January 2024 Newsletter

Connecting people

and native plants

for a healthy planet

Happy New Year!


We're starting off the new year with our first FREE Public Meeting at a NEW LOCATION on Monday, January 8th. Join us at the South Chattanooga Community Center in the St. Elmo neighborhood of Chattanooga on the second Monday of each month.


Check out and register for our Certificate in Native Plants classes too! They are a great way to learn about using native plants in YOUR landscape. Our first two classes of 2024 will provide a terrific way to begin. ... you'll learn the basics about plants. While there are no prerequisites, from there you can continue to enjoy a variety of core and elective classes that will be offered throughout the year.


Be sure to save the date - Saturday, April 13, 2024 - for our Spring Plant Sale & Expo. This year, we will not have our March Symposium, but instead will have exciting talks and events around the time of the Spring Plant Sale & Expo. More information is coming soon!


Soon, we'll have information available about our Members-Only programs, including hikes, visits to local gardens, and events where you can meet other native plant enthusiasts. More information will be coming next month.

FREE PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Monday, January 8, 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


Over decades, the tradition of having a green lawn has become a part of city landscape codes and HOA regulations. The current movement to replace a lifeless lawn with a living landscape via native plantings in the front yard has sometimes come into conflict with these regulations. A panel discussion with Conna Casteel and Sally Wencel will provide ideas about how lawns and native plants can co-exist. 

MORE INFO

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.

MORE INFO

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.



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.

Botany 1

Instructors: Richard Clements, PhD and Mary Priestley

Saturday, January 13, 2024

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST


Reflection Riding

400 Garden Road

Chattanooga TN 37419


CORE CLASS (6 credits)


The goal of the class is to provide students with a basic understanding of botany which is critical to understanding how plants work in the natural world.

Info & Register

Botany 2

Instructors: Richard Clements, PhD and Mary Priestley

Saturday, February 17, 2024

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST


Reflection Riding

400 Garden Road

Chattanooga TN 37419


CORE CLASS (6 Credits)


Specific topics include: plant cell and tissue types, vegetative and reproductive organs, asexual reproduction, genetics, seeds, flowers, pollination, and fruits.

Info & Register

More CNP classes will be announced soon!



SPRING 2024 PLANT SALE & EXPO:

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, April 13, 2024

First Horizon Pavilion

1826 Reggie White Blvd

Chattanooga TN


Vendor and exhibitor information will be available soon.



UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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

LIST View
MONTHLY CALENDAR View

PROGRAMS, CLASSES & EVENTS IN THE REGION

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Spring Garden Symposium

Saturday, January 27

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. EST


Atlanta Botanical Garden

1345 Piedmont Ave.

Atlanta GA


Ready to get into a springtime frame of mind? Join the Garden for a full day of new ideas from seasoned experts at the Spring Gardening Symposium!

Learn more & register

Regional Wild Ones Chapters

Wild Ones is growing in Tennessee and the Southeast!

Check out the events at nearby chapters!

Middle Tennessee Chapter
Smoky Mountains Chapter
North Alabama Seedling Chapter
Georgia Piedmont Chapter

INTERESTING INFORMATION

We Thought We'd Find 200 Species in Our House and Yard.

We Were Very Wrong.


This story may inspire you to count the number of species in YOUR house and yard. You may be surprised!


Photo of Buck Moth above by Mike O'Brien.


Read more

There's an Indiscrimate Killer Stalking Your Yard


Our favorite feline friends are fairly fussy, but not when it comes to their diet. According to a new global study of what animal species cats devour, free-roaming domestic cats, including pets and feral animals, are extreme generalists that eat whatever they can sink their claws into.


Read more.

Old Growth Hemlock - A Marvelous Site


Here's a short video about spotting the unique characteristics of old growth hemlock trees.


Watch the video.

PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD

This month, Mike O'Brien shares some photos of the winter birds visiting his feeders this time of year. Mike has observed that the Sharp-shinned Hawk is always around in the mornings to find its breakfast, which can be seen in its talons in the two bottom photos below. When the Sharp-shinned Hawk is nearby, the birds all freeze in their positions, for many minutes sometimes, and do not move a muscle until the accipiter threat departs or finds its next prey. This can be seen in the Mourning Dove photo, as it remained fluffed up from the cold and camouflaged on a rock for 10 minutes when the Hawk was nearby.

Pine Warbler (male)

 Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Photo by Mike O'Brien

Mourning Dove

Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Sharp-shinned Hawk

Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Sharp-shinned Hawk

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 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.
Join Wild Ones

Get More Involved with Us!

The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is 100% volunteer run!
Here are a few ways you can get more involved in the chapter
and in our Chattanooga Pollinator Partnership.
Volunteer Opportunities
Learn About the Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership (CHAPP)
Seeds for Education Grants
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