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.

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.!  

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.

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.

https://kb.jniplants.com/native-plant-sale

June is Wisconsin Native Plant Appreciation Month

Available for on-site shopping only.

Every year, during June, we team up with our friends at Wild Ones to offer their active members 30% off Wisconsin native plants in containers.

In support of natives and our local Wild Ones chapters, all active Wild Ones Members need only present their valid membership card on any day in June to receive a 30% discount off standard retail pricing on Wisconsin native, container-grown plants.

The sale benefits the 3 Milwaukee-area chapters of Wild Ones: Menomonee River, Milwaukee North, and Milwaukee Southwest/Wehr.

Local Chapters

Menomonee RiverSouthwest WehrMilwaukee North

NOTE:

National Wild Ones is experiencing long wait times for mailed-in memberships due to demand, but online memberships will provide an immediate membership card to your email. We will accept a visual email receipt as proof of membership with your name. Proof of membership is required. No exceptions. The discount is only valid for on-site shopping.

The World Around Us: Science Labs are biweekly, open house, drop-in programs designed for all age participants. All events will be held outdoors except for severe weather. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes/boots designed for walking on gravel trails. Each program will include 1) information about the subject, 2) a book reading, 3) a craft, 4) greeting card making, and 5) an activity.

The World Around Us: Science Labs: One for all and all for the Earth!: Tuesday, June 30, 9am-12pm open house

Land Ho! From the Pilgrims landing to the Industrial Revolution. From the beautiful to the damaged. What lessons did we learn from depleting resources for our own good, without letting nature recover.  Discover the benefits of nature and the “Tragedy of the Commons.” Come learn of our historic past so that history does not repeat itself.

No registration is required.  The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center

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.

"In this webinar, author and activist Lorraine Johnson gets into the how: how to talk to neighbors who don’t get it yet, how to respond to HOA complaints or bylaw challenges, and how to build support in your community for the kind of garden that actually does something for the ecosystem. With three decades of writing and advocacy behind her, Lorraine has seen these conversations play out in every direction – and she’s full of practical, grounded advice for navigating them well.

A link to watch will be emailed to registrants and Less Lawn More Life Challenge participants.

Join via YouTube and participate in the live community chat with Lorraine and partners from the Less Lawn More Life Challenge.

Whether you’re preparing for a formal HOA review or just want to know what to say when someone asks why your yard looks like that, this session is for you. "

"Gather the family and spend some time together around the campfire as we share stories at the Horicon Marsh. Each month we will have a different topic that we explore through books, crafts, and adventure. We will finish the night with a sweet treat that we get to cook over the fire.  Please bring bug spray.  Some walking may be involved but on flat trails and 1 mile or less.

No registration is required.  The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center is located at N7725 Highway 28, Horicon, WI.  Meet at the picnic shelter."

Join us for a quiet and enlightening evening walk in the Horicon Marsh prairies during peak bloom.  Your guides will help you learn about plant identification, the importance of native prairies to the ecosystem, the role they play in pollinator habitat and the crucial nesting cover they provide for the marsh’s avian residents. You can also learn about establishing your own native prairie in your own backyard, no matter how big or small an area that you have available.  We will go over soil preparation, garden establishment and the crucial weed management that follows. Please feel free to bring your camera and a notebook, along with plenty of bug spray!

Focus this week: Pollinators

The World Around Us: Science Labs are biweekly, open house, drop-in programs designed for all age participants. All events will be held outdoors except for severe weather. Please wear appropriate clothing and shoes/boots designed for walking on gravel trails. Each program will include 1) information about the subject, 2) a book reading, 3) a craft, 4) greeting card making, and 5) an activity.

One out of every three bites of food you eat are because of pollinators.  Think of your favorite foods like apples, chocolate, and blueberries. Pollinators—including bees, birds, butterflies, insects, and bats—are animals that move pollen between flowering plants, enabling plant reproduction and producing over a third of our food. They are critical to healthy ecosystems and agriculture, with at least 75% of flowering plants relying on them. Populations are currently declining so grab a net and magnifying glass as we try to catch and release some of our pollinator friends and go on the hunt for monarch eggs.

No registration is required.  The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center.

An up close and personal hike through the Horicon Marsh prairies. Your guides will help you learn about plant identification, the importance of native prairies to the ecosystem, the role they play in pollinator habitat and the crucial nesting cover they provide for the marsh’s avian residents. You can also learn about establishing your own native prairie in your own backyard, no matter how big or small of an area that you have available.  We will go over soil preparation, garden establishment and the crucial weed management that follows. Please feel free to bring your camera and a notebook, along with plenty of bug spray!

No registration is required.

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.

Enjoy an indoor presentation about monarch life cycles and how to tag.  We will then go outside to catch monarchs and watch as DNR staff tag these magnificent migrants as they start their journey to Mexico. Free and open to the public. Bring your own insect nets if you have them!

No registration is required.  Please meet at the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center located at N7725 Highway 28, Horicon, WI. 

Gather the family and spend some time together around the campfire as we share stories at the Horicon Marsh. Each month we will have a different topic that we explore through books, crafts, and adventure. We will finish the night with a sweet treat that we get to cook over the fire.  Please bring bug spray.  Some walking may be involved but on flat trails and 1 mile or less.

No registration is required.  The Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center is located at N7725 Highway 28, Horicon, WI.  Meet at the picnic shelter.

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.