprague's Pipit Latin:  Anthus spragueii...

Sat. Feb. 3 10am - 11:30 am Please join this important discussion!

SAVE THE DATE!

50th Anniversary Celebration.
Wachiska Audubon Society-Serving Southeast Nebraska from 1973-2023. Birds, Prairies & People.

PLEASE PLAN TO JOIN US - Sunday, Dec. 3
at Nebraska Innovation Campus

1pm - Lunch Buffet - Honoring Wachiska leaders through the years

3pm - Bringing Nature Home FREE presentation by Doug Tallamy

Dessert reception and book signing

Reservations open October 15 for both the Lunch Buffet, ($40) and the FREE presentation at Wachiska Audubon.org

DOUGLAS TALLAMY is an American entomologist, ecologist and conservationist. He has written and co-authored several books including: Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants and Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard.

"In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water."

Wachiska's Anniversary Event is sponsored by:

The Wild Bird Habitat Store
Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
https://www.wachiskaaudubon.org/

Home | Wachiska Audubon Learn how you can join the effort to create patches of urban habitat within a living landscape; to invite birds, pollinators, and people to your yard. Go to Events page for additional information. 

Just a reminder that Saturday, June 10, 2023 from 9 AM until Noon we will be at Dieken Tallgrass Prairie, southwest of Unadilla on Co Rd I and 18. Opportunities for wildflower and native plant ID, bird watching, photography, insect sightings, hiking and plant seed collection will all be available for those who make the drive to Dieken. This will be an informal gathering and a great opportunity to get to know one of Wachiska's Tallgrass Prairies up close as well as talk with other prairie and bird enthusiasts.

Ride sharing is encouraged as well as wearing light colored clothing, using bug repellent and liberal amounts of sunscreen! (Funky sun hats may look funny, but who cares?) Bring your own water.

If you plan on helping with the seed harvest, wear gloves and bring a bucket. Large bags will be provided. We will have other opportunities to gather seed over the Summer.

May 24! Tower Square, Lincoln. 10-2

Last chance to sign up for Birding by Ear workshop for Super Bird Saturday: Birding by Ear THIS Saturday, May 13 from 7:30-9:30am! Learn what birds are singing and what they might be saying with Jason "the Birdnerd." Register soon before if fills up: https://springcreek.audubon.org/events/super-bird-saturday-birding-ear