Description: Barb and Mike moved to Crystal Lake in the summer of 2006. At that time, there were large portions of the 1 1/2 acre corner property that were simply manicured lawn. Starting in 2009, with H.M. Hepperlen as mentor, prairie plants were introduced and the yard has continued to […]
Property Description: Explore a 1.25-acre yard in a residential neighborhood that has been converted from traditional non-native landscaping to majority native species. Sarah and Scott have lived at the property for 10 years with their two children and dog and have been removing invasive species and adding native trees, shrubs, […]
Description: On a whim about twenty years ago, Dave Zieger and John Shiel agreed that they might as well start working to restore a portion of the church property in Wonder Lake that was right across the street from Dave's living room window. Dave brought it up, since its neglected […]
Description: Scattered islands of natural landscaping--all developed over a thirty-year period and placed within the confines of a 1/4 acre city lot. The yard is planted with a delightful combination of native plants, various grasses, native shrubs and trees. John will discuss "his dilemma" of what to do about shade […]
Description: As you walk along the paths, you’ll meander through oak forests (with bottle brush and other natives on the forest floor), a restored pond, prairie fields on gently rolling hills with wide vistas of sky and edged by oaks. Many species of birds are attracted to this beautiful parcel […]
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming seminar. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
Natural Landscape Seminar: The WPPC's annual Natural Landscape Seminar will be held on Saturday, February 18, 2023 in the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College. The pre-registration period is now over, but you may still register at the door starting at 8am on February 18. We've confirmed some great speakers […]
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming plant sale. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
The WPPC's annual Native Plant Sale will be Sunday, May 7, 2023 from 12pm to 3pm in the commons area of McHenry County College. The entrance to the commons area is located on the south side of the campus, which is the opposite side from the intersection with the stop […]
Description: A number of paths traverse through this 3/4 of an acre restored native woodland with more than 175 different native plant species including 50+ Oak Trees and 30+ Hickories. Sedges and forbs bloom throughout the season. In May the yard will feature blooming Trillium, Virginia Bluebells and Spring Beauties […]
Description: Our yard consists of a prairie garden, a native shrub-land garden, a mixed shrub-land garden, various native borders, two vegetable gardens, an herb garden and some spots of lawn. Of particular interest is the wide diversity of plant material and our efforts to control weeds and stabilize the compositions […]
Description: Come see the results of Jim "the Native Seed Man" and Marlene's efforts to reconstruct a native prairie in what was once a soy bean field. You will see a progression of prairies, started in 2006 with seed gathered in McHenry County. You can compare seeded prairie to that […]
The WPPC's Annual Meeting will be Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the Executive Board elections. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals or elections.
Description: We will meet in front of West Elementary School and walk a short distance to Butternut Preserve where site stewards Judi Stuck and Nicole Griffith will guide us through the beautiful 16 acre preserve along the Kishwaukee River. A path leads through the tall grass prairie and crosses over […]
Description: This 3 acre property has a variety of habitats: pond, steep slope, partial forest and dry and sunny. The native gardens range from brand new to 5 years old. Come learn from our mistakes and successes! Some of our planting goals have been to create low maintenance gardens in […]
The WPPC's next Business Meeting will be Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals or elections.
The WPPC (along with McHenry County Audubon and Friends of Hackmatack) will sponsor a viewing of the movie “Fluddles” on Tuesday, November 28 at 6:30 pm in the Luecht Auditorium at McHenry County College. The movie, produced and directed by Bob Dolgan, explores life around vernal pools and marshes in […]
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, January 18, 2024 at 7pm via Zoom. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming seminar. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
The WPPC's annual Natural Landscaping Seminar will be held on February 17, 2024 at McHenry County College. We'll feature presentations on controlling invasive plants, design techniques for a native garden, manaaging tree diseases and pests and our wonderful cyclical Cicadas. See our seminar page for more information, registration links […]
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming plant sale. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
The WPPC's Annual Native Plant Sale will be Sunday, May 5, 2024 in the commons area at McHenry County College. The sale runs from noon until 3, but it's best to arrive early as many of our most popular species sell out quickly. We often have a line forming before […]
Description: The Fen in Trout Valley is common land that is approximately 8 acres in size and is located on either side of Trout Valley Road. Until a few years ago the fen was overgrown with invasive species including significant accumulations of buckthorn, burning bush, honeysuckle and garlic mustard that […]
Description: This walk will be led by Dave Schwaegler, who is a steward at the Lake in the Hills Fen. Lake in the Hills Fen is a dedicated Illinois Nature preserve featuring three diverse habitats: dry hill prairies, sedge meadows, and rare and beautiful fens. You will have the opportunity […]
The WPPC's Annual Meeting will be Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the Executive Board elections. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals or elections.
Description: This walk will take place at Native's Haven Nursery on Sunday, July 21, 2024. The walk is free of charge, and no pre-registration is required. Guided tours of the property will begin at 11am and 2pm. Bill and Terrie Warzecha, the owners of Native's Haven, describe their wonderful property […]
Description: This is the first of two walks today. This beautiful yard showcases various young native prairie gardens started from seed! Enjoy the blooms of Spotted Bee Balm, Compass Plants, Ironweed, and Black-Eyed Susans while seeing the progression of the prairie gardens. This yard offers a unique opportunity to compare […]
Description: This is the second of two walks today. Our yard is the culmination of (thankfully) minimal blood, lots of sweat, and tears of joy! Our journey began in 2019 with our WPPC mentee garden. From those first plant babies going in the ground, we knew we were hooked and […]
The WPPC's next Business Meeting will be Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be next year's budget. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals or elections.
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 7pm via Zoom. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming seminar. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
The WPPC's annual Natural Landscaping Seminar will be held on February 22, 2025 at McHenry County College. The Schedule of Events is now complete and ready to view. We'll feature presentations on our local coyote population, the history of fire in our native habitats, and a presentation from a nationally-known […]
The next WPPC Business Meeting will be Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the upcoming plant sale. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals.
The WPPC's Annual Native Plant Sale will be Sunday, May 4, 2025 in the commons area at McHenry County College. The sale runs from noon until 3, but it's best to arrive early as many of our most popular species sell out quickly. We often have a line forming before […]
Description: The WPPC's spring Walk on the Wild Side will be Saturday, May 10, 10am and 12pm at the home of Chrissy and H.M. Hepperlen. They describe their yard: We planted the first natives on our property back in 2006 as part of the WPPC’s Natural Garden in Your Yard […]
Directions: Stacy and Mike Iwanicki have been naturalizing their yard since building their home in 2003. Former farm fields now support over 100 species of prairie, savannah, woodland and wetland plants. The Iwanicki prairie is the naturalized portion covering 3/4 of an acre of their 1.24 acre lot. The remaining […]
The WPPC's Annual Meeting will be Thursday, July 17, 2025 at 7pm in the McHenry County College Commons area. The major topic of discussion will be the Executive Board elections. The public is welcome, but only WPPC voting members may vote on proposals or elections.
Description: Please join us for a tour of a 2+ acre restored prairie in Bull Valley! The walk will be on Sunday, July 20, 2025 at the property of Mike Gallery and Donna Hriljac. Walks will begin at 11am and 1pm. Mike and Donna write: Our prairie restoration work […]
