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Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup
Join us for the Adopt-a-Highway cleanup on Saturday, June 24 at 9:00 AM. With a full crew it should only take about an hour. Meet at the main entrance to New Salem off Rte. 97 at 9:00 AM to take care of our 2-mile IDOT Adopt-A-Highway segment that runs from the south edge of New Salem to the south end of Petersburg. Trash bags and safety vests supplied (if you have one our safety vests please bring it). Please wear gloves, long pants, closed-toed shoes or boots. See you there!!
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Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup
Join us for the Adopt-a-Highway cleanup on Saturday, March 11 at 9:00 AM. With a full crew it should only take about an hour. Meet at the main entrance to New Salem off Rte. 97 at 9:00 AM to take care of our 2-mile IDOT Adopt-A-Highway segment that runs from the south edge of New Salem to the south end of Petersburg. Trash bags and safety vests supplied (if you have one our safety vests please bring it). Please wear gloves, long pants, closed-toed shoes or boots. See you there!!
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Battling Invasive Plant Species: why it’s important and what you can do!
Are you concerned with honeysuckle and other invasive plant species that have invaded the understory of your woodland or your yard? Would you like to know more about invasive species control? Have you noticed a group of volunteers clearing honeysuckle on Cardinal Ridge at New Salem and wondered what’s going on? If you answered yes to any of the above, then please plan now to attend a special presentation by experts on invasive species and forest management on February 22 at 7:00 PM at Broadgauge, 110 North 7th Street in Petersburg. Chris Evans, Illinois Extension Forester, co-chair of the terrestrial plants committee of the Illinois Invasive Species Council and Secretary…
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Sip n’ Sow Workshop
Join some adult-only fun at the Sip n’ Sow Workshop! Sip a glass of wine and sow some native flower seeds for your summer garden. Native plants attract pollinators and serve as butterfly host plants, including many species growing on the square in Petersburg. See details HERE.
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Winter Seed Sowing
Winter seed sowing is a great way to grow most native plants! The seeds of many native species require cold, moist stratification to germinate. This occurs naturally when a seed falls on the soil and goes through an average Illinois winter. These conditions can be mimicked in the refrigerator with a moist paper towel or a spoonful of sand, planting the seeds after meeting the required time for stratification of a particular species. Winter sowing is an even simpler option—great for gardeners of all levels of experience. Planting in a milk jug or other recycled container gives seedlings a head start, as the containers create a mini-greenhouse to trap heat,…
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Pollinator Plants for Your Garden — Part 4
This post wraps up our 4 part blog series describing 12 easy-to-grow plants for attracting pollinators (butterflies, bees, etc) to your garden. View earlier blog posts here. The final three plants described in the post are swamp milkweed, sneezeweed and aromatic aster. All 12 species discussed in the series are available for free (while supplies last!) a locations around Petersburg–see December 12th blog for details.
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Pollinator Plants for Your Garden — Part 3
This is Part 3 of a 4 part blog series describing 12 easy-to-grow plants for attracting pollinators (butterflies, bees, etc) to your garden. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, you can read Part 1 here; read Part 2 here. The 12 species discussed in the series are all available for free (while supplies last!) a locations around Petersburg–see December 12th blog, Create Your Own Pollinator Habitat at Home, for details.
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Pollinator Plants for Your Garden – Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 4 part blog series describing 12 easy-to-grow plants for attracting pollinators (butterflies, bees, etc) to your garden. If you missed Part 1 last week, you can read it here. The 12 species discussed in the series are all available for free (while supplies last!)–see December 12th blog, Create Your Own Pollinator Habitat at Home, for details.
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Pollinator Plants for your Garden – Part 1
This is the first of a 4 part blog series describing 12 easy-to-grow plants for attracting pollinators (butterflies, bees, etc) to your garden. In addition, most of the species provide birds with seed in the winter–so don’t cut back plants until late spring!! The 12 species are all available for free (while supplies last!)–see December 12th blog, Create Your Own Pollinator Habitat at Home, for details. Each Thursday through January 5th we’ll feature 3 of the 12 plants with detailed descriptions of the plants as well as specific sowing instructions. Note however, for those that say to direct sow in spring, you may actually direct sow them in late fall/winter. In nature…
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Create Your Own Pollinator Habitat at Home
Wanting to add more pollinator habitat at home? Look no further: native plant seed packets will be available in Petersburg this week! You can find displays at the Petersburg Public Library, 1st and 3rd Boutique, the Talisman, and the Crazy Daisy Gift Shop. This year we are offering a dozen colorful species collected primarily from the plantings on Petersburg’s square. The packets are free, but we welcome donations that support Menard County Trails & Greenways. The displays will be restocked until we run out! Wondering how to choose? Follow along as we highlight these 12 species in upcoming posts! Wondering how to plant them? Follow the detailed planting instructions on the…
