Spring is in full bloom, and our local butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are looking for a place to call home. That’s where our amazing community kids come in!
Our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event returns this Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Warner Park and Gardens.
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. They need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. Our kids will create a pollinator sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
Please dress your kiddos in clothes that are okay to get a little dirty. If you have kid-sized gardening gloves and a hand shovel, feel free to bring them along—otherwise, bare hands work beautifully, too!
One quick favor to help our park: You might notice some roped-off sections at Warner Park and Garden. The grass has been freshly reseeded. Please help us keep the kiddos (and grown-ups!) off those spots so the new grass can thrive. Because we’re giving the lawn some time to mature, we are postponing our upcoming events like Yoga and Fitness in the Park. Our pollinator planting is happening in a separate area, completely clear of the baby grass.
What an incredible Earth Week and first half of Spring it has been for our neighborhood! Thanks to the hard work of our amazing volunteers, donors, and partners, we have some massive achievements to celebrate. We are officially seeing the beautiful, compounding results of a journey that began over a decade ago.
A Milestone 11 Years in the Making
We are thrilled to announce that on Saturday, April 25th, GWCA officially hit its 2026 Pollinator/Stormwater Absorption goal for the entire year with the installation of our 18th site at Greenview and Warner!
This milestone is the culmination of a vision that started back in 2015 to expand the GWCA Pollinator Pathway.
A Massive Thank You To:
Our Donors & Members: Your donations and membership funds made this expansion possible.
Congressman Quigley & Landlord Marty Signa: Thank you for your incredible support of our green initiatives.
Our Hardworking Crews: A huge shoutout to the GWCA members, the 2025 LVHS JROTC, and the 2026 LVHS Garden Club (who also added gorgeous new native plants to the LVHS campus on Earth Day, April 22nd!).
Our Newest Team Members: A warm welcome to TJ and Karolina, who helped us cross the finish line on our 18th site!
Small Spaces, Massive Impact: The Science of Our Gardens
These aren’t just pretty flower beds—they are hard-working environmental assets. Each of our 18 sites is about 100 square feet, but look at what they do:
Incredible Water Absorption: Each 100 sq. ft. site absorbs more than 2,000 gallons of stormwater per year, keeping it out of our city sewer system.
Supercharged Soil: We amended the soil 6 inches deep for maximum absorbency using coconut coir and compost.
Symbiotic Roots: Plant roots were dusted with mycorrhizal inoculate fungi to help them grow strong and resilient.
Wildlife Habitats: We planted deep-rooted native species specifically chosen to provide essential habitats for birds, butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects.
Bring the Pathway to Your Yard!
We encourage all neighbors to adopt this model! The magic ratio is 100 square feet of native planting for every 3,000 square feet of lot.
You can make a huge difference right at home by swapping out non-permeable hardscapes (like concrete or non-permeable pavers) and non-absorptive landscapes (like standard grass turf) for deep-rooted native plants. If you need recommendations for great local native plant nurseries, Janice is happy to help!
Need some cleanup inspiration? Just take a look at the fantastic progress made by the team over at Access Contemporary Music (ACM)!
How You Can Get Involved Right Now
1. Volunteers Needed: Help Us Maintain Our Beautiful Corners
To keep our gardens thriving, we are looking for everyone to help pick up any litter you see in the neighborhood, specifically at our parkways, corners and the bioswales.
We’re also looking for a few helping hands to do light weeding and trash pickup at:
Southport & Cuyler – SE and SW Corners (2–3 volunteers needed)
No expert experience is required—we will train you! If you or a neighbor love plants and beautification, please email Janice (jhorwich@sbcglobal.net) and Linda (lmbw5@comcast.net).
2. Share Plants & Grab Compost
Native Plants: Please let Linda and Janice know if you have native plants to share, or if your specific site needs a few more.
Mushroom Compost: We have extra bags of mushroom compost available to help your garden beds thrive. Reach out to Janice and Linda to claim what you need.
3. Coming Up Next: Fun for the Whole Family!
We have a wonderful event coming up perfect for our youngest gardeners…We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Kids Pollinator Planting Garden Event on Sunday, May 31, from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AMat Warner Park and Gardens.
Why Pollinators?
Pollinators do a massive job for our planet, helping grow the fruits, veggies, and flowers we love. But they need our help to find safe, healthy places to feed and rest. In just 30 minutes, our kids will create a vibrant sanctuary that will support local wildlife all summer long.
What to Expect:
Hands-on Fun: Kids will get to dig in the dirt and plant their very own pollinator-friendly flowers.
Mini-Lesson: A super quick, kid-friendly chat about how bees and butterflies help our gardens grow.
Community Connection: Connect with other local families and watch your hard work grow week after week!
We can’t wait to dig in with you and make our community a little greener, one flower at a time!
Thursday, June 19 | Time: 6–7:30 PM | Location: Warner Park & Gardens (1444 W Warner)
Join the Graceland West Community Association for an evening of updates, conversation, environmental inspiration, and a delicious summer solstice potluck. Let’s come together to celebrate what we’ve accomplished and look ahead to what’s next.
Meeting Agenda Highlights
Annual Environmental Program & ECO Updates We’ll hear from:
Olivia Reda of Alliance for the Great Lakes on microplastics, health, and the actions we can take.
Kevin Serena of EXO Building Solutions will discuss green roof and water proofing solutions.
Our GWCA ECO Committee on our growing network of 14 native plant pollinator and stormwater absorption sites, including two new ones at Lake View High School planted by JROTC.
Updates on our Earth Week ’55 projects including our first ever Celebration of Cycling, the Pollinator sites at LVHS and the Warner Park Kid’s Pollinator site.
Garden Walk Planning Calling all gardeners! Our 43rd Annual Garden Walk is coming up on Sunday, July 27. Want to help organize it, show your garden or just be part of the fun? Come learn more and sign up!
Council Election Three of your neighbors—Bruce, Colin, and Janice—are running to serve on the GWCA Council. Interested in joining too? Let us know! (Eligible voting members must reside in the neighborhood and be current on dues.)
Community Thanks & Neighborhood Projects
Big thanks to volunteers helping with bioswales and traffic circles—your work helps reduce flooding and beautify the neighborhood.
We’re also fundraising to support continued planting at Lake View High School—every dollar helps create more green spaces.
Summer Solstice Potluck
Bring a dish to share, your own beverage + container, and reusable utensils. The pot luck will begin as soon as the meeting concludes. We’d love help setting up tables at 5:25 PM and putting them away at 7:30 PM. Volunteers are also needed to help run the potluck!
Celebrate Earth Week with Us – Saturday, April 26!
Spring is here, and it’s the perfect time to dust off the pedals and join your neighbors for a morning of community and cycling. GWCA, in partnership with Lake View High School, Pedalheads, The Recyclery and Quantum LEEP Academy, invites you to our Celebration of Cycling on Saturday, April 26, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Lake View High School’s parking lot (4015 N Ashland Ave).
Event Schedule:
10:00 – 11:00 AM:Bike Decoration Station Join students and staff from Quantum LEEP Academy to add some flair to your bike and get parade-ready!
10:00 – 11:30 AM:Kids’ Obstacle Course Guided by the Pedalheads team, young riders can build confidence and have fun navigating a safe and exciting course.
10:00 – 11:30 AM:Bike Donation & Swap The Recyclery will be accepting bikes and parts for donation. It’s a great opportunity to give unused items a new life or find something new-to-you.
11:00 – 11:30 AM:Bike Parade An all-ages neighborhood ride to showcase our bike infrastructure and celebrate cycling together. Safety volunteers will guide the route.
Why Attend?
This event is a fantastic way to engage with the community, promote sustainable transportation, and enjoy a fun-filled morning with activities for all ages. Whether you’re looking to donate a bike, help your child gain confidence on two wheels, or simply enjoy a leisurely ride through the neighborhood, there’s something for everyone.
Get Involved:
If you’re interested in assisting with setup, guiding the parade, or spreading the word, please reach out to us.
Stay Connected:
For more details and updates, visit our event page.
Let’s celebrate cycling, community, and Earth Week. See you there!
SUMMER SOLSTICE POTLUCK AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY MEETING
After a wonderful yoga session in the park last Saturday, we’ll be back at Warner Park & Gardens, 1444 W Warner, this Thursday, June 20, 6:30 – 8 pm for our quarterly community meeting.
Judy Pollock, President of Chicago Birding Alliance (former Chicago Audubon) will return by neighborhood request and share information on local and migrating birds and their needs.
Neighbors Ben and Sarah Conley are certified TreeKeepers, who will provide support information on habitat for birds and tree care.
Neighborhood updates, Garden Walk sign-up, semi-annual Council election.
Summer Solstice Potluck, bring a finger food app, main or dessert to share. BYO beverages, compostable plates and reusable utensils.
Bring your littles to Warner Park on Sunday, May 5 at 11:00 to participate in planting a native plant garden.
In addition to helping initiate the native plant garden, neighborhood kids can ask questions about pollinator ecology and learn about the amazing wildlife in our beautiful city.
We’ll have hand shovels and gloves, but bring your own if you have them. Questions? Please reach out to info@gracelandwest.org.
Last weekend, TreeKeeper Ben Conley led neighborhood shrub planting efforts and provided key points from the U.S. Forest Service, including not to put mulch against shrub or tree trunks and instead use the “donut hole” mulching technique that is recommended for healthy shrubs and trees.
Interested in receiving a native shrub / tree during our 2024 Earth Day Celebration planting. We’d like to select 2-3 members to each receive a small native shrub.
Let us know ASAP if you are interested. Planting will be on Saturday, April 20 beginning at 10 am and everyone will learn about soil prep, planting and care. Contact info@gracelandwest.org if interested.
Schuette’s Oak – an example of the type of 1 qt shrubs/trees we’ll be planting. Credit: Possibility Place.
Graceland West Butterfly Habitat Gardens Do you have a garden, yard or parkway that provides butterfly habitat? Please let us know at info@gracelandwest.org. We invite you to share a photo too @graceland_west_gwca on Instagram, @gracelandwest on Facebook.
