Chapter Events

WORC had table space for displays and handouts about our organization.   It was staffed by two volunteers who spoke to many people who did not know about Wild Ones.  

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.

Zoom presentation by Abby Pointer of the Michigan Nature Association.

Vernal pools, small forested wetlands that seasonally fill with water, are critical for maintaining forest ecosystem health and biodiversity.  In this presentation we will go over the basics of vernal pool ecology, explore why vernal pools are important, and discuss what we are doing in Michigan to conserve them.  This presentation will also discuss how you can help by participating in community science!

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.!  

Hosted by the Grand Rapids Audubon Club

Join us for an inspiring presentation by Wild Ones member, Marty MacCleery, on how to transform your yard into a thriving habitat for birds using native plants. Marty will begin by sharing simple, practical steps for creating a native plant garden, centered on the four essentials birds need to survive—food, water, shelter, and places to raise their young. She’ll also explain why native plants are critical to the entire food web, benefiting not only birds and insects, but people as well.

The program will then dive deeper into specific Michigan native trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants that best support bird life, including eight native plants recommended by Michigan Audubon. Attendees can browse Marty’s garden signage from her October 2025 walkabout and explore the Wild Ones 2025 Michigan Native Plant Vendors list for local planting resources. You’ll also receive a beautiful, full-color brochure from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology outlining simple actions anyone can take to help birds. Marty brings a lifelong passion for education and conservation to her work—after rediscovering gardening later in life, she became a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist through MSU Extension, served five years as Education Chair for Wild Ones River City Chapter, and has spent over a decade inspiring young learners through 4-H natural science programs.

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.

Celebrate the official launch of the Connected County Park Initiative, a movement dedicated to creating a thriving, connected web of life where people and nature flourish together.  Ottawa County Parks is officially launching a new landscape scale restoration initiative called "Connected County Park" that has been in the works over the past year.  This initiative seeks to motivate and empower residents in the Ottawa County region to take steps to restore parts of their properties through native plantings and invasive species removal, and by doing so expanding the park system through a symbolic "park" comprised of individual properties. It entailed hands-on workshops, educational resources and tutorials, technical assistance, a branded yard sign program, and a lot more.  River City Wild Ones had a table set up and 3 volunteers present to give advice on native plants and encourage membership in Wild Ones.  

Join Plaster Creek Stewards for a morning of learning and hands-on caring for the watershed! Meet us at the new Colab space in the Calvin University library to learn about all things birds and native plants from Marty MacCleery, a Master Gardener and local Wild Ones member. Make sure to come dressed for outside work as we'll transition to working in the greenhouse, at Plaster Creek Boulevard, and directly on Calvin University's campus. All ages are welcome!

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Wild Ones River City remarks:

Wild Ones National has a new partnership with Plant Baby Plant and Honorary Director Robin Wall Kimmerer, who is speaking at the Calvin Center for Faith & Writing Festival on April 16 (5:30–6:30). Wild Ones River City encourages our members and friends to lift up our community showing reciprocity by volunteering at this event. Wild Ones member Marty MacCleery will be speaking at 9:00 am at the event. Volunteer opportunities follow her talk. Please consider volunteering for PCS Greenhouse Transplanting or other opportunities that are listed.

This month, we will be removing last year's old vegetation and placing the plant labels at the appropriate species.

Please bring if you have them:
pruners, rake, small shovel, gloves, kneeling pad, and drinking water

Members and guests are welcome, as is the general public. These monthly garden sessions are a good place to learn to ID various plant species (there are over 90 different species in this ¼ acre garden) and learn gardening maintenance for a public garden.

There is free parking adjacent to the Monarch Investment building. Turn south off of Cherry St down a one-way side street to access it.

What does it mean to practice responsibly on lands shaped by deep cultural histories and ongoing Indigenous stewardship?

In this session, explore how design, land management, and ecological work intersect with Indigenous rights, relationships to place, and ethical responsibility. Hear from voices in land stewardship who will share their insights on how professionals can approach their work with greater awareness, respect, and accountability. Join us for this important conversation. CEUs available.

Recordings viewable for registrants for 3 months from live event dates.

Wild Ones members receive a discount on registration fee.

Spring native tree and shrub sale hosted by Kent Conservation District.  Wild Ones River City will staff an information table for the event.  Volunteer opportunities are available on Sign Up Genius.

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. (Cash/Check only)

Wild Ones River City will sell native plant and related books (Cash/Check/Credit Card).

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

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.

Garden tours along with an information table and plant give-aways.

Plant sale hosted by Speciation Cellars with many local native plant growers participating, and presentations by local organizations.  Wild Ones River City will host an information table, staffed by volunteers.  Sign up opportunities are on Sign Up Genius.

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.

This is a native plant sale hosted by Kent Conservation District.  Wild Ones River City will setup an information table staffed by volunteers.  Volunteer opportunities are posted on Sign Up Genius.  

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.

The native plants are sourced from these local growers:

Artemis Growers (Courtney Cheers)

Magical Mystery Meadows (Elliot Sedlecky

Nature's Balance Gardening (Karyn Detmer-Babbitt)

She is Growing Wild (Tammy Lundeen)

The Garden Guru Kzoo (Alysia Babcock)

Wild Ginger Woodlands (Sally Garrod)

Books, garden signs, and soil knives will also be for sale!

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

More info to come!

Members will receive an email invitation to Bernie's  Walkabout with his 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. 

Take a tour of the gardens at the Ada History Center! Wild Ones River City will be present with an information table and will offer handouts about native plants. 

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!

The purpose of the Native Plant Exchange is to foster natural landscaping with native plants. Bring favorite native plants from your yard to share with others and take some home for yourself. 

All plants are FREE, and you are not required to bring plants in order to take some home. This is a place where those with an abundance can share with others and help them get started with native plants. 

This event is open to the community and is co-hosted by Wild Ones River City Chapter and Blandford Nature Center.

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!