April 2022
Newsletter
Healing the earth, one yard at a time.
Free Public Programs
with Shawn Bible
Monday, April 11, 2022
6:00 pm EDT
Online via Zoom
FREE and Open to the Public
 
Shawn Bible will share information about the plantings that have been done by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, modifications to TDOT’s mowing and herbicide programs that have been instituted to encourage pollinators, and TDOT’s pollinator education programming and partnerships with other government offices and groups to encourage pollinators. She will also talk about the extensive plant and planting resources TDOT is now providing on the TDOT Beautification web site.
with Bill Haley
Monday, May 9, 2022
6:00 pm EDT
green|spaces, 63 E. Main St., Chattanooga
FREE and Open to the Public

While many gardeners are familiar with the bee, wasp, fly, beetle and butterfly pollinators they observe during daylight hours, the hours after dark are full of unknown and unseen pollinators. In this program Bill will introduce you to just a few of his nightly visitors. Who knows? You may decide to become a creature of the night too!
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones presents
FREE Public Programs throughout the year.
Gardening with Native Plants
Free Introductory Classes
Beginning Monday, May 16th

In response to many requests, the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is presenting a series of seven free introductory classes about how to garden with native plants. These classes, led by experienced gardeners from the Tennessee Valley, are free and open to the public.
 
Beginning on May 16th, the series of classes will cover everything from why to use native plants … to how to design, plant and maintain native plant gardens. Join us for all of the classes, several classes, or even just one! Each class will compliment the others, and together they will greatly add to your understanding of native plant gardening.

Save the dates for these classes:

Monday May 16, 6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
Native Plants, So What? Why Native Plants Matter

Monday, June 20, 6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
Getting Started: Working Toward Building Your Own Homegrown National Park

Saturday, July 16, 9:00 - 11:30am EDT
How to Plant a Potted Plant (Plus Some Other Options)

Monday, August 15, 6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
What Do I Plant? Mountain Gardens.

Monday, September 19, 6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
What Do I Plant? Valley Gardens.

Saturday, October 8, 9:00 - 11:00am EDT
Caring for Native Plant Gardens

Designing in Nature with Native Plants
Monday, November 21, 6:00 - 8:00pm EDT
Certificate in Native Plants Classes

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.  Classes fill quickly and pre-registration is required.

Visit www.TNValleyWildOnes.org/CNP for more information.  

Spring Wildflower Hike
Saturday, April 9, 2022
9:00am – 1:00pm Central DST
University of the South Campus,
Sewanee TN
Instructor: Jon Evans, PhD
ELECTIVE class for the Certificate in Native Plants
(4 credits)

This course will explore the rich spring flora of Shakerag Hollow, an old-growth cove forest located on the campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Participants will be taught how to identify over 30 species of wildflowers and learn about the ecology of this highly diverse forest community. The wildflower display in Shakerag Hollow rivals that found in the Great Smoky Mountains.

$35: Members of Wild Ones, Reflection Riding and/or TN Native Plant Society

$45: Non-members
Native Plant Communities
Saturday, May 14, 2022
9:00am – 12:30pm EST
Online via Zoom
Instructors: Charlotte Freeman &
Mary Priestley
CORE class for the Certificate in Native Plants
(6 credits)

Plant communities are assemblages of plant species living together in a given place. In this course, we will examine the ecological properties of plant communities by exploring plant habitats. We will also discuss the benefits and challenges of protecting native plant communities in Tennessee. 

The classroom session will be provided online via Zoom. 
The field component will be done as a self-study, designed to be completed in three hours and due June 15, 2022.

$55: Members of Wild Ones, Reflection Riding and/or TN Native Plant Society

$65: Non-members

View the Certificate in Native Plants 2022 class schedule
Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership News
Two Seeds for Education Grants Awarded!
CHAPP, an initiative of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones, recently awarded two $750 Seeds for Education grants to:

  • Wauhatchie School at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center (left photo)
  • South Chattanooga Community Center with the City of Chattanooga (right photo)

The Seeds for Education grants now include a volunteer mentor for the first year to help guide the process that schools or community centers will undertake installing and using a native pollinator garden. 

Congratulations to both recipients!

Tennessee Valley Chapter
Member Events
Members Only Hike:
Jackson County TN area
Saturday, April 23, 2022
11:00am - 3:00pm EDT
Dennis Horn, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

Jackson County has some beautiful rugged country in the hills and hollows along the Roaring River and Spring Creek east of Gainesboro. Both are designated as Tennessee Scenic Rivers. There will be several stops, with opportunities to see wildflowers, butterflies, migratory birds, and some record sized trees.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS REMAIN!
Landscapes in Progress:
Garden Tour &
Plant Recovery
Saturday, April 23, 2022
9:30am - 12:30pm EDT
East Ridge & Missionary Ridge
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

The first location of the April 2022 Landscapes in Progress program features the garden of a Wild Ones member in the East Ridge area. It is a typical suburban, postage-stamp sized yard being converted into a friendlier habitat. The host moved into this home in March of 2020 and is the 3rd steward of the land. A prior steward had cultivated a garden of roses, bulbs, and flowering shrubs and trees that suited the aesthetic of English and Japanese Gardens across 40 years. The current steward has been gradually integrating native flowers, shrubs, and trees since her first season.

The second property is located near Missionary Ridge.  We will help the owner/developer identify plants prior to his development of the property and will be allowed to dig up any that we would like to rescue. Bring your shovel and pots if you are interested in the rescue aspect.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS REMAIN!
Members Only Hike:
Ocoee River Gorge
Saturday, May 7, 2022
9:00am - 7:30pm EDT
Zach Irick, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

Join Southeastern Grasslands Initiative botanist Zach Irick for a tour of the globally rare Buck Creek Serpentine Barrens ecosystems of the western North Carolina region, the Ducktown Cranberry bogs in East TN, plus several species along the Ocoee River Gorge. Zach will discuss the ecology and botany of each area and show off some amazing species.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS REMAIN!
Members Only Hike:
May Prairie
Sunday, May 15, 2022
9:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Stephan Eselgroth, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

Our hike along a portion of the well-kept, wooded Heiss Mountain section of the Cumberland Trail will visit a wide variety of late spring woodland flowers and flowering shrubs, including many threatened large flowered skullcap in bloom (Scutellaria montana).  The trail passes over "bare point," loaded with mountain laurel and Catawba rhododendron, overlapping in bloom, and early berries of the very abundant hillside blueberry along rock outcrops. The trail then descends past huge rock faces to Big Possum Creek.

ONLY A FEW SPOTS REMAIN!
Members Only Hike:
May Prairie
Saturday, June 4 2022
10:00am - 2:00pm EDT
Dennis Horn, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

Dennis Horn, TNPS Charter member/Author/Naturalist and botanical guru, will be our hike guide and lead us through middle Tennessee's Barrens ecosystem grassland species at Arnold Engineering Development Center and the May Prairie. Dennis is co-author of “Wildflowers of Tennessee.” Dennis will give us an opportunity to see several orchids and other rare plants.

Registration limit: 15
Members Only Hike:
Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens
Saturday, June 11, 2022
9:30am - 1:30pm EDT
Dennis Horn and Stephan Eselgroth, Hike Co-leaders
FREE and Open to members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter only

Flat Rock Cedar Glades and Barrens is one of only a few prime examples of intact cedar glades, barrens and cedar-hardwood forest communities. Located near Middle Tennessee State University at the edge of Murfreesboro, it is an easy hike along a flat landscape with exposed limestone plates and outcropping and other characteristics of the karst topography that influences cedar glade ecology. It supports an abundance of wavyleaf (prairie) purple coneflower (Echinacea simulata), as well as some Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis), which are in recovery and now  delisted from being an endangered species.

Registration Limit: 15
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones presents
FREE Members-Only Events throughout the year.

To ensure a quality experience, our hikes and garden visits
have limited spots available. If a program is full, please contact membership@tnvalleywildones.org
to have your name added to the waiting list.

Please note that Members Only events usually fill quickly.
If you are scheduled for one of these hikes and are unable to attend,
so that others on the waiting list can be notified.
Wild Ones Presents Free Online Programs
Registration is now open for: “Wild Ones Presents,"
a free Green Infrastructure webinar series:

Native Plants for Improving Stormwater - April 7
Outdoor Air Quality - April 14
Soil Contamination - April 21

Each topic in this Green Infrastructure series will go more in depth on how phytoremediation (using plants to clean up soil, air, and water containing hazardous contaminants) works and cover a wider range of contaminants and native plant species.
Online Programs
Monthly Native Plant Seminars
The Tennessee Native Plant Society is hosting monthly Native Plant Seminars during 2022. These seminars are held via Zoom on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Central Time (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time) and last about one hour. All members, and potential members, are welcome to join the meeting at no cost.

April 19 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm CDT

May 17 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm CDT

Middle Tennessee Chapter
of Wild Ones

The Middle Tennessee chapter presents monthly programs.
Check their website for details.

Programs and Events in the Region
It's Time to Plant!
Reflection Riding Nursery is Open!
Starting April 5th, the Reflection Riding nursery will be open five days a week through November. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. 

There will be plant rambles, native gardening workshops and lots of other fun to celebrate at the nursery all season long.

Reach out to the nursery team at nursery@reflectionriding.org or at 423.497.6208 if you need help

Tennessee Native Plant Society
Membership in the Tennessee Native Plant society includes access to a variety of field trips throughout Tennessee during the growing season. Upcoming trips include:

April 2 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CDT

April 5 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm CDT

April 9 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CDT

April 16 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CDT

April 23 @ 8:30 am - 3:00 pm CDT

May 7 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CDT
The Trails & Trilliums Festival takes place each Spring at the Dubose Conference Center in Monteagle, Tennessee. T&T features...
  • Guided hikes in & around the South Cumberland State Park  
  • Native Plant Sale
  • Great line-up of Programs, Author Talks & Workshops
  • Outstanding Outdoor Activities for Children
  • Garden & Outdoors Vendors 
  • Music on Stage
Another Chance to Plant Trees This Spring

The Tennessee Environmental Council is partnering with Green Interchange on another mass tree planting event this spring. If you or your friends missed out on Tennessee Tree Day or you simply want more trees for your yard, here is another chance to grab some. 

Green Interchange is offering tree seedlings, for their Plant a Tree for Tennessee event on April 24th, in select locations across Tennessee. 
Click below to find the nearest pick-up location, select your tree(s), and then pick up on April 23rd!
Weed Wrangle at Reflection Riding
April 23rd, May 14th, and June 11th
9:00am EDT

Join Byron Brooks, Reflection Riding's Invasive Species Specialist, when he hosts small groups to teach you how to manage invasive plants and what the best methods are. For this event, weed wrenches will be used to properly remove some of the non-native species encroaching the Reflection Riding landscape. Group sizes are limited to 10 people, so reserve your spot by signing up using the link below.
Participate in a Worldwide Community Science Project!
The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.

Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species!

April 29 - May 2
Take photos of plants and wildlife

May 3- 8
Identify what was found
April 26-30, 2022

Registration for the Spring 2022 Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open. This year will mark the 72nd annual event, and it includes over 200 separate hikes, exhibits, programs, or other educational events focused on biology, ecology, conservation, and land management and while “wildflower” hikes are the majority there are lots of programs on fungi, mosses, trees and shrubs, bats, boar and bear, aquatic insects, butterflies, spiders, parasites, bones, nature’s poisons, land conservation and management, nature journaling, art, and much more.  
2022 Annual Conference in Chattanooga
May 13 @ 6:00 pm - May 15 @ 12:00 pm

The TNPS 2022 Annual Conference will be held May 13-15, 2022 in Chattanooga. The Clarion Hotel in Lookout Valley (3641 Cummings Hwy, Chattanooga, TN) will serve as the headquarters and meeting location.

On Friday evening Dr. Joey Shaw will provide a hands-on tutorial for iNaturalist. On Saturday Ann Brown from Bee City will give a presentation. Hikes for Saturday and Sunday are being finalized. 

Registration for this conference is $25.
Please register and make payment by April 28.
Interesting Information
Plant Tips and Tricks

In this article from Northcreek Nurseries, read about how a few selected plants perform in different conditions; this might factor into the way you care for that plant. Siting a plant in one location versus another can result in completely different ways that the plant reacts to the environment; this article gives examples of how plants change from place to place.

Photos from the Field
Henry's Elfin Butterfly
This ephemeral and early spring butterfly, the Henry’s Elfin, is a very tiny butterfly with a wingspan of only ¾ - 1¼ inches. It a very hard to find tiny butterfly that is only around for a month or so in early spring. One of its primary host plants, the Redbud tree, is now blossoming in the Tennessee Valley. Other host plants are the American Holly and Blueberry. 

Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Claytonia virginica (Virginia Spring Beauty)

It grows from an underground tuber like a small potato; this has a sweet, chestnut-like flavor. Native Americans and colonists used them for food and they are still enjoyed by those interested in edible wild plants. Notice the pollinating ant on the lower bloom.

Photo by Mike O'Brien.
Thalictrum thalictroides (Rue anemone)

Rue-anemone is a delicate woodland perennial rising to 9 inches. At the top of the stalk is a lacy whorl of 3-parted, dark-green leaves above which rises delicate, reddish-brown stems bearing pink or white blossoms. This slender spring flower is easily cultivated in wildflower gardens.

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.
  • Discounted admission to the annual Plant Natives Symposium in the spring.
  • 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 60 local Wild Ones chapters in 20 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.
Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
Upcoming Event Calendar

Certificate in Native Plants Class
with Jon Evans, PhD
Saturday, April 9, 2022
9:00 am - 1:00 pm Central DST
University of the South Campus, Sewanee TN


Public Program
Monday, April 11, 2022
6:00 pm EDT
with Shawn Bible
FREE and Open to the Public
green|spaces, 63 E. Main St., Chattanooga


Members-Only Hike
Saturday, April 2, 2022
9:00am - 12:30pm EDT
Hill Craddock, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of
the Tennessee Valley Chapter only
This hike is SOLD OUT!


Members-Only Hike
Saturday, April 23, 2022
11:00am - 3:00pm EDT
Dennis Horn, Hike Leader
FREE and Open to members of
the Tennessee Valley Chapter only


Members-Only Landscapes in Progress Program
Saturday, April 23, 2022
East Ridge & Missionary Ridge area


Members-Only Hike
Saturday, May 7, 2022
Zach Irick, Hike Leader


Certificate in Native Plants Class
with Mary Priestley & Charlotte Freeman
Saturday, May 14, 2022
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Online via Zoom


Members-Only Hike
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Stephan Eselgroth, Hike Leader


Gardening With Native Plants
Monday, May 16, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm EDT
with Lisa Lemza
FREE and Open to the Public


Members-Only Hike
Saturday, June 4, 2022
Dennis Horn, Hike Leader


Members-Only Hike
Saturday, June 11, 2022
Dennis Horn & Stephan Eselgroth, Hike Co-Leaders


Gardening With Native Plants
Monday, June 20, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm EDT
with Sally Wencel
FREE and Open to the Public



For event details and Zoom links, visit TNValleyWildOnes.org
Under the Programs & Events tab, click on Calendar.

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