Friends of North Prairie Native Gardens

06/14/2026

The PV Park prairie is making a difference! Check out the fireflies tonight 😁

06/14/2026

Mark your calendars for our August 2nd Garden Tour! The tour begins at Prairie Village Park, 600 Karin Drive, where we'd love to show you our display garden and seeded prairie and answer your questions. Then, on to the North Prairie Village Hall and the personal gardens of five of our volunteers! There is no charge for this event. We hope to see you on August 2nd!

06/13/2026

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Milwaukee County Zoo’s Powerful Pollinators exhibit. May 23–Oct 4

06/11/2026

What’s blooming in the garden this week? Smooth Penstemon (penstemon digitalis). The exciting thing about a prairie is that it can look different every year. This year the penstemon is thriving.

06/10/2026

This morning we spent time weeding and sprucing up at the Klatt House garden. The houses are miniature
stone buildings that were part of a folk art village created by the late August Klatt in his yard during the 1930s. The tiny structures were moved to their current location on Highway 59 when the highway was widened and the park was created. We are partnering with the North Prairie Historical Society to maintain the garden area, after the retirement of long-time caretaker/volunteer, Paul Ciszek. Over the next several months we will be adding native plants and shrubs and replacing some invasives. Plants and shrubs will be donated by our group. Stop by and take a look.

The original houses were restored via a grant by the Kohler Company several years ago. As time has passed, the houses are in need of some attention. The Historical Society is starting efforts to secure funding to begin restorative work on the houses and keep this piece of history alive in our village. If you’d like to help support this worthy cause, please consider a donation to the North Prairie Historical Society. (House photos credit: Trip Advisor)

06/06/2026

Great news for the endangered rusty patch bumble bee! We documented one at the Prairie Village Park garden last summer.

https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/rare-endangered-bee-gets-habitat-protection-across-6-states-heres-where/?fbclid=IwZnRzaASRTPJ0ZGNwBIupS2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR5d6ui9J20bQHNznWNfHN4oEE0IRF1iLthBlbSK7jMPxIczEutcmXm1mWzt3w_aem_jVMvEy933_F0oUNZHalWlQ

The bee was once found in roughly half of the U.S. Now, rare sightings have been limited to about a dozen states.

06/04/2026

Any size patch of native plants, shrubs or a tree will play a part in supporting wildlife and pollinators. Start small and do what works for you.

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You don't need to save the Amazon. You need to save the 40 feet behind your house.

Your backyard IS the ecosystem.

THE MATH:

→ There are 40+ million acres of lawn in the US
→ That's larger than any national park
→ If even 10% were converted to native habitat: game-changing
→ Your yard is part of a network — or a gap in one

WHO LIVES THERE:

→ A toad: your yard is its ENTIRE range
→ A box turtle: may live in your yard for 20-50 YEARS
→ A hummingbird: stops at your flowers during a 2,000-mile migration
→ A chimney swift: nests in your chimney, returns from Peru every spring
→ A firefly: survives or goes extinct based on YOUR pesticide decisions

THE MINIMUM:

→ 1 native tree (oak = 500+ caterpillar species = bird food)
→ 3-5 native flowering plants (bloom spring through fall)
→ 1 water source (dish, birdbath, or small pond)
→ 1 brush pile or leaf litter area (shelter)
→ Zero pesticides

CERTIFY IT:

→ National Wildlife Federation: Certified Wildlife Habitat
→ Audubon: Plants for Birds program
→ Xerces Society: Pollinator Habitat certification
→ Put the sign in your yard. Let your neighbors ask questions.

You are not too small to matter.

Your yard is someone's entire world.

Make it count.