www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
What’s Inside Annual Dinner Info ..................... 2 Plant this, not that!.....................3 Event Highlights...................... 4-5 Flood Survey Results.................6 Field to Fork Raffle Tickets........ 7 Wildflower Hike........................ BC
Directors Robert J. Hilgenbrink, Chair IL Green Economy Network
Bill Reichert, Vice Chair EWR Architects Bill Armstrong, Treasurer
Retired, International Banking
Robert Nelson, Secretary
Nelson & Nelson Attorneys at Law
William Boardman
Firehouse Contracting, LLC
Brenda Chandler Buy A Farm Land & Auction Co. Ronald J. Foster, Jr. Schoen, Walton, Telken & Foster
Dennis (Denny) Kirkham
Land Owner
Robert Knobeloch
St. Louis Prompters LLC Nancy Larson Harter, Larson & Dodd
Ronda Latina
Environmental Operations, Inc.
Charles Meier Illinois State Representative Cliff Schuette Schuette Seed Company
Justin Siegel
Deli Star Corporation
Dawnesha Tomlin
Illinois American Water
A Quarterly Publication of HeartLands Conservancy
April 2016
Spring has sprung!
- Mary Vandevord, Interim Executive Director
Spring has sprung in southwestern Illinois, and things seem to be greening up early this year. My 4-year-old recently pointed out the wildflowers popping up in our yard, and then promptly picked me a bouquet of Spring Beauties, Violets… and Dandelions. She is a lover of all things flowering, which makes it so much more difficult to explain why not all flowers are “good” flowers. “Yes, honey,” I said. “That pretty white tree is called a Bradford Pear, and although it makes pretty flowers, it also kills the pretty flowers you gave me in this bouquet.” Invasive species continue threaten our natural areas and wildlife in southwestern Illinois. As I write this, honeysuckle is leafing out and making it impossible to see and walk through my favorite patch of forest, and it is out-competing my favorite wildflowers, too. It seems like the list of invasive species is getting longer and longer each year. In this season’s newsletter, we’ve provided some good alternatives to invasive plants commonly found in your nursery. While I’m on the topic of wildflowers, be sure to pencil in our free, family-friendly Wildflower Trek on April 30 at the Henry White Experimental Farm. I’m hoping to spot my favorite native wildflower—the Mayapple—also shown below! Spring also signals the beginning of peak event season for HeartLands Conservancy. Our Annual Dinner, featuring the Green Leaf Achievement Awards, is coming up mid-April, and our Field to Fork fundraiser for land conservation is slated for July 23. Also, keep your eyes open for GiveSTL Day on May 3, and consider referring your fellow eco-minded friends to support us with a donation that day! These events are so important to us because they help us keep our programs, such as invasive species removal and protection of natural areas, running at full capacity. We thank you for your support at these events and throughout the year, and my daughter thanks you for enabling her flower-picking habit!