Brandon Latorre – Founder and Manager of Horticulture
Daniel Couvertier – Head Gardener
Cedar Smith – Carpenter
A heartwarming Thank You to Michigan State University’s Department of Entomology for the 2022 Scriber Scholar Award in Butterfly Biology and Conservation. Donors J. Mark and Kathleen Scriber helped expand publicly accessible knowledge on Habitat Restoration & Butterfly Conservation, enhance opportunities for community engagement & involvement, and beautify the Potter-Walsh Neighborhood. These funds were used to purchase native Plant plugs and seeds, permanent educational plaques, a bench, a Little Free Library, a Peace Pole and so much more!
A special Thank You to Michigan State University’s Alliance for Graduate Education & the Professoriate (AGEP). Funding was provided by the AGEP Scholar Award to trim tree branches to allow for more sun to reach the Wild Wonder Community Prairie Garden to promote photosynthesis in plants. Funds were also used for other important materials such as potting soil, herbicide, outdoor supplies (shovels, gloves, auger bit attachment, etc), gas for related travel and lawn mowing, and so much more.
The Ingham County Land Bank’s Garden Program encourages and supports community-based beautification and gardening projects on vacant lots. Although Wild Wonder Community Prairie Garden is not officially part of the Garden Program, The Land Bank still reached out a helping hand. They donated enough compost/fertilizer for the sheet mulching process.
A Big Thank You to all the local tree trimming companies that provided multiple dump trucks worth of mulch for free. Woodchips are an essential part in the sheet mulching process and also helps plants maintain moisture in summer drought conditions. This project would have not been possible without the woodchips. In addition to the woodchips, the tree trimming job to open up the canopy was necessary to help plants get access to the light that they need.
If you have any questions, please email wildwondergarden@gmail.com. If you want to learn more about or participate in the restoration process, then don’t hesitate to reach out. We are always looking for a helping hand!