Events

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.

Sheryl has added one more date making a few more times available for chapter members to sign up (on a first-come, first-served basis) to practice digging/dividing up and potting up native plants in her yard.  Please register using the  sign up link to come either between 9-11 or between 10-12. Sheryl is providing location information to the people who sign up.

Spaces for this hands-on activity are limited, but  it is a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of our area's best native plant advocates! Chapter members who participated in a similar event last year found it very instructive and rewarding. 

Bonus: Diggers get to take plants home with them! 

This is our chapter's annual member meeting. 

All active members of Wild Ones Greater Richmond Virginia Chapter are encouraged to attend the annual meeting.  During the meeting we will announce the results of the 2026 election. Chapter officers also will present brief reports about chapter activities and accomplishments in 2026 and talk about plans for the future. 

We'll enjoy viewing a video from national Wild Ones on "Ecological Landscaping 101' featuring renowned American landscape designer and restoration ecologist Larry Weaner.

After the video there will be time for conversation and interaction with fellow chapter members, and for a bit of fun we'll try our hand at “crowd sourcing” responses to an online quiz about Virginia native plants from the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center! 

The Zoom link and/or a calendar invitation will be sent to all active chapter members ahead of the meeting.

A limited number of spaces are available for chapter members to sign up (on a first-come, first-served basis) to practice digging/dividing up and potting up native plants in the yard of fellow chapter member and certified Virginia master naturalist Sheryl Smith. 

A sign up sheet is provided in the registration link.  Sheryl will provide location information to the people who sign up.

Unfortunately, spaces for this hands-on activity are limited - but it is a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of our area's best native plant advocates! Chapter members who participated in a similar event last year found it very instructive and rewarding. 

Bonus: Diggers get to take plants home with them! 

A limited number of spaces are available for chapter members to sign up (on a first-come, first-served basis) to practice digging/dividing up and potting up native plants in the yard of fellow chapter member and certified Virginia master naturalist Sheryl Smith. 

A sign up sheet is provided in the registration link.  Sheryl will provide location information to the people who sign up.

Unfortunately, spaces for this hands-on activity are limited - but it is a wonderful opportunity to learn from one of our area's best native plant advocates! Chapter members who participated in a similar event last year found it very instructive and rewarding. 

Bonus: Diggers get to take plants home with them! 

Conner Parrish is the Founder & CEO of Bloomistry, a conservation-focused garden and education company offering 300+ learning programs for all ages, beyond-organic garden consulting/installation, and organic garden products that help you live a more eco-aligned life. A passionate farmer and consultant, Conner promotes organic, regenerative, and science-based growing in suburban, urban, school, and community gardens. His mission is to inspire and plant the seeds of green for the world to become a more nature-based place.

Conner will provide fellow Wild Ones members and guests a tour of Boomistry's new nursery and present his popular class “Ecological Gardening 101”.  This course will teach us how to create a thriving, resilient garden that works with nature rather than against it. Students will explore pollinator-friendly design, habitat layering, soil stewardship, water-wise practices, and companion planting. The course will emphasize natural balance so gardens become healthier and more self-sustaining over time.

When registering, chapter members are asked to let us know if you will bring a guest. 
This event has capacity for 30 persons. 

Note: The meet-up location for this event is not  yet public; it will be provided to registered participants ahead of the event. 

Chapter members and guests are invited to a seed sharing event and forest succession walk and talk in  northwestern Powhatan County, where a former pine plantation forest is going through succession. Feel free to bring your favorite tree/plant identification book or app as there is a wide variety of new growth to be discovered! This is a re-visit to Blind Horse Bluff, site of our November 2024, tour and seed exchange.

Guests are encouraged to bring seeds, seedlings, and/or planting pots to share. Light refreshments will be served after the morning tour.

Since this event will take place at a private home/garden, we ask that chapter members RSVP and list guests you plan to bring, to help the host plan for adequate seating, refreshments, etc. The property is on a private gravel road with ample parking. 
Directions to the property will be sent to members who complete this form to RSVP. 

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.

Fall is a great time to learn about, buy, and plant native plants! It's also a great time for the Plant Native! festival, which celebrates native plants, the ecosystems they support, and local organizations working hard to protect our environment. Free and open to the public, the festival offers educational booths and presentations, activities for kids,  a tree giveaway, and vouchers that guests can redeem when purchasing native plants from native plant vendors during the event. 

This annual event is hosted by by Keep Henrico Beautiful, Dorey Park Farmers Market and Henrico County Recreation & Parks.  

As a partner organization that participates on the steering committee for this festival, our Wild Ones chapter will be onsite--and encourages everyone interested in native plants to come and enjoy the festiva! There is no registration and no cost to attend. 

Chapter members also are invited to volunteer to help with our exhibit or with other aspects of the festival (signup link provided).

Wild Ones Greater Richmond Chapter will host Ethan Skuches, who will present on some fascinating research about understanding, monitoring, and adapting to the shifting of species’ ranges in response to climate change. Ethan's doctoral research centers around Nyssa sylvatica (Black Tupelo/Blackgum)--a native tree with a wide range (from Canada to Florida) and that is increasingly popular in urban and suburban plantings because of its tolerance for compacted urban soils, periodic flooding, and temporary drought conditions.

The NYSSA Project (Navigating the Yearly Shifting of Species’ Areas) asks questions about assisted migration like "How far can we move facultative species? Do different populations encode differing resiliencies?" Using blackgum as a proxy for other facultative tree species, the research investigates the tree's adaptive capacity to respond to rapid environmental change. The project also includes opportunities for guided participation and contributions by citizen scientists!

Join us during Richmond Tree week to learn more about a very special native tree and how it can help us prepare for the future.

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.

No yard required. Learn how native plants can turn patios, balconies, containers, and other small spaces into meaningful habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. This practical panel will cover plant selection, container design, seasonal care, and realistic ways to support biodiversity in limited spaces.

Registration link coming soon.

Birds depend on healthy, connected habitats for food, shelter, nesting, and migration support. Join experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to explore how native plants and thoughtful landscape choices can support birdlife at home. Learn how gardens, yards, and community spaces can provide the insects, seeds, berries, cover, and habitat structure birds need throughout the year.

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.