Events Calendar

Keep the warmth going with a cozy chat among fellow native plant enthusiasts! Blue Ribbon is a well-established local restaurant with a friendly vibe and a wide choice of diner items.  Bring a book or website to share info about native gardening  - January is good reading weather! 

In this fun presentation with powerpoint, you will learn the parts of a botanical name and how to pronounce them, as well as why it is much better to use a botanical name rather than the common or vernacular name.

Any member interested in participating in advocacy work to raise awareness of the benefits of native plants to municipalities and nurseries is welcome.  Your input is wanted on  a list of actions to steer our strategies through 2026.  Register to receive the agenda that includes the zoom link and the list of ideas we will be selecting from.  

Saturday, January 10 10:00am - 12:30pm @ Shaker Heritage Society Meeting House - join us for Native Seed Packaging.  Come and help package surplus from the Seed Swap at the historical site where seed packages were invented!  Seeds will be donated to libraries across counties served by WOCRNY.  If you have time, join for lunch afterwards (pay your own).  

Check our website for snow date information (1/11) in case of inclement weather.

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

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 (Visitor Center - 830 Thacher Park Road).  Come join us if you have volunteered in the past or are thinking of volunteering for the Annual Native Plant Sale to be held May 16, 2026.  

There are so many ways to become involved. Come and join this dedicated group of volunteers and see what’s right for you! Register below to be notified in case of a weather event and to help us plan for appetizers.

Come for companionship along with a beverage  as we swap stories about  our personal journeys towards embracing a native yard.  This location includes the TreeHouse's huge fireplace for extra cozy! Featuring Treehouse's award-winning brews and pizza.  

A healthy garden depends on a strong interconnected ecological system, where everything is in order. Sun and water, insects, birds and plants all create a biological balance. This presentation with PowerPoint will show you how to create a balanced and flourishing yard. 

Join us as we begin to explore the action steps we will take in 2026! We are striving to have a collaborative process where we each have at least one other member to work together with towards various specific goals.  Whether you have a history with advocacy or just getting started, we'd be glad to welcome you!  Register at least one day in advance to receive the zoom link. 

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

Enjoy chatting with fellow native planting enthusiasts in this sunny restaurant! Just the thing for our l-o-n-g winter. Wide-ranging diner-style breakfast/brunch options. 

This presentation will cover how to plan and plant for a wonderful garden this year. Discussion of soil, plant choices, and climate change adaptations will be included. 

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

This free event is for all WOCRNY Chapter members!

Join us for Brunch in the Honest Weight Community Room and learn about the benefits of your chapter.  Hear what Chapter events are coming up and how you can participate.  Network with other native plant gardeners in our area.  Learn from members' native gardening “wins” (from beginner to experienced).  Bring your ideas and suggestions!

Please REGISTER by 3/18 so we can plan accordingly.  Come early or stay late to shop if you'd like to see what Honest Weight has to offer.  Carpool, if possible, so we allow more space for shoppers.

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

Join us for a day of sustainable living at the 2026 Saratoga Sustainability Fair.  You’ll find a variety of like-minded organizations focused to environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic development.  Stop by Wild Ones information table and visit with fellow members or volunteer to engage  for a shift.  Reach out to Rosemary at [email protected] for more information.

 Help our chapter engage with local  municipalities and nurseries to advance the momentum of gardening with native gardens.  No experience or expertise required! All chapter members are encourage to attend!  Register to receive the agenda and get the zoom link. 

The most outstanding features of this park are its limestone ledges and beautiful fern-filled dells (including the lime-loving walking fern).  The emerging spring ephemeral wildflowers common to limey habitats are spectacular.   Song birds are abundant.  We will be walking along forested trails that likely will be muddy.  If we cross any streams it will be on corduroy log bridges. 

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

EVENT POSTPONED OFF 4/22. PLEASE CHECK THIS WEBSITE FOR RESCHEDULE DATE. Come join this talk and learn why natives are much better than non-natives for you, birds and wildlife, and the environment. You will go home with lists of good natives to add to your garden as well as sample native garden plans. 

Dawn,  proprietor of Wild Things Rescue Nursery in Rensselaer County, NY will give our group a guided tour of her woodlands, surrounding the nursery and her residence. The nursery specializes in N.Y. native plants and shrubs, including woodland, ephemerals, shade, and sun-loving varieties for pollinators.

http://www.dawnswildthings.com/

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

Last Cozy Chat until October! Enjoy chatting with old and new friends about our shared passion about native plants! This bar/restaurant has renowned smashburgers. Outside eating / gathering area with cornhole games. We'll be outside, weather permitting. Come play!

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

Saturday, May 16th from 10am - sold out @ Thacher State Park Pear Pavillion Annual Thacher Native Plant Sale join Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center, Friends of Thacher, and Wild Ones as we feature native plants that grow biodiversity to support climate resiliency.  

This sanctuary has some beautiful moss-covered paths in an open new-growth forest. We may see some wild columbine and other spring perennials.  We will meet at the main (western) parking location and walk about 1.5 miles. See the Audubon site for more information about the preserve.

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

Sustainable Saratoga Pollinator Palooza Native Plant Sale
Sustainable Saratoga held their first Pollinator Palooza native plant sale in June of 2022 to make native plants available in the Saratoga area. That first sale was an unqualified success, drawing plant and pollinator lovers from Saratoga and surrounding counties. We sell over 1500 plants of 30 varieties selected for suitability to our area. Pollinator Palooza is now an annual event in late spring.  Rain date May 31. 

Several Wild Ones members thought it would be interesting  and informative to see a garden throughout a full growing season.  Genoveffa V., a longtime Capital Region Wild Ones member and our current VP, is opening  her wonderful, expansive garden in Selkirk for the second time. This year the garden will be open three times:  late spring, mid- summer and early fall.   Along with all of her native trees, perennials and vegetable plants, Gen will be demonstrating the “Chelsea chop,” pruning technique. Learn more about Gen's Garden Journey.

Members  are allowed to bring a guest. Exact location will be shared after registration.

Raindate will be 5/31/26

 The elm saplings have sprung up and the grass is creeping in.   Come join us for a fun evening of weeding.  Feel free to bring something to kneel on, gardening gloves, and weeding tools.  Please fill out this form to let us know if you plan to join. 

Hope to see you there!

Rexford; Nancy W.'s Garden, open 1 PM-3 PM

“A Mostly Native Plant Property”   On almost three acres, two thirds of which is federal wetlands, Nancy W. has  planted a mix of native and non-native perennials,  shrubs and trees, an extensive vegetable garden, as well as woodland medicinal herbs.   Learn more about her garden here.

Mechanicville; Cybill C’s Garden, open 2-4PM

“From Poppy’s Tomatoes to Native Blooms”  Cybill  first exposure to gardening was at her grandparents’ house with her Poppy’s tomatoes and her Babu’s flowers.  For the last several years, Cybill has been clearing  and improving her small space, battling invasive plants, building beds and experimenting with plants.  Read about how Cybill's garden has evolved.

Garden tours are open to members only, but members are welcome to bring a guest. Sign up below to get the exact addresses for the gardens.

What better way than to spend a Monday evening hobnobbing with fellow gardeners and shoring up the wood chips and brick edging to our lovely demonstration garden.  Jobs included are: Shoveling wood chips and transporting wheel barrels of chips,  adjusting  bricks and laying them on the edge.   Many hands make the work light.  Please fill out the form below to let us know that you plan to attend.  Hope to see you all there!

This preserve follows the Indian Kill, and has a nice mix of hardwood forest and wetlands, and a chance to see some perennials and shrubs that like wet feet, as well as steep bluffs and some nice woodland habitat. This is a hilly hike! 

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

On this lovely evening we will be planting more native plants into our demonstration garden.  Feel free to bring work gloves, shovels, trowels, and kneeling pads.  We can show you how to plant native plants and what to look for when deciding where to plant them.  Please register for this evening so we can plan accordingly.  Hope to see you all there!  

Wetlands, Meadows, and Woods oh my!: Matt has a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a masters in environmental studies with a background in ecology and urban agriculture. He first fell in love with native-focused gardening while living in California 5 years ago. 

He moved to his suburban home in Wynantskill a year and a half ago next to a powerline corridor where he has begun to remove invasive species, plant natives, and develop habitat by reducing lawn mowing, building hedges, and digging out a large wetland. The yard currently consists of a half acre meadow, a half acre of woods, about a half acre of mowed lawn and landscaped flower beds, and a small vegetable garden. The yard is a work in progress, so stop by and help Matt dream up his native plant paradise!!

We have big plans to add a bush and low growing tree-line to add some privacy and sound barrier to the playground-- and what better way than to do so with native plants!  Please join us for the tree line planting party (9-10:30am).  Refreshments & Social Gathering with brief meeting 10:30 - 11:30.  All are welcome.  We welcome more wheelbarrows, shovels and/or pitch forks.

Please RSVP below so we can plan for refreshments.

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

This preserve features some open meadow-like habitat, as well as views of the Catskill Creek. Expect to see some sun-loving and part-shade meadow plants. See the Scenic Hudson site for a map and guide.

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

Ecological Landscapes Open Days. Visit seven different Columbia County properties where ecologically-minded landowners are incorporating native plants, creating meadows and managing invasive species.   More info and details to come, but save these dates. Open to the public. 

Landscapes are open either Sat or Sun 9-12.  Some are guided tours and will require registration as they are limited to a set number of people. Others are open unguided and open to all.

Join us as we come together during National Moth Week (July 18-25) to celebrate the beauty, diversity, and ecological importance of moths.

Take a peek into the dazzling world of nature’s tiniest and mightiest superheroes during a one-time showing of the powerful documentary The Extraordinary Caterpillar.  Great for all audiences!  Join Wild Ones and Thacher Nature Center for this family-friendly event with a free showing of the movie along with kid-friendly crafts.  Following the movie, join a nature educator for a short walk outdoors to hunt for these tiny superheroes (caterpillars!) that drive biodiversity in the most surprising places.   

Learn how our native gardens are supporting the food web!   

It is noted that Thacher State Park charges a $6 vehicle entrance fee, typically collected daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between May 1 and October 31. Payment is required at automated kiosks (cash or card) or via attendants at the booths. The fee applies to the Visitor Center lot and other main parking areas. 

Ecological Landscapes Open Days. Visit seven different Columbia County properties where ecologically-minded landowners are incorporating native plants, creating meadows and managing invasive species.   More info and details to come, but save these dates. Open to the public. 

Landscapes are open either Sat or Sun 9-12.  Some are guided tours and will require registration as they are limited to a set number of people. Others are open unguided and open to all.

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

On this lovely evening we will be weeding our demonstration garden and spreading woodchips around the playground.  Feel free to bring work gloves, shovels, trowels, wheelbarrels, buckets, and kneeling pads.  We can show you what to look for when weeding.  Please register for this evening so we can plan accordingly.  Hope to see you all there!  

This is the Part- 2 the mid-summer viewing of Genoveffa V’s garden through the season.  Gen, a long time member of Capital Region NY Wild Ones and our current VP,  is opening her wonderful expansive gardens of native trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetables for a second time this season.  Come see what her wonderful garden space looks like in mid- season. Read more about Genoveffa's garden.

7 Acres To Play With

Kim has been making progress on new native cottage gardens at her home in Ravena, purchased just over a year ago. Come see what new native plantings can look like in the first growing season, as she shares some lessons learned and struggles she’s facing with managing invasive species on the property. With 7 acres to play with, she’d love for folks to come take a walk around the property and share ideas for more garden projects (or better ways to manage invasives)! Details about Kim's garden.

The PQ Estate, Guilderland, NY

Christine  P. acquired her 4 acres property in the suburb of Guilderland several years ago. As there are no neighbors close by, the property has a rural feel to it. Christine’s love of flowers, animals, and the environment meant she wanted to actively engage in her own management of the land. There are several sections of the landscape:  The Island, The Mole Meadow, The Big Oaks, The Garden, The Orchard, and The Peony Field. (See her Blog to read more about each).

My gardening goals are to remove invasive plants, reduce lawn, and plant more native plants and cut flowers.  I welcome fellow gardeners to share your tips and ideas as I continue to grow the gardens at the PQ Estate. Learn more about Christine's garden.

"Growing Shade and Wildlife Habitat in the City."  This garden is 20 minutes away in Schenectady, N.Y.

In the past few years, Jenna & Sam have been shifting to more native plants  adding hundreds of them to their quarter-acre lot, (see her blog for specific plants). There are quite a few trees in their small space and they are planning for a very shady garden in the near future, a decision  partially inspired by Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA, and also by  Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke's Book The Living Landscape, as well as the need to create a livable space in the hot months of summer for both people and wildlife. Their removal of  hundreds of feet of twelve-foot-tall privet and burning bush has made them long for tall things to grow up and create their much-missed privacy screen again, so they’ve leaned pretty heavily into planting up the place with native trees. Read more details about Jenna & Sam's garden.

Members and Guests only

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

This park has a nice waterfall and views over Myosotis Lake.  We will meet at the visitor's center parking lot and walk around the lake, for a total of about 3 miles. See the Preserve's website for visit information and a trail map.

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

We would be delighted to have you join us for a summer work party at our demonstration garden.  On this evening we will be doing some light weeding and placing bricks around the edging of our newly planted tree line.  Please bring shovels, trowels, kneeling pads, gloves, buckets, and wheelbarrels for you to use.  We will be able to help you learn what is considered a weed and what is not.  Thanks for helping us maintain our beautiful demonstration garden.

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Mills Park:

One-acre meadow park in its 10th-year of growth in the village of Kinderhook.  Volunteers and Kinderhook's Department of Public Works cooperated in renovating the mowed green into a managed meadow. A mowed grass path circuits the gentle roll of the park.  New York State's Empire Trail transits through the center of the park. 

The park entrance is at the corner of Albany Avenue and Railroad Avenue, Kinderhook.

Sigrid G’s one acre property is  85%-90% native species, but other than house/barn/paths she has solidly planted (plugs, seeds) with NO lawn.

Mills Park's volunteers will join Wild Ones for tea/coffee/snacks at Sigrid’s barn, to talk native plants following the tour.

This sanctuary has some beautiful moss-covered paths in an open new-growth forest. We planned a walk in May but canceled due to weather, so we will try again in September! We will meet at the main (western) parking location and walk about 1.5 miles. See the Audubon site for more information about the preserve.

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

This is the Part 3, the autumn viewing of Genoveffa’s gardens through the season.  Gen is a long time member and current VP of Wild Ones Capital Region, NY and is opening her expansive gardens for the third time this season.  Come see what her garden looks like later in the garden season.  Members may bring a guest.

Read more about Genovefffa’s garden.

http://capitalregionny.wildones.org

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] 

This 400 acre preserve is mostly meadow and grassland, with a riparian forest buffer along the Coxsackie creek at the East end of the property. The plants here are managed primarily to benefit threatened bird species, but we can also practice identifying sedges, grasses, and rushes.

Meet at the kiosk just beyond the parking area, which is itself behind some industrial properties. 

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

Sunday October 18, 2026. 1:30pm- 4pm  Our annual Membership Appreciation Garden Party!  at the Kelly Adirondack Center. What a great 5th year our Wild Ones chapter has had! Come celebrate our successful growth and projects at our Garden Party!  We will also briefly  highlight  our achievements of the past year, roll out the new and beautifully done native planting guide, and elect new officers.  It will be a wonderful opportunity to mingle with members (both new and renewed) and fellow garden enthusiasts, maybe win a prize, and enjoy the beautiful setting. We will have refreshments.  Bring an interested friend(s): registration required to plan for appetizers.  Address:  897 St David's Ln, Niskayuna, NY, 12309  

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Join us for our monthly  Leadership Team & Business Meeting.   Reach out by email for zoom link:  [email protected] .  Please note date change from 2nd Wednesday to 1st Wednesday.

Ann Lee Pond is a 180-acre preserve with a large pond, woodlands, and extensive wetland between. We will take the red trail, about 0.8 miles, around and over the pond.

There is ample parking at this site just off the main airport road, and we will meet at the side of the pond near the parking area.

Everyone is welcome, with no need to RSVP. To get reminders and be informed of any last-minute changes, sign up for meet-and-hike updates.

 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. Please pre-register any seedsyou wish to bring so we can have plant care signs made.

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 would like to volunteer for the day of the event, please register so we have a way to contact you. 

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.