The Gallery at The Nature Place featuring artist Colleen Shore

Immerse Yourself in Art: The Gallery at The Nature Place

September 30, 2024

Erica Black, our Facility Rental Coordinator explains the purpose and passion behind The Gallery at The Nature Place. Our hope is that by showcasing local art, we can offer visitors access to local artists they may not otherwise know about. We also know an that providing an opportunity for a new artist to display their art allows them to reach a broader audience. Come visit The Gallery during our public open hours and feel the connection between the art an our natural world.

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Explorer Backpacks: A Tool for Discovering the Many Habitats of The Nature Place 

August 29, 2024

Gabby Arnold | Community Programs Educator The Nature Place is beautifully nestled between bluffs, marshland, forests, and prairie. The biodiversity surrounding our center makes exploration a simple task, and our Explorer Backpacks provide tools that will amplify the outdoor experience. Each backpack serves a different purpose and provides a different experience. Try out our free…

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Purple Coneflowers with a Silvery Chersopt Butterfly on the seed head.

Coneflower Power and Other Native Plant Perks

August 15, 2024

Mace Tompson | Visitor Services – Gardens and Grounds AmeriCorps Member, September 2023 – August 2024 Growing native plants in your garden can be as simple as sprinkling seeds onto a patch of dirt in fall and seeing what pops up in spring, or it can be more involved like starting seeds indoors at the end…

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Finding My Way: Outside of My Comfort Zone

July 26, 2024

Amber Bydynkowski | Visitor Services Manager There is something to be said about stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying something new. That nervous excitement builds up, almost like a euphoric vibration that sends you through a whirlwind of emotions. Not only is experiencing something new a big step into becoming a well-rounded individual,…

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Sustainable Made Attainable

July 11, 2024

Ashlyn Luckey | Visitor Services Assistant AmeriCorps Member, September 2023 – August 2024 Sustainability has become quite the buzzword over the past few years. From news headlines to the grocery store, it seems to be plastered on everything, and it can get overwhelming! Though it may seem like a daunting journey, it’s actually easier than…

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Digging In: From Weeds to Seeds, Prepping the Garden for Spring

June 13, 2024

By Mace Thomson | Visitor Services – Gardens & Grounds Americorps Member, September 2023 – August 2024 Every year as the temperature begins to rise, so does the excitement of gardeners who have been patiently waiting to get their hands dirty again. We know that feeling well at The Nature Place. However, before planting begins,…

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Gabby Arnold, Community Programs Educator takes an image of a yellow bellwort flower in Hixion Forest, La Crosse, WI

Community Science, a Catalyst to a Connected World

May 30, 2024

By Gabrielle Arnold | Community Program EducatorAmeriCorps Member, September 2023 – August 2024 The concept of delving into the scientific community with no prior experience is intimidating. Without a degree and years in a lab, what makes you qualified to make scientific observations? How could you, without any credibility, possibly contribute to a field filled…

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A Clay-colored Sparrow is foraging on the ground. The bird is small, streaky brown, and scratching up leaf litter with its foot.

Watching Out for Warblers…and Windows

May 16, 2024

By Emma Lather | Environmental Educator AmeriCorps Member, September 2023 – August 2024 As an undergrad, I got hooked on Pokémon Go. In grad school, I got hooked on birding. The similarities are uncanny; I wander through the tall grass in search of new creatures to capture in my Pokéball (binoculars), record in my Pokédex…

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Spring into Ephemerals

May 2, 2024

In Wisconsin, we’re familiar enough with the unpredictable Midwestern weather to know that the phrase “April showers bring May flowers” might just mean snow showers! But did you know that despite the saying, and the sometimes uncooperative weather, many native flowers actually bloom well before May?

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