Events

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.

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. For details  about  this year's Plant Science Day program, click READ MORE.  

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.  No prior experience needed.   Sign up for a 2-hour shift, using the REGISTER link.

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

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.

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

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.

Kim Eierman 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. Eierman 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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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. 
 

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