Planting Natives for Fall Color and Winter Interest presented by Benjamin Vogt
October 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Join the Rock River Valley Chapter (RRVC) Wild Ones' 30-year anniversary reception. Author Benjamin Vogt, nationally known native landscape designer, will present "Planting Natives for Fall Color & Winter Interest and Fall Garden Management Strategies (Why Not to Rake Your Leaves!)." Read More
Engaging Community to Save and Care for Endangered Natural Areas
September 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Join us as we welcome Amy Doll and Daniel Pohl to speak about their work to engage the community in stewarding nature preserves and other endangered ecosystems in the wake of Bell Bowl Prairie. Read More
Adventures in Food Forestry
August 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Join us to hear Judy Speer as she presents the story of 15 years of growth in a (mostly) native food forest in northern Illinois. Inspired by permaculture and ecological restoration practices, she and her husband Jack have been transforming a patch of woody invasives into a diverse multilayered perennial habitat that also provides some food and medicine for humans. Read More
Founders Celebration & Member Picnic – Members Only Event
July 2024
Please join us on Saturday, July 20, at the Founders Celebration & Member Picnic. We will meet at Jarrett Prairie at Byron Forest Preserve, Illinois. There will be time to visit, guest speakers, and prairie tours. A picnic lunch will be served. Wild Ones membership is required to attend this event.
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From Prairie to Vase: A Workshop on How to Enjoy your Wildflower Blooms Indoors presented by Jerry Paulson and Linda Ricker
June 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Our own Jerry Paulson and Linda Ricker will present a workshop on bringing the beauty of your summer prairie flowers and grasses into your home to enjoy, with advice on selecting and conditioning flowers for cut arrangements, picking the proper container, floral design principles and prolonging the life of your flowers. Containers, flowers and foliage will be provided to make your own arrangement; you can also bring your own cut flowers from home if you have a favorite you want to include. Read More
The Impact of Bison on the Prairie Ecology of Nachusa Grasslands presented by Dr. Elizabeth Bach
May 2024
Dr. Elizabeth Bach will talk about the long-term plant community monitoring at Nachusa Grasslands as well as research coming out from the first several years with bison. Ecosystem restoration provides potential to reverse losses in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Long-term monitoring is essential to understanding if restoration projects deliver on this potential. In this talk, Dr. Bach will present long-term, multi-trophic data collected across the 35-year history of the Nachusa Grasslands preserve near Dixon, Illinois.
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Wild Ferns of Illinois presented by Chris Benda
April 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Over 100 native fern species can be found in Illinois. This Zoom presentation will introduce basic fern terminology with photos and identification tips to identify them in the wild.Christopher David Benda is a botanist living in southern Illinois. He coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program for the Chicago Botanic Garden, conducts rare plant surveys for the Shawnee National Forest, and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois at Southern Illinois University.
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Wildlife is Not Random presented by Peggy Anesi
March 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
So you’ve made the decision to create a beautiful and environmentally-friendly native plant garden. Now your garden is full of wonderful pollinators such as monarch butterflies, solitary bees, and clearwing moths that dart from flower to flower like hummingbirds. There are myriad species of interesting birds like warblers and woodpeckers and vireos. Success! But you also notice some larger, mammalian creatures like squirrels, raccoons, and skunks that have taken a shine to your plantings. Read More
How and Why to Build a Rain Garden Easing Pollution and Flooding at Home presented by Rebecca Olsen
February 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Everyone contributes a little bit to water pollution and flooding, and everyone can be part of the solution. Home is a great place to start! Join us to learn how to plant a rain garden that will soak up stormwater and absorb the pollutants it carries while attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. Learn why rain gardens are an important addition to the suburban landscape and how to properly size, plant, and care for your rain garden.
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Looking Forward to a Livelier Landscape: Native Plant Landscapes, The Best is Yet to Come presented by Alan Branhagen
January 2024 (Click the title to view the program YouTube video)
Having nature close by enriches our lives. This program provides ideas on how to bring more nature into our landscapes while capturing the spirit of your place. Insects run the world after plants: discover some keystone plants to nurture more insects and create a more sustainable landscape. Learn about maintenance that embraces nature to create a flourishing ecosystem: what does it take to have a diversity of bees, butterflies, and moths in your yard? Lastly, have faith in a seed, understand that plants migrate, and know if you plant it, they will spread.