Native shrubs don’t get nearly enough attention. They offer immense ecological value, amazing fall colors, tasty berries and nuts, hosts for rare caterpillars, fantastic flowers, and make great additions to ecologically minded landscapes. Join Dan Wilder, Ecological Landscape Alliance board member and Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation for this May 2 online lecture that aims to encourage you to pay more attention to the ecological value of shrubs.
Dan Jaffe Wilder is an ecologist, horticulturist, and botanist with over fifteen years’ experience working with native plants and their associated ecology. His work has ranged from classrooms to nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges specializing in native plant ecology, propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. Dan is currently the Director of Applied Ecology for the Norcross Wildlife Foundation whose mission is to protect, enhance, and expand wildlife through conservation, education, and support. A prolific photographer and author Dan’s book Native Plants for New England Gardens was released in 2018.
Build community with other new and experienced gardeners, and join the movement to increase the beauty and resiliency of New England and the planet, one native plant at a time.
Do you want to learn more about why native plants matter, and gain practical tips for incorporating them into your life? Join the Movement is for first- and long-time gardeners, lovers of the natural world, environmental advocates, and curious learners who want to explore both why and how to work with native plants. Whatever the size of your space or your experience with gardening, our panelists will offer their expert perspectives on how to select plants, work with the space you have, and maintain your plantings across all four seasons.
This Native Plant Trust symposium on May 3 will be held on Zoom. Speakers include Uli Lorimer, Edwina von Gal, Dan Jaffe Wilder, and Trevor Smith. $125. Register at www.nativeplanttrust.org
Whether you’re interested in your health, sustainability, or simple pleasure, growing native edibles is a skill worth cultivating. Native edibles can feed you (and the rest of the ecosystem) regardless of your available space, and can be planted in shady corners, container gardens, and other small spaces. Join Dan Jaffe Wilder online on April 18 at 6 pm Eastern to learn about species of native edibles that can be grown wherever you can find (or put) soil. Native Plant Trust members $17, nonmembers $20. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/native-edibles-cities/ Image courtesy of Forager Chef.
Please note: We do not make video or audio recordings of classes or programs available after the fact, because we believe education is interactive, with instructors and students building a community and culture of learning. Some programs may be recorded strictly for instructor-training purposes. Please visit this page to review this and other FAQs about our policies.
Every house in America should be fronted with a non-native monoculture with the maintenance requirements of a golf course and the ecological value of a strip mine; a place where all flowers are called weeds and signs to the extent of ‘keep off’ are the norm. Does the idea seem a bit odd to you? It’s time to take a second look at this idea we call lawn. Join ecologist, horticulturist, and author Dan Jaffe Wilder online on April 19 at 2 pm Eastern to explore alternatives; from whole lawn replacement options, to strategies for reducing lawn inputs while increasing their ecological value.The NDAL webinar is $42., and the session will be recorded and available to registrants for 3 months following the event. Register at https://learning.ndal.org/courses/kill-your-lawn-2023
Did you know that roughly half of the endangered terrestrial species in our region make their homes in fire-adapted ecosystems; or that bobolink need a minimum of 10 acres of open grass-dominated habitat to nest? Rare species often require more than just the right plants, they require the right ecosystem. Join Dan Jaffe Wilder, Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts for a walking tour of the Norcross grounds while he discusses some of the unique habitats that Norcross is working to build, enhance, and restore on its 8000-acre wildlife sanctuary. With an emphasis on landscape maintenance and species composition this walk-and-talk will provide attendees with details about what habitat construction looks like on the large scale as well as what tools can be used on our own home landscapes to accomplish similar goals in our own backyards. The Native Plant Trust field trip costs $30 for NPT members, $38 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.nativeplanttrust.org/events/rare-species-require-rare-habitats/
Ask ten folks why they grow plants and you’re likely to get a variety of answers. The most common reasons are often aesthetic in nature—we like the look of a garden; it gives us a place to relax or play or drink wine with friends. However, simple beauty is not always enough, and in the modern era complicated issues such as sustainability and food stability are becoming more commonplace. Which plants will have the greatest ecological impacts? Which edibles are resistant to diseases and pests? What if you could have it all? Join Dan Jaffe Wilder as he explains how to create beautiful, edible landscapes that feed both us and wildlife using low maintenance native plants that also support the local ecosystem.
About the Instructor: Dan Jaffe Wilder is the Ecological Horticulturist for Norcross Wildlife Foundation specializing in native plant ecology, plant propagation, wildlife habitat construction, and native edible landscapes. His professional experience has ranged from nurseries to botanical gardens to wildlife refuges. A prolific photographer and author, Dan’s book Native Plants for New England Gardens was released in 2018.
There are a variety of strategies for landscape maintenance that gardeners employ, but mulching, weeding, planting, and various other tasks become problematic when we start looking at acres instead of square feet. How does one manage a woodland as opposed to a woodland garden? What strategies can be applied to multi-acre meadows? How can we manage for specific species when getting down on our knees and weeding is not a viable option? Join Jaffe Wilder, author and ecological horticulturist, and The Ecological Landscape Alliance online on December 8 at noon to explore how to manage the big places. With case studies from Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary he will explain various strategies for creating and maintaining large landscapes with ecology and self-sustainability at the forefront.
Photographer and author Dan Jaffe Wilder has over fifteen years’ experience with ecological horticulture. He is a propagator of native species, the photographer and co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, and a lecturer on numerous topics including pollinators, sustainable landscape practices, foraging and cultivation of edible species, low-maintenance horticulture, among others. He has developed a native plant horticultural database (https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search) and has years of nursery management experience. Dan earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine, Orono, and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society). He is the Horticulturalist and Propagator for Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, MA and is currently building his own home-scale homestead, growing and foraging numerous edible species, preserving and cooking whenever possible, and raising small animals.
From high, dry glacial ridgetops to swamps and bogs, Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Monson, Massachusetts is a unique blend of natural, semi-natural and built landscapes. With over 8000 acres, NWS is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the area and at its center is a 75-acre core complete with walking trails for the public to enjoy. Specifically timed to overlap with the bloom season for some of the rarer plants at the sanctuary, participants in this New England Botanical Club summer field trip on August 14 can expect to see Plymouth gentian (Sabatia kennedyana) pictured below, sickle-leaved golden aster (Pityopsis falcata), flat-topped goldenrod (Oligoneuron rigidum) and more.
We will follow COVID-19 Regulations & Guidance | Mass.gov as the minimum safety standard for our field trips. Attendees sharing a car with other participants as part of a field trip are expected to wear masks during the car ride, unless everyone is fully vaccinated. Anyone who is not vaccinated is requested to wear a mask, except while they are outdoors, and to maintain appropriate social distance from others on the trip. Summer day field trips are informal, small-group outings to explore interesting places and to see interesting plants, facilitated by knowledgeable and enthusiastic leaders. Bring your lunch, water, insect repellent, field guides, hand lens, and curiosity. Be prepared for the terrain and level of difficulty indicated for each trip. You should contact the trip leader at least 1 week in advance to register and to get time and directions. Trips will be limited to 10 participants. Contact Dan Jaffe Wilder (danjwilder@norcrosswildlife.org) for times, more information and to register.
Do you have a question about how to manage or maintain edibles in your yard and gardens? Is successfully growing edibles a challenge that you are facing this summer?
Join the Ecological Landscape Alliance and native edible plant specialist, Dan Jaffe Wilder online on July 28 at 6:30 Eastern time to ask your questions and get professional advice to help solve your problems. During this 90-minute Zoom live forum, Dan will provide answers to some common questions, and possibly some not so common questions. Dan will share information dealing with edible plants in your gardens and landscapes, including nut-producing trees, berrying shrubs, and some common and not so common annual vegetables.
Dan will start the evening with brief opening remarks and then jump right into your questions for the bulk of the Q&A session. Some topics that Dan can address are:
Edible plants in containers
Native and perennial edibles
Organic soil amendments
Growing food in less-than-ideal conditions
Natural pest controls
Weeding strategies
And more…
Please send your questions in advance so that Dan will know where to focus his attention. Also send photos of the plants in question to provide some reference and to add interest to the discussion. Email photos along with your questions to: penny@ecolandscaping.org. We will also be taking questions throughout the event.
Once you are registered for Eco-Answers with the ELA Eco-Pros, you will receive an email with the Zoom Webinar link. Open only to ELA members – join now and register for this free evening event.
Photographer, author, and plantsman Dan Jaffe Wilder has over fifteen years’ experience with ecological horticulture. He is a propagator of native species, the photographer and co-author of Native Plants for New England Gardens, and a lecturer on numerous topics including pollinators, sustainable landscape practices, foraging and cultivation of edible species, low-maintenance horticulture, among others. He has developed a native plant horticultural database (https://plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.org/Plant-Search) and has years of nursery management experience. Dan earned a degree in botany from the University of Maine, Orono, and an advanced certificate in Native Plant Horticulture and Design from Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society). He is the Horticulturalist and Propagator for Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary in Wales, MA and is currently building his own home-scale homestead, growing and foraging numerous edible species, preserving and cooking whenever possible, and raising small animals.
