Monday, September 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Year of the Bat
2011 October 15. Chicago, Illinois. BCI Bat Symposium will take place at The Field Museum. Featured speaker will be the Founder and President Emeritus Bat Conservation International Dr. Merlin Tuttle. This is a great opportunity for all members of NNA to learn from leading bat biologists about our friend and neighbor the bat. To register http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/year-of-the-bat.html
Friday, July 15, 2011
Designing the Building-Landscape Interface
As borders between buildings and their natural surroundings become more permeable, experts see green surfaces and related features as functional components of building systems, with evolving standards, clearer metrics, and definable benefits.
Nature has been prototyping designs far longer than humans have. And as architects strive to keep up with the rapidly evolving world of green-building standards, some of them are looking to exploit that experience by bridging the gap between nature and the built environment. The end goal: creating a functional interface between the two that improves building performance.
In the second half of the 20th century, buildings and landscape became disconnected. Many architects saw nature as an unruly force to be excluded at all costs. Nonetheless, a small but vocal group maintained interest in the interplay of the built and natural environments. And today, architects increasingly see biomimetic and biophilic approaches as practical strategies.
For the complete article follow...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Bridge between NNA's Garden Walk & Environmental Committee 2011
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| NNA gardeners celebrate the first completed Parkway Corner |
All things are possible in the Northcenter Neighborhood! This year the Garden Club stepped up to do their part by embracing several of the Environmental Committee's initiatives. Proving once again that residence of the Northcenter Neighborhood Association are “home to many progressive and forward-thinking families who are committed to lives that make a small footprint on the earth’s resources.”
Here are the numbers on the successes of this years Garden Walk…
5th ANNUAL GARDEN WALK
44 Gardens participated in this year’s garden walk
250 maps were handed out!
GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE GREEN LAWN INITIATIVE
6 registered their gardens as TRANSITIONAL
3 registered their gardens as ORGANIC
2 registered their gardens as BIODYNAMIC
GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE PARKWAY INITIATIVE
The 1st corner was completed in time for this years garden walk (SW corner of Hamilton and Byron) The corner was designed by Rinda West, maintained by Mercedes Prause and sponsored by NNA)
GARDENERS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE BEE TRAIL
21 registered as BEE FRIENDLY
GARDENERS THAT CERTIFIED THEIR BACKYARDS AS WILDLIFE HABITATS
3 certified their backyards as a WILDLIFE HABITAT
A special thanks goes out to Karen Carter-Lynch and Julie Hobert for all their support in helping to build this bridge!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Hidden Beauty of Pollination
A truly inspiring TED video about pollination, which truly manages to picture the beauty of nature and the importance of the service provided by pollinators. Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer, director and producer who captures breathtaking images that celebrate life. This video provide amazing scenes from Schwartzberg Wings of Life movie.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wonderful Wasps
 Wonderful Wasps: Everything you didn't know you wanted to know about wasps in your garden! WHEN: Friday, June 24 at 8:00 PM LOCATION: Tai Chi Center of Chicago 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave. Suite 201 Chicago, IL 606013 773-396-2653 ABOUT ERIC R. EATON Eric R. Eaton, professional writer and entomologist and principal author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America will give an illustrated talk about wasps, their role in the garden, and how you can enhance their nesting habitat (along with native solitary bees). He will also answer questions about insects and arachnids. Check Eric out on line at: Eric also contributes to the following sites: WHAT TO BRING Bring your book for Eric to sign. (no books will be sold at this event, so hurry and make sure to order your book online!) This is a friendly neighborhood event with NO CHARGE but feel free to bring something to eat or drink to share and a folding chair if you have one. ALSO... The Bullfrogs Community Choir will provide a musical treat. This event is sponsored by |
Parkway #1 Complete
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| Top Left: Before - Right: After |
THE MISSION
To create pollinator friendly parkway corner landscapes using native plant sources to create a colorful array of pesticide free, bee's, birds, butterfly and even bat friendly landscapes.
Native plants are deep-rooted plants and will also help to absorb rainwater deep into the soil versus short rooted plants/grass which have very short roots systems. Native plants can also withstand a large range of wet-to-dry conditions making these corners requiring very low maintenance.
THIS CORNER
Designed by Rinda West.
Sponsored by Northcenter Neighborhood Association
Maintained by Mercedes Prause
Worker bees included Green Kenny and Scott, the neighbors surrounding Hamilton & Byron, Elizabeth Wenscott and Mercedes Prause.
PLANT LIST
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis
Wild Petunia Ruellia humilis
Black Eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta
New England Aster - Aster novae-angliae
Woodland Aster - Aster divaricatus
Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum
Husker Red Penstemon
Evening Primrose - Oenothera macrocarpa
Penn Sedge - Carex pennsylvanica
Prairie Dropseed Grass - Sporobolus heterolepis
Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea
Beebalm - Monarda fistulosa
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