April 2019 Newsletter
Healing the earth, one yard at a time.
Wild Ones Programs & Events
Green Infrastructure &
Native Plants:
Natural Allies
with Lyn Rutherford and Lucy Ellis
Monday, April 8, 2019
6:00pm
FREE and Open to the Public

Meet at the Warner Park/Chattanooga Zoo parking area: 3rd Street and Holtzclaw (Chattanooga TN)
between the Fitness Center and the Recycling Facility, located at the north end of the parking lot.

Come learn from Lyn and Lucy what the City of Chattanooga is doing to manage stormwater responsibly.
Open Forum:
Wild Ones Community Meeting
Monday, May 13, 2019
6:00pm
green|spaces
63 E. Main St., Chattanooga TN
FREE and Open to the Public

Join us for pizza and conversation. We want to hear from you about how the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones can help you as a gardener, landscaper, chapter member or responsible citizen. Please come with program ideas, wild suggestions, and opinions about what we are doing well and what we can do better.
Native Instincts:
Preserving Our Environment
with Dennis Bishop
Monday, June 10, 2019
6:00pm
green|spaces
63 E. Main St., Chattanooga TN
FREE and Open to the Public

The movement to native plants is generally talked about in horticultural terms, but first and foremost it is about human culture and our relationship with nature. Regrettably, the past 500 years of that relationship has resulted in the decimation of native American plant communities and the lands that we are now asked to steward.

What is our role in restoring the native landscape? How much can we realistically do? This talk and discussion will explore these questions and how we can best work to reestablish the native landscape from the wild remnants of the natural world around us.  
Upcoming Members-Only Events

Benton Falls Hike
Saturday, May 18
with Leon Bates
Cherokee National Forest
Near Reliance TN
Wild Ones Members ONLY

This full-day hike to Benton Falls will offer one of the best displays of native flame azaleas and native rhododendrons. We will stop for at least an hour at the 65-foot waterfall, with numerous lovely places to explore.

Weekend Trip to
Roan Mountain State Park
Friday, June 7 - Sunday, June 9, 2019
Roan Mountain State Park
in Northeastern Tennessee

Join other Wild Ones members for a weekend trip to Roan Mountain State Park to see the Catawba rhododendrons and other unique plants and geography of this Southern Appalachian Mountain area. 
News From Our Chapter
Trillium.
Photo by Chris Tanis
at Reflection Riding on March 12, 2019.
Nature Journaling Group
We get together on Tuesday mornings to enjoy personal creative time in nature. You are free to pursue whatever creative pursuits you desire, whether that be writing, drawing, painting or something else. Sharing what you do is your option. While we encourage and support each other in our creative endeavors, this is not a group designed to provide instruction or feedback.
Volunteer to Help Wild Ones!
The Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is led by a 100% volunteer board, and all of our programs and activities are planned and implemented 100% by volunteers; only our instructors and presenters are compensated in any way.

We need volunteers to help staff our information tables at the Reflection Riding Plant Sale, the Master Your Garden Expo, and the Eco Field Days. We welcome your involvement. You do not need to be an expert in native plant gardening to be able to help out. Click below and check out current volunteer needs.
Local & Regional Events of Interest
"Master Your Garden"
Garden Expo
April 13 & 14
Presented by the Master Gardeners
of Hamilton County
Camp Jordan Arena, East Ridge TN

Focusing on gardening and the outdoors, the Expo brings together an array of exhibits, demonstrations, educational activities, and vendors of interest to experienced gardeners, gardening enthusiasts, browsers, and children. On both days, Master Gardeners present workshops.

Visit volunteers from the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones at our information table.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Spring Plant Sale
April 12, 13 & 14
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
789 Brookwood Village,Birmingham AL

The Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale features more than 100,000 plants, most of which have been nurtured by volunteers at The Gardens. This sale offers a wonderful opportunity to learn from experts and get hard-to-find plants at hard-to-beat prices. Proceeds benefit the ongoing stewardship and enhancement of The Gardens, educational programs, and outreach activities.

Reflection Riding Spring Plant Sale
Thursday, April 18, 2019
2:00 - 7:00 pm, Members Only

Friday & Saturday, April 19-20, 2019
9:30am - 6:30pm, Open to the Public

Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
400 Garden Road, Chattanooga TN

Experienced staff gardeners and other knowledgeable volunteers will be available to educate visitors about the importance of using native plants and how choosing the right plant can make less work for the gardener, support native wildlife and still look beautiful!

Visit volunteers from the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones at our information table.

Eco-Field Days
Friday & Saturday, April 26 & 27
Miller Park, Chattanooga TN

Hosted by green|spaces chattanooga

FIELD GAMES ➕ MUSIC ➕
EATS & DRINKS ➕ VENDORS

Celebrating Earth Day in a Whole New Way!

Visit volunteers from the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones at our information table.

What was the best day of your life growing up? Ours was FIELD DAY!!! We’re bringing it for Adults & Children to enjoy but adding an Eco-Twist to all of the Challenges.

April 26: 11am-3pm
Corporate + Adult Field Day Challenge

April 27: 11am-4pm
Family Festival Day!
FREE PARKING in the EPB Garage!

Bring out the whole family to check out Electric Race Cars built by local students, take part in the eco-challenge stations, and get connected with City and EPB resources that will help you become more environmentally friendly.

Native Plants of the Southeast:
Our Landscapes, History
and Culture
May 30 - June 2, 2019
Native Plant Conference presented by the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham AL

Featuring pre-conference workshops, sales of books authored by presenters, plant sales, student poster session, field trips, and a special evening dinner.

Heartwood and TN Heartwood
29th Retreat/Council
May 24-27, 2019
Coker Creek Center in Cherokee National Forest
Near Tellico Plains, TN

Cullowhee Native Plant Conference
July 17-20, 2019
Western Carolina University
in Cullowhee, North Carolina

The purpose of the Cullowhee Conference is to increase interest in and knowledge of propagating and preserving native southeastern plant species in the landscape. Both professionals and laypersons will gain valuable knowledge from the informative field trips, lectures, and workshops.

Interesting Information
Butterflies were symbols of rebirth. Then they started disappearing.

A long time ago, as glaciers retreated from North America, some arctic butterflies stayed behind. The Earth was warming and so they fluttered up mountain slopes, to where it was still cold. As the climate continued to change, the arctic butterflies continued to climb, toward the summits — and then, where?

Things you can do to enhance pollinators in your garden.


The Xerces Society provides tips for creating and maintaining your own pollinator garden.

Pollinators require two essential components in their habitat: somewhere to nest and flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. Native plants are undoubtedly the best source of food for pollinators, because plants and their pollinators have coevolved. Many varieties of garden plants are also good for these important insects.




Photos from the Field
Lomographa vestaliata (White Spring Moth).
It is a quite small moth at about 15-20 mm long and a wingspan of 22-25mm...about dime-sized overall. Hosts are Apple, Cherry, Hawthorn, Maple, Snowberry and others.
Note the characteristic yellow-brown tinge to the costa of the forewings. 
Spotted by Marion O'Brien. Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Three-Parted Yellow Violet (Viola tripartita).
According to Dennis Horn (co-author of Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians ) , sometimes these plants with the undivided rhombic-shapes leaves, are considered to be Three-Parted Yellow Violet, Viola tripartita var. glaberimma. 
Note the characteristic purple-brown, branching lines on the front surface of the lower three petals and the purple color on the rear surface of the upper two petals.
Spotted by Marion O'Brien. Photo by Mike O'Brien.



Three-Parted Yellow Violet (Viola tripartita).
According to Dennis Horn (co-author of Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians ) , sometimes these plants with the undivided rhombic-shapes leaves, are considered to be Three-Parted Yellow Violet, Viola tripartita var. glaberimma. 
Note the characteristic purple-brown, branching lines on the front surface of the lower three petals and the purple color on the rear surface of the upper two petals.
Spotted by Marion O'Brien. Photo by Mike O'Brien.



Mertensia virginica, commonly called Virginia bluebells, is a native wildflower that is found in moist, rich woods and river floodplains. An erect, clump-forming perennial which grows 1-2' tall and features loose, terminal clusters of pendulous, trumpet-shaped, blue flowers (to 1" long) which bloom in early spring. Flower buds are pink and flowers emerge with a pinkish cast before turning blue. Smooth, oval, bluish green leaves (to 4" long). Foliage dies to the ground by mid-summer as the plant goes dormant.
Photo by Nora Bernhardt.

Stay Connected
Visit Our Website at TNValleyWildOnes.org
Join our Meetup group to stay current about upcoming programs, classes and events.
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