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Seven Reasons to Attend This Years’ Luminary Walk
Over the years, the Winter Luminary Walk at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains has become a tradition for many people. Here are my top seven reasons to be part of this unique event: The south bridge is...
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Five Reasons We are Giving Thanks at the Arboretum
November is a great time to reflect on the many blessings of the past year here at the arboretum. We are grateful for so many things. We enjoy serving you and serving with you to fulfill the mission...
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How to Make a Natural Evergreen Wreath
The other day I made a wreath out of Juniper branches to hang from the Visitor Center chandelier. We needed a centerpiece for our luminary stroll open house. It took about 45 minutes. This natural...
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Winter Dreams of Prairie Gardens
We are near the longest nights of the year when your landscape is cold, brown, and sometimes snowy with few creatures stirring. But soon, if not already, you will be having visions of coneflowers and...
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Five Ways to DIY Your Prairie Garden Wedding
We have a lot of weddings (and other great events!) on the calendar for 2015 here at the arboretum. If all of you brides and wedding planners are like me, February cabin fever has many of you furiously...
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Fighting for Water
(Interested in Kansas water issues? Learn about our Kansas Water Symposium on Saturday, March 7 at Dyck Arboretum of the Plains!) “Whisky’s for drinking and water’s for fighting.” ~Mark Twain is...
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WARNING: The Monarch Butterfly is Threatened
Monarchs ingest toxic cardiac glycosides when their larvae eat milkweed leaves and advertise through their adult warning coloration: “look out for me…I’m poisonous!” The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...
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A New Must-Have Plant Identification Book for Kansas
Oenothera macrocarpa (MO evening primrose) – photo by Michael John Haddock For 35 years, Janét E. Bare’s popular book Wildflowers and Weeds of Kansas has been one of the standards for plant...
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In Awe of Insects
“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into...
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Winfield (and the PWCS) On My Mind
When summer vacation ends and back-to-school plans kick in, my thoughts affectionately turn to “Winfield.” For so many, this one word moniker for the Walnut Valley Festival (WVF) in Winfield, KS is...
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A Love for Water: Reflections on Water Supply
In spite of winter’s recent blast, I am feeling hydrophilic. It is true that I have a “strong affinity for water” as the definition goes. In a vocation working with water-dependent plants where...
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Loss of Honey Bees
We are hearing a lot in the news about the loss of honey bees, which we know is a potential threat to our food systems. But before I address this topic further, allow me to say a bit about insect...
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Connection Between People and Prairie
At Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, we invest considerable effort in helping interpret Kansas prairie plants and ecosystems. Our educational programming, winter lectures, plant sales, and outreach...
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Kansas – A Rich Heritage of Environmental Education
The prairie is central to our environmental education in Kansas (Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, KS). It is Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) summer institute time again at Dyck...
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Get Rich and Happy with Phenology
Phenology will make you rich and happy. Ask any person who likes to watch/study plants, animals, and/or climate if their life is richer and happier because of their observance of phenology, and they...
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A Kansas Land Ethic: Celebrating 35 years of Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
Can you imagine what Hesston would be like without the Dyck Arboretum of the Plains? Over 35 years ago, Harold and Evie Dyck had a dream to create a garden that reflected the Kansas landscape they...
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Planting Trees: When Visions Become Legacies
“Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek Proverb A group gathered at the Dyck Arboretum this past Monday evening to remember all that has...
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Observing Natural Cycles Around Us
We observed the winter solstice yesterday on December 21st. I shared my thoughts on this beloved time in a winter solstice blog post last year. Whether it is the rotation of distant planets, stars and...
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Symposium: Living the Land Ethic in Kansas
“All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts.The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include...
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A Land Ethic is Alive and Well in Kansas
On Saturday, March 18, we held our 11th annual spring education symposium entitled Living the Land Ethic in Kansas, and learned how much we have to celebrate in Kansas. This symposium was many months...
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