Events Archive: 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Upcoming Events
January 2026
Free National Webinar: "Intergenerational Care for Land and Community: A Conversation with Robin Wall Kimmerer and Esther Bonney"
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
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.
February 2026
Free National Webinar: From Wasteland to Wonder with Basil Camu
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
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.!
March 2026
Free National Webinar: Rethinking Horticulture with Real Ecology presented by Joey Santore
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
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.
April 2026
"Free National Webinar: What Is Wild and Why It Matters" presented by Rick Darke
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Limited Access Recording Registration Required Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
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.
June 2026
Native Plant Sale Members Only
Members Only Seed/Plant Sale
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: One for all and all for the Earth!
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Hands-On/How-To Workshop Free Public Parking
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
July 2026
How to Talk to Your Neighbors (and Your HOA) About Your Garden
Online/Virtual
Public Welcome Registration Required Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
"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. "
Campfire Stories: Dazzling Dragonflies
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Nature Walk/Hike Free Public Parking Lots of Physical Activity
"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."
Evening Prairie Walk
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Nature Walk/Hike Free Public Parking
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!
August 2026
The World Around Us: Science Labs: Pollinators=Food
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Hands-On/How-To Workshop Free Public Parking
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.
Naturalist Led Prairie Walk
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Nature Walk/Hike Free Public Parking
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.
Monarch Tagging
Public Welcome Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Hands-On/How-To Workshop Free Public Parking
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.
Campfire Stories: Bats
Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation Free Public Parking
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.
September 2026
Free National Webinar- September 2026
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!
October 2026
Free National Webinar- October 2026
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!
November 2026
Free National Webinar- November 2026
Hosted by Wild Ones NationalOnline/Virtual
Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation
Details coming soon!