Events

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.