Wild Ones - Tennessee Valley Chapter
 Healing the earth, one yard at a time

December 2014 Newsletter
Upcoming Events Summary...
see more details in this newsletter below.
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Monday,
December 8th
6-8pm
Holiday Gathering and Potluck at
green/spaces

Members Only

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TBA
in January
a Winter Hike
 
Members Only

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Saturday
January 24, 2015
4th Annual
Native Plant Symposium
with Doug Tallamy, 
Rita Venable
and 
Kelly Holdbrooks
 
Website!

Check us out at 
wildones.org
 


Quick Links








Benefits of Membership in the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
 

Invitations to
MEMBERS-ONLY EVENTS:
    
*"Landscapes in Progress" garden visit programs   

*Guided Native Plant & 
Wildflower Walks  
 
*Native Plant Rescues 
 
*Native Plant Nursery Visits 
 
 
 
E-mail notices about 
upcoming local native plant EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS 
and events.
 
 
Special DISCOUNT OFFERS 
from local landscapers 
and nurseries, 
including  
Show your Wild Ones 
membership card to receive 
10% off at these nurseries.
 
 
BECOME INVOLVED 
with a group of
 local gardeners
 interested in 
native plant landscaping.
 
 
PLUS all the benefits of a 
national Wild Ones membership, including the 
New Member Handbook 
with practical ways 
to add native plants to 
your landscape ...
AND the quarterly 
Wild Ones Journal
 


News
Plant Natives 2015!

4th Annual 
Native Plant Symposium
"The Living Landscape"

***************
Registration Now Open!


Registration is now open for the fourth annual Native Plant symposium presented by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones.  Featured speakers are Doug Tallamy, Rita Venable and Kelly Holdbrooks.  For more information, please click not he link below.

 
Wild Ones, Tennessee Valley Chapter adds new Board Members for 2015

On Saturday, November 8th, our local Wild Ones membership met to nominate and elect new members to the board. 

Joining the board in 2015 will be Marcia Stevens, Karna Levitt, and Beverly Inman-Ebel.  Below are your 2015 board members.

Executive Committee

  Dennis Bishop, President (2015-2016)

  Sally Wencel, Vice President (2015)

  Beverly Inman-Ebel, Secretary (2015-2016)

  Juan Gonzalez, Treasurer (2014-2015)

 

At Large and Appointed Members

  Karna Levitt, Member at Large (2015-2016)

  Valarie Adams, Member at Large (2014-2015)

  Cheri Hubbard, Member at Large (2014-2015)

  Lucy Scanlon, Co-Chair, Public Information Committee

  Louise Gilley, Co-Chair, Public Information Committee

  Nora Bernhardt, Co-Chair, Membership/Communications

  Marcia Stevens, Co-Chair, Membership/Communications


Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
2015 Plant of the Year
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly Milkweed
Butterfly Milkweed at the new 
Reflection Riding Butterfly Garden 
   
What native plant that grows throughout this area is beneficial to local wildlife, underused in commercial and domestic landscapes, and attractive?  For 2015, that plant is Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).  As a nod to our 2013 Wild for Monarchs Campaign, Butterfly Milkweed will be used as a teaching tool to help homeowners, landscapers and public and corporate landowners understand that native plants are more sustainable and support wildlife like pollinators. Among Butterfly Milkweed's attributes:
  • Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun.
  • Drought tolerant and a good rain garden plant.
  • Host plant for the Monarch Butterfly caterpillar
  • Showy orange flowers provide nectar for many butterflies, bees and other pollinators

As supply of pesticide-free plants is available, we will sell Butterfly Milkweed at events and programs.  Additionally, Wild Ones members have been asking local gardening centers and nurseries to make sure Milkweed and other native nectar and host plants they sell are grown without systemic insecticides like the neonicotinoid class of pesticides.  Make sure you ask how plants you buy are propagated and raised! 


 

More Upcoming Programs

Members' Holiday Potluck Dinner

Monday, December 8, 2014
6:00pm
green|spaces
63 East Main Street

Spouses, partners and significant others are welcome!

Please RSVP to Marcia Stevens at mstevensgb@aol.com
to let us know you're coming and what dish you plan to bring. A gift exchange will follow, so please bring a small gift to share.
A Winter Hike

A winter hike is being planned for early February. The hike will be part of a series of four hikes that will explore one of our local areas through the four seasons.  More information and dates coming soon.

'Tis the Season for Giving
As you plan your year-end charitable giving, please consider the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones.  Your membership dues cover only a portion of our annual operating expenses.  The remainder comes from program admission fees and tax-deductible donations.

You may choose to direct your donation for one of three purposes:

SCHOLARSHIPS
Educational Scholarships are used to pay for program admission fees for people who cannot afford to pay.  Examples of programs this donation supports are the annual native plant symposium and special speaker events.  

EDUCATIONAL SPEAKERS
Tennessee Valley Wild Ones searches across the region and country for excellent speakers on a variety of topics, from pollinator health to landscape design.  You can help us continue to offer high quality programming and help reduce the event admission fees we charge by contributing to the Speakers Fund. 

GENERAL FUND
If you would like us to use your gift to support whatever is our greatest need, you may use this general fund option.




Thanks for your generosity!


Photos from the Garden
from Wild Ones member Mike O'Brien

Lo Moth Caterpillar


Saddleback Caterpillar


Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar


Common Garden Spider with Prey


Comb Tooth Fungus

Wild Ones: Native Plants. Natural Landscapes is a national non-profit organization with over 50 chapters in 13 states that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Please read more information about Wild Ones at www.wildones.org.

 

We offer guest speakers, field trips and other special events throughout the year, as well as an annual native plant and natural landscaping symposium in early spring.