Calendar of Events and Programs

Traditional fall garden cleanup practices can short-change the ecological benefits of growing gardens and native plant beds. Adjusting the timing and scope of your fall gardening efforts can enhance the environmental benefits of your landscape, yield more natural beauty and biological diversity around your property, and result in LESS WORK for you! 

If you want to learn more about best practices to employ as you're putting you beds to bed for the winter, join Mark Dilley of MAD Scientist Associates and Scioto Gardens Native Plant Nursery for this informative presentation.

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.

Join us for a special day-long gathering at Spring Hollow Lodge. There will be plenty of socializing and connecting with your fellow Wild Ones members, our Annual Meeting, and two outstanding programs for MEMBERS ONLY.

This will be followed by an afternoon seed cleaning workshop that's open to the public.

Come all day or join us for part of the day.

9-10am: Coffee hour

10-11am: “Asters, Goldenrods and Coneflowers: Pollen and Nectar Workhorses” presented by Terri and Randy Litchfield. This is an introduction to the Asteraceae family; a focus on species of asters, goldenrods, and coneflowers will be followed by a discussion of the ecological services this group provides with ways to include these plants in our landscapes. Terri and Randy Litchfield have been gardening with native plants for over 25  years. Their garden, Catchfly Commons, has roughly 275 varieties of native plants on a 1.3 acre lot. Over 8,000 square feet have been converted from turf to landscape beds. Approximately 130 Lepidoptera species have been observed on site. They have a blog and website devoted to native plant gardening: catchflycommons.org.

11-12 noon: “Deep Roots: An Introduction to Pocket Prairies in Urban and Suburban Landscapes” presented by Melissa Doyle. Have you ever wondered what it takes to convert turf grass into an ecological universe? Join us as Wild Ones member, Melissa Doyle, speaks about her journey restoring prairie habitat within city limits. Her front lawn transformation was a project deeply rooted in peaceful activism for wildlife, inspiring local conversations, and combating environmental degradation. Participants will learn many tools and techniques on how to prepare a site, native plantings, stewardship, and ecological practices that boost biodiversity. Together we can learn to redefine our traditional urban lots into diverse, community-driven landscapes for all!

12-12:45: Lunch (main dish catered with side dishes and desserts from our members). Please RSVP here for Lunch 

12:45-1:45pm: Annual Meeting

2:30-4pm: Seed Cleaning Workshop - open to the public and led by member Lauren Clark. Bring seeds to donate to the January seed swap. NATIVES only. No cultivars, please. All seeds MUST be labeled with the common and botanical name. Seeds will be verified at t he door. 

This hands-on event is for beginner and experienced seed cleaners. Wild Ones member Lauren Clark will lead a session demonstrating how to clean native seeds in preparation for our annual Seed Swap (scheduled for January 9, 2027). If you are new to seed cleaning, you'll learn seed cleaning techniques from more experienced chapter members.

Feel free to bring your own native seed to learn how to clean it. Please, native seeds only! Remember to label them in advance with the common name and botanical / latin name.

Note: non-native seeds won't be permitted to prevent possible contamination with native seeds. Seeds will be registered upon entry.

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.

Join Marne Titchenell for an engaging look into the lives of Ohio’s bats. Where do they live, and how do they spend their time? Learn about their unique ecology, the threats facing their populations, and what you can do to help protect Ohio’s bats.

Marne Titchenell serves as the Extension Wildlife Program Director at The Ohio State University. She works in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Marne provides a variety of educational programs, workshops, conferences, and publications centered on wildlife ecology and biology, habitat management for wildlife, and managing human-wildlife conflicts. Her favorite outreach topic is bats, the focus of her graduate research. In her current position, she leads the Ohio Bat Working Group, a group of professionals working with bats around Ohio, to collaborate on bat-related research, management, and outreach initiatives that provide public and professional education on bat ecology and conservation. She was fortunate to discover her passion for wildlife conservation and outreach education early in her career and now works to spark interest and love of nature in Ohioans of all ages. At home, she gets her inspiration from her own two little nature-enthusiasts, her daughters, Cora and Isla.

Winter Sowing is an easy, simple and inexpensive  way to grow native plants. In this make-and-take session, Wild Ones member Steve Herminghausen will guide attendees through making a mini-greenhouse. Take it home, set it outside, and wait for the seeds to germinate. All materials provided including native seeds.

Winter Sowing is an easy, simple and inexpensive  way to grow native plants. In this make-and-take session, Wild Ones member Steve Herminghausen will guide attendees through making a mini-greenhouse. Take it home, set it outside, and wait for the seeds to germinate. All materials provided including native seeds.

This event will be held in the Greenhouse/Multipurpose Building located near the east end of the parking lot. Click here to see the Inniswood map. 

If you have native seeds to share, label each species with this information:
* Botanical Name
* Common Name

Species we will accept:
* Species native to our ecoregion (8.2.4) - Best
* Species native to Ohio and surrounding states - Good
* Straight species only - no cultivars.

The seeds don’t need to be removed from the seed head if you aren’t sure how to do it, but don’t leave much stem on the seed heads. 

Please email the list of species to Mary May so we can prepare information for attendees. You can bring the seeds on the day of the swap, or we can arrange to have them picked up beforehand - just let us know in the email.

If you don’t have any seeds to bring, no worries. If you are new to native plants or didn't have time to collect seeds, there are ALWAYS plenty from those that do bring them! We love to see "newbies" at our seed exchange! Also, remember to bring something to put seeds in such as envelopes or small containers.

Wild Ones Members: We need volunteers to staff the event (set up, greeter, seed whisperer, clean up, etc.) Sign up to volunteer on SignUpGenius. 

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.

Christina P., the founder and creator of The Seed Vault, will share how planting more natives in their yard has not only given them the ability to sight and support more pollinators, but also the ability to share native plant seeds with the community! At this family-friendly event, The Seed Vault will be providing seeds, a description of the pollinator(s) each plant hosts, and then a hands-on walk-through of winter sowing the seeds you chose! 

There will also be a nature craft (details to come). No need to bring your own supplies, just bring yourselves. Looking forward to winter sowing and crafting with you!

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. 

You might know them as lightning bugs or fireflies, but we love these blinking lights in our gardens at night. 

Learn how to attract more fireflies to your native garden and interesting firefly facts with Jeff Calta, president of the Pennsylvania Firefly Festival. From retired chemist to firefly enthusiast, Jeff has studied and catalogued fireflies for years. Jeff will cover flash pattern importance, firefly anatomy and physiology, and the interesting “lifestyle” of a firefly.

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.