Register for Workshops, Seminars & Hikes!

Wild Wander: Plant Natives Weekend

April 12-14, 2024

Whether you are a seasoned gardener, nature enthusiast

or just curious about sustainability in landscaping,

there is something for you and your family.

Thank you to Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center

for sponsorship support of Wild Wander. Weekend!

Find CHAPP at Wild Wander: Plant Natives weekend! 

Join the Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership (CHAPP) for a kid-friendly activity making seed bombs at the Native Plant Sale & Expo on Saturday 4/13 during Wild Wander: Plant Natives weekend!

Members of CHAPP will be set up at the sale from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. to guide you through making a seed bomb using native wildflower seeds donated by RoundStone Seed and WaterWays, and compost donated by NewTerra compost! 

FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

with Hannah Lewis

Monday, May 13, 2024

6:00 – 7:00 pm EDT

NOTE DATE CHANGE

Online via Zoom

Link will be available on our website closer to the time of the program

FREE and Open to the Public

Do you want to receive a reminder email

in advance of our free public programs?

If so, join our Meetup group.

For event details and Zoom links, visit TNValleyWildOnes.org

Under the Programs & Events tab, click on Calendar.

The Certificate in Native Plants program is designed to expand students' knowledge of botany, ecology, conservation and uses of native flora in the southeastern United States. The CNP offers a blend of classroom instruction, hands-on learning and guided hikes. Participants are required to complete four core classes, eight electives, and 40 hours of volunteering for approved native plant projects. Classes are open to Wild Ones members and non-members, whether or not you are pursuing the certificate.

For more info about the Certificate in Native Plants program, click HERE.

More CNP classes will be announced soon!

Save the Dates!



MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS

Members-Only Hike

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

Sunday, April 21, 2024

10:00 am – 2:00 p.m. EDT

Hike Leader: Stephan Eselgroth, MD



Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Stonecrest, Georgia

 Free for members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones

Along the southeast margins of Atlanta lie several massive granite outcrops. Called monadnocks, the largest of them include Stone, Panola and Arabia mountains. Geologically, these are residual plumes of magma called plutons, which have resisted erosion. We will visit the oldest, Arabia Mountain, that formed 400 million years ago.  It offers us viewing of unique habitats, with several endemic native plants. 



Landscapes in Progress

Saturday, May 18, 2024

10:00 am - 12:30 pm EDT

Free for members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones

Join members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones for a tour of two of our members' gardens in the Red Bank area.



Members-Only

Pontoon Boat Field Trip

Sunday, May 19, 2024

10:45 am – 3:00 pm EDT

Hike Leader: Park Ranger Mark Taylor

Edgar Evins State Park

Silver Point TN

$15 registration fee

Limited number of spaces

The limestone bluffs are an exposed ecosystem which harbor distinct and primitive populations of several interesting species such as the western wallflower and an undescribed species of rose verbena/mock vervain.



We plan to cruise along the bluffs for about 2 hours viewing the wildflowers from the boat, spend nearly an hour eating lunch on the boat in a quiet cove, and then we may travel over to Floating Mill to see a rookery of Double-crested Cormorants and Great Blue Herons.

Members-Only Hike

Keel Mountain Preserve

Hike Leader: Zach Irick

Saturday, May 25, 2024

9:30 am – 2:30 pm EDT

Keel Mountain Preserve

Gurley, Alabama

Free for members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones.

The preserve’s limestone karst ecosystem and its population of endangered leather flower are unique to the tristate area surrounding Chattanooga from south of Sewanee, TN to Huntsville, AL and east of Lookout Mountain, GA. A unique mix of soils and geography of these Southwestern Appalachian and Plateau escarpment regions have led to the evolution of several plant species distinctive to the region.

UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To view all upcoming programs, classes and events presented by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones, click below:

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Become a Native Plant Ambassador!

This is the start of the "tabling" season – at fairs, expos, plant sales and similar – where the the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones sets up tables, "staffed" by volunteer Native Plant Ambassadors (also known as "tablers!") who educate the public about the value of native plants and recruit new members.

When asked to table, many members decline, saying that they don’t know enough. If you are tabling for the American Cancer Society, there isn’t an expectation that you can answer a question like “For Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, is bindamustine or rituximab the preferred chemotherapy treatment”? Rather, the tabler tells their story, something like “Because of the improvements in cancer treatment supported by the ACS, my father/sister/friend is still alive today.”

The same is true for Wild Ones tabling. You won’t be expected to answer questions like “What should I plant on a south sloping hill of light clay in partial shade that will have blue blossoms in mid-May."

Here's a story told by one of our tablers: "My sister planted 4 or 5 milkweed plants in the dense concrete and asphalt of south Florida. A monarch found the plants and laid some eggs. My sister moved a chair to her backyard and spent hours watching the caterpillars munch on leaves and the instars develop. She located the chrysalis on the other side of her neighbor’s fence and made a mirror device to keep track of its progress. She missed a butterfly emerging by about 30 minutes.

That is pretty much what my sister knows about native plants."

At a Wild Ones table, this story would bring in many more members than a horticultural PhD’s answer to the blue blossom question!

Every Wild Ones member has multiple stories of this sort. How about volunteering to be a tabler at one of these upcoming events:

April 13-14 Master Your Garden Expo

Saturday 4/13 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sunday, April 14 - 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

April 19-20 Crabtree Farms Annual Spring Plant Sale & Festival

Friday 4/19 – 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Saturday 4/20 - 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

April 20 – Sunrise Movement: Zero Waste Festival

11:00 am - 6:00 pm at Stove Works, 1250 E 13th St,

April 22 – UTC Earth Day 

 Lupton Hall 11:30 am-1:30 pm

April 27 - Outdoor Chattanooga GEARage Sale and Spring Fest 

9:00 am - 2:00 pm at Greenway Farms

MEMBER NEWS

Local Garden Started by TN Valley Wild Ones Members

Wins National Award

Grace Episcopal Church on Brainerd Road recently won a national award for its garden and arboretum from the national group Interfaith Power and Light. This comes after the 2022 certification of the 4-acre church grounds as a Level 2 arboretum by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council. These accomplishments and recognition are the result of the dedicated leadership of Kristina Shaneyfelt and Lisa Lemza, both former Presidents of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones.

Green Grace Arboretum was inspired by the mature tree canopy on the grounds of Grace Episcopal Church. This Arboretum is intended to be an oasis of green and calm in a loud, hot, busy neighborhood, offering both a respite and access into the natural world. It now serves as a model and offers a menu of large and small actions and resources that other congregations can utilize.

The entire property is certified as a National Wildlife Federation Urban Wildlife Habitat, listed as an official project for the Hamilton County Master Gardeners program, is a certified Monarch Waystation, and has butterfly gardens certified by the North American Butterfly Association (NABA).

Read more about Green Grace.

Read about the recent award in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.



SUPPORT THE WORK OF OUR CHAPTER

A healthy planet starts with native plants.

Dwindling biodiversity is a threat to the foundation of life on earth. In the last century alone, we’ve lost millions of acres of diverse ecosystems to urbanization. Native plants help protect and restore biodiversity, improve air and water quality and provide wildlife with quality food and shelter.

Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes in every community. Let’s create a movement of native planters growing healthier landscapes. With your help, Tennessee Valley Wild Ones can accomplish the Wild Ones mission in the Tennessee Valley community. We are a 100% volunteer force for good, and donations will go directly to our work in the community.

Please help if you can. Every donation makes a difference.

TAKE ACTION

McDonald Farm Development

Hamilton County has proposed the rezoning of 871 acres of McDonald Farm for industrial development. That’s approximately 1/3 of the 2,027 acres that Hamilton County purchased several years ago.

The county plans to add roads, water and sewer systems to support industrial development and the storage and transportation of goods. These infrastructure improvements have raised important environmental and ecological concerns among the residents of Sale Creek, as well as other citizens who want this acreage to be preserved for wildlife and plant conservation as well as recreational use.

Read more and learn how you can take action.

PROGRAMS, CLASSES & EVENTS

Online and in the Region

The SWFP in the Great Smoky Mountains is an annual event features professionally-guided walks, exhibits, and other learning opportunities to explore the region's rich natural and cultural resources. Pilgrims from more than 40 states and several countries make the pilgrimage each year to learn more about fungi, ferns, wildflowers, trees and shrubs, medicinal plants, insects (terrestrial and aquatic), salamanders and snakes, birds, mammals (bats to bears), journaling, art and photography, and park history.

Tennessee Native Plant Society Seminars

The Tennessee Native Plant Society hosts monthly Native Plant Seminars via Zoom on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Central (7:30 p.m. Eastern) and lasting about one hour. All members, and potential members, are welcome to attend the seminars. Videos of previous seminars are available via the link below.

April 16 – Janneke Peterson, Symbiotic Schoolyard

May 21 – Deborah Rosenthal, Restoration Gone Wild

INTERESTING INFORMATION

Plant Longevity as a Strategy for Lessening Maintenance

In areas where minimal or reduced maintenance levels are necessitated by limited resources of time or funds, choosing plants with low maintenance requirements and robust longevity can be a tool for meeting maintenance time constraints and aesthetic standards. 

This post from Northcreek Nurseries provides lists of long-lived, durable plants. Please note that some suggested plants are non-native, so read plant descriptions carefully.

Read more.

Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity

Spiders have no wings, but they can take to the air nonetheless. They’ll climb to an exposed point, raise their abdomens to the sky, extrude strands of silk, and float away. This behavior is called ballooning. It might carry spiders away from predators and competitors, or toward new lands with abundant resources. But whatever the reason for it, it’s clearly an effective means of travel. Spiders have been found two and a half miles up in the air, and 1,000 miles out to sea.

Read more in this article from The Atlantic.

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

Lady Beetle on Paw Paw Blossoms

Photo by Mike O'Brien.



Paper Wasp on Redbud Tree blossoms

Photo by Mike O'Brien.

Zebra Swallowtail, nectaring

The Zebra Swallowtail butterfly is native to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada. It is the state butterfly of Tennessee. Its distinctive wing shape and long tails make it easy to identify, and its black-and-white-striped pattern is reminiscent of a zebra. The butterflies' host plant is the native Pawpaw tree, and are rarely found far from these trees.

Photo by Mike O'Brien.

Henry's Elfin Butterfly

Henry's Elfin butterflies are higher flyers at chest height and above. They are a very tiny, quick flying, dark brown butterfly, about the size of a findernail (3/4" - 1-1/4" wingspan) that is quick flying. Host plants include the Redbud, American Holly and Viburnums.

Photo by Mike O'Brien.

JOIN WILD ONES

Becoming a Wild Ones member shows your commitment to the native plant movement and is a great way to connect with a helpful and knowledgeable native plant community that will prove invaluable in your native garden journey!

Benefits of a Wild Ones membership include:

• Access to the current electronic issue of the quarterly Wild Ones Journal
• Invitations to workshops, garden tours, seed exchanges, plants sales, and stewardship project
• Discounts for partner educational webinars such as NDAL, etc. and Wild Ones chapter programs
• Participation in an annual national photo contest
• Access to the Wild Ones Member Center for learning resources
• Participation in Wild for Monarchs and Native Garden recognition programs
• Involvement in citizen science and networking with conservation partners
• Receiving Wild Ones National e-Newsletters
• Invitation to Wild Ones' private Facebook discussion group and the national Wild Ones Annual Member Meeting
• Networking opportunities and camaraderie with like-minded people who care about native plants and our planet

Additional benefits for members of the Tennessee Valley chapter:



• Discounted admission to all Certificate in Native Plants classes year-round.
• Free admission at members-only programs, including local and regional guided hikes, garden visits (Landscapes in Progress), the annual meeting, an annual plant swap, and other member social events.
• Access to the chapter's Member Directory, so you can connect with other members.
• Annual Welcome Party and Orientation for new members.
• Monthly email Member Update, with news about chapter activities.
• All members of the family who live at the same address are entitled to member benefits!

Your membership dollars help forward our mission of promoting the restoration of native landscapes by allowing us to:

• Provide free, educational resources and learning opportunities that are open to the public from respected experts like Wild Ones Honorary Directors Doug Tallamy, Neil Diboll, Heather Holm and Donna VanBuecken
• Support the efforts of over 65 local Wild Ones chapters in 23 states
• Publish a quarterly, award-winning, online journal featuring current native plant information and resources
• Share free, professionally-designed native garden templates for multiple regions in the United States.

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