By Don Corrigan (Webster-Kirkwood Times)
When I was a boy, frogs and toads got a bad rap. I was told they give you warts. Toads would pee on you if you picked them up. Frogs were linked to being French. Moses threatened a plague of frogs on a pharaoh in Egypt.
Sigh showcasing the Grow Native! program at the Kirkwood Earth Day Festival.
Grow Native! – is a one of a kind program that began right here in Missouri. The program is a native plant marketing and education program of the Missouri Prairie Foundation.
Bill Ruppert, a local gardening and conservation expert, shares his insight into the diverse Grow Native! program on the informative podcast found below. Many organizations are mentioned in the podcast with either being associated with the Grow Native! program or that Ruppert is affiliated with like, the St. Louis Zoo, the St. Louis Science Center, Missouri Department of Conservation, Shaw Nature Reserve, the Conservation Federation of Missouri, Missourians for Monarchs, Gateway Greening, Mayor Slay’s milkweed program, and more.
Ruppert also gives a look at the new St. Louis Science Center’s new exhibit opening this summer, “GROW” and how the Annual Kirkwood Earth Day got its start.
Courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
A new super-highway of information has become available for bird watching enthusiast.
The beginner, hobbyist, and serious birders can all find something to interest them on a new website, the Great Missouri Birding Trail.
The founder is Mike Doyen, the president of the Missouri Bird Conservation Foundation. The new website offers birding trail maps for different regions of Missouri, including St. Louis. Also, birding resources including, helpful tips, equipment, identification basics, habitat information, and organizations and opportunities on how to become involved with bird conservation efforts.
Photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
By Don Corrigan ( Webster-Kirkwood Times)
Experts from more than 20 green organizations will be ready to tell you about the “birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees,” at Kirkwood’s 7th annual Earth Day on Apri1 16.
Most activities will be focused in the Farmer’s Market Greenway area, although an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony across from the city’s train station will get things started at 9 a.m. Kirkwood in Bloom will contribute a landscape-sized Wildfire black tupelo tree for the occasion.
Read more about the honey bees struggle and Kirkwood’s Earth Day below. Also, hear Bill Ruppert share what you’ll find at the event.
Pictured: David Slane climbing the Redwoods in California. All photos provided by David Slane.
“Redwoods are just amazing,” said Slane. “It was awe-inspiring to be on trees 15 feet in diameter, to be on trees that are 2,500 years old, 500 years before Jesus Christ was on this Earth. I am still mind-boggled by the whole experience.”
By Holly Shanks (2014)
St. Louis native, Don Dill, 88, started studying mushrooms 60-years ago. It started when he and some friends were at the Lake of the Ozarks. He went outside one morning to check their leaky boat tied in the water and discovered an amazing sight. He said he went out the porch door and encountered what looked like a “flower garden.” As far as he could see down to the water was covered with mushrooms.
“I never saw so many. They were all kinds, different colors and shapes,” Dill said. “Boy, I decided right then I wanted to know more about those things because they were so interesting.”
Pictured above: Jennifer Schamber.
What’s the best way to start a garden from scratch? Wondering what type of tomato to plant? How can you garden on a budget with success? Well, Environmental Echo has some answers to those questions.
Jennifer Schamber, the general manager of Greenscape Gardens, gives gardening advice and tips in this informative podcast. She talks about a variety of interesting gardening topics, including the importance of soil type, the place to find free plastic pots, the tried and true collection of veggies from Gateway Greening’s Perfect Picks, and even why many grocery store tomatoes don’t have that great homegrown tomato taste.
Schamber also explains how St. Louis is at the forefront and a leader in the awareness of issues facing pollinators, like bees and the Monarch butterfly.
Photos courtesy Doug Wolter.
“Gardening helps kids build self-esteem, teaches them to respect the environment and it teaches them about the science of plants,” said Doug Wolter, longtime horticulturist with St. Louis County Parks & Recreation Department. “Better still, it’s an inexpensive hobby and just outside your back door.”
Photo of flooding at 141 at I-44, courtesy of the Missouri Department of Transportation.
The December 2015 record-breaking flooding was the topic discussed by Lower Meramec River government agencies and other interested parties at a public meeting held recently.
One issue highlighted was the new high water marks established at Pacific, Eureka, and Valley Park.
“Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites: Exploring Our Legacy,” is an updated comprehensive guide to each of Missouri’s State Parks unique opportunities to enjoy the State’s outdoor spaces.
Susan Flader, Ph.D., talks to Don Corrigan about the new State Parks added to the book, the 100th Anniversary of the parks system, and several surprising facts and issues surrounding Missouri’s State Parks.
Susan Flader, the editor of the new book, is a Professor Emerita at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has spent her career teaching and writing about the environment and Missouri history. She has authored numerous articles and books and is also active in the leadership of many environmental and outdoor boards and committees.
To hear the interview continue reading below.
Environmental Echo 