Inspired by a similar national event, Nebraska Wildflower Week is a celebration of wildflowers and native plants in the wild and in the landscape through an array of events and activities across Nebraska in early June.
Wildflowers can give even small gardens a strong sense of place, said Justin Evertson, director of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, which coordinates activities. "I know a cattle rancher in western Nebraska who fences off and preserves native larkspur in his pastures even though it's poisonous to cattle. It would be easier and more profitable for him to just get rid of it. Such is the spell a beautiful wildflower can cast."
Opportunities for wildflower enthusiasts across the state include wildflower walks in or near Albion, Marquette, Hampton, Harrison, Kimball, Lincoln and Omaha; botanical print displays; a scavenger hunt for families in Lincoln; and hands-on wildflower activities for children in Gretna and Omaha.
Events and more information at http://arboretum.unl.edu/wildflower.
Wildflower Events in Eastern Nebraska
May 30 near Ashland. Guided Wildflower Walks at Mahoney State Park starting at 11 a.m. from Owen Marina parking lot. (402) 944-2523 extension 7122
May 30-June 7 near Harrison. Guided Walks twice daily at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, weather and staff permitting. Over 4 miles of trails with plant signage and herbarium in visitor center. (308) 668-2211 or (308) 436-9772
May 30-31 in Lincoln. Pioneers Park Nature Center display of "Flora of Nebraska" botanical prints in the Prairie Building. (402) 441-8708
June 2 near Hampton. Wildflower Walk at 7 p.m. at Marie Ratzlaff Prairie Preserve (5.5 miles south of I-80 Hampton Exit 338. (402) 694-5535
June 2 at Omaha's Lauritzen Gardens. Make a living wreath to hang or use as a centerpiece. Register by May 25, $35. (402) 346-4002, extension 201
June 2 in Lincoln. UNL Botanical Gardens and Arboretum Tour and Scavenger Hunt in Love Garden. Meet at 6 p.m. east of Sheldon Museum of Art -- for families, including children. Jazz in June follows at 7 p.m. (402) 472-2679
June 3 near Ashland. Guided Wildflower Walks at Mahoney State Park starting at 11 a.m. from Owen Marina parking lot. (402) 944-2523, extension 7122
June 3-30 in Fremont. Midland Lutheran College display of "Flora of Nebraska" botanical prints.
June 4 Wildflower walk at Omaha's Lauritzen Gardens at 10 a.m. (402) 346-4002, extension 201
June 6 "Nature Detectives" at Omaha's Lauritzen Gardens from 2-4 p.m. Children will learn to identify wildflowers and sketch their favorites. Register by May 31, $13. (402) 346-4002, extension 201
June 6 in Lincoln. Nebraska Statewide Arboretum sale of wildflowers and other native and hardy plants, trees, grasses and shrubs, and tour of display gardens, near 38th and Leighton. (402) 472-2971
