City of Greenfield Tree Commission

06/08/2026

Get bef flowers mature

June is Invasive Species Awareness Month in Wisconsin. This is a good reminder, no matter where you live, to watch for unwanted plants, insects and invasive species in our gardens, waterways and other natural spaces. I find the Wisconsin Invasive Species Calendar https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wifdn/tools/wisconsin-invasive-species-calendar/ to be a helpful tool when I am watching for problem plants. Spotting them early and stopping their spread https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/control can reduce the amount of time and money needed to eliminate these invasive organisms.

05/11/2026

Those splotches that look like dried mud on your maple tree aren't mud. They're 30 to 50 spotted lanternfly eggs, laid last October, and they're set to hatch in next weeks.

Spotted lanternfly is one of the most aggressive invasive insects to spread across the eastern US in years. A single tree can host dozens of egg masses. One hatched mass becomes thirty nymphs by May. By August they're adults, swarming maples, walnuts, willows, and grape vines, and laying the next generation on anything that doesn't move — fence posts, picnic tables, the wheel wells of your car.

🌿 Where to look this weekend:

Bottom 6 feet of any tree trunk, especially maple, walnut, willow, and tree of heaven

Underside of deck railings, picnic tables, wood piles

Behind house numbers, on fence posts, under outdoor furniture

Vehicle wheel wells, undercarriages, trailer hitches — they lay on metal too

Look for a 1 to 1.5 inch smear that looks like dried gray mud or putty

🌿 What to do if you find one:

Hold a sealable bag underneath

Scrape with a credit card, plastic putty knife, or stiff stick

Drop the entire mass in — fill the bag with rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer

Seal the bag and discard in regular trash

Report the find to your state agriculture department — many states track sightings

One mass takes ten seconds. Most infested trees carry between five and twenty.

One credit card. One sealed bag. One weekend. Or thousands of nymphs hatching in May 🌿

05/11/2026

THE DAWN CHORUS THIS WEEK IS THE LOUDEST IT WILL BE ALL YEAR. AND THE ORDER OF SINGERS IS PRECISE.

Before the sun rises, something begins.

Not randomly.

Not all at once.

One voice.

Then another.

Then many.

And if you listen closely, it is not chaos.

It is sequence.

The first to break the darkness is often the American Robin—one of the earliest birds able to sing in low light.

Then comes the Northern Cardinal, clear and deliberate.

Then the Song Sparrow joins in.

And as the sky brightens, the warblers arrive—tiny bodies carrying impossibly loud songs into the morning air.

The hidden truth?

The dawn chorus is not just birds making noise.

It is a timed biological event shaped by light sensitivity, territory, hormones, and the urgency of spring.

Right now, across forests, suburbs, wetlands, and city edges, migrating birds have returned to their breeding grounds.

Every song is a declaration:

I survived the journey.
This place is mine.
I am ready.

And this week, the chorus peaks.

Louder.

Denser.

More urgent than at any other time of year.

The deeper wonder?

You are hearing something ancient.

A ritual older than cities.

Older than roads.

Older than us.

Open your window between 4:45 and 5:15.

Do nothing.

Say nothing.

Just listen.

Because sometimes the wild does not need to be found.

Sometimes it arrives every morning—

in perfect order—

just before the light. 🌅🐦

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology • Audubon Society • National Wildlife Federation

05/11/2026

🚨Lights Out Alert! 🚨 Tonight, an estimated 17.6 million birds will fly over Wisconsin!

We’re urging everyone to turn off or dim non-essential outdoor lights and close window shades from 11 p.m.–6 a.m. to help birds safely on their journey.

Most birds migrate at night, and light pollution can disorient them, leading to deadly window collisions. In addition to turning down the lights, you can also help by treating windows. If you’re looking for a quick fix, draw lines on your windows (no more than 2” apart) with a bar of soap or washable window markers.

A few simple steps can save countless birds, conserve energy, and protect our night skies. 🌌🐦

👉 Share this post to spread the word!

Want migration alerts sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for Cornell Lab of Ornithology BirdCast alerts through the link in the comments. BirdCast added 4 Wisconsin cities this year: Appleton, La Crosse, Madison, and Milwaukee. If you don’t live near one, choose the closest city to you.

BirdCast sends alerts only on the biggest migration nights; about 8–10 nights each season that account for roughly half of all migration traffic.

SOS Save Our Songbirds | Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance | Wisconsin Society for Ornithology - WSO | Kickapoo Valley Dark Sky Initiative | Focus on Energy

05/09/2026

We just celebrated our 35th consecutive Arbor Day in Greenfield. Hosted by the Greenfield Tree Commission and Beautification Committee. Special thanks to greenfield DPW, Park &Rec, and to all the donors and citizens who participated!

05/09/2026

04/29/2026

My morning visitor

04/22/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1383469250493590&set=a.426865016154023&__cft__[0]=AZZdn2iU6lmG1-MbD4QN9N7oiApTMGx5q1Ch0aqpx7rPPTt_pnZroXGwjB1lQyFqgKwFaTUybrcx1wBjxGpMyaQ-e7HMu1LtqOY-YDDZPC4JuKU6Zyw4vtSWmvhgQg5lL1S7by6dI-mV3A3pcBrluicNE5RfM7IaqLBQARW89HktqeKtya6UJ1eGzW1qW448VUFzpEbwWLElsCyg-q8tZwQR&__tn__=EH-R

🌎 Earth Day is celebrated around the world on April 22nd, every year since Wisconsin Senator Ga***rd Nelson founded the event in 1970. Senator Nelson also had a vital connection to the creation of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

This year, Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore invites you to join them for a special Earth Day event, at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 25th at the Carnegie Library in Bayfield.

“Our Power, Our Planet” is the theme of Earth Day 2026 and it fits right in with Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore’s focus on service and volunteerism to support the Lakeshore many people love.

Participants can learn about the Friend’s plans to work with the National Park Service to expand volunteer opportunities and will partake in the launching of “Pick it up for the lake” season-long campaign to remove trash from area beaches and communities.

📸: Ranger Richard Stavdal, Representative Dave Obey, Senator Ga***rd Nelson, and Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus, walk along a beach on Devils Island with a park ranger during a tour of the Apostle Islands | 1979 | WHI Image ID 56855 | Rocky Barker