Events

Events Archive: 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Upcoming Events

June 2026

Jun
25

Make a Mosquito Bucket---Pests Out, Pollinators In!

Thursday, June 25th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Hwy, Westport, CT, 06880 Map

Paid Event Public Welcome Family-Friendly Youth Engagement Registration Required Hands-On/How-To Workshop Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking

A collaboration of Wakeman Town Farm, Sustainable Westport, Wild Ones, & Pollinator Pathway

Discover how to create beauty and comfort in your yard without relying on poisonous pesticides. There is a simpler, safer way than battling against nature and spraying harsh chemicals. We will equip you with natural strategies to deter pests, support local pollinators, and build resilient, healthy soil. Participants will leave with their very own Mosquito Bucket — a safe, affordable and targeted approach to control mosquitoes at the source.  

PLEASE NOTE:  Click on the registration link to purchase event tickets AND pre-order Mosquito Bucket Kits by June 23rd.  

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July 2026

Jul
13

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, July 13th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Jul
14

Mountain Laurel Chapter Summer Garden Chat Members Only

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Limited Access Recording Registration Required Free Event Chapter Social

Join us to chat informally about seasonal issues and other questions you have about growing native plants, habitat gardening, and any problems you have encountered.   All native gardeners – novice or veteran - are welcome.  While not required, questions or topics of interest may be submitted in advance via email to [email protected] to give us time to research the answers.   Q&A will be moderated by one or more chapter leaders, focusing on seasonally relevant topics, but any native gardening question is fair game.  We will do our best to answer  your questions – and if we can’t, perhaps another attendee can!  

This program is for members only.   Register to receive the zoom link.  

Register

Jul
22

Free National Webinar: How to Talk to Your Neighbors (and Your HOA) About Your Garden with Lorraine Johnson

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

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.

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Jul
30

The Pollinator Victory Garden with Author Kim Eirman

Thursday, July 30th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Audobon Birdcraft Sanctuary and Museum, 314 Unquowa Rd, Fairfield, CT, 06824 Map

Public Welcome Registration Required Program/Speaker Presentation Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains

Kim Eirman is the founder of EcoBeneficial LLC, an eco landscape design company. She is also a teacher at the New York Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Native Plant Center, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

In addition that that, she is the author of the book “The Pollinator Victory Garden-Win the War on Pollinator Decline with Ecological Gardening; Attract and Support Bees, Beetles, Butterflies, Bats and Other Pollinators”

Ms. Eirman is an engaging and knowledgeable speaker. She loves questions, so bring them on!

She will have her book for sale and is happy to sign for you. 

It should be an informative and lively evening. 

Register

August 2026

Aug
5

116th Plant Science Day (CAES)

Wednesday, August 5th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Lockwood Farm

Volunteers Needed Public Welcome Family-Friendly Free Event Public Restroom Free Public Parking Lots of Physical Activity

This annual open house by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station showcases the ongoing work by their scientists,  providing an opportunity for the public to engage directly with CAES scientists and get their plant and pest questions answered by technical experts. Wild Ones Mountain Laurel Chapter will have an educational display together with other plant-related organizations under the big tent.  (Members are needed to help staff our display in 2-hour shifts.  To volunteer, contact [email protected] with PLANT SCIENCE DAY in the subject line.

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Aug
10

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, August 10th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Aug
19

Free National Webinar: The Ecology of Home: Creating Habitat That Works with Shaun McCoshum

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

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.

September 2026

Sep
14

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, September 14th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Sep
16

Free National Webinar- From Lawn to Meadow with Sara Weaner Cooper

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, September 16th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

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.

Sep
18

Fall Native Plant Sale

Friday, September 18th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Connecticut College Arboretum, 830 Williams St, New London, CT, 06320 Map

Public Welcome Seed/Plant Sale Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains

SAVE THE DATE - DAY 1 of our annual plant sale pre-order pickup and walk-in sale.   Pickup times are tentative and subject to change.  More information coming soon.  

Contact [email protected] if there are specific native plants you are interested in purchasing this year. 

Sep
19

Fall Native Plant Sale

Saturday, September 19th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Connecticut College Arboretum, 830 Williams St, New London, CT, 06320 Map

Public Welcome Seed/Plant Sale Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains

SAVE THE DATE - DAY 2 of our annual plant sale pre-order pickup and walk-in sale.  Pickup times are tentative and subject to change.  More information coming soon.  

Contact [email protected] if there are specific native plants you are interested in purchasing this year.

October 2026

Oct
3

Mountain Laurel Chapter Annual Members Meeting Members Only

Saturday, October 3rd, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Whitneyville Cultural Commons, 1253 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT, 06517 Map

Members Only Chapter Meeting Public Restroom Free Public Parking

SAVE THE DATE for our annual meeting with potluck lunch, year in review and speaker program.  More info to come.  Start/end times are tentative and subject to change.

Oct
12

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, October 12th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Oct
21

Free National Webinar- Bats in the Backyard with Bat Conservation International

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, October 21st, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker 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.

Registration link coming soon.

November 2026

Nov
9

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, November 9th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.

Nov
18

Free National Webinar- The Science of Monarch Habitat at Home with Monarch Joint Venture

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, November 18th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

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. 
 

December 2026

Dec
14

Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, December 14th, 2026
to (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Chapter Board Meeting

All members are welcome at chapter Board business meetings. Email chapter in advance to receive Zoom link if you wish to attend.