Events

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

Learn from the pros how to propagate native wildflowers, shrubs, trees for your own landscape. Instruction includes seed preparation and sowing, growing tips and techniques, and an introduction to local botany. 

You'll leave this hands-on course with not only the information you need to grow your own native plants, but also with a tray of native plants ready to grow!

Space is limited to 20 participants per session - 8am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm. Register early to secure your spot! 

Course fee: $25 per person

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

Join us for a short video featuring nationally known conservationist and entomologist, Doug Tallamy, who explains the urgency for planting native to support more life - a science based solution to the biodiversity crisis. 

Discussion and refreshments to follow. Meet fellow native plant enthusiasts, share your experiences, and learn from theirs. 

Please RSVP to:  [email protected]

RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 4

We will be participating in the OSU Washington County Master Gardener Hort Series program, “Going Native!”. 

Our presentation will include the webinar,  “Native Plants Planted Right”, followed by a panel of Foothills chapter members discussing their own experiences getting started with native plants.

Gale Martin, owner of Natives in Harmony native plant nursery will follow with a presentation on “Native Plant for Pollinators and Year-Round Color”.

There is a registration fee of 10.00 payable to OSU Extension.  Limited seating . Please call 740-376-7431 for registration. Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Join us for a tour of Parkersburg Library Arboretum featuring native spring woodland flowers. Learn more about these lovely early bloomers and how they can enhance your own native plant garden.

No registration required.

This event will be held rain or shine - please dress accordingly.

Join us for a free community screening of The Extraordinary Caterpillar, a visually stunning documentary that reveals the hidden world of caterpillars and their essential role in sustaining life on Earth.

Featuring naturalist Sam Jaffe of The Caterpillar Lab and entomologist Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Homegrown National Park, the film reveals how these tiny creatures support entire food webs — from backyard birds to bears — and why biodiversity restoration begins in our own backyards.

From blooming meadows to city parks and backyard gardens, this inspiring film celebrates the magic of nature while showing families practical ways to make a difference.

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

Join us for a leisurely guided wildflower walk along the Athens bike trail. The wooded hillsides along the trail are home to some of our area's loveliest spring bloomers, including trillium, bluebells, woodland phlox, and more.

Those who are in the mood for food or libation may want to get a table at the Eclipse restaurant and enjoy brunch/lunch with fellow walkers.

We will meet at the bike  trail entrance in back of the Eclipse Company Store. Parking is in the lot in front of the restaurant.

This event is free and open to the public.

Washington Works Nature Trails is a Wildlife Habitat Council
Certified Gold site that includes over 2 miles of trails through wetlands, forested
areas and open meadows

Meet at the outdoor classroom/shelter where retiree/volunteer Dave Johnson will
provide a guided tour of areas featuring native plants including milkweed, discuss the
guide for native plants and flowers identified at the trails, and provide a history of the
development of the trails including the involvement of Chemours employee volunteer
groups as well as community organizations.

Parking is limited at this site; please plan to carpool.

Register in advance by email at:    [email protected] 

Attendance is limited to 25 participants.

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Join us for this special visit to Indigo Hill, the 80 acre nature sanctuary that is home to renowned artist and writer, Julie Zickefoose. Julie will share her experiences restoring the land, creating habitat for wildlife, and serving as a role model and advocate for environmental stewardship.

This is a Members Only event and space is limited to 20 participants.

Register early to save your spot.

[email protected]

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

Registration link coming soon.

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Registration link coming soon.

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.