FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Monday, February 12, 2024

6:00 - 7:30 pm EST

South Chattanooga Community Center

1151 W 40th St, St. Elmo, Chattanooga TN 37409

NOTE OUR NEW MEETING LOCATION!

FREE and Open to the Public

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Chattanooga a grant of $6 million to develop and maintain urban forests, green space and waterways in underserved communities. Pete Stewart, City Forester, along with Anna Mathis, Natural Resources Manager in Parks & Outdoors and the lead applicant on the grant, will discuss what this means for Chattanooga.

Monday, March 11, 2024

6:00 - 7:30pm EDT

South Chattanooga Community Center

1151 W 40th St, St. Elmo, Chattanooga TN 37409

NOTE OUR NEW MEETING LOCATION!

FREE and Open to the Public

Apartment dwellers and those working in small areas take heart! This program will teach how to use native plants in containers. Catherine Shaw Truelove, former owner of Bees on a Bicycle, and Ann Brown (Tennessee Valley Wild Ones) will instruct us on design and plant selection of natives for containers. 

Monday, April 8, 2024

6:00 - 7:30 pm EDT

Online via Zoom

FREE and Open to the Public

Hannah Lewis, the author of "Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World" will be our speaker. This is unique approach to reforestation was devised by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. Lewis will explain how tiny forests can grow quickly and offer rich biodiversity and environmental benefits, more so than forests planted by conventional methods.  

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.

Wild Wanter: Plant Natives Weekend

April 12-14, 2024

This year Plant Natives will move to April, in conjunction with our Native Plant Sale and Expo. Instead of a one-day symposium, this year there will be lots more, including seminars, interactive workshops, demonstrations, wildflower walks and activities for the whole family.

Save the dates! More information will be coming soon!

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.

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

More CNP classes will be announced soon!



UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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

MEMBER NEWS

You are Invited to Chapter Board Meetings

The Wild Ones Tennessee Valley chapter board meetings are open to all members. The meetings are typically held the third Monday of each quarter at 5:30pm via Zoom. If you are a member and are interested in attending, please send an email to membership@tnvalleywildones.org and we will send you the Zoom meeting invitation.

We Need Volunteers for Our

PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE

The role of the Public Information Committee for the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is to increase knowledge of native plants and why they are important to the ecosystem. At public events, fairs and festivals, our volunteers tell people about Wild Ones: “We grow native plants so the other wild ones – the birds, bees, and butterflies – can survive and thrive." We hand out brochures and answer questions. In so doing, our volunteers learn more about native plants and can encourage people to participate in Wild Ones.

We need a volunteer to take charge of the physical part of our display. Often, we store, haul and set up our own tent and table. as well as a trifold display with photos of plants and caterpillars (native plants in action!). These materials fit easily in the back of an SUV. The tent and table are a bit heavy and cumbersome to move and set up. It is easiest for one person to store these between events and to be able to come to most of the events. Of course, it would be possible to rotate the storage with a different person taking the supplies home at the end of one session and delivering them to the next. One person would need to keep track of the inventory of several brochures about growing native plants and reorder or run off copies to keep an adequate supply on hand.

The usual shift for a "tabling" display is 2-3 hours. You'll sit behind a table and talk about a subject that interests you, and you often learn a few new things about native plants and meet other "plant people" with similar interests.

To volunteer, please contact us at tnvalleywildones@gmail.com.



PROGRAMS, CLASSES & EVENTS

Online and in the Region

Guide to Climate-Smart Gardening

with Naturalist David Mizejewski

February 8, 2024

2:00pm EST

Online

Climate change is a reality of our times, with devastating effects already being felt around the globe. How is climate change affecting our gardens, and how can we create green spaces that will thrive in the face of these effects? How can our gardens support local wildlife species impacted by climate change? How can we as gardeners reduce our own contribution to climate change?

Presented by the National Wildlife Federation

INTERESTING INFORMATION

USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released a new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating this valuable tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 2012. USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The new map—jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University's (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is more accurate and contains greater detail than prior versions.

Read more



View the Hardiness Zone Map

Can You Move a Bird Nest Near You?

When birds start a family close to your home, it offers a thrilling chance to observe their behavior. But if they choose to place the abode in a high-traffic area, it can be challenging too. Can you move a bird nest? Before you do, there are some factors to consider, including whether or not it’s legal to do so. Here are some pointers on how to be a good host during nesting season.

Read more.

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

This month during the cold of winter, most native plants are dormant. Reptiles and amphibians are brumating, typically in burrows or under log piles. Insects have migrated, are hibernating, or are overwintering as larvae, nymphs, eggs and pupae. So, Mike O'Brien has been busy spotting birds and mammals. He shares some beautiful "nature finds" living in the Tennessee Valley.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawks are small, long-tailed hawks with short, rounded wings. They have small heads that in flight do not always project beyond the “wrists” of the wings. The tail tends to be square-tipped and may show a notch at the tip. Females are considerably larger than males. Adults are slaty blue-gray above, with narrow, horizontal red-orange bars on the breast. Sharp-shinned Hawks are agile fliers that speed through dense woods to surprise their prey, typically songbirds. During the nonbreeding season they hunt small birds and mammals along forest edges and sometimes at backyard bird feeders, causing a wave of high-pitched alarm calls among the gathered songbirds.

Photo by Mike O'Brien.



Male Pine Warbler

Most warblers leave the continental U.S. for winter, but the Pine Warbler stays in the Southeast and is one of the first to return northward in spring. It arrives as early as February in areas just north of the wintering range and may begin breeding by late April.

Photo by Mike O'Brien.



Chipping Sparrow

The summer Chipping Sparrow looks clean and crisp, with frosty underparts, pale face, black line through the eye, topped off with a bright rusty crown. In winter, Chipping Sparrows are subdued, buff brown, with darkly streaked upperparts. The black line through the eye is still visible, and the cap is a warm but more subdued reddish brown. Chipping Sparrows feed on the ground, take cover in shrubs, and sing from the tops of small trees (often evergreens).

Photo by Mike O'Brien.

Opossum

The Virginia opossum is the only opossum species found in the United States and Canada. The opossum is typically a nonaggressive animal and almost never carries the virus for rabies.

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.

Get More Involved with Us!

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