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.

Representative from the Ridges Sanctuary and Door County Climate Change discussed their reseach on planting trees in both boreal and temperate landscapes

Wild Ones member Karen Newbern will offer a Powerpoint Lecture on Rain Gardens…where and how to create them and how to select native plants appropriate to the site.

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.!  

Discover what's trending - and buzzing - in the garden this year!  Join Kori Zawojski of Sunnypoint Gardensfor a fresh, fun look at the newest plant varieties, colors, and can't miss pollinator friendly annuals that are stealing the spotlight this season!  Learn how today's annuals are bred for beauty, performance and purpose and discover easy ways to attract bees, butterflies and other beneficial visitors to your containers and garden beds. Expect lots of garden eye candy, and plenty of ideas to help your garden look great and give back!  

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.

Soil isn’t just dirt—it’s a vibrant, living ecosystem teeming with activity. Every choice we make in the garden, from spring bed prep to the final harvest, shapes the underground communities that keep our soils healthy, resilient, and productive.

Join Jamie Patton, Certified Professional Soil Scientist and lifelong soil enthusiast, as she brings more than 30 years of experience exploring the hidden wonders below ground. Together, we’ll dig into the fascinating lives of soil organisms and learn practical ways to nurture this “living underground” while growing delicious fruits, hearty vegetables, and native perennials. 

A look at Spring Ephemerals at Wild One's adopted park  begins in the Sawyer School Parking lot.

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.

Charlotte Lukes will talk about Door County Wildflowers in honor of Earth Week

Bring Mother, or just a love of spring ephemerals to one of the Wild One's adopted parks.

This very tiny park is filled with flowers. Easy hiking. Meet in the school parking lot

“WildSCAPING for Birds” is the topic of the May lecture, sponsored jointly

by Wild Ones Door Peninsula and The Door County Master Gardener

Association. Most folks try to attract birds by putting up bird houses and

filling bird feeders, but appropriate landscaping is far more effective.

Speaker Coggin Heeringa will describe the year-round need of our favorite

birds and explain how following bird-friendly landscape principles , most

important of which are the use of native plants and layered plantings, help

create viable habitats for birds and other wildlife

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.

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.