UPCOMING EVENTS See what ISN and partners are hosting soon NATIVE PLANTS ARE FOR THE BIRDS Read on below to learn what native plants attract birds to your yard INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE NEWS Read about national and global issues August Enewsletter Greetings! August has been a busy month for ISN! Grants were written, a variety of invasive species were treated, and we hosted our first autumn olive workshop. Here's a breakdown for this last month of summer: Japanese knotweed and black swallow-wort, among others, were treated. More than 35 people attended our first Autumn Olive Workshop in Manistee. 3 applications for the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program were submitted. Several hundred people were reached through 2 partner events and 5 public presentations. Continue reading to learn about ISN's upcoming projects including additional Autumn Olive Workshops that have been scheduled. As always, don't hesitate to contact ISN with any questions or to report a sighting. Yours in conservation, ISN and its dedicated partners  Report an Invasive Species

UPCOMING EVENTS

Invasive Species Network Events Autumn Olive Community Workshop Thursday, September 19 | 5:00pm-7:00pm Leelanau County Autumn Olive Community Workshop Monday, September 30 | 5:00pm-7:00pm Manistee County Register for the Workshop

Partner Events 9/1 Cedar River Sunset Paddle - Leelanau 9/7 Sunset Yoga at Van's Beach - Leelanau 9/9 Walk at Arcadia Marsh - Manistee 9/14 Forest Bathing at Misty Acres - Manistee 9/16 Native Gardens Tour and Workbee - Grand Traverse 9/19 Creating a Rain Garden - Benzie 9/21 Elberta Beach Clean-up - Benzie 9/23 Native Gardens Tour and Workbee - Grand Traverse 9/30 Native Gardens Tour and Workbee - Grand Traverse More Partner Events Photo courtesy: Benzie Conservation District

NATIVE PLANTS ARE FOR THE BIRDS

Hummingbirds Hummingbirds are frequent garden visitors. Plant flowers that accommodate their long bill - such as harebell or wild columbine . Other favorites include wild bergamot and Joe pye weed . Keep an eye out for ruby-throated hummingbirds - Michigan's only native hummingbird (pictured left, DJ Greene)

Nutchatches and Woodpeckers Have you ever noticed how these species will visit your feeder for a mouthful and then fly away? This is because nuthatches and woodpeckers are cache birds - they look for woody plants to store their food, insects included! Plant trees like maple and oak, along with shrubs such as sumac and dogwood to attract them to your backyard. The downy woodpecker (pictured right, Wolfgang Wander) looks similar to its larger relative, the hairy woodpecker .

Chickadees and Titmice The black-capped chickadee and tufted titmouse (pictured left, Bill Thompson) love to eat seeds from your garden's wildflowers and the insects that pollinate them! Plant common milkweed , purple coneflower , and New England aster . Remember, it's often a good idea to leave the seed-heads all winter. Backyard birds will use them as a food source during the colder months.

Orioles Oranges are an obvious way to attract orioles to your yard, but native plants can help too! Black-eyed Susans and woodland phlox are a great place to start. Also, incorporate plants with large, juicy berries like wild strawberry . The Baltimore oriole is the more common species in Michigan (pictured right, ebird), but also keep an eye out for the orchard oriole .

Invasive Species in the News

Battle looms over laws to slow spread of invasive species in Great Lakes - Bridge Michigan's Sleeping Bear gets hot wake-up call - Great Lakes Echo Zero Gravity Aerial uses drone technology to find invasive species in lakes - 9&10 News This carnivorous plant invaded New York. That may be its only hope - The New York Times The big impact tiny creatures have on the Great Lakes food chain - WisCONTEXT

www.HabitatMatters.org | (231)941-0960

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