Events

Sewanee Purple Phacelia (Phacelia sewaneensis) --  The Story of How We Discovered and Named a New Species of Plant that was Hiding in Plain Sight on our Campus.

NOTE: This event will be a hybrid zoom event. Dr. Evans will join via Zoom, and you have the option to join via zoom or join the WildOnes group at the South Huntsville Public Library for a watch party. Please email [email protected] in advance for a zoom link if you are not a WildOnes member.

These days, it is a rare and highly unusual opportunity in the life of a botanist to be able to name a new species of plant.  It is even more unusual when that new species happens to be one of the most charismatic spring wildflowers found on your own campus and whose flowers are also exactly the school color!    In this talk, I describe the ecological and genetic research over the last four years that led my lab to the conclusion that we had two distinct species of Phacelia living in Shakerag Hollow rather than just one.  My explanation for why I believe this species was missed by botanists for over 200 years, goes beyond science and involves a French spy from the 1700s.  Finally, I will explain the complicated process of how one goes about naming a new species and why we chose to name this species, Phacelia sewanensis,  the Sewanee Purple Phacelia!

Dr. Jon Evans is a Professor of Biology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. His research in plant ecology focuses on plant population dynamics and the processes that determine the composition and structure of plant communities over time and across landscapes. He is specifically interested in the role of clonal growth as a mechanism for population persistence in plant communities. He also studies land-use history and exotic species introductions as drivers of long-term change in forest communities. Much of his research is conducted within ecosystems of the southern United States, concentrated on the southern Cumberland Plateau and on the coastal barrier islands.

Since 1995, he and his students have conducted research on the dynamics of old-growth, upland forests of the Cumberland Plateau.  Long-term plots established in Franklin State Forest and Fall Creek Falls have informed our understanding of the importance of old-growth upland forests to the maintenance of biological diversity on the Plateau and the critical role they now play in combating climate change by sequestering and storing large
amounts of carbon.

He also leads University efforts to promote landscape–level conservation across the Cumberland Plateau region. As founding Director of Sewanee’s Landscape Analysis Laboratory, he led a federally funded, multi-disciplinary project that used GIS and remote sensing to examine the environmental consequences of native hardwood conversion to pine plantations on the Cumberland Plateau. This research led to fundamental changes in land-use decision-making within the region and helped to catalyze major conservation initiatives.

He has been a faculty member at Sewanee since 1994 and teaches courses in ecology, botany and conservation biology. He also directs the Sewanee Herbarium, which maintains an extensive vascular plant collection for the University’s 13,000 acre campus and surrounding region.

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.

This will be an in-person workshop on winter sowing, inspired by Homegrown National Park and hosted by Sara Johnson. WONA members may participate for free, and the general public may participate for a $15 donation. Participants MUST RSVP before the event.

This workshop will consist of a lecture and skills training that will include: types of seeds and seed traits, advice on planting depth, how to address different seed coats, how to know when seeds are ready for harvest, basic collection ethics, where to source native seed and what to buy, seed cleaning and preparation, seed storage, seed stratification, seed scarification, soil types and germination substrates, and a guide to helpful resources to get you started on your journey.

NOTE: This event has been rescheduled from 24 Jan to 7 Feb due to the inclement weather.

Grab your boots, loppers, gloves, protective eyewear, weed wrenches and buckthorn blasters, 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 must be accompanied by a parent). We will have a brief training (depending on experience level) about privet identification and control methods before heading into the work site. 

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.!  

Patrick Thompson grew up on Shades Mountain near Birmingham AL, earned a Master of Science degree in Horticulture and has been employed by Auburn's Davis Arboretum since the year 2000.  Patrick is the Arboretum’s Curator of Special Collections and Coordinator of The Alabama Plant Conservation Alliance. He works with native oaks, azaleas, and carnivorous plants. His primary conservation effort has been focused on the Alabama Sandstone Oak, Quercus boyntonii.

Grab your boots, loppers, gloves, protective eyewear and weed wrenches, 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 moving onto the work site.

Rain date: 2/28/2026 (same time) 

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.

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.

Join WONA for our quarterly member meeting to 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.

You are invited to tour Melissa Kirkindall's native garden in Madison on Saturday, March 21st from 4-6.

The result of diligent preservation and decades of native gardening, Melissa’s woodland garden showcases our native spring ephemerals such as Wood Poppies, Rue Anemone, and Bluebells.  Her garden is designed to be a habitat for wildlife and includes areas for water, food, nesting places and cover; it is certified as a National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat.  The focal point is a water feature and a piece of fused glass artwork made by local artist Karen Reed. 

This garden tour is limited to Wild Ones members only and is not handicap accessible.  Guests are invited to sit a spell and look for migrating birds using binoculars or the Merlin app.

Melissa Kirkindall’s address

To be provided to members

Tour date:  Saturday, March 21st 

Tour time: 4-6

Rain date: Sunday, March 22nd

Is it really spring in Huntsville without a trip down the Wildflower Trail?

Join us on this short, rocky trail as we discover what spring beauties have already arrived! Please wear supportive shoes and bring water

Members: free

Non-members: $5

Gardening for Wildlife: Transform Your Garden into a Habitat for Pollinators, Birds & Beyond

By Sara Johnson, Conservation Biologist, North America Land Trust

Gardening for wildlife is more than feeding the birds and the pollinators. It means providing resources to all levels of the food chain! Learn how to integrate small changes and create a diverse ecosystem of insects, birds, and other fauna in your own backyard.

This program will focus on native plants and their interactions with various insect species in your garden to encourage wildlife. Learn more about the food web of your own backyard and the unique interactions within our urban or suburban ecosystems. 

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.”

Come see this unique Land Trust property that is closed to the public! We had a great turnout last year and I would love for you to join us this year. The trail is very gentle and there is no elevation gain. Please wear closed-toe shoes and bring water.

Members: free

Non-members: $5

Join us for a member panel on planting natives in clay, compacted soils. This is the most common soil condition that our members have at their dispossal for native gardens, so this is your opportunity to ask all your burning questions to some locals with experience on the topic. 

Panelists for this discussion include:

Aaron Stiles: Aaron Stiles is a landscape designer and owner of Foraging Ahead, he has worked on multiple farms and gardens throughout North Alabama and has experience working with and amending poor clay soil.

Lyn W: Lyn is a nomadic gardener and serial leaf bandit.  Whether your goal is to improve the soil or cope with what you have, she can help.

Denise Woodring: Denise has 16 years experience as a landscape designer and owner of Green Thumb Design, in Huntsville, AL.  As a gardener, she has designed and created native habitats and landscapes in clay soils, for her current and former homes over the past 30 years.

Samuel Sikes: Sam has been gardening in his own clay soils for five years, as well as two years professionally as the owner of the former Sikes & Carlton Corporation. Through the years, Sam has installed everything from large, mature burlapped trees and bare-root specimens to mature native plants and native seeds sown directly into garden beds. Unless the species you are installing is specifically adapted for heavy clay, he recommends not planting directly into it. The most effective way to ensure success when gardening in clay soil is to amend it.

Join WildOnes and ecologist Jon Evans on an exploration of Spring Ephemerals at the beautiful campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. Jon discovered a new species of Phacelia in Tennessee and North Alabama, and this will be a great opportunity to see both Phacelia bipinnatifida and Phacelia sewaneensis in their native habitat. One or more meeting places for carpooling will be announced for those interested. A group lunch will also be planned after the hike (dutch treat).

This event is for active WONA members only.

Join Wild Ones North Alabama in educating the general public about the importance of native plants for our native bees while helping children craft a bee house. You don't have to be a member of WONA to volunteer. Volunteers are welcome to enjoy the festival before and after their shifts.

Panoply is a rain or shine event so plan accordingly.

Please use a valid email as Panoply/Arts Huntsville will use that to provide parking and entrance information

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.

Let's discover what this cool remnant has to offer in May! Less than 3 miles of easy-walking trails with no elevation gain. Please wear pants, closed toe shoes and bring water! I know the address is weird but trust the process and look for a sanctuary sign and gravel parking lot.

Members: free

Non-members: $5

Join local botanist and native plant advocate Lynne Weninegar as she takes us through the steps of planning a native garden.

Join us for our first volunteer day at the John Hunt Arboretum Garden sponsored by HEC x WONA! The City of Huntsville has set aside a section of the arboretum garden for us to plant and maintain. Come out for our first event and help us plant pollinator plants like Butterfly Milkweed and Bluestar!

Please bring appropriate footwear and clothing as well as gardening gloves if you choose. All other supplies will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own gardening tools. 

Friday, May 22nd from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Meet at: 

2151 Airport Rd SW

Huntsville, AL 35801

34.690810, -86.586385

HEC is grateful to have received a free flat of milkweeds thanks to Monarch Watch as part of this program. Thanks to the City of Huntsville Green Team for letting us be a part of this new project in "greening" Huntsville!

Lynne Weninegar is a local botanist who has been  transitioning her landscape from non-native (often invasive) horticultural plants into an urban natural woodland setting with regionally-appropriate native plants. Her rocky limestone landscape feeds over 53 bird species throughout the year and features many plants that commonly occur in cedar glade/barren/woodland ecosystems with circumneutral soils. Lynne is a lifelong scientist whose landscape is an ongoing experiment to observe how plants and wildlife interact in a backyard that provides her with tranquility and year-round delight.

This is a member-only event. You must sign up and be a verified member to receive the address for the tour.

This event invites horticultural professionals, conservationists and home gardeners to envision cultivating beauty while sustaining ecology by integrating native plants into landscapes. Classroom presentations and botanical excursions offered.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator, employer, and provider. If you need a reasonable accommodation or free language access services, contact Holt Akers-Campbell at 205-471-0912 or [email protected] by 5/9/2026.

This event has multiple sessions:

Option 1: North Alabama Butterflies – May 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM to 11:15 AMOption 2: Bringing Research from the Field to Your Garden: Native Flowers – May 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM to 11:15 AMOption 1: Horticulture of Alabama Milkweed Species – May 30, 2026 at 11:30 AM to 12:00 PMOption 2: Safeguarding Native Trees: Pests and Diseases – December 31, 1969 at 6:00 PM to 6:00 PMOption 3: Rivercane Restoration Panel Discussion – May 30, 2026 at 11:30 AM to 12:00 PMOption 1: Why Foraging Is One of the Greatest Drivers of Plant Conservation – May 30, 2026 at 1:30 PM to 2:30 AMOption 2: Native Seed Collection and Processing – May 30, 2026 at 1:30 PM to 2:30 PMMonte Sano Botanical Hike – May 31, 2026 at 8:30 AM to 12:00 PMHuntsville Botanical Garden Conservation Program & Native Nursery Tour – May 31, 2026 at 9:30 AM to 12:00 PMDevil’s Racetrack Botanical Hike – May 31, 2026 at 10:00 AM to 12:00 PMNative Gardens in Public Spaces Tour – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMNative Garden Design Tour – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMNative Grassland Restoration & Invasive Species Management – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMBotanical Stroll at Hays Farm (South Huntsville) – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMPaint Rock Forest Dynamics Plot Tour – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PMRiparian Zone Hike on Flint River – May 31, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

We are heading up to Blevin's Gap for June! We will be taking the Bill and Marion Certain Trail to SugarTree, and then up Varnedoe to see some Wood Lillies in bloom! We can either double back on Varnedoe or head back out on the Bill and Marion Certain Trail. Overall the trails are pretty flat, but there will be about 500 ft in elevation gain over a total of 4 miles. Moderate Difficulty

Members: free

Non-members: $5

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.

Join WONA for our quarterly member meeting to 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.

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.