From West Cook Wild Ones:

Please join us for "Gardening for Moths" as Chelsea Gottfried, author of Gardening for Moths: a regional guide, talks to us about the ecological importance of moths and how to provide for their needs in your garden.

Moths are beautiful and critical members of ecological communities and native plant gardens can provide welcoming habitat for them. Adult moths sip nectar and pollinate flowering native plants. Moth caterpillars nibble on native host plants for their food. In turn, moth caterpillars and adults are a major food source for many creatures including other insects, spiders, birds and bats. Chelsea Gottfried will introduce you to moth species you can attract to your garden and the native plants that they need to thrive.

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gardening-for-moths-tickets-667666206597

Fro West Cook Wild Ones:

Native plant gardeners use their own backyards to create habitat for pollinators and to make a small positive impact on the global environmental crisis. Ever wonder what would happen if we could extend our impact to include more backyards by enacting laws to benefit pollinators? Damon Hall can help us to begin to take action beyond our home landscape.

Damon Hall will talk to us about why pollinator laws matter, what kinds of state pollinator laws already exist, and how we can initiate action on a local level to inspire changes in ordinances which often stymie pollinator conservation and native plant gardeners.

This program is free and open to the public.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/innovations-in-insect-pollinator-policy-tickets-243227890167

From the Forest Preserves of Cook County:

When it comes to pollination, honey bees get a majority of the attention. However, many insects play a role in pollination. This presentation will discuss different native pollinators, including beetles and flies, and tips on how to make your landscape attractive to them, including providing habitat.

Register here: https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=24217

We plan an informal meeting to connect with each other as well as chat about native plants and our gardens. The session will be interactive and hopefully brimming with your photos.

To help the meeting run smoothly, we ask that you please add your slides to a shared Google file so we can present them at the meeting. Please click here to add photos: October 2021 Garden Chat Photos. We will organize the photos into groups, share the photos over Zoom and invite you to talk about the photos! Here are some ideas for categories that are already in the slides file: Rain Gardens, Shade Gardens, Sunny Gardens, Favorite Native Plant(s!), and Cool or Uncool Insects. If you need help adding your photo to the shared file, please email us and we can load the photos for you.

Please note though that if you want to come only to look and listen that is great too!

Please be sure to register for your free ticket. Registration is required for this event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/october-membership-meeting-how-did-your-garden-grow-tickets-170761922507

This meeting will be held ONLINE via Zoom. You will receive a link to attend and participate 2 days before the meeting.

Not a member but would like to join in the fun? Go here and join Wild Ones: Join

From We Sow We Grow:

Join us for the 2nd Annual We Grow We Sow Summit from October 15 to 17.

Coming to you from the We Sow We Grow Project, headquartered in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

The We Sow We Grow Summit is an event to learn, celebrate and share knowledge with current and future gardeners, plant parents and urban growers. A 3-day intensive focused on edible gardening, horticulture, permaculture, and all that falls between seed to table.

All proceeds benefit the We Sow We Grow Project - a 501c3 organization committed to sharing knowledge both in-person and online to grow gardeners of all ages and walks of life.

From beginners to seasoned gardeners, here’s to getting Dirty...By Nature!

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-sow-we-grow-summit-tickets-172230334567

From We Sow We Grow:

Join us for the 2nd Annual We Grow We Sow Summit from October 15 to 17.

Coming to you from the We Sow We Grow Project, headquartered in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

The We Sow We Grow Summit is an event to learn, celebrate and share knowledge with current and future gardeners, plant parents and urban growers. A 3-day intensive focused on edible gardening, horticulture, permaculture, and all that falls between seed to table.

All proceeds benefit the We Sow We Grow Project - a 501c3 organization committed to sharing knowledge both in-person and online to grow gardeners of all ages and walks of life.

From beginners to seasoned gardeners, here’s to getting Dirty...By Nature!

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-sow-we-grow-summit-tickets-172230334567

From We Sow We Grow:

Join us for the 2nd Annual We Grow We Sow Summit from October 15 to 17.

Coming to you from the We Sow We Grow Project, headquartered in the West Pullman neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

The We Sow We Grow Summit is an event to learn, celebrate and share knowledge with current and future gardeners, plant parents and urban growers. A 3-day intensive focused on edible gardening, horticulture, permaculture, and all that falls between seed to table.

All proceeds benefit the We Sow We Grow Project - a 501c3 organization committed to sharing knowledge both in-person and online to grow gardeners of all ages and walks of life.

From beginners to seasoned gardeners, here’s to getting Dirty...By Nature!

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-sow-we-grow-summit-tickets-172230334567

From West Cook Wild Ones:

This year's garden walk is an in-person tour of eight gardens throughout the Oak Park/River Forest/Forest Park/Berwyn region. You’ll learn from these home gardeners who have been experimenting with and observing native plants for many years.

Get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/birds-bees-butterflies-a-native-garden-tour-tickets-157350127467

From the Oak Park Conservatory and Trailside Museum:

The Year of the Butterfly is a regional effort of organizations cooperating to bring awareness to the community about how they can help support a healthy habitat for butterflies and other pollinators. Join the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory and their partners as we explore a variety of pollinators.

Registration required for both children and parents/caregivers! All Ages here: https://www.pdop.org/register/?amilia_url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.amilia.com%2fstore%2fen%2fpark-district-of-oak-park%2fshop%2factivities%2f3248714

July: Bees, Flies & Wasps with Trailside Museum of Natural History

From West Cook Wild Ones:

Alexia Paul, owner of Re-Ecology, will discuss the importance of ecological landscapes on both large and small scales. She will share her philosophy and approach to design. 

You can visit her site here: Re-Ecology

About Alexia: 

Alexia founded Re-Ecology LTD based on a word, re-ecology, she made up to describe a corporate sustainable landscape retrofit project for which she designed and oversaw the installation and maintenance.

There was no single word to describe this work, but there were endless 20-50 year old landscapes in the Chicagoland area that, with the right help, could be beautiful, provide healthy pollinator habitat, and reduce costly irrigation and chemical use.

Alexia founded Re-Ecology LTD to provide services supporting living landscapes for people who wanted to be surrounded by nature’s abundance and beauty.

People wanting to create or improve the beauty, health, and natural abundance of their outdoor spaces, are her perfect clients.

Alexia’s portfolio of design experience includes Millennium Park, Lurie Garden, Navy Pier Flyover Bridge, The 606 (Bloomingdale Trail), and South Lakeshore Drive Reconstruction – Jackson Park Section; corridor and community planning and design. She grew up in the family landscape business, nursery business, and installing maintaining corporate and higher education campus landscapes.