Milwaukee Urban Ecology Blog

For all the cutting-edge design here at the Menomonee Valley, one of the building’s most prominent and unique features is actually based on a centuries old technology...and you’ve probably walked right past it!  The Solar Chimney (that two-story black box on the front of our building), also known as a ‘Solar Stack,’ or ‘Thermal Chimney’, uses the principle of convection to help keep the center well ventilated; and some versions of this technology date as far back as the Copper Age (circa 5500 B.C.E.).   Convection?  Sounds like a lot of hot air!    I’ll be honest, the first few times I heard about the stack my eyes glazed over a little, but the theory it’s based on is actually…

What native Wisconsin plant is the first to bloom in the spring, generates its own heat capable of thawing frozen soil and melting snow, and produces flowers before leaves; flowers that emit a smell of rotting flesh? Skunk cabbage!  Not a true cabbage, skunk cabbage is a member of a mostly tropical family of plants, the Arum family or Araceae. Other well known members of the Arum family include calla lilies, philodendrons, taros (elephant ears), as well as other native plants like Green Dragon and Jack-in-the-pulpit. Skunk cabbage gets its name from the pungent skunk-like odor released when any part of the plant is broken or damaged and from its large leaves which grow in a rosette somewhat like a cabbage.

It’s not often you have the chance to name a 24-acre park in your city. But for the next week, you have exactly that chance! The Urban Ecology Center is tremendously excited to be collaborating with Menomonee Valley Partners, the City of Milwaukee, the State of Wisconsin, and a number of other partners to open a new park the Menomonee Valley on Saturday, July 20. 

The Killdeer is a widespread and familiar plover. This hardy, native shorebird can be found living and nesting in a wide variety of habitats from farm fields to grocery store parking lots. They are one of the first spring migrants to return to Wisconsin. The Killdeer prefers wide, open spaced areas where they can easily survey terrain; switching between quick jaunts and abrupt, short rest periods. They are the least water dependent of all shorebirds and prefer areas where they can easily find insect prey.

Spring is getting close, and important changes are already happening. You've probably already noticed that it's getting warmer and the days keep getting longer. Temperature and light are responsible for many changes to the landscape, which make spring a fun and beautiful season to track Phenology. Let's talk about these changes.

It’s that time of year again – time to tap the maple trees, more specifically the sugar maples! Every year, the Urban Ecology Center takes part in the uniquely American tradition of maple sugaring by tapping the maple trees in Riverside and Washington Parks and boiling down the sap to make maple syrup!

The Riverside Park Center was bustling last Saturday! The 11th annual Local Farmer Open House attracted approximately 1,000 people to our Riverside Park branch to meet local farmers and learn about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Visitors chatted with 17 local farmers as the farmers enthusiastically shared information about their farms, their philosophies, and the food they grow. The workshops, including: Introduction to CSAs, Cooking from Your CSA Box and Multiple Biological Effects from Low Level Pesticides in Foods, were packed and people were enjoying good food and good conversations throughout the day. Thank you to the farmers, the presenters, the food trucks, and to all of you who attended. Hope to see you next year! Take a look at these…

I talk to a lot of people about trees.  Those conversations are about identification, physiology, or growth habit, but my favorite conversations about trees are ones about how awesome or beautiful a certain tree or species of tree is.  During these talks I have noticed that most folks are not as willing to sing the praises of box elder (Acer negundo).The following is an admittedly overly-impassioned plea for the love of this month’s native tree, the lowly box elder.

Will Moyer is the new farm manager at Wellspring in Newburg, WI. Though he may be new to the job, he’s an old hand in the garden. “I have spent most of my life with both elbows deep in rich soil. Starting as just a babe spending long summer days in my Grandpa’s market garden, I have cultivated a love for small scale, sustainable agriculture. Some of my earliest memories are pulling sugar snap peas right off the plant in the spring and popping them into my mouth after the old, one-two swipe on my Oshkosh overalls (just like Grandpa),” said Will. After keeping his hands dirty with one farming or horticulture job or another he attended the University of…

When Steve and Kath Vogelmann purchased their 80 acre farm near Campbellsport 15 years ago, they never dreamed they would end up as full time CSA farmers. At the time, Steve was self-employed in the construction industry and Kath was a wildlife artist.But everything came together in the right combination of talents, skills, and experience, along with their passion for healthy food and love of the natural world. Steve was born up north in Merrill, Wisconsin where he gained a lifelong love for nature, especially the north woods where he went for long walks with his father. Kath’s Dad spent his early life on the family farm, acquiring a deep love for the natural world—which he passed on to all…