Events

Participants learn how seeds break dormancy by winter sowing. The soil and tools  provided. Participates bring native seeds and clean non-opaque milk jugs. 

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.

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.!  

Hart Hagan, Chapter Vice President, spoke on the topic of “Insect Visitors in My Home Landscape.”

We had snacks and drinks, via potluck.

We gathered for a time in small groups to talk about our home landscape.

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.

We have away packets of purple cone flower and seedlings provided by Lizzie Darling. Volunteers were Tess Lindsey, Jacquelyn Hawkins- McGrail, Cassandra Culin, and Helen Gapsis 

Wild Ones Louisville hosted a table at the The Parklands of Floyds Fork annual Earth Day Fest held on Friday, April 17, 2026, from 5:00pm-9:00pm at the Ogle Foundation Woodland Pavilion in Broad Run Park. This was a large, free, public event which gave us a chance to introduce WOL to members  of the community. The event featured nature-related vendors, community partners, garden music, and several food trucks.  The Moss Gibbs Woodland Garden is a 15-acre garden filled with more than 200 species, and thousands of native plants. There is a one-mile stone-paved path that leads through numerous garden rooms. Garden art is visible throughout the 15-acres.  

Broad Run Park opened in 2016, and it encompasses approximately 600 acres of waterfalls, hardwood forests, lookout points, and amenities.

An outdoor garden show with tabling for local garden and environmental non profits, and  vendors with plants, garden related items.  WOL had a table, and 6 of our members staffed the table. We gave out information on Wild Ones, native plants, native plant gardens. 

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.

Margaret Carreiro is Professor emerita, UofL and President of Wild Ones Louisville. She will talk about the importance of citizen science not just to the scientific community but to connecting all of us more with nature. She will provide examples of different kinds of citizen science with a focus on how iNaturalist is being used in conservation management and in documenting the potential for urban pollinator gardens in keeping common species common.

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.