Calendar: Pawpaw fruit tree growing in popularity

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Pawpaw: Our Native “Tropical” Fruit will be 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Allerton Public Library, 4000 Green Apple Lane, Monticello.

The pawpaw, a fruit tree native to Illinois, has been gaining popularity in recent years. Pawpaw fruits are North America’s largest fruit, measuring between three and six inches long, and as people discover the unique flavor of the pawpaw, interest in learning how to grow pawpaws has also increased.

Illinois Extension Educator Doug Gucker will discuss the history of the pawpaw tree and how to grow this fruit at home. Participants will sample a pawpaw bread and discover the uniqueness of this fruit’s flavor.

Register for this free workshop at https://tinyurl.com/2ttd68c9. For more information, call 217-877-6042 or email dgucker@illinois.edu.

Forest Therapy

FAIRBURY, Ill. — Forest Therapy and Color Run Through the Prairie will be 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Fugate Woods, 23150 E 1000 N Rd, Fairbury.

This free event offers a variety of activities, including yoga, run/walk along the Bluestem Prairie Trail, and a picnic and singalong.

The aim of “forest therapy” is to recognize the natural health benefits of unplugging, slowing down to focus on our surroundings, and experiencing the present moment.

Learn more and register at https://tinyurl.com/33m7usaw.

Using Produce

DIXON, Ill. — How to Use and Store Fresh Garden Produce will be 9:30 to 11 a.m. Sept. 14 at Sauk Valley Community College, 173 IL-2, Dixon.

You have grown fresh produce all summer; what do you do with the excess produce like onions, cucumbers and tomatoes? Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Bruce Black will discuss simple ways of storing produce for longer shelf life and share resources for easy recipes like refrigerator pickles to make your produce go further.

Cost is $10. Register at https://tinyurl.com/34pzu96r.

Deer Hunting Season

INDIANAPOLIS — Deer hunting season in Indiana is Sept. 15-Jan 31. As you embark on your hunting journey, Purdue Extension-Forestry and Natural Resources provides all the resources you require. Visit https://tinyurl.com/3t64wrex for instructional videos covering topics such as scoring white-tailed deer, determining their age, harvesting techniques, and various deer management resources.

To hunt deer in Indiana, you need a resident youth hunt/trap, deer hunting, or comprehensive lifetime hunting license unless you qualify for an exemption. After harvesting a deer, it must be reported within 48 hours through an on-site check station, online via your Indiana Fish & Wildlife Account, or by calling 800-419-1326. There is a $3 fee for phone reporting, which can be paid with Visa or Mastercard. Visit https://tinyurl.com/34b9rxc9 for more details.

Preserve It Now

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Preserve It Now, Enjoy It Later will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET Sept. 17 at Johnnie Mae Farm, 2518 Winter St., Fort Wayne.

Learn the basics of boiling water bath and pressure canning through education and a hands-on workshop. Participants will prepare and process a recipe to take home.

Cost is $60. Register at https://tinyurl.com/4dra6uh6.

Jam and Jelly Canning

CROWN POINT, Ind. — The Jam and Jelly Canning Workshop will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CT Sept. 17 at the Lake County Extension office, 2291 N. Main St., Crown Point.

Purdue Extension master home food preservation instructors will discuss the basics of boiling water bath canning in this hands-on workshop. Participants will prepare and process a recipe to take home after the workshop.

Cost is $30. Register at https://tinyurl.com/7dmvcbnn. For more information, contact Linda Curley, 219-755-3240, lcurley@purdue.edu.

Stress in Agriculture

URBANA, Ill. — The online program Addressing Mental Health and Stress in Agriculture will be 11 a.m. to noon Sept. 17.

Farming and ranching are filled with stressors like financial pressures, uncertain conditions, long hours and social isolation. Mental health challenges are common in agriculture, and there are many ways to foster resilience and well-being. Experts will discuss the signs and symptoms of conditions like anxiety, depression, and suicide risk. Leave with strategies for managing stress, building social connections, and finding help when needed. The goal is to reduce the stigma around mental illness and enable farmers and ranchers to access mental health resources.

The program is part of Cultivating Caution: A Monthly Guide to Farm Safety and Health Webinar Series. Future topics will include Resources for Farmers in Crisis, Oct. 15; and Future of Ag Safety: How AI Will Transform Agriculture, Nov. 19.

Tree Equity

MOLINE, Ill. — Tree Equity in Action: Workshop and Tree Giveaway will be 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Riverside Garden Center, 3400 5th Ave., Moline.

Learn how planting a tree can provide you benefits as a homeowner and how those benefits extend to your community. A few of the many benefits to be discussed include heating and cooling benefits, property value increases, and mental health gains from green landscapes. Learn about tree equity and learn the score of your neighborhood.

Homeowners whose property is in a neighborhood with a tree equity score of 80 or less are eligible to receive a tree. A limited number of trees are available, and organizers will prioritize addresses with the lowest tree equity score. Check your town’s score at go.illinois.edu/TreeScore.

For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/5fvk7nch.

Growing Bulbs

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Learn how to grow vibrant garden bulbs noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Piatt County Extension office, 210 S. Market St., Monticello.

Discussed will be bulb selection, bulb planting, and how to care for them once they are in the ground.

Flower Arranging

MOUNT CARMEL, Ill. — The Flower Arranging Workshop will be 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Wabash County Extension office, 738 N. Market St,, Mount Carmel.

This is a hands-on learning experience for youths to learn the basics of flower arranging and assist in learning the requirements for a 4-H flower-arranging project.

Dining with Diabetes

ROCKVILLE, Ind. — Dining with Diabetes will be 5:30 to 7 p.m. ET Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 at the Parke County Extension office, 1472 N. U.S. Hw. 41, Rockville.

The program is for adults with type 2 diabetes, or those who are at risk. Family members and caregivers are welcome to attend.

Cost is $10 for all four sessions. For registration information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mb5x94tu.

Native Plants

DANVILLE, Ill. — Native Plant Garden Design presented by the Vermilion County master gardeners will be 6 to 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Danville Public Library, 319 N. Vermilion St., Danville.

Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Ryan Pankau and Master Gardener/Master Naturalist Kristin Camp will discuss how to select and arrange native plants to create a thriving, eco-friendly garden. Discover the benefits of using local flowers and gain practical design tips to enhance your garden’s beauty and biodiversity. See firsthand the space the master gardeners and master naturalists have created in the library’s garden.

Paper Quilling

CARLINVILLE, Ill. — The 4-H Simple Paper Quilling Workshop will be 6 to 7:15 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Macoupin County Extension office, 60 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville.

Rebekah Cloninger will guide participants through basic techniques to enhance paper quilling skills and creativity. Participants will design two greeting cards to take home.

Cost is $5. Register at https://tinyurl.com/3t7bxn94.

Grow Your Green Thumb

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Grow Your Green Thumb will meet 4 to 5 p.m. ET Wednesdays, Sept. 18 to Oct. 23 at Johnnie Mae Farm, 2518 Winter St., Fort Wayne. Youths will participate in activities centered around STEM and agriculture, including gardening, and cooking with fresh produce. Participants will receive a coupon for produce at the end of each session.

For more information or questions, email rcclay@purdue.edu, call 260-481-6826, or visit https://tinyurl.com/6hyhx2cb.

Birding Walk

CARBONDALE, Ill. — A birding walk with Master Naturalist Lily Glaeser will be 8:30 to 10 a.m. Sept. 19 at Green Earth Chautauqua Bottoms Nature Preserve, Main Parking Lot, 2100 W. Chautauqua Road, Carbondale.

All ages and experiences are welcome! Binoculars are available for use by reserving a pair during registration.

Other walks will be Oct. 13 at Green Earth Oakland Nature Preserve in Carbondale; Oct. 24 at Giant City State Park Indian Creek Trail in Cobden; Nov. 28 at Green Earth Stan Harris Prairie Nature Preserve in Carbondale; Dec. 12 at Green Earth Brush Hill in Carbondale; and Dec. 15 at Southern Illinois University Campus Lake in Carbondale.

Also included in this series is a bird sit on Sept. 29 at Giant City State Park Post Oak Trail in Makanda. Bring a portable camping chair.

Plant-a-Row Garden

A program from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sept. 19 will explore the Plant-a-Row Garden at Sarah Bush Lincoln Education Center, 1000 Health Center Drive, Mattoon.

Over two decades ago, master gardeners set the roots for the Plant-a-Row Garden project at the center, aiming to donate their harvest to food programs supporting those facing nutritional challenges. In the past year alone, this thriving site has undergone numerous transformations — streamlining labor, enriching soil quality, and enhancing its aesthetic charm.

The program kicks off indoors with a presentation on the proven practices implemented at the garden. Afterward, participants will explore the garden firsthand, seeing how these innovative methods can be seamlessly applied to their home gardens.

Cost is $5. Register at https://tinyurl.com/vhzbjvw3.

Pumpkin Power

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. — The Pumpkin Flower Arrangement workshop for youths ages 8 to 18 will be 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Christian County Extension office, 1120 N. Webster St., Taylorville.

Stacey Shanks with Locust Creek Flower Farm will lead this workshop, which will include cleaning out pumpkins and creating a flower arrangement using a pumpkin.

Cost is $25. Register at https://tinyurl.com/5n8ra6y3.

Storing Forages

LENA, Ill. — Storing Forages: Balancing Cost and Performance Workshop will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Lena Community Center, 497 Lions Drive, Lena.

Illinois Extension Livestock Specialist Teresa Steckler will be the featured speaker. “Managing feed expenses represents much of the difference between high and low profit livestock operations,” Steckler siad. “Stored forages (hay, baleage, silage, etc.) represent most of the cost and variability within the feed expense for most livestock operations.”

During the workshop, livestock managers will learn about the opportunities to reduce or control these costs while maintaining or improving livestock performance. Topics will include:

• Reducing field and handling losses.

• Reducing volume and quality loss in stored hay.

• Comparing round bales, square bales and baleage.

• Comparing loss from different feeding systems.

• Quality vs. animal nutrition needs.

Cost is $5. to register, call 815-235-4125 or visit https://tinyurl.com/24z9nsbv.

Ticks in Illinois

ROCKFORD, Ill. — The program Ticks in Illinois will be 1 to 3 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Winnebago County Extension office, 1040 N. 2nd St., Rockford.

Illinois Extension Livestock Specialist Teresa Steckler will discuss tick-borne diseases of humans, livestock and pets, as well as where you can find ticks in the environment, and how to protect yourself and your pets from ticks.

Chainsaw Safety

BLOOMFIELD, Ind. — Chainsaw Safety and Tree Felling Training will be 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET Sept.21 at the Greene County Extension office, 4502 W SR 54, Bloomfield.

This session begins in the classroom and ends with demonstrations at a Purdue University forested property. Instruction will be provided by Purdue University Forester Don Carlson.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/4f9fbcf9.

Invasive Species

DUBOIS, Ind. — Invasive Species Training for Landowners will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Sept. 21 at the Southern Indiana Purdue Ag Center, 11371 E. Purdue Farm Road, Dubois.

This practical, hands-on training by foresters and natural resource professionals includes topics such as assessing your invasive plant program, the three pillars of invasive plant management, selecting control options, herbicide use and considerations, control funding and technical assistance, and setting invasive management goals and objectives.

Cost is $25. For reservation information, visit https://tinyurl.com/2fkwvbwk. For questions, contact Ron Rathfon, ronr@purdue.edu, 812-678-5049.

Nature Daze

NASHVILLE, Ind — Nature Daze will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 21 at Camp Rancho Framasa, 2230 Clay Lick Road, Nashville.

Nature Daze is an outreach program sponsored by the Brown County Native Woodlands Project to help landowners better understand the importance of managing their property to create a resilient native habitat. The 2024 program consists of a variety of speakers and topics, native plant sale, prizes, a children’s program and free lunch (vegetarian and gluten free options included).

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y3r3bs4w.

Small Ruminants

FREEPORT, Ill. — The Small Ruminant Feeding, Nutrition and Management Workshop will be 9 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 21 at the Stephenson County Fairgrounds, 2250 S. Walnut Road, Freeport.

Sheep and goats are a popular choice for youth and adults. Small ruminants are a good place for anyone to enter the livestock business on small acreage. Often, they develop into significant farm enterprises. Either way, small ruminants come with unique challenges to manage the feed supply and meet nutritional needs.

Illinois Extension Livestock Specialist Teresa Steckler will be sharing insights from her years of experience working with and raising sheep and goats, including feed selection, nutritional needs, and general health management. A live animal demonstration of body condition scoring will follow.

Cost is $5. Register by calling 815-235-4125 or visit https://tinyurl.com/2p9mssmm.

Pollinator Pockets

CLINTON, Ill. — Learn how to choose native plants and design a pollinator pocket garden, 10 to 11 a.m. Sept.21 at the Weldon Springs State Park School House, 4734 Weldon Springs Road, Clinton.

Nature Trails Day

HUDSON, Ill. — Nature Trails Day will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 21 at Comlara Park, 13001 Recreation Area Drive, Hudson.

Highlights will include guided nature hikes, live animal presentations and youth activities.

For more information and to view the full schedule of events, visit https://tinyurl.com/4sh4n2yv or call 309-663-8306.

Monarch Madness

DECATUR, Ill. — Monarch Madness will be 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at Rock Springs Nature Center, 3939 Nearing Lane, Decatur.

Monarch Madness is an educational event created to highlight the habitat, life cycle, and importance of the monarch butterfly. Children and adults will have the opportunity to participate in games, crafts, butterfly yoga and an obstacle course.