Plant of the Week: native Aromatic Aster

Fall Color Reports. Missouri and Illinois

Free Trees for University City residents via Forest Releaf Missouri’s Community Canopy program. Order now for Saturday, October 19th pick up at The Green Center, 8025 Blackberry. Available Trees: Bald Cypress, Buttonbush, Redbud, River Birch, Swamp White Oak, Vernal Witchhazel, Washington Hawthorn   

November 15th Deadline for Grade Schools to High Schools, Youth Groups, Community Groups with youth programs, to apply for Wild Ones’ Lorrie Otto Seeds for Education Program Grants: native plant use in pollinator gardens, rain gardens to improve water quality, tallgrass prairies, Monarch waystations featuring community science activities, and sensory and natural playgrounds.

February 28th Deadline to apply for Missouri Coalition for the Environment’s High School Student Environmental Action Award

Plan your garden with  Seed St. Louis Planting Calendar

Good Reads & Views —

Energy and climate: Where do Harris and former guy stand? (States Newsroom)

Rural Missouri groups- S.L.U.D.G.E. and C.R.A.P. threaten lawsuit over PFAS in meatpacking sludge. Meatpacking waste sludge is spread as fertilizer on farmland and can wash into waterways (Missouri Independent)

Regenerative farming practices require unlearning past advice (Columbia Missourian)

Earth’s wildlife populations have disappeared at a ‘catastrophic’ rate in the past half-century, new analysis says. The Living Planet Index found the worst declines were in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Gift article at Washington Post)

Seed Saving Class available on YouTube (Seed St. Louis)

Illinois Native Plants for the Home Landscape

Missouri Native Plant Top 10 Lists (Grow Native) Native Plants for Children, Poorly Drained Clay Soil, Sun, Shade, Half Sun & Half Shade, Under Utility Poles, Rain Gardens, Kitchen Gardens, Bees, Pollinators in Winter, Hummingbirds, Wildlife, Butterflies, More

2023 Plants of Merit – Annuals, Bulbs, Edibles, Perennials, Shrubs, Trees, Vines (Missouri Botanical Garden)

2023 Plants of Demerit – Bamboo, Big Leaf Hydrangea, Blueberry, Burning Bush, Chameleon Plant, Lavender, Pin Oak, Wintercreeper (Missouri Botanical Garden)

Gardening and Nature Events —

Now thru October 26th, St. Louis Public Library daily event at Schlafly Library: River Life: Landscape Photography exhibit by Rita Chu

Going on Now- On Line Ordering for Missouri Conservation Department annual Tree & Shrub Seedling Sale. Don’t delay. Items are selling out fast, such as Beautyberry, Blackberry, Concordia Oak, Flowering Dogwood, Hazelnut, PawPaw, Spicebush.

October 23rd Deadline to Order Fruit Trees from Stark Brothers for pick up November 2nd at Seed St. Louis Carriage House. $20 each: Apple, Asian Pear, Elderberry, Nectarine, Peach, Pecan, Persimmon

Volunteers wanted. Tower Grove Park Plant It Forward: Help dig cannas, elephant ears, other plants; clearing display beds of debris; aid in planting 10,000+ bulbs for Spring season. 9 am Tuesday, October 15th Register; 9 am Thursday, October 17th Register

Volunteers Wanted. Brightside St. Louis Blitz events (clean ups & beautification). October events. November events.

9 am to 3 pm Monday, October 14th Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Missouri Botanical Garden: Storytelling; Art; Herbal Education; FryBread Cooking Demonstration; Braiding Sweetgrass, Kin Relationality, and Native Science

9 am Tuesday, October 15th, Missouri Sierra Club Hikes at Dogwood and Mustang Trails, Greensfelder Park, St. Louis County. Register

9 Tickets remaining. 9 am Tuesday, October 15th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Emmenegger Nature Park, Kirkwood: Fall Colors Hike. Register

2 pm Tuesday, October 15th, Missouri Conservation Department Zoom Class: Little Brown Birds- Sparrow ID. Register

6:30 pm Tuesday, October 15th, St. Louis County Public Library Virtual Class: Houseplants 101. Register

For 3rd-5th Graders. 4:45 pm Wednesday, October 16th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: Nature Explorers After School Club- Fall Leaves. Register

1:30 pm Thursday, October 17th, Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

6 pm Thursday, October 17th, St. Louis County Public Library event at Prairie Commons Branch, Hazelwood: Succulent & Seed Swap. Register

6 pm Thursday, October 17th Seed St. Louis, Table to Garden, Willoughby Farm event in Collinsville IL: Compost Swap & Potluck Meal. Register

6:30 pm Thursday, October 17th, Missouri Sierra Club event at Thomas Dunn Learning Center: Energy Justice Team Meeting. Register

8 am Friday, October 18th, Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day in Belleville IL: Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom Volunteer Workday. Register

1 Ticket remaining. 6 pm Friday, October 18th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Full Hunter’s Moonrise Over the Confluence Hike. Register

8 am Saturday, October 19th, St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Fee Fee Greenway, Maryland Heights. Register

9-11 am Saturday, October 19th Seed St. Louis Extended Garlic & Shallot Sale at Carriage House, 3815 Bell. Available hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, shallots, and overwintering cover crop seed packets.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. 16 Seats remaining. Saturday, October 19th, Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Nature Art- Carve a Snack-o-Lantern for wildlife. 11 Seats remaining for 9 am- Register. 16 Seats remaining for 1 pm- Register.

10 am Saturday, October 19th, St. Louis County Public Library event at Meramec Valley Branch, Fenton: Plant & Seed Swap. Register

Noon to 4 pm Saturday, October 19th, Benton Park Neighborhood Association’s Benton Park Tunes on Tap – A Musical Garden Tour. Tickets $35-$65

Noon to 5 pm Saturday, October 19th, Mary Meachum Celebration at Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing, Mississippi Greenway

10 Seats remaining. 3 pm Saturday, October 19th Missouri Conservation Department event at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Fishing Lure Painting. All supplies provided. Register

13 Tickets remaining. 8 am Sunday, October 20th, St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Tower Grove Park. Register

9 am Sunday, October 20th, Bellefontaine Cemetery horticulture tour with horticulturist: Arboretum Tour- Fall Tree Walk. Register

Noon Sunday, October 20th, Missouri Prairie Foundation event in Lincoln County MO: Friends of Cuivre River State Park Grasslands Work Day. Register

1-5 pm Sunday, October 20th, Tower Grove Park Fall Frolic

6 pm October 21st St. Louis Public Library event at Machacek Library: Carnivorous Plants presented by Shaw Cactus & Succulent Society. Register

10 am October 22nd Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Trolley Tour. $5. Register

Noon October 23rd Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: Bats of Missouri. Register

4 pm October 23rd Missouri Prairie Foundation Webinar: Exploring Moss Diversity. Register

6 pm October 23rd Monthly Neighborhood Foresters Public Meeting at Americorps, Soulard. Register

For Kids ages 0 -7 years.  8 Seats remaining. 10:30 am October 24th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: You and Me under the Canopy- Pumpkins for Wildlife. Register

6 pm October 24th Wild Ones Natives webinar: Matrix Landscape Design with Benjamin Vogt. Register

1:30 pm October 25th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

6 pm October 25th Urban Harvest Raise the Roof Fundraiser at .ZACK, Kranzburg Arts, Grand. Tickets $50.

Volunteers Wanted. October 26th River de Peres Trash Bash

9 am October 26th Missouri Conservation Department event at Weldon Spring Conservation Area, St. Charles: Lewis Trail Hike, Fall Colors. Register

Volunteers wanted. 10 am October 26th STL Neighborhood Foresters event: Bevo Neighborhood Tree Care Blitz. Register

1:30 pm October 28th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

28 Seats remaining. 5:30 pm October 28th St. Louis Public Library event at Central Library: Cacti & Succulents- A Beginner’s Guide to Thriving Plants. Register

6 pm October 28th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: Owls of Missouri. Register

Volunteers wanted. 9 am October 29th Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Workday, Swansea IL: Coneflower Planting at Exploration Garden, Clinton Hills Conservation Park. Register

10 am October 30th Missouri Conservation Department event at Howard Wood Urban Outreach Office: Neighborhood Tree Hike, Southwest Garden to Tower Grove Park. Register

1 pm October 30th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: Owls of Missouri. Register

1:30 pm November 1st Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

7 pm November 1st Missouri Conservation Department Zoom event: A Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening presented by author Doug Tallamy. Register

7:45 am November 2nd Bellefontaine Cemetery fundraiser: Coyote Crawl 5K & Head for the Hills 10K Run/Walk. Fees vary. Register

1:30 pm November 5th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

9 am November 6th Bellefontaine Cemetery horticulture tour with horticulturist: Arboretum Tour- Fall Tree Walk. Register

4 pm November 6th Missouri Invasive Plant Council Webinar: Common General Use Herbicides & How They Relate to Aquatic Use Sites. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am November 8th Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day in Edwardsville IL: Poag Sand Prairie Restoration Volunteer Day. Register

7 pm November 8th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: Hiking with your Hound presented by Recreation Specialist Bridget Jackson and Veterinarian Dr. Pipkin. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am November 9th Forest ReLeaf Tree Planting at Fairground Park. Register

9 am November 9th Heartlands Conservancy event, location to be announced: Woods Walk – Winter Tree ID. Register

10 am November 9th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Trolley Tour. $5. Register

3 pm November 9th Missouri Conservation Department class at Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, Kirkwood: Fall Wild Edibles. Register

10 am November 12th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Trolley Tour. $5. Register

4:30 pm November 12th The Royale & Missouri Botanical Garden Show Me Your Garden: Harvest Round Cocktail Competition. Tickets $45. Prizes 1st place $300 Garden Glow ticket bundle and 2nd place $150 People’s Choice Award Garden Glow ticket bundle + Royale Gift card.

6:30 pm November 12th Piasa Sierra Club event at, probably Old Bakery Beer, Alton IL: What is happening to our smaller spring-breeding frog species in the STL-Metro Area? Presented by Mike Dawson, Educator/Conservationist at St. Louis Zoo. Register

1:30 pm November 13th Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

9 am November 14th Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day in Swansea IL: Exploration Garden Volunteer Workday. Register

For Kids ages 0 -7 years. 12 Seats remaining. 10:30 am November 14th Missouri Conservation Department event at Tower Grove Park: You and Me under the Canopy- Preparing for Winter. Register

9 am November 15th Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day in Belleville IL: Signal Hill Outdoor Classroom Volunteer Workday. Register

9 am November 16th Bellefontaine Cemetery horticulture tour with horticulturist: Arboretum Tour- Fall Tree Walk. Register

10 am November 16th Missouri Conservation Department event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Dutch Oven Cooking. Register

12 Tickets remaining. 4:30 pm November 16th Missouri Conservation Department event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Full Beaver Moonrise at the Confluence Hike. Register

8:30 am November 17th St. Louis Audubon Society Beginner Bird Walk at Tower Grove Park. Register

1:30 pm November 21st Bellefontaine Cemetery history & horticulture tour with master guide: Fall Tour. Register

6:30 pm November 21st Missouri Sierra Club event at Thomas Dunn Learning Center: Energy Justice Team Meeting. Register

9 am November 23rd Heartlands Conservancy Volunteer Day near Granite City IL: Arlington Wetlands Volunteer Workday. Register

2 pm November 27th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class:  American Beaver. Register

November 28th, 2024 to January 1st, 2025 Heartlands Conservancy event in Southern Illinois: 2024 Jingle Hike Challenge. Register

1 pm November 29th Missouri Conservation Department event at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area: Walk off the Turkey and Pumpkin Pie Hike. Register

2 pm December 18th Missouri Conservation Department Zoom class: Missouri Foxes. Register

Volunteers Wanted. 9 am December 7th Forest ReLeaf Tree Planting at North Riverfront Park. Register

9 am to 4 pm April 29th St. Louis Herb Society Herb Sale at Missouri Botanical Garden parking lot.

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