Name: Expresscapes
Start: 2026-03-05T16:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-03-05T19:00:00-06:00
Location: Urban Ecology Center

Expresscape: Next Steps with Native Plants
Ready to move forward with native plants but not sure where to start, or what comes next?
Meet one-on-one with professional landscape designers to get personalized answers to your native plant questions. Whether you’re planning a small garden refresh or thinking bigger, our experts will help you take the next step with confidence.
What you’ll get:
A 1-on-1 consultation with a native plant designer
Answers tailored to your space, goals, and challenges
A brief personalized landscape plan to guide your next steps
Important details:
Registration required (spots are limited)
Registration closes February 26, 2026
This event is free to attend. Optional donations support bird-friendly landscaping and conservation efforts in our community.
👉 Register here:
https://lmbo.questionpro.com/mke2026
Want to know who you’ll meet with?
Check out our designer bios below!
Amanda Abramovich, Local Legacy
After studying at UW-Stevens Point, Amanda performed native plant surveys and managed invasive species across Wisconsin's landscape. She continues to refine her expertise through ongoing professional mentorship, and it inspired her to launch Local Legacy in 2025. She is passionate about showing homeowners that native gardening isn’t "all or nothing"—every plant contributes to a larger ecosystem. Amanda’s favorite part of her work is seeing the moment a client realizes their yard has become a vital haven for local birds and pollinators. Amanda believes, that together, we can create a plant legacy that nurtures the natural world for future generations.
Jamie Sue Beaupré, Native Niche
Native Niche is dedicated to the improvement of natural areas in southeastern Wisconsin to benefit wildlife, pollinators and groundwater bringing the land back to Wisconsin's natural heritage. They specialize in the removal of non-native plant species, plant identification and site assessment, prairie construction & maintenance, prescribed fire, and can provide site-specific plans for trees, shrubs and herbaceous plantings. We work in existing prairies, woodlands, wetlands and other natural areas.
Danielle Bell, Native Roots
Danielle has always had a passion for the outdoors and natural landscapes which started when she was a young child. With over 10 years of professional experience restoring native landscapes, she uses her extensive plant knowledge to restore the land back to healthy, ecologically functioning landscapes. Her design plans merge human aesthetics with habitat for insects, birds and mammals. Her passion is to restore sterile turf monocultures into healthy, sustainable, diverse habitats that both people and animals can enjoy.
Anne Bohl, Johnson's Nursery
In her position as a Landscape Designer for Johnson's Nursery, she loves incorporating native plants in her designs. Working with mostly residential clients, she really enjoys educating folks about the different insect and bird populations they can support in their own yards and the far-reaching impacts we can all have in our own small spaces on the world around us. Before becoming a Landscape Designer, Anne worked as a landscape horticulture crew leader. She has also spent many seasons doing environmental restoration, prescribed burns, and ran an organic vegetable farm in Northeast Iowa for six years.
Tim Krause, Milwaukee North Wild Ones
Tim is a Milwaukee-based native plant grower and nature enthusiast who strives to help people create gardens that support our local ecosystem. He is in the process of building Waterleaf Gardens, a small nursery focused on growing regionally appropriate native grasses, perennials, and shrubs from local ecotype seed. Tim’s native plant journey began in 2020 with a plant identification app and grew through hands-on learning with Wild Ones, seed collecting, and experimenting in his own garden. He believes gardens can be both beautiful and ecologically functional, and he especially enjoys working with underappreciated native species that many consider “Weedy”.

Eric Magnes, Johnson’s Nursery
Eric has a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from Iowa State and worked as a TV meteorologist for seven years before joining Johnson’s Nursery. His passion for weather began with his love for the redwoods of the West Coast. As a kid, he planted twelve Dawn Redwoods in his backyard to mimic Coastal Redwoods as best he could, but quickly learned that water, soil, and climate have major impacts on plant success. Only one of the twelve Dawn Redwoods is still alive today. This confirmed for him that ideas of plant beauty are subjective, plant function is not. In his own yard, he has added over 250 native species and has attracted Rusty Patched Bumblebees for three years in a row, along with countless monarchs and birds.
Lisa Oddis, Menomonee River Wild Ones
Lisa serves as the Menomonee River Chapter President of Wild Ones. She is both passionate and knowledgeable about native plants.
Michaela Rosenthal, Urban Ecology Center
Michaela started her career in horticultural landscape design, traveling around the world to grow and cultivate her understanding for proper plant use. Her passion for native plants and the ecological role they play blossomed while working at Johnson's Nursery and volunteering with Urban Ecology Center. In 2013 Michaela committed to pursuing the path of natural area restoration and management as Land Manager with Urban Ecology Center. She is currently the Director of Land Management with Urban Ecology Center. Michaela actively volunteers with The Prairie Enthusiasts, WDNR, and local natural area conservation.
Nicci Sternitzky, Elm Grove Beautification Committee
Nicci is a lifelong gardener, stung by the Doug Tallamy bug about 8 years ago. She has been slowly converting her yard to natives since. She has been serving as the chair of the Elm Grove Beautification Committee since 2020 which has actively introduced her to many community projects including: rain garden installations, invasive species removal, educational programming, restoration, water quality improvements, bird conservation actions, and native plant sales. She loves to assist others in transforming their thoughts about gardening and their gardens!