Events

Save the date for the Toward Harmony with Nature Fair! Join us as we welcome Emily Stone, the award-winning author of Natural Connections, as our keynote speaker. Explore a diverse array of natural landscaping and native plant-related topics in our revamped fair format, featuring an increased number of exhibitors, vendors, speakers, and engaging discussions. Don't miss out on our silent auction—a perfect opportunity to discover unique treasures while enjoying a celebration of nature.

Instructor: Danielle Bell
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, February 10, 9am-1:30pm (half hour lunch on your own)
Location: Mequon Nature Preserve
Elective (4 hours)
Description: At first glance, all trees can look the same in winter. However, if you look at them in detail you can identify a tree to species by examining the buds, bark, and site conditions. Each species has a unique bud that holds the future leaves and flowers that will emerge in the spring and they know the ideal time to emerge. First we will look at the anatomy of twigs and how buds can be used to identify woody species. Then we will go outside to look at plants in their environment to look at bark and overall structure of the plants.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

This year we are celebrating our Chapter’s 30th anniversary. Join us as we recognize the retirement of Donna VanBuecken and Susan Forbes. Both are founding members of our chapter. Donna served as Executive Director of National Wild Ones for 17 years. Susan has spoken to many groups on our behalf and served as mentoring chair. The meeting is open to all members. We’ll lift a glass to our chapter and its founders following a brief, but required, business meeting.

Please register to help us prepare accordingly. 

Registration for this event is now closed, and registrants have been emailed about attending. Please contact [email protected] if you have any issues getting in.

Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer is the acclaimed author of Braiding Sweetgrass will speak on Indigenous wisdom, and the relationship between humans and nature. Online ticket purchase will be available in February. 

Instructor: Randy Powers
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, April 13 9:00am-3:30pm
Location: UW Oshkosh Campus
Core Course (6 hours)

Description: The first half of this course will discuss the nine basic essentials to starting a native planting; including an understanding of native plants, how to determine habitat, site preparation, planting, and maintenance. The second half of the course outlines the basic concepts for identifying weed problems, prioritizing weed species and resolving weed issues in a new or existing prairie. Learn how to differentiate between a weedy plant species and an invasive plant species and how to determine the need to take immediate action for one weed problem over another. This course will also go over different methods for controlling weeds through mechanical, chemical and burn management options.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Instructor: Shannon Davis-Foust
Instructor: Shannon Davis-Foust
Date/Time: 12 pm Friday, April 26 to 12 pm Sunday, April 28
Location: Lowenwood, Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin
Elective (6 hrs)
Fee: $200 for non-members, $170 for Wild Ones members (includes the course, lodging, and meals!)
Optional Project WILD Certification: Add $50 (must enroll by April 5th for this option)
Learn more about Wisconsin’s native ecosystems and become a stronger conservation advocate. This course uses environmental education strategies from a variety of sources to cultivate a deeper understanding of the natural world. Hands on activities will strengthen observation and inquiry skills and leadership in ethical discussions. Activities can be scaled up or down to suit different ages. This course is for both formal and nonformal educators, and we will cover a variety of grade levels, even college level. As an option, you can choose to become Project WILD certified and will receive a Project WILD book. After you register, a form will be sent to you for additional information. Here is a slideshow providing more information about the retreat location and itinerary. Email [email protected] for more information.

Pre-order your plants for the best choice of grasses, ferns, forbs, sedges, vines, trees, and shrubs. The order form will be available February 2024. Deadline to place your order is March 31. Download an order form: foxvalleyarea.wildones.org.

Instructor: Randy Powers
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, June 1, 9am-1:30pm (please bring a packed lunch)
Location: Ledgeview Nature Center
Elective (4 hours)

We take a look at the most common butterflies found in the upper Midwest, their native host plants, and nectar plants that they use. How native wildflowers and plants can be used in a garden setting, not just for adult butterflies nectaring in your backyards for brief fleeting moments, but also incorporating host plants for mating adults to carry out their life cycle. A compendium of our most common butterflies visiting our gardens here in the upper Midwest.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Instructor: Dr. Paul Whitaker
Format: Blended 3-part course
Dates/Times: virtual Monday, June 24 7-8 pm, virtual Wednesday June 26 7-8pm, and in person Saturday, June 29 12-4 pm
Location: UW Stevens Point, Schmeeckle Reserve
Elective (6 hours)

Description: The overall goal of this course is to help you feel better equipped to identify insects associated with plants and to understand plant-insect interactions. You’ll need to spend some time outside of class to complete a modest collection of insect specimens and/or photographs. The virtual sessions will cover basic entomology content, including insect body structure, life stages, life cycles, and ecology. They will also give an overview of diversity of insects associated with land plants and introduce the insect (or photograph) collection project. Weather permitting, the in-person class will begin with an insect walk on the UWSP campus, allowing you to practice various insect collecting techniques. In the lab, we’ll use a variety of live and preserved insects to practice insect rearing and identification.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the first day of the course.

Join chapter members and guests for a stroll along a State Natural Area located on the Wiouwash Trail in Winnebago County. Led by naturalist Anita Carpenter, the focus of this field trip is to discover the plants, birds, trees, insects and more in this remnant prairie. Directions from I-41 and Hwy 76: go north on Hwy. 76 for 5 miles.
Turn left on Oakridge Rd. Travel west for 4 miles until you see the sign for the recreation trail. Park in the small lot on your right. (44.169972, -88.624747)

Please register to help us prepare accordingly. 

Artist and Monarch enthusiast Randy Peterson presents a fascinating look at the monarch life cycle. Using large and lifelike sculptures he has created, Randy will present many little-known facts about these beloved insects. Geared for all ages, Randy’s presentation will include successful techniques for planting milkweed and flowers that will help fuel the monarchs for their great migration.

Please register to help us prepare accordingly. 

Instructor: Jeffery Steele
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, July 27, 6:30pm-11:00pm
Location: Cherokee Marsh-North Unit
Elective (4 hours)

Description: Celebrate the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths on this class through Cherokee Marsh, Dane County’s largest wetland. Learn about about our native flowers that bloom at night and the insects that pollinate them as well as tips for creating your own native "moth garden." Afterwards, we will walk through prairies, woodlands, and sedge meadows to ultraviolet light stations and discover the hidden biodiversity of night-flying pollinators!

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the first day of the course.

Instructor: Dr. Paul Whitaker
Format: Blended 3-part class
Dates/Times: virtual Monday Aug 5 7-8 pm, virtual Monday Aug 12 7-8 pm, and in person Saturday Aug 17th 12-4 pm
Location: UW Stevens Point
Core Course (6 hours)

Description: Native plants have a variety of fascinating and important interactions with other species. The two virtual sessions will consider interactions that benefit plant through nutrient acquisition, communication, seed dispersal, pollination, and defenses against herbivores, pathogens, and plant competitors. They’ll also introduce aspects of plant anatomy that are helpful for plant identification. The in-person session will provide hands-on study of patterns in plant structures and how these patterns support native plant identification. Recommended resources: Botany Primer, Understanding Botany for Nature’s Notebook, USA-NPN and Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the first day of the course.

We are invited to tour a native planting on a berm along Sawyer Creek behind Evergreen in Oshkosh. In October 2020, FVA chapter members Carol and Bob Niendorf and Ed Potempa, with help from several Evergreen residents, completed the first planting of short- to medium-height native plants, followed by the second phase in May 2021 and the third phase in May 2022. The plantings were funded by grants.

Please register to help us prepare accordingly. 

Instructor: Randy Powers
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, August 24, 9am-12pm
Location: Ledgeview Nature Center
Elective (3 hours)

Learn which wildflowers in Wisconsin co-evolved with the Ruby-throated and other hummingbirds by accommodating their feeding behavior. Learn about who some of the hummingbirds' most unusual predators are and migratory challenges that these small birds face. We will discuss how to develop your yard so that visiting hummingbirds will nest here while raising their young.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Instructor: Dr. Paul Whitaker
Format: Blended, 3-part class
Dates/Times: Virtual Monday Sept 9 7-8 pm, virtual Monday Sept 16, 7-8 pm, and in person Saturday Sept 21 12-4 pm
Location: UWSP
Core Course (6 hours)

Description: A plant’s structure is intimately intertwined with its functions, including photosynthesis, water movement, absorption and cycling of nutrients, growth, and reproduction. The two virtual sessions will present an overview of the basic structure of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds and the roles of these organs in essential plant functions. Our in-person session will consist entirely of hands-on study of plant structures, emphasizing that the diverse forms of each organ are just variations of a basic structure that has important jobs to do. Recommended resource: Botany Primer, Understanding Botany for Nature’s Notebook, USA-NPN.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the first day of the course.

Instructor: Dr. Jim Perry
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, Sept 28, 10am-3pm (1 hour lunch - bring your own)
Location: UWO - Fox Cities Campus
Elective (4 hours)

The diversity and beauty of fungi are astounding, with some forms obvious to the casual observer and others not. Likely the single largest living organism alive today is a fungus. Come explore and marvel at a few of the 1.5 million species that occupy the mycological fancy. This minds-on, hands-on short course is designed to acquaint you with this diversity and provide an appreciation of the critical ecological role fungi play in the native plant community. You'll gain insight into the hidden world of mycorrhizae, the threads that serve as critical nutritional conduits and communication pathways between plants. When we're finished, your walks in the woods and fields will have a whole new perspective.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Instructor: Jeffery Steele
Format: In person
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct 6, 10am-3:30pm (half hour lunch on your own)
Location: Pope Farm Conservancy in Middleton, WI
Elective (5 hours)

Description: The fall is great time to experience the prairie in its final beauty. This course will serve as an introduction to identifying seed-bearing prairie plants. Students will tour a restored prairie and learn techniques to collect and store seeds from various species. Those that attend will also learn from a restoration expert how to break native seed dormancy and grow their own native plants. Students will then have the opportunity to take home their own "mini-greenhouses" of native seeds they collected to include in their home landscaping.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the first day of the course.

Gottfried prairie is a hidden gem: a successful 50-acre prairie restoration adjacent to the UWO-Fond du Lac campus. Most of the species originated from the last remaining prairie remnants around Fond du Lac County. This workshop is for landowners who wish to collect prairie wildflower and grass seed for planting on
their own property. Bring small paper bags, small snips, light gloves, and a sharpie marker. A limited number of supplies will be available. This is a free event sponsored by Gottfried Prairie & Arboretum and Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter and led by Margie Winter and Shannon Davis-Foust. Rain Date: Sunday, October 20.

Please register to help us prepare accordingly. 

Instructor: Emma Neuman
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct 19, 9am-4pm (1 hour lunch on your own)
Location: Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
Elective (6 hours)

Description: This course begins with an introduction to terrestrial invasive species, including what they are, how they affect the environment, how they are spread, and an exploration of the Wisconsin NR 40 regulation. We will learn about common invasive species of Wisconsin followed by a hike around Heckrodt to see a handful of invasive species and practice identifying them. We will use a combination of inside and outside learning to understand most of the control methods that are possible and which is best for different situations. Returning to the classroom, we'll go over devising an effective management plan.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Instructor: Danielle Bell
Format: In person
Date/Time: Saturday, Nov 2, 9am-3:30pm (half hour lunch on your own)
Location: Mequon Nature Preserve
Elective (6 hours)

Description: To combat the effects of climate change and pollinator decline, we need to incorporate native plants into our home and business landscapes. There is a wide palate of native plants that are capable of handling tough urban environments and provide essential ecological roles. This class will teach students how to understand microclimates of a site and how to properly select the correct native plants for those areas. We will learn which plants provide habitat requirements for specialist insects as well as those that fill large niches to benefit many species from insects to mammals. A portion of the class will be held outside for students to see structure of plants in their natural environment.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

Our speaker, Julie Mazzoleni will introduce us to the fascinating world of the honeybee and learn about the different casts in the hive, individual roles and why they are considered a “superorganism”. Julie will also teach us about some of the many native bees we see in Wisconsin gardens. You’ll learn who they are, about their habitats and the critical role they play in a healthy thriving ecosystem. Lastly, Julie will address the challenges pollinators are facing, why they’re at risk and what you can do to support their wellbeing and help them thrive.

Instructor: Frank Kirschling
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec 7, 9am-2:30pm (1/2 hour lunch)
Location: Calumet Co. Park
Elective (5 hours)

Description: This course will cover the identification of most native tree species found throughout Wisconsin. We will discuss different forest types in Wisconsin with their representative tree, shrub and herbaceous species. Basic forestry concepts will be covered and will include restoration ideas for different forest types in Wisconsin. Weather permitting, this course will include field activities.

An email with specific details will be sent to you approximately 2-5 days before the course.

HOLIDAY PARTY TIME

All members are invited to a year-end informal shin-dig to celebrate the past year of native gardening and share ideas, plans, seeds and cookies for 2025. We'll gather on Sunday, Dec. 8, 1 - 3 p.m. at the WILD Center. 

If you wish, bring native seeds to swap and cookies to share. Best to label cookies with anything important (nuts, dairy, etc.). Recipes optional, but fun.

Please consider reserving a spot so we may anticipate space accommodations. Thank you!