This is the monthly newsletter for the University of Kansas Field Station community.

Each month, we share details about upcoming public programs, volunteer opportunities, and highlights from the month before. 

To read previous issues, please visit our newsletter archives.

If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Wendy at wendyholman@ku.edu.

October 4, 6 - 7:30 p.m.  

here-ing documentary screening

Join us at 6 p.m. for an optional sunset walk of  here-ing, followed by a         7 p.m. documentary screening under the darkening sky at the Roth Trailhead. Bring a camp chair or blanket to get cozy. We'll have light  refreshments available.

October 5, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Join us for the first public Visitors' Day in over 20 years! Walk the Research Road and visit with researchers to learn more about what happens behind-the-scenes!

Saturday, 14 September 2024
9:00am-2:00pm
Monarch Watch, KU West Campus, Lawrence, KS

Join Monarch Watch at their Fall Open House at Foley Hall (KU West Campus) to celebrate the arrival of migrating monarchs coming from the north. This free event is designed to please children and adults alike.

At the Open House you can learn about creating Monarch Waystations and see the magnificent butterfly and pollinator garden created and maintained by the Douglas County Master Gardeners. Weather permitting, you will see an abundance of butterflies and numerous other small but important pollinators. On a good day over 20 species of butterflies visit the garden. Bring your cameras. It is well worth a visit.

This will be primarily an outdoor event and there will be tours of our gardens, games, activities, tagging demonstrations, monarch butterflies, caterpillars, and more!

Check Monarch Watch's Facebook event page or website for full details and updates. 

The KU Field Station will host a table from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Monarch Watch Fall Open House. Come visit us!

Join Prairie Park Nature Center in celebrating their 25th anniversary from 1-3 pm on Saturday, Sept. 14! Come and get close to some of Lawrence's most beloved animal ambassadors. Support Monarch conservation by participating in catching and tagging Monarch butterflies in the prairie. Indulge in a delicious shaved ice treat from locally-owned Snowball Island, and enjoy many more activities! Join us for an afternoon of excitement and nature appreciation. No registration required.

Check out their Facebook event page for full details and updates. 

The KU Field Station will host a table from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Prairie Park Nature Center 25th Anniversary celebration. Come visit us!

Join KU Visual Arts professor Mary Anne Jordan and explore your creativity with a hands-on natural dye workshop at the KU Field Station! The workshop will begin at the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, where you will briefly learn about and harvest from dye plants like Indigo and Cosmos. We will then head up the hill to the Armitage Education Center, where you will learn the fundamentals of plant-based dyeing. You will create your own uniquely dyed silk scarf and cotton bandana to take home with you, using a variety of techniques with both native and nonnative plant materials. No prior experience is necessary, and all materials are provided.

Cost: $30/person

When: Saturday, September 21 from 1 - 5 p.m.

Where: we will start at KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, 1865 E. 1600 Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044; then move to Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044

What to bring: water bottle, sun protection, mug for coffee/tea, clothes that you won't mind getting dye on. 

Registration required! Space is limited. Please click here to register. 

September Topic: Black-footed Ferrets: Kansas Conservation in Action

Black-footed Ferrets were once widespread across the Great Plains but are now among the most endangered mammals in North America. Thought to have gone extinct not once, but twice, the Black-footed Ferret was (re)rediscovered in 1981. Since then, their survival has depended on the ongoing efforts of various organizations dedicated to captive breeding, cloning, reintroduction, and protection. Join Marty Woolard Birrell, a conservationist involved in Kansas’ Black-footed Ferret recovery efforts, to learn about the fascinating ecology of these elusive animals, the challenges they face, and the conservation initiatives helping to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

When: Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m.

Where: KU Field Station, Armitage Education Center, 350 Wild Horse Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66044

What to bring: A mug for tea/coffee to help us reduce waste.

Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) as space is limited. It also helps us plan for seating and snacks!

Science Sundays talks cover a variety of science topics, including research happening at the KU Field Station. Talks are free and open to everyone, but may not interest younger audiences. These talks are intended for members of the general public who want to learn more about science. You do not have to be a scientist to attend!

Join KU faculty, staff and students for the annual fall tour of the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden. Kelly Kindscher, senior scientist at the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research and a professor in the KU Environmental Studies Program, will give an overview of the research gardens and highlight important species. We will explore the garden and see the work of the Douglas County Extension Master Gardeners, who partner with our research center to manage the garden. Mary Anne Jordan, KU professor of visual art in textiles, will discuss the dye garden at the site. 

When: Sunday, September 22 from 6 p.m. until sunset (approximately 7:15 p.m.)

Where: KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden, 1865 E 1600 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66044. Tour participants may park next door at Prairie Moon Waldorf School if the parking area at the garden is full.

What to bring: Comfortable shoes, a water bottle, a lawn chair if you want to sit and watch the sunset.

No registration required. Please contact Kirsten Bosnak (moonfarm@ku.edu) with questions. 

Check the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for Ecological Research's Facebook event page or the KU Events Calendar for full details and updates. 

SAT | Sep 28 | 10am–12pm | Rice Woodland/Baldwin Woods

Join the Kaw Valley Mycological Society with the authors of A New Guide to Kansas Mushrooms, Sherry Kay and Ben Sikes, on a mushroom foray through one of the best woodlands in the area. More information to come!!

Come prepared for new fungi, woodsy terrain, bugs, and weather. Registration required. Questions? Email Jake at jvail@lplks.org

See the Lawrence Public Library's event page to register and for event updates. 

We need your help collecting seeds that will support a post-agricultural field's return to prairie! Many hands make light work, so join us for this family-friendly activity! No experience necessary.

Over the past year, we have been working alongside our community to start restoring a field overrun with Johnsongrass, a noxious weed, back to prairie. The middle ear of the here-ing labyrinth, an environmentally embedded artwork by Janine Antoni winds through this field. This immersive artwork connects people with the landscape and uses restoration practices to promote a healthier ecosystem. 

Together, we will collect seeds from a nearby prairie. This will ensure the seeds that we reintroduce have local genotypes and are best adapted to our area's specific conditions. Using local genotypes increases the chances of successful plant establishment and long-term sustainability, while also maintaining the unique genetic diversity of our area. 

Please RSVP to Wendy (wendyholman@ku.edu) to receive weather-related and location updates.

When: Tuesday, September 17 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Where: KU Field Station (Exact parking location to be determined based on seed readiness; Wendy will email volunteers a day or two before the event).

What to bring: Garden gloves (if you have them; we have extras), water bottle, long pants, closed-toe shoes, bug spray (we also have extra!), sun protection.

Gathering with volunteers to learn, work, and enjoy being outdoors together is always such a wonderful way to spend time. In August, volunteers came to tend the dye gardens in the KU Native Medicinal Plant Research Garden. The dye plants grown here are harvested and used by students and faculty in the Department of Visual Arts, making it a sustainable way to source dye materials. One of the most rewarding parts of these events is seeing connections form between like-minded individuals who might not have crossed paths otherwise. We truly appreciate our Lawrence community!

Not on social media? No problem.

Here are a few of our favorites from the past month. 

🌻 These late summer prairies though! 🤩

Cooler weather is just around the corner, so get outside and enjoy your local prairies this weekend!

Featuring: Stiff Sunflower, Rough Blazing Star, Saw-tooth Sunflower, and Blue Sage at Rockefeller Prairie.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for yesterday's Science Sundays presentation! It was a 'jelly' good time seeing those tiny live cnidarians up close! 🪼🤓💙

University of Kansas Field Station Mission: 

   To foster scholarly research, environmental education and science-based stewardship of natural resources.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY (for the Lawrence, Edwards, Parsons, Yoder, and Topeka campuses); Director, Equal Opportunity Office, Mail Stop 7004, 4330 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Fairway, KS 66205, 913-588-8011, 711 TTY (for the Wichita, Salina, and Kansas City, Kansas medical center campuses).

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