How Milk Jugs Are Helping Us Turn Fairways into Wildflower Fields

By Tanner Yurk
Conservation Programs Manager

In the last 20 years, the Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy (WLAC) purchased a 139-acre property on Wildwood Harbor Road that included a portion of a local golf hole. For over 20 years, we allowed that fairway to “re-naturalize” on its own. However, simply leaving land alone often isn’t enough to fend off invasive species, which thrive in disturbed areas and pose a massive threat to Michigan’s biodiversity. 

Over the last couple of years, we’ve been working to transition this site from a simple open space into a sanctuary for bees, butterflies, and other wildlife.  This project is designed to jump-start habitat renewal in conjunction with our ongoing invasive species management. 

The strategy is simple: once invasive plants are removed, the bare ground is a magnet for secondary invasions. By aggressively replanting with native species, we provide the competition necessary to keep invasives at bay while supporting local wildlife. Native plants do what invasives can’t; they participate in symbiotic relationships with our local insects and birds, specifically supporting monarchs and other pollinators. 

To kick this off, we held a winter seed sowing event in February with Charlevoix Antrim Kalkaska Emmet Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CAKE CISMA) using repurposed milk jugs as miniature greenhouses. We sowed a mix of Bergamot, Early Sunflower, Foxglove Beardtongue, Asters, Coreopsis, Milkweed, and other species.

This winter sowing method works by mimicking nature’s natural cycle. The milk jugs protect the seeds from wildlife and hard winds while allowing them to experience the essential freeze-thaw cycles required for germination. The containers trap solar heat during the day and retain moisture, creating an ideal microclimate that toughens up the seedlings far better than a climate-controlled greenhouse. 

Currently, these miniature greenhouses are “hibernating” at our Postle Farm Preserve, soaking up the sun during the remainder of the Northern Michigan winter and preparing for spring. 

This entire initiative is made possible by the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, which fully funded the project through an Environment & Land Use grant. Their support allows CAKE CISMA to provide these restoration services and seed libraries to residents and conservation groups, ensuring that cost isn’t a barrier to ecological health. 

The final step for this restoration site happens on May 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM. WLAC and CAKE CISMA staff and volunteers will be at the Wildwood Harbor Nature Area to transplant our seedlings into the former golf hole. These restoration efforts will also be featured in future publications to help local landowners replicate this success in their own backyards. 

We hope to see you on May 16 to help us turn this piece of history into a thriving part of the Walloon Lake watershed. 

Sign up for this planting and other events at www.walloon.org/get-involved/events.