The West Chicago Garden Club

By Ruth Kyme

Dave Andrusyk is the Fullersburg Woods campus coordinator at the Forest Preserve District and has worked for the District since 1998. He spent five years working in Natural Resource Management, doing restoration work in the preserves. Dave later taught school, scout and general public programs in the District’s forest preserves. His knowledge of native gardening stems from years of field experience with the Forest Preserve District and working on native plots at his home.

In his presentation, Natural-Areas Restoration:  What We Manage and Why We Do It, Dave will explain how and why the Forest Preserve District  manages habitats, plants, and animals in the DuPage forest preserves. We will learn about this organization’s philosophy about managing habitats and find out more about restoration projects completed in your favorite preserves.  You will also discover volunteer opportunities available to help in the restoration process.

Meeting Location: St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program

By Ruth Kyme

Please note that our June meeting will be held in the beautiful Kruse garden.  We will have 50 folding chairs set up for those attending, or you are welcome to bring your own lawn chair.  Parking will be available in the City Hall lot west of the Kruse garden.  Car pooling is encouraged.  If inclement weather is predicted for the evening of our meeting, we will meet at St. Andrew’s church instead of outdoors in the garden.  If this change is necessary, members will receive notification by both email and phone on Wednesday evening, the day before our Thursday meeting.  

Our June speaker will be E-Ling Lou.  E-Ling is an Ikebana artist who has been practicing Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, for over 25 years. She volunteers at the Morton Arboretum, where you can see her Ikebana-inspired botanic arrangements. 

E-Ling will demonstrate the Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches, leaves, and stems as materials in natural and serene works of art.  She will demonstrate and create four Ikebana arrangements for us during the meeting.  Three of the finished arrangements will be raffled off after the demonstration.  E-Ling plans to use seasonal materials from the Kruse house garden in her arrangements.

The Kruse House Museum will be open for brief tours (& bathroom access) starting at 6pm that evening.

Meeting Location: Either the Kruse Garden (527 Main Street) OR St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program

Are you interested in making your yard a place for birds yo visit, feed, nest, and raise their chicks?

Learn what birds need to make your yard their home. Inviting birds into our gardens by creating a
habitat is a joyful way to connect with nature and help support birds and pollinators.

Birds in the Garden: Creating a Bird Oasis features Pam Karlson’s photos from the Chicago bird habitat she created, illustrating how it is possible to attract over 100 bird species in your very own backyard.

Tips include landscape enhancements, practices, and plant selection, with an emphasis on native plants. Chicagoland’s location along the migratory route, bird species diversity, habitat, diet/foraging, nesting,
supplemental support and community science will also be discussed.

Meeting Location: St Andrew Lutheran Church (NE Corner of Prince Crossing & Geneva Road.)

Meeting Time:

• 6:45PM Arrive & Mingle
• 7:00PM Business Meeting
• 7:15PM Program