We usually conduct prescribed burns at our Menomonee Valley, Riverside Park, and Washington Park locations each spring. Spring and Fall seasons are typically when the weather is most ideal for successfully and safely laying fire on the ground. This is also when most native vegetation is ‘dormant’, or not actively growing.

Greenwashing is a general anti-marketing term used to describe advertising and packaging that promote a healthy or eco-friendly vibe with no substance to back it up. I know you’ve seen it - “clean beauty,” “all-natural,” or the never-ending lists of “free-from…” Greenwashing nudges the buyer to believe they are making a better or maybe safer product choice... Earth tones don’t equal a better product! 

Early spring brings us more than just sorely missed warmer temperatures with more daylight. It’s a “goldilocks zone” where the snow has melted but the trees' leaves don’t yet shade the ground. For a short period of time, when conditions are just right, spring ephemerals begin to bloom.

In the heart of the city, where towering buildings and bustling streets dominate the landscape, the Urban Ecology Center provides opportunities for everyone to connect to nature and each other. For six-year-old Maggie and her mother Brooke, “their Urban Ecology Center” is more than just a place - it is where their connection to the natural world intensifies and their mother-daughter bond strengthens as Maggie grows.

I talk to a lot of people about trees. Those conversations are about identification, physiology, or growth habit, but my favorite conversations about trees are ones about how awesome or beautiful a certain tree or species of tree is. During these talks I have noticed that most folks are not as willing to sing the praises of box elder (Acer negundo).The following is an admittedly overly-impassioned plea for the love of this month’s native tree, the lowly box elder.

Summer at the Urban Ecology Center is a time where community engagement is at its peak. From Land Stewardship, Community Programs to children’s summer camps, the Urban Ecology Center grows tremendously.

What?! No article about prancing reindeer or beautiful red cardinals?! We know, we know, but hear us out. We wanted to recognize an animal this month that we don't necessarily see in the winter, yet is living right under our feet.

The Outdoor Leader program at the Urban Ecology Center allows youth to get outside, learn about green careers, make friends, and get paid!

The beautiful luna moth (Actias luna) is a large white-bodied moth, with lime green-colored wings and pinkish legs. This Wisconsin native is found in the state from spring to summer and flies only in the evenings.

Camper Noah Hammouri caught his first fish ever at Fishing Camp. Trivial... or not!