Events

Join us for our January chapter meeting and guest speaker.

Date: January 10, 2026

Time:  9:30 AM -11:30 AM

Dennis Fermenich presents : "It takes More Than Trees"

City of Greenfield Consulting Forester, Dennis Fermenich will present "It takes More Than Trees".  Dennis will talk about his work in Greenfield, including installing pollinator habitats, urban forestry projects and how to obtain civic designations like Tree City & Bird City.

This meeting is free and open to the public; just let the front gate attendant know you're here for Wild Ones.  

We will be in a classroom on the first floor of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (past the lobby desk and down the hallway).

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.

Invasive species are a major threat to healthy ecosystems in southeastern Wisconsin—but restoration is happening right here in your own back yard.

Join our guest expert, Patrick Siwula, Southeast Region Aquatic Invasive Species Biologist with the Wisconsin DNR, for "Invasive Species and Restoration Efforts in the Milwaukee Area."

 Learn about local invasive species, how they spread, and what’s being done to restore native ecosystems—and how you can help.

This meeting is free and open to the public; just let the front gate attendant know that you are there for Wild Ones.

We will be in a classroom on the first floor of Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (past the lobby desk down the hallway to the left).

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.!  

In many ways, our modern Homo sapiens brains are nothing more than “Caveman brains in a modern world.”

Join us and guest expert, Nick Coley, Native Plant Nursery Owner and Consultant, to explore how we can craft better gardens through understanding our biological selves and our evolutionary past.

We invite you to come with your own thoughts and answers to these questions: 

How would you describe “Us”? What kind of habitat do WE need as the species Homo sapiens?And what do our brains really want out of a native garden?

This meeting is free and open to the public; just let the front gate attendant know that you are there for Wild Ones.

We will be in a classroom on the first floor of Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (past the lobby desk down the hallway to the left).

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.

Dr. Jeff Karron’s upcoming talk features striking slow-motion videography to highlight the interdependence of bumble bee queens and spring-flowering perennial plants. Early-blooming native perennials provide the essential food resources queens need to survive, establish nests, and successfully raise their first brood. In turn, many spring flowering plants depend heavily on bumble bees for effective pollination and seed production.

 All video and photography featured in this presentation were filmed in high-quality woodland and prairie sites across southeastern Wisconsin. The talk highlights the importance of conserving and restoring early-season floral resources to sustain bumble bee populations.

Dr. Karron is Professor of Biology emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is internationally known for his research on the ecology of plant-pollinator interactions, bumble bee behavior, and the conservation of endangered plants.

 For more information about his research, please visit his website: www.karronlab.com. Jeff recently produced a highly regarded nature documentary highlighting the ecology of bumble bees and native plants in a tallgrass prairie https://youtu.be/fQsnPAWQqcI

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 guided walk around Urban Ecology Center's Riverside Park. Our walk will be led by Jeremy "Moose" Rappaport, who is a Wild Ones board member and the land manager at Riverside Park. He will focus on showing us the spring-blooming native plants at the park.

This program is free. It will be outdoors, so please dress appropriately for the conditions.

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.

Join Wild Ones for a special guided tour of Benjamin Arnold's private property in Mequon, where years of restoration work have transformed the landscape into thriving native habitat. August is one of the best times to visit, with a wide variety of native wildflowers, grasses, and other plants in bloom. This walking tour will explore the property's trails and restoration efforts while providing opportunities to observe native plants and wildlife.

Advance registration is required. Parking is limited, and if attendance exceeds available parking, registered participants will receive information about carpooling options prior to the event.

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.