Invasive of the Week: Dame’s rocket, Hesperis matronalisEditor’s note: Like many organizations, our staff are doing work outside of normal job tasks–literally. When non-horticulture staff began work to help maintain our outdoor spaces, field services manager...
By Katie StannardWe wanted to share a changing of the guard: Emily Lilla (invasives guru, founder of this series and all-around terrific natural areas technician) is off to grad school with our best wishes and gratitude for her work at Matthaei-Nichols. Katie Stannard...
Director Kate Mendeloff (center) during the 2018 production of Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Daryl Marshke, Michigan Photography. In this uncertain time, don’t you long to watch an Arb sunset as you listen to Elizabethan music and are drawn into another world? I know I...
Winnowing the mnomen. Photo credit: Todd Marsee, Michigan Sea Grant. Southeastern Michigan was known for its productive Mnomen / wild rice beds (also spelled Manoomin: both mean ‘the good berry’) into the early 20th century. These beds increasingly collapsed due to...
What’s in Bloom: DogwoodFrom Matthaei-Nichols Woody Plants and Trails Technician Chad Machinski: Cornus florida, also known as flowering dogwood, is going off right now! This small native tree has been around the nursery trade for some time due to its many varieties....
By Nathan LaFramboise Background on Geothermal EnergyIn a recent blog post on hydropower I discussed the potential for Michigan’s Great Lakes to harness hydroelectric power in the search for new forms of renewable energy. This week’s post discusses an entirely...
By Katie Stannard, Matthaei-Nichols Summer Intern Coordinator & Front Desk Lead Perhaps this spring you’ve wandered lonely as a cloud and happened to spy some delightful daffodils… ahhh. Whether a single bloom or captivating cluster, daffodils herald the...
A Q&A with Matthaei-Nichols Associate Curator Mike KostMike will teach a class on herbaceous plants this fall at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability. Fall Flora and Ecosystems will focus on the natural communities and flora of the Great Lakes region,...
National Volunteer Week is April 19-25 this year. Since we can’t celebrate in person, we are taking it virtual this year to our social media channels and website. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Christine Chessler-Stull, asked Matthaei-Nichols Director, Bob Grese, to...
Two Great Locations, One Organization