Over the past year, we have been digging deeper into “Why” the Arboretum exists. There have been some lengthy conversations about events, classes, native plants, and relationships between people, plants and the land. One of the questions we kept coming back to was “What can one person do?” This idea that people change their perspective, […]
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Our Dyck Arboretum staff and board (with facilitation from our member and consultant, John Simmering) have been doing a lot of self review over the last year in search of a new mission statement for the future. Our two-part mission statement for the past 36 years has been as follows: The Dyck Arboretum of the […]
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On a cool crisp morning in October, I meandered through the Prairie Window Project here at the Arboretum. The frost was clinging heavily on all the plants. I would have been wet if not for the pathway leading me between the tall grasses. It made me thankful for that wide gravel path. This path is […]
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At Dyck Arboretum, we focus a lot of our energy on spreading knowledge and appreciation for the prairie. We love Kansas’s natural landscape and we are alarmed by how little native prairie is left intact. The prairie needs more advocates – people who will stand up for its preservation and defend its value to native […]
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One of the greatest experiences I have while gardening is a heightened sense of awareness. For some reason, I notice obscure things that are happening in my landscape. I observe how our garden has changed throughout year. I notice the wildlife that it attracts, the sights and sounds of the garden. Each day there can […]
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Fall is an excellent time of year to go searching for butterflies. The late season flowers like goldenrod, asters, and maximilian sunflowers are all important nectar sources, and are usually swarming with pollinators. If you want to get the most out of your butterfly watching expedition, consider these helpful hints. Look on the Sunny Side […]
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‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.’ – Chinese Proverb For many reasons, fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the cooler weather and changing landscapes. This signals the end of another growing season, but there are still a few highlights […]
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I heard a great presentation this last Saturday entitled “10 Lessons for Urban Native Plant Meadows” by Katie Kingery-Page, Kansas State University (KSU) faculty member in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning. Katie was the keynote speaker at the Kansas Native Plant Society’s Annual Wildflower Weekend and the message fit perfectly […]
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I have said over the years that fall is a great time to plant just about anything. I will not go into why fall is an ideal time to plant because you can read it here. Whether you are creating a “new front yard” without turf grass or just supplementing your existing landscape, you will […]
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Part II of my blog series about caterpillars will cover their bodies and behaviors, and the habitats you can build for them at home. Anatomy Once you look closely, you can easily see that caterpillars are more than just a pudgy worm. They often have visible faces, charismatic coloration and interesting behaviors. Caterpillars are actually […]
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