CARLINVILLE, Ill. — The Sweet Success of Backyard Berries will be 5 to 6 p.m. April 15 at the Macoupin County Extension office, 60 Carlinville Plaza, Carlinville.

Fresh home-grown berries are a summer treat. Learn how to grow and care for small fruits such as strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries, and embark on your own flavorful adventure.

Farmyard Frenzy

WAYNESVILLE, Ill. — Waynesville Farmyard Frenzy will be 10 a.m. to noon April 13 at the Waynesville Township Library, 303 2nd St., Waynesville.

Participants will get an up-close look at farm animals and participate in fun animal activities.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/wy5nrybc.

Fish Fry

ROCHESTER, Ind. — The Fulton County 4-H Council and Fair Association Fish and Tenderloin Fry will be 4 to 7 p.m. ET April 13 at the Fulton County 4-H Fairgrounds, 1009 W. 3rd St., Rochester.

Tickets are $15. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/mrxfch7k.

4-H Fundraiser

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The Kane County 4-H Foundation 15th Annual Pork Chop Dinner and Auction Fundraiser will be 4:30 to 7 p.m. April 13 at the at the Prairie Events Center at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles.

Menu choices are a two-chop dinner for $16, a 1-chop dinner for $14, or a pulled pork sandwich dinner for $12. The pork will be prepared by the Elburn Lions Club and served by 4-H Foundation, clubs, families, and other Extension volunteers and supporters.

Tickets are available by contacting your local 4-H club or 4-H Foundation; contacting event co-chairs Bill Collins at 630-484-6852 or Katherine Thompson at katthom8@yahoo.com; calling the Kane County Extension office at 630-584-6166; or stopping in during office hours at 535 S. Randall Road, St. Charles.

The silent auction will feature themed baskets donated by Kane County 4-H clubs, master gardener volunteers, local Home and Community Education groups, and other area supporters.

Proceeds from the dinner and auctions will benefit University of Illinois Extension programs in Kane County, including 4‑H Youth Development, Home and Community Education Association, horticulture, master gardener, and nutrition and wellness programs.

Gardening 101

RAYMOND, Ill. — Gardening 101 will be 10 to 11 a.m. April 15 at the Doyle Public Library, 109 S. O’Bannon St., Raymond.

Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Andrew Holsinger will cover gardening basics, from where to place your garden, how to prepare and lay it out, and plant selection.

Hydroponics, Greenhouse Series

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Hydroponics and Greenhouse Crop Production Webinar series will begin at noon April 15 with the topic Nutrient Management in Recycling Hydroponic Systems.

Other topics in the series will include:

• Temperature Management (Summer/ Winter) in Greenhouses, noon May 15.

•Organic Lettuce Production in Hydroponic Systems, noon June 12.

• How to Build an Indoor Hydroponic Production System for Homes and Schools, noon Aug. 21.

• Fundamentals of Soilless Substrates for Floriculture Crop Production, noon Sept. 18.

For more information, contact Lori Jolly-Brown at 765-494-1296 or ljollybr@purdue.edu.

Attracting Hummingbirds

MAKANDA, Ill. — The program Attracting Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds to Your Own Backyard Pollinator Garden will be 1 to 2 p.m. April 15 at the Giant City State Park Visitor Center, 235 Giant City Road, Makanda.

Learn about the natural history of the ruby-throated hummingbird, tips on supplemental feeding and native plant species that are attractive to hummingbirds.

To register, visit go.illinois.edu/hum.

Achievement Night

AUBURN, Ind. — The DeKalb County Extension Homemakers Aloha Achievement Night will be at 6 p.m. ET April 15 at the 4-H Exhibit Hall, 708 S. Union St., Auburn.

The menu will include Pineapple Chicken and Roast Pork, rice and peas.

Cost is $13. RSVP by contacting Penny Sleeper at 260-413-7431.

Community Planting Day

MARION, Ill. — Community Planting Day will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 16 at the First Presbyterian Church, 1200 S. Carbon St., Marion.

Learn how to plant a spring garden from seeds and transplants for produce that will support the Salvation Army Food Pantry.

No gardening experience is needed. Volunteers will meet at the garden behind the First Presbyterian Church. To register, call the Williamson County Extension office at 618-993-3304 or email Kim Rohling at kimrohli@illinois.edu.

Herb Gardening

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Herb Gardening will be noon to 1 p.m. April 16 at the Piatt County Extension office, 210 S. Market St., Monticello.

Learn how to select, plant and maintain herb gardens with Piatt County master gardeners.

Success with Seedlings

MOUNT OLIVE, Ill. — Success with Seedlings will be 4 to 5 p.m. April 16 at the Mount Olive Public Library, 1755, 100 N. Plum St., Mount Olive.

University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Andrew Holsinger will discuss various techniques for starting seeds indoors.

Herb Gardens

NORTH UTICA, Ill. — Learn about growing herbs from 5 to 6 p.m. April 16 at the Utica Public Library, 224 Mill St., North Utica.

Participants will learn how to select, plant and maintain herb gardens.

Invasive Species

VINCENNES, Ind. — Purdue Extension Daviess and Knox counties will present a three-part invasive species program:

• Introduction to Invasive Species and Reporting, Recording and Tracking, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET April 16 at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center, 4669 Purdue Road, Vincennes.

• Invasive Forest Plants: ID and Management, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET April 23 at Ouabache Trails Nature Center, 3500 N. Lower Fort Knox Road, Vincennes.

• Invasive Fish and Aquatic Invertebrates: ID and Preventing Spread, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET April 30, East Fork State Fish Hatchery, 5807 E 825 S, Montgomery.

Cost is $30. For registration information, visit https://tinyurl.com/3v278hya. For more information, contact Sarah Brackney, 812-254-8668, sbrackne@purdue.edu; or Valerie Clingerman, 812-882-3509, clingerman@purdue.edu.

Freezing Harvest

FREEPORT, Ill. — Freezing Your Summer Harvest will be 6 to 8 p.m. April 16 at the Stephenson County Extension office, 2998 W. Pearl City Road, Freeport.

Freezing is one of the easiest and least time-consuming methods of preserving food. Best of all, it keeps most foods’ natural color, fresh flavor, and nutritional qualities better than other food preservation methods.

For more information and to register, visit https://tinyurl.com/26hejzrj.

Woodworking Workshop

AUBURN, Ind. — The DeKalb County Woodworking Workshop will be 6 to 8 p.m. ET April 16 at the DeKalb County Office Building, 215 E. 9th St., Auburn.

The Northeast Indiana Woodworkers Association is joining Purdue Extension for the workshop where youths in third grade and up will handcraft a step stool.

Cost is $10. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/4xpmvuyf.

Cicadas: A Periodic Phenomenon

ST. CHARLES, Ill. — The program Cicadas: A Periodic Phenomenon will be 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 16 at the Kane County Extension office, 535 S. Randall Road, St. Charles.

In 2024, three periodical cicada broods will emerge in Illinois. University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Jamie Viebach will share this winged creature’s history, life cycles, and what effect they will have on plants and our lifestyle. For those interested, there also will be a cicada recipe to take home.

The program will be repeated at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at the Kendall County Extension office, 7775B IL Route 47, Yorkville; and 10 a.m. April 18 at the DuPage County Extension office, 1100 E. Warrenville Road, Suite 170, Naperville.

Succulent Workshop

WYANET, Ill. — The Cacti and Succulent Workshop will be 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. April 17 at the Raymond A. Sapp Memorial Township Library, 103 E. Main St., Wyanet.

Master gardeners from Bureau, La Salle and Marshall-Putnam counties will provide information on the proper selection, care, maintenance and propagation of succulents.

Eggs: From Farm to Fork

FREEPORT, Ill. — Eggs: From Farm to Fork will be 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 17 at the Freeport Public Library, 100 E. Douglas St., Freeport.

This Healthy Cooking at Home Series program will include information on understanding the various egg labels, purchasing and safely storing eggs, the grade and sizing of eggs, the nutritional value of eggs and cooking basics. Participants will leave with egg recipes to try at home.

Cost is $5. Register by visiting https://tinyurl.com/22baz6pc.

Native Pollinators

BELVIDERE, Ill. — Boone County Master Gardener Bobbi Burke will discuss different native pollinators and how to make your landscape attractive to them from 6 to 7 p.m. April 17 at the Ida Public Library, 320 N. State St., Belvidere.

To register for this free program, call the library at 815-544-3838.

Organic Gardening

MURPHYSBORO, Ill. — Organic Gardening for the Homestead will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 18 at the Jackson County Extension office, 402 Ava Road, Murphysboro.

University of Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator Chris Lueking will discuss the benefits of organic gardening, pest protection, disease strategies, weed control, companion planting and soil health.

Early-season flora

FERDINAND, Ind. — Botanist and author Nathanael Pilla will discuss some of Indiana’s early-season flora from 6 to 8 p.m. April 18 at St. Benedict’s Brew Works, 860 E. 10th St., Ferdinand.

Pilla’s most recent publication was the book “Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park” published by Indiana University Press and cowritten by Scott Namestnik, botonist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/454r59jx, or contact Invasive Species Awareness Coalition of Dubois County at info@isacdc.org or 812-482-1171.

Declutter Home, Finances

HEYWORTH, Ill. — The program Declutter Your Home and Finances will be 6:30 to 8 p.m. April 18 at the Heyworth Public Library, 119 E. Main St., Heyworth.

Do you feel overwhelmed trying to organize your stuff? Do you have a filing cabinet spilling over with financial paperwork? University of Illinois Extension Educator Sara Attig will discuss:

• Reasons for clutter and how it makes you feel.

• What financial documents need to be kept and when to discard documents.

• Secure options to discard sensitive financial documents.

• The benefits of decluttering and minimizing.

• Strategies and create a plan to clear your clutter.

To register, call the library at 309-473-2313.

Taste of Extension

HILLSBORO, Ill. — Taste of Extension will be 4:30 to 7 p.m. April 19 at the Montgomery County Extension office, 1 Industrial Park Drive, Hillsboro.

This event is the perfect opportunity for the public to come out, explore Extension program areas and get a “taste” of what Extension offers.

There also will be a Make & Take Garden pop-up activity children can participate in, and you can donate to the Montgomery County 4-H Food Drive Contest where items will be donated to local food pantries.

Local food truck Lipe’s Lunchbox will be available on-site from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/yadb6bet.

Birdie Basics

ELIZABETH, Ill. — Birdie Basics: Youth Birding 101 will be 9 to 10:30 a.m. April 20 at the Schurmeier Teaching Forest, 147 E. Reusch Road, Elizabeth.

Youths ages 8 to 18 will learn how to properly use binoculars, and identify key features and behaviors that help distinguish different bird species. There also will be an outdoor exploration.

Participants 14 and older also are encouraged to join the Spring Bird Count on May 4. Additional details will be provided at the event.

Tree Planting

ORANGEVILLE, Ill. —Stephenson County 4-H Tree Planting Day will be 10 a.m. to noon April 20 at Addamsland Park Foundation — Butterfly Farm, 10405 N. Bellview Road, Orangeville.

In honor of Earth Day, the Stephenson County 4-H will be planting 25 oak trees to create an oak savanna at the Butterfly Farm. Register by calling 815-235-4125.

Birding Walk

HUDSON, Ill. — The Birding Walk will be 8 to 9:30 a.m. April 20 at COMLARA Park, 13001 Recreation Area Drive, Hudson.

Spring is a great time to look for birds, especially colorful warblers passing through on their way to nesting grounds. Learn some tips on bird identification. Participants will meet at the Osage Picnic Shelter in the park.

Calendar: The Sweet Success of Backyard Berries