Events Calendar

 Wild Ones is celebrating our New York native plants with a seed swap!  Join us for a free, family-friendly seed swap celebrating the beauty of New York's native plants! Connect with fellow gardeners, share your favorite local seeds, and discover new varieties to cultivate for a more vibrant, resilient, and biodiverse garden. 

Don't have seeds to trade? No problem! All are welcome to come and learn about seed saving and take home some native treasures to get started.

In addition to the main event, attendees can explore tables from various like-minded organizations, participate in dedicated crafts for kids and adults, get started with winter seed sowing, and enjoy a special bake sale that showcases native ingredients.  

If you have seeds to share, please  pre-register any seeds so we can have plant care signs made.

Planting native species is an important step toward creating habitat, but how can you tell what’s working, what’s missing, and where to focus your efforts next?

Join Wild Ones and Wildr Places for The Habitat Check-up, a free webinar exploring a practical, science-informed approach to evaluating your home landscape. Presenter Zoe Evans will introduce five key areas to consider when assessing habitat and share how thoughtful observations can help guide your next steps.

Whether you’re just getting started with native plants or have been gardening for years, this webinar will help you look at your landscape through a new lens.

No yard required. Learn how native plants can turn patios, balconies, containers, and other small spaces into meaningful habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. This practical panel will cover plant selection, container design, seasonal care, and realistic ways to support biodiversity in limited spaces.

Registration link coming soon.

Join Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center, Friends of Thacher, and Wild Ones as we host the Native Plant Sale Kick-Off Social to be held in the Helderberg Room at the Visitor Center (inclement weather date 1/31/2027).  Come join us if you have volunteered to or are thinking of volunteering for the Annual Native Plant Sale to be held May 15, 2027.  There are so many ways to become involved, come and join this dedicated group of volunteers and see what’s right for you!

Native plants are gaining popularity with gardeners for their beauty, support of wildlife, and adaptation to the local environment. However, native species are often absent from herb gardens and nursery herb departments. In this talk, Sarah Scorci will spotlight species that enhance both our gardens and our cooking: rose mallow, bee balm and wild bergamot, nodding onion, pepperweed, spicebush, and more. We’ll discuss their preferred growing conditions, finding plants and seeds, and easy ways to enjoy these herbs in the kitchen. This live webinar is available only to Wild Ones members.

Bio:
Sarah Sorci is an herbal educator, therapeutic gardening facilitator, and the owner of Sweet Flag Herbs. She's a 2014 graduate of the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, and she completed a Horticultural Therapy program through the Horticultural Therapy Institute/Colorado State. She created "Native Culinary Herbs: Online Gardening Course", a resource for busy gardeners available at sweetflagherbs.com. She offers therapeutic garden programming for adults with disabilities near Jamestown, NY, where she lives with her husband, kitties, and many plants.

Birds depend on healthy, connected habitats for food, shelter, nesting, and migration support. Join experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to explore how native plants and thoughtful landscape choices can support birdlife at home. Learn how gardens, yards, and community spaces can provide the insects, seeds, berries, cover, and habitat structure birds need throughout the year.

Registration link coming soon. 

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.