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.

Over 20 pioneer prairie cemeteries are now Nature Preserves.  Though small, they are vital remnants of rare prairies.  Explore their value, challenges, and how volunteers can help protect them. 

Join us at Wild Things 2026 for an exciting lineup of workshops, presentations, and sessions from regional and national experts, plus meet & greets, video content, exhibitors, sponsors, and more! 

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.!  

Angella has worked for 27 years in west-central Illinois as field representative for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission. For the past 8 years she has used photography to document location, habitat, and plant associations for insects and other terrestrial invertebrates. Her book,  Flower Bugs: A Guide to Flower-Associated True Bugs of the Midwest  was published in 2023.  

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.

Sadie Dainko, wildlife technician with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, will tell us how 1,121 acres were transformed into a mitigation bank wetland and has attracted 239 species of birds so far, including whooping cranes.

Join us as we tour the beautiful Trout Park in Elgin, IL 

Join us for a tour of Bliss Woods with Steward Mary Ochsenschlager.

Al Watts will give a brief history of the first five forest preserves of Kane County and the women who helped the forest preserve become a reality one hundred years ago.  He will also talk about June Keibler, one of our founders and her successful efforts at starting the volunteer program. 

Join us to see the restoration being done and the spring ephemerals at Dick Young Forest Preserve.

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 spring ephemeral walk at Burnidge Forest Preserve with naturalist Erica Lemon.

Join Pam Otto for a Birds and Blooms walk Delnor Woods in St. Charles.  Meet at Rt. 25 and Fulton Avenue.  Co-sponsored by the St. Charles Natural Resources Commission.

Join Steward Sarah Kimber and volunteer Terri Hoehne along this beautiful place in downtown Batavia along the Fox River.  See a wonderful display of native trees, shrubs and plants..

Join us for our 14th annual native plant sale.  Cash, checks and credit accepted.  

Anticipated plants:  https://startinyouryard.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/plant-list-for-newsletter-2026.pdf

Come see garden ideas in person; pick up plants for your own garden; and get free advide f rom trained Kane County Master Gardener volunteers.  

Join us for a unique nature exploration at Ferson Creek Fen with Patrick Bochenek, Ecological Restoration Supervisor with the St. Charles Park District.  

Ferson Creek is a premiere wetland, featuring sedge meadows, fen habitat, upland prairies and floodplain woodlands along the Fox River in St. Charles. 

On Route 31, about ¾ mile north of Route 64 on the east side of the road.  

Join us to tour the garden of Sara Simon and Scott Murray.  Their ongoing project has been over the space of only 3 years, but they have created a beautiful space.  After having pushback from the HOA who wanted them to re-install the sod, the Illinois Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act saved their gardens just in time.

After the tour, we will head to Blackberry Maples Forest Preserve, where Sara is the site steward. We will eat lunch at the shelter.  Wild Ones will bring snacks.  There are restrooms here.  

Join us for one or both.  The home address will be sent to you once you sign up.  The address of Blackberry Maples is 43W231 Main Street, Elburn.  

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F44A5A928A3FDC43-64451615-members

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 to hear Jack Pizzo, founder and principal of The Pizzo Group.  He is committed to sustainability and naturally beautiful habitats and has over 35 years of experience restoring habitats and preserving land for continued sustainability.

Discover how adding pollinator and rain gardens to your community can transform local landscapes into vibrant, sustainable ecosystems which support biodiversity.  

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.