2024 Schedule
Events are held at the Portage District Library, 300 Library Lane, Portage, MI unless otherwise indicated. Please note that this year’s evening programs will begin at 6:30 pm, and that the January and February programs will be held on Zoom. View Map
View past programs on our YouTube Channel
Wednesday, January 24 • Prairie and Savanna Plants for Pollinator Gardens • Neil Diboll, President, Prairie Nursery (Wisconsin) • 6:30 pm on Zoom
Wednesday, February 28 • Effects of Climate Change on Native Plants • David Karowe, Professor of Biological Sciences, WMU • 6:30 pm on Zoom
Wednesday, March 27 • New to Natives? No Problem! • Christopher Hart, Horticulturalist, HartScapes • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
Wednesday, April 24 • Botanical Diversity Back from the Dead: Finding Hope in Oak Savanna and Prairie Fen Restoration • Mitch Lettow, Stewardship Director, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
Saturday, April 27 AND Sunday, April 28 • Field trip to view spring ephemerals on the Kal-Haven Trail • Sue Hodapp, Conservation Steward for the Kal-Haven Trail • 10:00 – 11:30 am AND 11:30 am – 1:00 pm • Kal-Haven Trail State Park. Meet at F Avenue. We encourage parking at the the 10th Street trailhead and carpooling to the F Avenue starting point.
Wednesday, May 29 • Seeking Spiritual Connectedness with the Plant Nation • Bethany Earl-Moody, RN, CNM, MSN, Enrolled member of the Piqua Shawnee Tribe, Traditional forager and plant wisdom keeper • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
Sunday, June 2 • 31st Annual Spring Plant Exchange • Tom and Ruth Small’s Residence • 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Saturday, June 8 • Field trip to Portman Nature Preserve • Mitch Lettow, Stewardship Director, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy • 9:00 am – 11:30 am, Portman Nature Preserve (Van Buren County)
Saturday, June 22 • 25th Anniversary Picnic • Details TBD
Saturday, July 13 (Rain date Saturday, July 20) • Field trip to 1st Street Savanna Restoration Project • Paul MacNellis • 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 5455 S 1st Street, Kalamazoo
Saturday, July 27 • Field trip: Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes • Mike Weiss
July/August/September (Date TBD) • Member garden tours
September (Date TBD) • Annual Fall Plant Exchange • Jessie and Bill’s Residence • 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Saturday, September 14 (Rain date Saturday, September 21) • Field trip: Native plant seed collecting • Laura Moss • 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, WMU Parkview Campus
Wednesday, September 25 • Trees: Their Identification, Their Roles, and Our Relationships with Them • Larry Cornelis • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
Wednesday, October 23 • Invasives as a Resource • George Hedgepeth, Naturalist, Educator, and Cultural Historian • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
Wednesday, November 20 • Native Gardening Q&A • Mike Weis and panel • 6:30 pm, Portage District Library
NOTE: The location for our monthly speaker presentations has been changed from Kalamazoo First United Methodist Church to Portage District Library, 300 Library Lane, Portage, MI. The PDL facility has free parking and is wheelchair accessible. Come early to enjoy some social time, information tables and snacks, beginning at 6:00 pm; program begins at 6:30 pm View Map
Event cancellation policy: If Kalamazoo Public Schools or the meeting venue are closed, our Indoor Program will be canceled. Field Trips and Plant Exchanges proceed rain or shine unless alternate date noted in advance. If the weather is questionably severe, please watch WWMT Channel 3 or our website and Facebook page for confirmation. Time permitting, there may also be an email cancellation notice.