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Spring is coming! Seasonal greening comes earlier to low-lying parts of the Tennessee Valley, as grasses, bulbs, herbaceous perennials, and shrubs awake from their winter slumber. Meanwhile, elevation keeps the tops of the region's long ridges cool and brown in early spring.
High or low, however, the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones is ready for spring, with a full schedule of free public programs, Certificate in Native Plants classes, hikes and garden visits for our members, as well as a native plant sale in late March. There is information about all of these activities in this newsletter, so read more below, and plan to join us early and often!
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Thriving Gardens
with Rhett Bentley
Monday, February 10, 2025
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
FREE and Open to the Public
Joseph Glasscock Community Center
3653 Tom Weathers Dr.
Chattanooga, TN, 37415 Map
INFO
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Homegrown National Park
Video Viewing & Discussion
Monday, February 17, 2025
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (Eastern Time)
FREE and Open to the Public
Joseph Glasscock Community Center
3653 Tom Weathers Dr.
Chattanooga, TN, 37415 Map
INFO
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Edible Native Plants
and Making a More Abundant Landscape
with Gabe LePage
Monday, March 10, 2025
6:00 – 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
FREE and Open to the Public
Joseph Glasscock Community Center
3653 Tom Weathers Dr.
Chattanooga, TN, 37415 Map
INFO
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Spring Plant Sale
Saturday, March 29, 2025
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
First Horizon Pavilion
1826 Reggie White Blvd.
Chattanooga TN
Save the Date!
More info coming soon.
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Learn to Harvest: Permaculture & Invasive Species Remediation
with Nathaniel Bankhead
Monday, April 14, 2025
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (Eastern Time)
FREE and Open to the Public
Joseph Glasscock Community Center, 3653 Tom Weathers Dr, Chattanooga, TN, 37415 Map
INFO
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Fall Plant Sale
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Grace Episcopal Church,
20 Belvoir Ave.
Chattanooga TN
Save the Date!
More info coming soon.
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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. Discounted class fees are available for members of Wild Ones, the Tennessee Native Plant Society or Reflection Riding. Classes are open to all, including interested individuals who may not be working toward the Certificate.
Those working toward the Certificate are asked to volunteer in various capacities to support approved native plant projects in our region. Volunteer requirements have changed slightly. More information and a downloadable volunteer form are available on our website.
For more info about the Certificate in Native Plants program, click here.
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Designing Healing Spaces
Instructor: Jared Odell
Saturday, March 8, 2025
9:00 am to 12:30 pm (Eastern Time)
Orange Grove Center
615 Derby St.
Chattanooga, TN, 37404
Our "will-be" garden of dreams serves both the students and families of Orange Grove, as well as patients and families of Memorial Hospital and the nearby neighborhood.
Certificate in Native Plants ELECTIVE class
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Spring Wildflower Hike
Saturday, April 12, 2025
9:00 am to 12:30 pm (Eastern Time)
North Chickamauga Creek State Natural Area
354 Montlake Rd.
Soddy-Daisy, TN, 37379 Map
Certificate in Native Plants ELECTIVE class.
More info coming soon!
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Native Plant Communities
Saturday, May 10, 2025
9:00 am to 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Private Residence near Chattanooga TN
Certificate in Native Plants CORE class.
More info coming soon!
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The Magical World of Moss
Saturday, June 14, 2025
12:30 pm to 4:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
400 Garden Rd.
Chattanooga, TN, 37419 Map
Certificate in Native Plants ELECTIVE class.
More info coming soon!
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Saturday, March 22, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Join other Wild Ones members for a hike to Big Possum Creek Bluffs to see peak blooms of thousands of blooming trout lily (Erythronium americanum), shooting stars (Primula meadia) and Carey's saxifrage (Micranthes careyana), plus several other early wildflowers.
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Saturday, April 19, 2025
10:00 am to 3:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Join TN Valley Wild Ones members and hike leader, Stephan Eselgroth, MD, for a unique spring wildflower hike at the Arabia National Heritage Area, in Stonecrest, Georgia.
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Saturday, April 26, 2025
10:00 am to 2:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Landscapes in Progress events were designed as a way for our members to learn more about native plant gardening from the experiences of other members. Join members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones for a tour of two of our members' gardens. Both gardens are in the Signal Mountain TN area.
Save the Date!
More info coming soon.
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Saturday, May 24, 2025
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Join members of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones and hike leader, Dennis Horn, for an orchid and prairie wildflower field trip at the Arnold Engineering and Development Complex grassland and at May Prairie, in Manchester, Tennessee.
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To access information and registration links for all upcoming programs, classes, hikes and members-only events presented by the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones and Wild Ones national, click below: | |
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Do you want to receive a reminder email
in advance of our free public programs?
If so, join our Meetup group.
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Volunteer opportunity
Orchard Knob Middle School has requested a representative to present an activity about native plants on a Wednesday afternoon (date TBD).
CHAPP has additional volunteer opportunities at schools and other organizations for tutoring, teaching small classes on natives/pollinators, and more!
Are you interested in volunteering?
Email lisa_pouncey@hotmail.com to be put on our volunteer list!
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Volunteer Information Event
A Landscapes in Progress event involves traveling to the gardens of two Wild Ones members, usually in the same general area. A tour of the property is accompanied by discussion about how the host has been developing his/her landscape to include more native plants. The garden may be any size and in any stage of development and can include non-native as well as native plants. The host - and the visitors - can get ideas for solutions to problem areas or suggestions of the best plants to use in a variety of locations.
There is no charge for active members to participate, but advance registration is required. The group size will be limited.
One of our Tennessee Valley Wild Ones members has volunteered to host the second Landscape in Progress on Saturday, May 17 in Apison. We are looking for another garden in the Apison area, possibly in East Brainerd or Collegedale, to include. This is not a posh garden tour, and you'll be likely to get some great gardening ideas from other members who visit. If you are interested, please send an email to tvwomembership@gmail.com.
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Volunteer Information Social
Saturday, March 15th, 2025
11:00 am to 1:00 pm (Eastern Time)
We invite everyone who has helped us make the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones a success by volunteering their time, money and/or expertise. Please come and enjoy each other's company! We'll have a light lunch.
Save the date!
More event details coming soon!
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Bees Beyond Honey: Understanding Native and Managed Pollinators
Wild Ones National Panel Discussion
Thursday, February 20th, 2025
7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (Eastern Time)
Online/Virtual
Info & Register
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It’s All About the Soil and What We Can Do With It
The annual “Day of Gardening” is an exciting opportunity to discover how to create the best conditions for your garden spaces, leading to healthier plants that thrive in your soil.
Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025 Time: 9:30 am -2:00 pm
Location: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 822 Belvoir Ave. East Ridge, TN 37412
Speakers: Dennis Bishop, Lu Ann Gilliland Carey, Kristina Shaneyfelt, and Kym Martin.
Presented by District III, Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. National Garden Clubs, Inc.
Cost: $40 in advance, $45 at the door. Includes morning snacks & box lunch.
Send check made payable to: TFGC, District III to Marilyn Smith, 279 Pine Hollow Road, Dayton, TN 37321. (Memo line - Day of Gardening)
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Georgia Native Plant Society Annual Symposium
The 30th GNPS Native Plant Annual Symposium, Breaking the Grass Ceiling: Promoting Native Landscapes, will focus on creating and maintaining native plant habitats in spaces that are dominated by traditional landscape plants and values. Speakers will help you overcome the overwhelming challenges we face at home, in designed landscapes, and when restoring habitat in the wild. You will also hear about the updated Georgia State Wildlife Action Plan and how plant conservation will play a major role over the next 10 years.
The 2025 Symposium is virtual. Presentations are spread across two days and each session will be recorded for future playback.
Info & Register
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Wild Ones is growing in Tennessee and the Southeast!
Check out the events at nearby chapters!
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How to Identify a Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
They have a long pointy bill like most woodpeckers and mottled black, white and yellow feathers. Look for vertical white wing patches to distinguish yellow-bellieds from similar-looking black-and-white downy and hairy woodpeckers. Read more.
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Why scientists are enlisting fungi to save endangered plants
The mycorrhizae that live among and in plant roots can boost the health of certain species, and even whole ecosystems. As a community, mycorrhizae form a subterranean pit crew for maintaining plant health, akin to the gut microbiome in the human body. But scientists warn against a one-size-fits-all approach. Read more.
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Why Is The Sky Blue?
The Answer Is More Complex Than You Might Think
You might think that explaining why the sky is blue would be kind of simple. But even a brief explanation of it requires a lot of science. The colors of everything you see are produced in different ways. Some of those colors are explained with physics, others by chemistry. Read more.
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Oyster mushrooms on a large, decaying Tulip Poplar stump.
The cluster is about 12" across. Oyster mushrooms are shell shaped fungi that grow in tiers or fabulous clusters on dead trees or stumps. Unlike many fungi, these mushrooms are not seasonal and can be found all year round, especially after a cold snap which can trigger the fungus into fruiting.
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Oyster mushrooms (closeup)
Photo by Mike O'Brien
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Sharp-shinned Hawk
Photo by Mike O'Brien.
This hawk is a Mourning Dove-sized accipiter, so a quite small sized hawk. In this photo, the hawk is eating its prey, a House Finch. Note the falling feathers, as it plucks its prey.
Mike notes that, "It is interesting to see that while the Sharp-shinned Hawk is feeding on its recent catches, the other birds act normally with feeding, etc. As soon as the hawk finishes its meal, and hangs around in the tree, the smaller birds all freeze in position for minutes on end, no matter what they are doing, whether in a feeder, in a tree, on a suet log etc. They do not move, blink their eyes or show any movement. When the hawk leaves, they return to their normal activity. It is like they all have telepathy warning each other of the imminent hawk danger lurking in the tree.
While feeding, the hawk will ignore us walking around doing our normal activities and we can get very close to it. It will not fly away or leave its kill as long as we are quiet and moving slowly."
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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:
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Access to the current electronic issue of the quarterly Wild Ones Journal
- Invitations to workshops, garden tours, seed exchanges, plants sales, and stewardship project
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Discounts for partner educational webinars such as NDAL, etc. and Wild Ones chapter programs
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Participation in an annual national photo contest
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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
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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:
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Discounted admission to all Certificate in Native Plants classes year-round.
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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.
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Annual Welcome Party and Orientation for new members.
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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:
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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
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Support the efforts of over 65 local Wild Ones chapters in 23 states
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Publish a quarterly, award-winning, online journal featuring current native plant information and resources
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Share free, professionally-designed native garden templates for multiple regions in the United States.
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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.
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Follow our chapter on social media: | |
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NOTE: Please do not unsubscribe!
This is the only method you have for receiving important communications from
the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones!
Please add contact@tnvalleywildones.org
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