Events

April Waltz will speak about the Alabama Wildlife Federation and more specifically the Habitat Learning Lab program. 

April works with schools to create schoolyard habitats that can be used for hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities.  The Habitat Learning Program emphasizes the importance of using native plants in pollinator, butterfly, frog & toad, and songbird habitats.  WONA members can learn more about our program on our website at https://alabamawildlife.org/habitat-learning-lab/.

This will consist of a 30 minute presentation with time for questions afterwards. 

Discover what common butterfly species you can see in North Alabama, but have never known their names.  Learn which larval host plants to place in your garden to attract and maintain butterfly populations for many years to come. This program is in partnership with the Master Gardeners of North Alabama and presented by Melissa Kirkendall, Master Gardener. 

This program is in Auditorium #1.

Contact Madison at [email protected] with questions.

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.

The Huntsville Environmental Coalition is hosting a celebration in honor of Moth Week on Friday, July 24th, 2026; a FREE public event to promote the conservation of pollinators and insects and the habitats on which they depend. Adults and children 12+ with adult.
 

***While this event is FREE, it is limited capacity, so be sure to RSVP here: https://hecmothweekcelebration.rsvpify.com/***

We will host a screening of the Homegrown National Park documentary "The Extraordinary Caterpillar," and will have our partners and community members join us to discuss pollinators, native plants, and the night sky! Costumes and silliness encouraged; there will be a costume contest with a prize at the end of the event! There will be a raffle, giveaways, and more! 
 

See our Schedule of Events for more information: 
6:00 - 7:00 PM
Mix and mingle with community members while enjoying snacks and refreshments. Enter our cash raffle and visit partner organization tables to participate in activities and giveaways. Get your face painted and vote for the best costume!
 

7:00 - 8:00 PM
Film Screening: The Extraordinary Caterpillar (watch the trailer here: https://homegrownnationalpark.org/extraordinary-caterpillar/)
 

8:00 - 9:00 PM
Join local experts for a Q&A about the film, including a panel discussion about how YOU can help moths and pollinators.
We will have our costume contest with a prize at the end of the event!
 

Please consider a donation to Huntsville Environmental Coalition to help us continue to promote FREE events like this for our community! 

Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DE5HK3VP6KM8U

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.

Registration link coming soon.

Join WONA and Janice Barrett from Wild Alabama as she tells us the story of the hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive insect threatening hemlock trees across the Easter U.S.

Planning time for the WONA Weed Wrangle committee. If you'd like to get involved, please email [email protected] with the subject line “Weed Wrangle.”

WONA's quarterly board of directors meeting. All members are welcome to join. Please email [email protected] if you would like to be sent the zoom.

Holt is a Commercial Horticulture Agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES). He has written numerous ACES publications promoting native plants. Deer browsing is a significant problem for homeowners in Alabama. Learn measures, including plant selection, that you can take to reduce browsing pressure.

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.

Lee McBride has been a tree care specialist since 1979 and an ISA certified arborist (currently a Master Arborist) since 1995. He started a business as an independent consulting arborist in 2005 and has decades of pruning and tree care health experience. Lee will discuss native hardwood care, pruning tips and insect issues affecting the health of our trees with WONA. There will be plenty of time for Q&A. 

We are going to be exploring a cool little nook on Monte Sano today. We will be connecting sections of multiple trails today including: Bankhead, Oak Park, Buzzard's Roost, and Dallas Branch. It will be right around 3 miles with good trail tread and 400 feet of elevation gain. Super fun trail system! Meet at the parking lot on Bankhead Parkway (see map).

Members: free

Non-members: $5

You will love this trail system! We will be forming a loop from the following trails: Jones Valley, Bailey Cove, Chittamwood, and Fanning. These trails have great tread and we will be covering about 450 of elevation gain over 2 miles. The entrance for this trail head is strange because it is behind a church. If you find yourself driving through a Southeast Church of the Nazarene parking lot, you're in the right spot! Please bring water

Members: free

Non-members: $5

Join WONA for our annual member meeting to elect a new Board and find out what we are doing to advance the native plant movement in our area. This is a meeting for planning, strategizing, and developing plans to educate our community about native plants.

Grab your boots, loppers, gloves, protective eyewear, weed wrenches and buckthorn blasters, and let's get ready to wrangle some invasive plants! We will meet in the Monte Sano Main Trailhead Parking Lot (where the South Plateau Loop trail begins), and head to the worksite that is covered in bush honeysuckle and other invasives. Tools and PPE will be provided by Alabama State Parks and WildOnes, but if you have your own tools and PPE, please bring them. This event is free and open to the public, ages 16+ (minors must be accompanied by a parent). We will have a brief training (depending on experience level) about invasive plant identification and control methods before heading into the work site.

Rain date: 10/24/2026 (same time) 

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.

Registration link coming soon.

Grab your boots, loppers, gloves, protective eyewear, weed wrenches and buckthorn blasters, and let's get ready to wrangle some invasive plants! We will meet in the pavilion next to the Chapman Mountain Parking lot. Tools and PPE will be provided by the Land Trust of North Alabama and WildOnes, but if you have your own tools and PPE, please bring them. This event is free and open to the public, ages 16+ (minors must be accompanied by a parent). We will have a brief training (depending on experience level) about invasive plant identification and control methods before heading into the work site. 

Rain date: 11/14/2026 (same time)

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. 
 

Planning time for the WONA Weed Wrangle committee. If you'd like to get involved, please email [email protected] with the subject line “Weed Wrangle.”

Grab your boots, loppers, gloves, protective eyewear and weed wrenches, and let's get ready to wrangle some privet! We will meet in the large parking lot near the pond off of Haysland Rd (look for the entrance columns). Some tools and PPE will be provided by WildOnes and the Green Team, but if you have your own tools and PPE, please bring them. This event is free and open to the public, ages 16+ (minors with parental supervision only). We will have a brief training (depending on experience level) about privet identification and control methods before heading into the work sites. 

WONA's quarterly board of directors meeting. All members are welcome to join. Please email [email protected] if you would like to be sent the zoom.

Details to be provided. This is a native azalea propagation workshop led by Alabama Extension agent Shane Harris.