WAM Conference

Welcome to the Annual Michigan Native Plant Conference

IF YOU PLANT IT, THEY WILL COME

March 1 and 2, 2025
Discounts Available for WAM Members and Students

ALL LECTURES QUALIFY FOR MASTER GARDENER EDUCATION HOURS

Over the past 38 years, the Wildflower Association of Michigan (WAM) has presented the annual Michigan Native Plant Conference at the Kellogg Convention Center in East Lansing Michigan. This conference has presented timely, actionable and fascinating information about native plants, habitats, landscape design, wildlife, invasive controls and much more.  Our 2025 conference will continue in that vein with the theme “If You Plant It, They Will Come.” Our presenters will focus on the role native plants play in establishing and supporting biodiversity in our world.

This year, we are offering two days of learning and fun.  On Saturday, March 1, we are holding a hands-on seminar titled “How and Why Natives – Getting Started.” This two-hour program reached full enrollment and we can no longer accept new enrollees. Due to its popularity, we may run something similar next year. 

After the seminar, we will present a Poster Session which is a presentation of current research into the native plant field by university students, conservation districts and WAM Grant winners. Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to learn the newest thinking in the field, but it will also provide networking opportunities. The Poster Session is open to everyone and runs from 6 to 8 pm on Saturday, March1. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

On Sunday, March 2, our Michigan Native Plant Conference will begin. We will offer a light breakfast starting at 8:00 am. Our keynote speaker will begin at 9:00 am followed by breakout sessions so attendees can select the session most interesting to them. Of course, a delicious lunch will be served and there will be an array of vendors selling artwork, jewelry, books and more. During lunch, we will present the WAM Grant winners. These are non-profit organizations who will be using funds from our generous members and donors to create, install and maintain native plant gardens throughout the state. We will also learn about a particularly insidious invasive plant called Lesser Celandine by the WAM president, Caroline Miller.

Our last event is the Annual WAM Board meeting. Plan to drop by and meet the board members and learn how the WAM organization is run. We value ideas and suggestions from our members.

To encourage year-long learning all registrants will receive invitations to watch three webinars featuring professional presentations on the relationships between native plant ecosystems and the enhanced biodiversity they provide.

Conference Pricing

We offer three levels of pricing. Every person who registers will have access to our Saturday seminar (space is limited, register early), the poster session, the full conference with food service and the webinar series.

Non-Members $130
WAM Members $100
Students $30

Conference Agenda

KEYNOTE SPEAKER is Dr. Todd Crail, PhD, a University Distinguished Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Toledo. He is an ecologist and naturalist covering broad topics from non-game fish and mussels to landscape management. His focus is fostering undergraduate student engagement through field experiences both on campus and in the local community to solve local environmental issues. He works to employ inquiry and project-based learning through informal classroom environments to maximize the student’s experience.

He will present Plants, People, and Perseverance: Incorporating Native Plantings in Urban Environments – Greening Toledo Through Service.  Greening Toledo Through Service (GUTS) is a student-led project that works to increase native plantings on the Main Campus of the University of Toledo. Student employees convert turf to prairie, implement formal garden projects, and support these efforts through greenhouse cultivation of plant material. Much of the work is facilitated through service-learning opportunities where students experience real-life applications of what they have covered in class. In 2022-2024, GUTS facilitated 1000 student volunteer hours (600 for credit, 400 completely voluntary each year) to grow and plant ~20,000 native plant plugs. We will discuss what we’ve learned along the way about plants, people, and perseverance.

BREAKOUT SPEAKERS:

Registrants will have an opportunity to attend three breakout sessions of the six listed below.

• Karma Thomas will speak on “Unexpected Visitors: Pollinator Community Diversity Across Pollination Syndromes.” She will explore the unexpected diversity of floral visitors that visit and effectively pollinate the flowers we plant. Karma Thomas is currently a pollinator research assistant at Michigan State University where her work focuses on urban farm pollinator conservation.
• Lorraine Johnson will present “Gardens for Pollinating Insects: Friends not Foes!”, a presentation that explores some of the surprising corners of insect-plant relationships and how our gardens can support these dynamic interactions. Moving beyond charismatic species such as monarchs and milkweeds, Lorraine shares inspiring information about lesser-known creatures—native wild bees, moths, beetles, and more—that are necessary for all life on earth and how to welcome them, not fear them, in the garden. Lorriane has published numerous books about native plant gardening, urban agriculture and environmental issues for more than 30 years.
• Jen Roedel will present “Who’s in my Garden? Exploring Insect Pollinators in your Urban Garden!”. She will discuss how the types of plants (native, ornamental) planted in urban gardens or farms affect insect visitors and crop pollination. Jen is a PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University.
• John Blair will take us on a journey to restore his land back to original native prarie, the restoration of his wooded savanna and three natural ponds thorugh his talk “My Prairie Restoration Journey.”John is a retired engineer who became passionate about habitat restoration and pollinators. His gardens have appeared in Fine Gardening Magazine, Michigan Gardener, the Detroit Free Press and Garden Answer You Tube. 
• Rachel Hackett will discuss the complexities of prairie fens through her discussion on “Spring Fever and Summer Loving: Seasons and Complexity of Prairie Fen Wetlands.” Dr. Hackett has worked at the Michigan Natural Features Inventory since 2018 and earned her PhD studying plant diversity of prairie fen wetlands from Central Michigan University.
• Alysia G. Babcock will speak on “Designing for Nature: There’s More to Supporting Pollinators than Planting Milkweed.” This presentation will show the importance of creating habitats for pollinators beyond flowers. She will also offer recommendations for designing your own native garden.  Alysia is a Conservation Steward, Master Naturalist, Advanced Master Gardener, completed the KBS Field Botany Class, and is a Certified Shoreline Professional. She is owner of two native plant nurseries in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.
• Carolyn Miller will speak on “New Michigan Invasive Species: Ficaria verna, lesser celandine” during the lunch period. This new invasive is spreading quickly, and Carolyn will show how to identify it, its growing conditions and the latest techniques in eradication. Carolyn is the Arboretum and Invasive Plant Species Coordinator for MSU, covering 5000 acres of campus. She is the President of WAM, and volunteers with many other environmental organizations.

Detailed Conference Agenda and Speaker Profiles

To view the detailed conference agenda, please click here.

To view our speaker profiles, please click here.