Calendar

See HERE for more details about upcoming 
Wild Ones Twin Cities Programs, Tours & Events 

2024 Programs Tours and Workshops

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 
6:30 pm Social | Program 7:00 to 8:30 pm
In person at Wood Lake Nature Center with online option
Monarchs & Migration
Presenter: Leah Darst

Explore the lives of monarch butterflies with an overview of their life cycle, migration, and conservation.  Discuss their plant preferences and the best ways to help this charismatic flagship species.

Leah Darst is an Education Specialist, offering professional development workshops, public programs, and other outreach through Monarch Joint Venture.  She has been a naturalist for over 20 years: at seven nature centers across Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo, and through her own business, Nature Enthusiations. She's been on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Dragonfly Society since 2018 and is also their Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator and current President. This 'bug lady' is an enthusiastic educator who loves finding connections with people to collaboratively learn and share about the natural world, with a special interest in invertebrates and conservation. 


RESCHEDULED DUE TO ILLNESS
Chasing Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers
Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, 
authors of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers: 
A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.

Phyllis Root is a writer, Kelly Povo is a photographer, and they love searching for and learning about Minnesota's native wildflowers—the ones that have been growing here for centuries. They happily climb steep hills, wade streams, search in bogs and fens, and brake for wildflowers they see along the road. Learn about the wildflowers they search for, why they search, and where they (sometimes) find some of Minnesota’s little-known native wildflower treasures. They will also share stories of their own adventures (and misadventures) that led to their first book, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award finalist, and to their forthcoming book, Wildflower Chasing: An Adventurous Guide to Minnesota's Native Wildflowers and Their Unique Habitats.

TUESDAY | OCTOBER 15, 2024
6:30 pm Social | Program 7:00 to 8:30 pm
In person with online option
The Forager's Garden
Presenter: Tim Clemens, Mycologist

Foraging promotes connection to native species, the land, and water. Join Tim Clemens of Ironwood Foraging Co. to learn how participating in humanity's most ancient story can help you be a better steward of our world.

TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 19, 2024
Social, Food and Seed Exchange 6:30 pm
Program 7:15 pm
Annual Meeting, Volunteer Party and Seed Exchange

Unless otherwise noted, we meet at:
Wood Lake Nature Center, 6710 Lake Shore Dr S, Richfield, MN 55423
6:30 pm-7:00 pm  Social  |  7:00 pm-8:30 pm  Program
All meetings are free and open to the public!
Please check back for updates. Thank You!
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Wild Ones Minnesota Member Exclusive Tour
SATURDAY | SEPTEMBER 28, 2024
9:00 to 11:00 am
Guided Tour at Cedar Creek Ecosystem

Join with other Wild Ones members for a guided tour of Cedar Creek Bog in East Bethel MN. Our tour, Katrina Freund, gave an excellent presentation on, "The Women of Cedar Creek" at a recent Lunch with a Scientist program. A donation of $10 per attendee is requested, proceeds go to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve. For more info and to register, visit our Eventbrite page.
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FALL PROGRAMS 
presented by other Minnesota Wild Ones Chapters
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Wild Ones Prairie Edge

Unless noted, meetings are at Eden Prairie City Hall in the Heritage Room (on lower level), 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie

WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2024
7:00 to 9:00 pm | In person
Climate Action: How Residents Can Make a Difference
Presenter: Jennifer Fierce
Learn about climate action planning and how the actions you take,
both big and small, can help the community you live in meet its goals.
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Wild Ones SE Minnesota Prairie Partners

Unless noted, meetings are at  Emmaus Baptist Church, 712 Linden Street N, Northfield

THURSDAY | NOVEMBER 14, 2024
6:00 pm | In person
Annual Meeting and Native Seed Share
Program: DNR Native Plants and Wildlife, Restorations
Presenter: Shelley Gorham, Assistant Area Wildlife Manager, MN DNR Owatonna Area

THURSDAY | DECEMBER 12, 2024
Annual Luncheon at St Olaf 
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Wild Ones St Croix Oak Savanna

Meetings are at FamilyMeans building, 1875 Northwestern Ave, Stillwater

TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 19, 2024
5:30 to 7:30 pm | In person
Annual Chapter Potluck Gathering

Our guest speaker will be Angie Hong. Angie will review family-friendly outdoor adventures in Washington County and update us on plans and projects at the Washington Conservation District. Copies of her new book, Exploring the St. Croix Valley; Adventures on and off the Water, will be available.
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Find a Wild Ones Chapter Near You!

WO-AH • Arrowhead (Duluth)
WO-BRBW • Big River Big Woods (Roseville/St. Paul)
WO-NPP • SE MN Prairie Partners (Northfield)
WO-PE • Prairie Edge (Minnetonka)
WO-SC • St. Cloud
WO-SCOS • St. Croix Oak Savanna (Stillwater)
WO-TC • Twin Cities (Richfield/Minneapolis)
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PAST WILD ONES TWIN CITIES MEETINGS:

October 15, 2024
The Foragers Garden
Presenter | Tim Clemens

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024
Monarchs & Migration
Presenter | Leah Darst, Monarch Joint Venture

MAY 21, 2024
Twin Cities Chapter 2nd Annual Native Plant Resource Fair

MAY 1, 2024
Wild Ones Outreach Training Workshop

APRIL 16, 2024
Patrick Maun | Unveiling the Mystery of Collecting Seed and Propagating Spring Ephemerals

MARCH 19, 2024
Andy Scott | Native Plant Primer + Habitat Gardening Basics

FEBRUARY 20, 2024
Looking Forward to a Livelier Landscape: Indigenous plant-based landscapes. 
The best is yet to come…
Presenter | Alan Branhagen, Executive Director, Natural Land Institute in Illinois

JANUARY 20th, 2024
Winter Seed Sowing at Wood Lake Nature Center

NOVEMBER 14th, 2023
Wild Ones Twin Cities Annual Meeting, Seed Exchange and Volunteer Recognition

OCTOBER 17th, 2023
Oaks, Fire, and Climate Change
Presenter: Heather Holm

SEPTEMBER 19th, 2023
Identification and Natural History of Deciduous Trees & Shrubs
Presenter: Stephen Saupe, professor emeritus, joint biology department of the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University

MAY 16th, 2023
Program: A to Z on Sourcing Minnesota Native Plants
Presenter: Julia Vanatta

APRIL 18th, 2023
Wild Ones' Spring Native Plant Resource Fair

MARCH 21st, 2023
A Natural Harmony: Using Feng Shui to enhance how you tend your patch of the planet
Presenter: Elaine R Anderson

FEBRUARY 21st, 2023
Landscaping for Wildlife
Presenter: L. Peter MacDonagh

JANUARY 14th, 2023
Winter Seed Sowing at Wood Lake Nature Center

NOVEMBER 15th, 2022
WOTC Annual Membership Meeting
Officer Elections, Volunteer Appreciation Pizza Party & Native Seed Exchange

OCTOBER 18th, 2022
Insect Tracks & Signs on Native Plants
Presenter: Eric Vehe

SEPTEMBER 20th, 2022
All About Seed Saving: Glorious, colorful, wonderful seeds!
Presenter: Vanessa Van Alstine

MAY 17th, 2022
Living Mulch: Using Native Plants to Replace Traditional Mulch
Presenter: Kaitlyn O'Connor

APRIL 19, 2022
SPRING INTO PLANTING WITH WOTC
Presenter: WOTC 2022 Plant Sale Committee

MARCH  26, 2022
Guided Phenology Tour
Meeting at Olivia Irvine Dodge Library and History Center, Dodge Nature Center (West St. Paul)

MARCH 15, 2022
Building habitat, building community: Three inspiring stories of local habitat projects (and the leaders who launched them)
Presenters: 
Ava J T McKnight | Altlawns of Richfield and Bloomington
Sara Nelson | Corcoran Pollinator Project
Daniel Schultz | Greater Longfellow Community Wildlife Habitat
MODERATOR
Karen “Ren” Graham, Education Committee

FEBRUARY 16, 2022
Brooklyn Bridge Park Lessons (so far!) in Constructed Ecology
Presenter: Rebecca McMackin
Online program hosted by Wild Ones Prairie Edge, Big River Big Woods and Twin Cities Chapters

NOVEMBER 30, 2021
Annual Membership Mtg & Election of 2022 Officers
How Does Your Garden Grow?  A discussion with Kent Petterson

OCTOBER 19, 2021
"Creating Healthy Habitat for People and Wildlife"
Presenter: Carmen Simonet, owner of Carmen Simonet Design LLC

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
"Creating Pockets of Habitat with Native Plants"
Presenter: Angie Hong, coordinator for Minnesota’s East Metro Water Resource Education Program

MAY 18, 2021
Tips for Starting Native Plants from Seeds
Presenter: Nancy Schumacher, retired owner of The Vagary

APRIL 20, 2021
Tips and Techniques for Safe Transfer and Sharing of Native Plants
Presenter: Julia Vanatta

MARCH 16, 2021
Jumping Worms, the Latest Threat to Our Gardens and Wild Areas.
Presenter: Ryan Hueffmeier, University of MN Duluth

FEBRUARY 16, 2021
Connecting Community and Native Habitat— Growing a Sense of Place
Presenter: Vicki Bonk, Nokomis Naturescape Stewardship and Outreach Lead

JANUARY 19, 2021*
Restoring Ecosystem Functionality and Biodiversity
Presenter: Heather Holm

NOVEMBER 17, 2020
Annual Member Business Meeting, including election of officers for 2021.
Art and Nature—Naturally.
A sampling  of garden art made by Wild Ones Twin Cities members, including, Vicki and Richard Bonk, Marilyn Jones, and Holley Wlodarczyk.

OCTOBER 20, 2020
The Natural Gardening Method: Creating Gardens with Minimal Ecological Footprint, Low Financial Commitment, with Maximum Environmental Benefit
Presenter: Karl KloosNorthern Natural Gardens

SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
Lessons Learned from 40 Years of Repairing the Earth by Restoring with Native Vegetation
Presenter: Ron Bowen, Prairie Restorations

MAY 19, 2020
Giving Nature a Home: How our yards are among the last best places for birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife
Presenter: Liz Stanley

JANUARY 21, 2020
Surprises that Await us in our Native Pocket Gardens
Presenter: Tom Dickhudt

NOVEMBER 19, 2019
WOTC Membership Meeting
Seed Exchange & Volunteer Recognition Pizza Party

OOCTOBER 15, 2019

Tools for Finding and Exploring the Rich Natural World of the Twin Cities
Presenter: John Moriarty, Senior Manager of Wildlife

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019
America’s Flyways: Challenges and Opportunities
Presenter: Don Arnosti, Executive Director, Izaak Walton League

MAY 21, 2019
Water in the Landscape: Design Considerations for Storage and Use
Presenter: Dan Peterson, Landscape Designer and Ecologist, Habadapt

APRIL 16, 2019
7th Annual Table Topics
Featuring Local Native Plant and Landscaping Experts

MARCH 19, 2019
Not Your Mother's Garden: Adding Native Diversity
Presenter: Bonnie Harper-Lore, Ecologist and Author

FEBRUARY 16, 2019
DESIGN WITH NATURE CONFERENCE: HEALING AND RESTORING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE
Larry Weaner, Landscape Architect and Author
Michael Lynch, Botanical Wanderings
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ph.D., Author and Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY Syracuse
Spotlight Organization: Xerces Society

JANUARY 15, 2019 
Member Garden Showcases
Presenters: 
Andy Scott – Transforming Lawn to Habitat Over Five Growing Seasons, and
Jeremy Mayberg – An Urban Oasis:Landscape Gardening with Native Plants

NOVEMBER 13, 2018
Annual Member Meeting and Potluck Dinner
Presenter: Jason Pruett, Arborist, Treehugger

OCTOBER 16, 2018
Building More Resilient Yards: What You Can Do Now to Plan for the Next Growing Season
Presenter: Rich Harrison, Landscape Architect, Metro Blooms / Blue Thumb

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018
Endangered Pollinators: A Southeast Minnesota Perspective
Presenter: Scott Leddy, Restoration Practitioner

MAY 15, 2018
Native Sedges and Grasses
Presenter: Dustin Demmer, Blazing Star Gardens in Owatonna, MN

APRIL 17, 2018
6th Annual Table Topics
Native Plant Gardening 101

MARCH 20, 2018
Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium
Presenter: Marilyn Barber, The Minnesota School of Botanical Art

FEBRUARY 17, 2018
DESIGN WITH NATURE CONFERENCE: NATURAL LANDSCAPE AS THE NEW NORM
Jared Rosenbaum, Wild Ridge Plants
Catherine Zimmerman, author and filmmaker
Rachel Mackow, Wild Ridge Plants
Spotlight Organization: Izaak Walton League-Bush Lake Chapter

JANUARY 16, 2018
Native Tree & Shrub Clinic: Selection, Planting & Maintenance
• Native Tree and Shrub Selection for a Changing Climate - Erik Olsen, Outback Nursery
• Managing Healthy Public Space- Native Trees and Shrubs - Paul Buck, City of Plymouth Forester
• From the Ground Up—Tips on Pruning and Timing - Jason Pruett, Treehugger Treecare

NOVEMBER 21, 2017
Annual Member Meeting and Potluck
Wild Ones in the Field- A partnership roundtable featuring WOTC members

OCTOBER 17, 2017
Minnesota Wildflowers
Presenters: Katy Chayka & Peter M. Dziuk, minnesotawildflowrs.info

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
Conservation Strategies for Native ‘Big Woods’ Forest Plant Communities
Presenter: Dr. Lee E. Frelich, Director, The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology

MAY 16, 2017
Phenology and Citizen Science in Minnesota
Presenter: Rebecca Montgomery

APRIL 20, 2017
5th Annual Table Topics 
With local experts on everything you want to know about gardening with native plants!

MARCH 21, 2017
Selecting Native Trees and Shrubs that Support Birds and Bees 
Presenter: Heather Holm

FEBRUARY 18, 2017
DESIGN WITH NATURE CONFERENCE: PLANTING MATTERS
Doug Tallamy, University of Delaware
Forest Isbell, Cedar Creek Ecosystem Reserve
Nathalie Shanstrom, Pasque Ecological Design

JANUARY 17, 2017
Native Plant Winter Sowing and Seed Exchange
Presenter: Carmen Simonet

NOVEMBER 15, 2016
Annual Board Meeting and Potluck
Where the Wild Ones Have Gone: A Potluck Travelogue

OCTOBER 18, 2016
Grow Native: Bringing Natural Beauty to Your Garden
Presenter: Lynn Steiner

SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
A Walk through the The Trespasser's Garden
Presenter: Emily Gray Koehler

MAY 17, 2016
Growing and Gathering Native Edible Plants
Presenter: Wesley Nugteren, Seeking the Wild Naturalist

APRIL 19, 2016
4th Annual Native Landscaping Table Topics 
and Plant Sale Kickoff

MARCH 15, 2016
Home Is Where the Habitat Is
Presenters: Hannah Texler & Vera Ming Wong

FEBRUARY 20, 2016
DESIGN WITH NATURE CONFERENCE: GOOD DESIGN MATTERS
Heather Holm, author of Pollinators of Native Plants
Benjamin Vogt, eastern Nebraska prairie garden designer and owner of Monarch Gardens
Chris Behringer, Behringer Designs, and Arlys Freeman, Midwest Floating Islands

JANUARY 19, 2016
Native Plant Winter Sowing and Seed Exchange
Presenter: Carmen Simonet

NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Annual Board Meeting & Potluck
Youth and Native Planting Project
Presenter: Kris Martinka

OCTOBER 20, 2015
Dwindling Numbers for an Iconic Insect: A Conservation Biologist Ponders Moving Beyond the Documentation of Declines
Presenter: Karen S. Oberhauser, Ph.D., Professor in the Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota
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PAST WILD ONES TWIN CITIES TOURS & OUTREACH EVENTS:

NOKOMIS NATURESCAPE GARDENING

Since 2002 Wild Ones Twin Cities chapter has helped maintain the three prairie gardens located at the 4-acre Nokomis Naturescape. These demonstration gardens are designed to encourage people to plant native species to liven up their own yard. Get on our email list for current updates on Naturescape volunteering, garden bloom’s and wildlife, native plant gardening tips and more. For more information contact Vicki at vbonk@usiwireless.com or call 612-232-8196. Also check out our facebook site to keep you current with happenings:  https://www.facebook.com/NokomisNaturescape

JULY 20, 2024 
Dave Crawford Gardens
St Paul

JULY 27, 2024
Cass Markovich Gardens
Northeast Minneapolis

AUGUST 3, 2024
Holley Wlodarczyk Gardens
East Bloomington

AUGUST 16th, 17th & 18th, 2023
Mother Nature at Work, A Guided Tour and On Site Workshop
Instructors | Julia Vanatta and Susan Van Baerle
Minneapolis

JUNE 15th, 2023
Propagating Spring Ephemerals - Member-Only Tour
West St. Paul

MAY 27th, 2023
Guided Tour of Habitats: Saint John's Boardwalk Loop
Guides: Stephen Saupe and Brian Johnson
Saint John's Abbey Arboretum, St Joseph, MN

JULY 31, 2022
A MASTER GARDENER’S JOURNEY INTO NATIVE GARDENING
Master Gardener Robert Hatlevig’s garden story began when he and his wife, Helen, purchased a unique, Midcentury Modern home (originally a parsonage) atop a hill, overlooking a church, in South St. Paul.

MAY 7, 2022
Member-Only Wildflower Walk
Spring Ephemerals in Bloomington's Nine Mile Creek

MAY 2, 2022
Member-Only Wildflower Walk
Spring Ephemerals in Bloomington's Minnesota River Valley

Bare Root Clinic and Workshops
Julia Vanatta
Spring & Fall clinics were held in South Minneapolis.
In addition to learning how to bare root plants, clinics covered Jumping Worm identification, early assessment and how to prevent introducing this invasive species to your garden. 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
MONARCH FESTIVAL
Lake Nokomis & Nokomis Naturescape | 49th St and Woodlawn Blvd, Minneapolis
From the first year on, Wild Ones Twin Cities have been essential partners in this festival. 
The Wild Ones adopted garden, the Nokomis Naturescape, was a catalyst for the event. 
To learn more visit http://monarchfestival.org

AUGUST 1, 2021
Tour of Andy Scott's Native Garden, Owner of ReWild Native Gardens, LLC
Bloomington

JULY 10, 2021
Native Plant Home Garden Tour + Environmental Stewardship Expo
at the Home of Leslie Pilgrim, Owner of Neighborhood Greening 
Mendota Heights

MAY 26th & 29th, 2021
Tour of George & Bernice Watson's Native Gardens
Lakeville

SEPTEMBER 14, 2019
WILD ONES TWIN CITIES MEMBER ONLY TOUR
at Frontenac State Park
Guided by Bonnie Harper-Lore & Steve Winter
Frontenac

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019
MONARCH FESTIVAL
Lake Nokomis & Nokomis Naturescape | 49th St and Woodlawn Blvd
Minneapolis

AUGUST 17, 2019
WILD ONES MEMBER PICNIC AND TOUR
at the Bush Lake Izaak Walton League
Bloomington

AUGUST  14, 2019
Corcorcon Pollinator Garden Walking Tour

AUGUST  4, 2019 
Kathleen Seal's Gardens
Minneapolis

AUGUST  3, 2019 
Leslie Pilgrim's Native Plant Garden Tour
Sponsored by Neighborhood Greening.
Mendota Heights

AUGUST 11, 2018 
Root River Valley Member Only Tour
Led by Scott Leddy
Rushford

JULY 14, 2018
Native Landscaping in Mendota Heights
#1 | Leslie Pilgrim
#2 | Kraus Native Landscape

#3 | Sue Light

JUNE 30, 2018 
Chris Burda's Sustainable Yard & Home
Minneapolis

JUNE 8, 2018
Tour native plants on the Roof of City Hall           
Designer & Guide: Nathalie Shanstrom, Pasque Ecological Design and Consulting, LLC
Minneapolis

SEPTEMBER 23, 2017
Douglas Owens-Pike at Otter Creek Ridge!
Wisconsin

AUGUST 19, 2017
Native Plant Rain Gardens
#1 | Lutheran Church of Christ Redeemer
5440 Penn South Minneapolis, Mn. 55410
Guide: Laurie Bruno, Master Naturalist
#2 | St Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Linden Hills
2914 W 44th St Minneapolis, MN 55410
Guide: Dottie Dolezal

JULY 12, 2017
3804 Cedar Lake Place, Minneapolis 
Guide: Douglas Owens Pike
Guest Presenter: Peter Original Designer of Cedar Meadows Restoration
Minneapolis

JUNE 28, 2017
Storm Water Park and Learning Center
#1 | Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
2522 Marshall Street NE, Minneapolis
#2 | Donna’s House, Front and back
Design by True Nature Design, Roxanne Stuhr
#3 | Sandra’s House, Front and Back
Minneapolis

AUGUST 13, 2016 
Crex Meadows Member Only Tour
Wisconsin

AUGUST 6, 2016
South Minneapolis, Seward, Longfellow, Corcoran
#1 | Marilyn Jones’ Garden
#2 | Common Ground Meditation Center
#3 | Liz and Bill Blood’s Garden
#4 | Julia Vanatta’s Yard
Minneapolis

JULY 6, 2016  
Tour of Patty's Garden at Energy Savers Insulation
Minneapolis

JUNE 25, 2016  
South Minneapolis Garden Tours
#1 | Vicki Bonk, Grow Monarch Habitat Coach's Garden
#2 |  Local Roots Landscapers Client Garden
#3 | Nokomis East Gateway Garden Project
East 50th St & Hiawatha Ave, Minneapolis

JUNE 15, 2016
Douglas Owens-Pike's of EnergyScapes Private Residence
Minneapolis

JUNE 11, 2016 
Southwest Area Gardens
#1 | Jeremy & Amy Mayberg’s Garden
#2 | Meleah Maynard’s Garden
Edina