Events

Liz Stanley is a Bloomington resident, software engineer and avid birdwatcher. As a Minnesota Master Naturalist, Liz's volunteer work includes caring for birds of prey at Richardson Nature Center, and coordinating the annual Bloomington Christmas Bird Count. In her presentation, "Give Nature a Home," she shares what we can do in our own yards to make a difference for wildlife.

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.

We will hear about various native bees, including bumble bees, with a focus on the endangered Rusty patched, as well as many pollinators and other wildlife relationships in a native ecosystem. She plans to include native plant lists for sun and shade that support pollinators, and native habitat to support pollinator nesting, hibernation, and shelter.
Judy Cardin is a bumble bee expert and educator with the WI DNR’s community science program Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade. When Judy retired as Bureau Director with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, she transitioned her 50 year passion for nature and gardening into her retirement career: sharing her knowledge of bumble bees, how to restore yard and community spaces to native habitat that will support native wildlife, in particular bumble bees and pollinators. Judy is also the administrator of the Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers Facebook page. Wisconsin/Midwest Bumble Bee Observers | Facebook
An excellent booklet From Judy and her husband: Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Floral Phenology

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.!  

    Dustin is the owner of the native plant nursery Blazing Star Gardens, and is well known for producing and landscaping with native plants.   In addition to growing and marketing beautiful native plants, he is a professional landscaper and garden designer who understands many people want beautiful, high-quality gardens with native plants.  His mission for Blazing Star Gardens is to create wildflower gardens that support wildlife and bring native plants back to the cities and back to the people.   

Dustin will help folks figure out how to reduce their lawns and bring their yards to life with native plant landscapes designed to enhance the beauty and vitality of their properties.             

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.

Annual Member Dinner - Celebrate our chapter

Time and date may change - It will be determined by season and timing of ephemerals (we have to go on their schedule, not ours). 

Spring ephemerals such as Mayapple, Trout Lilu, Spring Beauty, Dutchman's Breeches, Hepatica, Virginia Bluebells, wood poppies, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and more.  Wild Ramps may also be seen.  Since spring ephemerals pop up in woods before the trees leaf out and complete their life cycles very quickly, Spring is the only time to see these beauties.  

We will offer a ride share from Emmaus Church in Northfield.

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.

We will be hosting Dustin Demmer's Blazing Star Gardens' Native Plant Sale in Northfield - Great opportunity to come and purchase high quality native plants.
Cover photo - by Dustin Demmer of part of one of his gardens.
PRE-ORDERING AVAILABLE: https://www.blazingstargardens.com/ 

We will be working with the Cannon River Valley Master Naturalists to remove wild parsnip and other invasive species from a roadside determined to be of high value as a remnant prairie.

We will be working with the Cannon River Valley Master Naturalists to remove wild parsnip and other invasive species from a roadside determined to be of high value as a remnant prairie.

We will be doing an unofficial butterfly count to see what species and how many butterflies are at the park that day.  We will also have Molly C talk about mushrooms in the park and mushroom hunting.  Butterfly counting will be mainly in the prairie part of the park with the mushroom search in the woods.

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.