Blog – Page 4 – Friends of Lake Wingra

Madison Alder District 13 Q&A

Take Action!, Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

The Friends of Lake Wingra asked each candidate five questions about their connection to Lake Wingra, District 13’s unique environmental challenges, their approach to watershed management, and strategies to understand and represent Lake Wingra’s needs. Candidates Tag Evers info@tagevers.comwww.tagevers.comFacebook: Tag EversTwitter: @TagEvers What does Lake Wingra mean to you?Lake Wingra is the reason I moved to this neighborhood. […]

Madison Alder District 13 Q&A Read More »

Native Plants Add Winter Interest to Your Garden

Environmental Education / Lake Wingra Team

by Liz McBride Photos by Liz McBride and David Thompson Spring through fall, native plants beautify our gardens and provide food for birds and insects. But even in the dead of winter, they lighten the heart and feed the hungry. Stripped of leaves and petals, native plants add form, texture, and even color to the

Native Plants Add Winter Interest to Your Garden Read More »

How Brown Leaves Help Turn Lake Wingra Green

Leaves and Phosphorus, Take Action!, Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

By Roger Bannerman Every Fall the leaves accumulating in our residential streets contribute to making Lake Wingra turn green in the summer. Rain water running through the fallen leaves can release nutrients, such as phosphorus and carry it to the lake. If the leaves are left on the street for the few weeks of the

How Brown Leaves Help Turn Lake Wingra Green Read More »

A Statewide Accomplishment: A New DNR Rain Garden Manual

Rain Gardens, Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

The Department of Natural Resources has a new and improved rain garden manual for your use! Rain Gardens: A Guide for Homeowners and Landscapers, the new manual, discusses the three main steps to designing a rain garden for your home: Step 1 – sizing and siting, Step 2 – constructing, and Step 3 – Planting

A Statewide Accomplishment: A New DNR Rain Garden Manual Read More »

Big Changes in 2018: Friends of Lake Wingra Year in Review

Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

A lot has happened around our watershed this year, both on the surface and behind the scenes. What new things are you most excited about? We completed our second year of frog and toad citizen science monitoring! Our volunteers heard six different species. See when we heard them and how it compares to last year

Big Changes in 2018: Friends of Lake Wingra Year in Review Read More »

Under the Ice: How Organisms Survive Lake Wingra in Winter

Environmental Education, Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

by Grace Graham, WI Master Naturalist Volunteer for UW-Madison Arboretum Just as we are experiencing the transformation to winter, the lakes around us are facing their own seasonal changes. During spring and fall, the water column experiences a process called turnover, the mixing of water from different depths, and a redistribution of oxygen and nutrients.

Under the Ice: How Organisms Survive Lake Wingra in Winter Read More »

Happy New Year Lake Wingra Friend!

Uncategorized / Lake Wingra Team

Happy New Year, Lake Wingra Friend! The winter is a great time to enjoy the treasures of Lake Wingra. As you’ll see in this newsletter, there are lots of interesting things happening below the ice, and above. I hope you get an opportunity to get out in the watershed or on the Lake this winter

Happy New Year Lake Wingra Friend! Read More »

Leaf mulch: good for the flowerbed, good for the watershed

Take Action! / Lake Wingra Team

by Tim Kuhman (Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Edgewood College and Friends of Lake Wingra board member) Every autumn as the days get noticeably shorter with each passing day and the trees throughout my neighborhood begin to drop their leaves, I watch as frustrated homeowners tackle the Sisyphean task of raking those leaves

Leaf mulch: good for the flowerbed, good for the watershed Read More »

Children Friendly Storm Water Activity: Building a Rain Barrel

Take Action! / Lake Wingra Team

By Hannah Buscemi, William Wirono, and Vanessa Studer Following a rain or storm, hundreds of gallons of water flow from roofs of houses through downspouts, and eventually end up in our storm drains that empty out into our local lakes. In fact, with just one inch of rain, approximately 150 gallons of water are sent down

Children Friendly Storm Water Activity: Building a Rain Barrel Read More »

Meet Your Local Aquatic Plant: The Common Bladderwort

Aquatic Plants, Environmental Education / Lake Wingra Team

By Hannah Buscemi The common bladderwort is an aquatic plant native to the Northern hemisphere, and it can be found in Wisconsin and Lake Wingra. In fact, out of all the Madison area Lakes, this includes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, Kegonsa, Lower & Upper Mud Lake, and the Yahara River, Lake Wingra was the only one to

Meet Your Local Aquatic Plant: The Common Bladderwort Read More »

Meet Your Local Frog: The American Bullfrog

Amphibian Phenology / Lake Wingra Team

By Vanessa Studer The American Bullfrog is an amphibian found throughout Wisconsin’s lakes, ponds, and creeks. You can even find and hear it at Lake Wingra! They are the largest of all North American frogs, reaching lengths of up to 8 inches. Females tend to weigh in slightly larger than their male counterparts. American Bullfrogs

Meet Your Local Frog: The American Bullfrog Read More »

Hot Weather Raises Wingra Temperatures Again

Lake Quality Updates / Lake Wingra Team

July 6, 2018 Dip your fingers in Lake Wingra and you will find the temperature of the water has increased by about 10 degrees in the last 12 days. Because of our heat wave, the temperature has increased from about 74 degrees to 83 degrees. A renewal of swimming pool temperatures has increased

Hot Weather Raises Wingra Temperatures Again Read More »