Chapter Events

At this regional Home and Garden Show, River City Wild Ones will have a staffed information table and book sales.

Zoom presentation by Benjamin Botwinski, director of the Ebersole Center of Lansing Public Schools.

Fens and bogs are among Michigan's most fascinating—and least understood—natural communities. In this presentation we'll take a closer look at how these wetlands function, the unique plant and animal species they support, and the role they play in the broader landscape. We'll also discuss current conservation efforts and how individuals and communities can help protect these rare and sensitive ecosystems.

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.

Our program speaker will be Marty Arnold, author, past River City Chapter president, and current Plant Sale Chair.  This presentation will cover several topics: weird and wonderful plant names and how they came to be; don't try this at home--confessions of a self-taught gardener; what weeds can tell you; oh, deer! when Bambi gets hungry; plan B exotics!;  why have a “PR garden”?; watch your back (and keeping it healthy); the best tools of the trade; what grew in your yard in 1826 (Natural Features Inventory); views from my soapbox; foraging.

Marty's book will be for sale at the event.

We'll staff an information table at this event, and offer a 15 minute seminar.

Our walk will be led by Jesse Lincoln, plant ecologist at the Natural Features Inventory. There is a small remnant of an oak barrens at the township property in Lowell.  Come get a glimpse of a community type that once covered over 1 million acres in southern Michigan and has since experienced a near total loss.

Annual Online Native Plant Sale and Fundraiser online ordering for Wild Ones members begins May 26 and runs through May 31.

Public online ordering June 1–13.

More details to come!

Members will receive an email invitation to Elise's Walkabout with her address closer to the event.

More info to come!

Each summer, Wild Ones River City (WORC) hosts Friday Markets on the third Friday of July, August and September at the Fulton Street Market. These sales are a partnership between the Native Plant Guild and WORC. 

Growers sell native plants, shrubs, seed packets and planters to new customers and reach potential clients. As their “host,” WORC reserves market stalls and provides volunteers to assist growers. At the same time, we further our mission by offering a regular, reliable source of native plants and by promoting WORC’s mission to new customers. 

This will be a walking tour led by Courtney Cheers, director of the Wittenbach Wege Center.  She will guide us to the oak savanna restoration areas at the Wittenbach Center and the Wege Foundation Natural Area Preserve.  She will highlight their journey and  process and the “village” that helped them get where they are today.

Come visit Wild Ones member, Marcia Carrick's garden and see what has changed since her first Walkabout in August 2024.

Marcia writes: "My native plant journey began with hearing Doug Tallamy speak at Meijer Gardens. I then heard him speak again at the Wild Ones-River City Chapter 15th Anniversary Celebration at Aquinas College on June 20th, 2022. On June 28th, I became a Wild Ones member. At that point I decided to replace all of our turf grass, which had gone mostly to weeds anyway, with native plants. That means less mowing and more habitat. I currently have 150 different species of native plants in our yard and wooded area. Today, I enjoyed watching out our slider at the many, many pollinators buzzing around various plants that are currently flowering."

Wild Ones members will receive an email invitation for Marcia's Walkabout with her address closer to the event.

This field trip will be led by a member of the Rogue River Watershed Partners, who will take participants on a relaxed-pace walk with frequent stops through Rogue River Park to explore the native vegetation and learn about the importance and benefits of healthy riparian buffers.

Each summer, Wild Ones River City (WORC) hosts Friday Markets on the third Friday of July, August and September at the Fulton Street Market. These sales are a partnership between the Native Plant Guild and WORC. 

Growers sell native plants, shrubs, seed packets and planters to new customers and reach potential clients. As their “host,” WORC reserves market stalls and provides volunteers to assist growers. At the same time, we further our mission by offering a regular, reliable source of native plants and by promoting WORC’s mission to new customers. 

Details coming soon! 

Each summer, Wild Ones River City (WORC) hosts Friday Markets on the third Friday of July, August and September at the Fulton Street Market. These sales are a partnership between the Native Plant Guild and WORC. 

Growers sell native plants, shrubs, seed packets and planters to new customers and reach potential clients. As their “host,” WORC reserves market stalls and provides volunteers to assist growers. At the same time, we further our mission by offering a regular, reliable source of native plants and by promoting WORC’s mission to new customers. 

This field trip will be led by Ellen Holste,  founder of EnviroSpeak LLC and former Research Community Engagement Manager at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.  

Goldenrod and aster flowers are the grand finale of the blooming season, with fields and forests flourishing with shades of yellow, pink, purple, blue, and white in the fall.   Learn the key characteristics of these plant species, where to find them, a few common species, and their importance to wildlife and us!

This program will be presented by Travis Kurtz, the Community Science Coordinator at the John Ball Zoo.  

The Habitat Hero program is a community-based conservation project focused on bringing people together to create high-quality pollinator habitats in urban and suburban areas.  Learn more about how this program works, how you can get involved, and why urban pollinator conservation is so important!

Details coming soon! 

Join us for a fun evening to connect with your fellow Wild Ones and to meet newcomers!

We will be celebrating our accomplishments in 2026, our 19th year as a chapter with a short slide presentation. The River City 2027 officers and board members will be introduced. The meeting will be followed by the Seed Swap and refreshments. 

Wild Ones will be selling native plant books and related merchandise before and after the presentation.

Attendees are encouraged to bring native seeds from their garden to share if you have them. If you are new to native plants and don't have seeds to share, no worries, you can still take home some seeds.

Details coming soon!