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.

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 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.

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!