Events

TOPIC: Pollinator Patches and Prairie Pockets

SPEAKER: Robert Hoffman, Biologist from Roundstone Native Seed, LLC, located in Upton, Ky. will share "how to" information about starting Pollinator Patches and Prairie Pockets for our home landscaping projects using native seeds. Homeowners with less than an acre to those with larger areas will benefit from knowledge shared at the January Monthly meeting of the WildOnes Southern Kentucky Chapter. Robert will speak for 30-35 minutes with a Q & A session follow-up.
There will be door prizes - Roundstone seed packets.

Link to Roundstone Native Seed, LLC - https://roundstoneseed.com
The location for the meeting is:
The River Birch Room, at Lost River Cave
2818 Nashville Rd, Bowling Green, KY 42101

The SoKY Chapter Board of Directors holds planning meetings at 8:00pm via Zoom on 3rd Thursdays. All chapter members are encouraged to send in agenda items and are welcome to attend.

Please contact us at [email protected] for the password for the READ MORE link, which has the Zoom link and passcode. 

Event is full, and registration is closed.

Create food sources for birds and other wildlife using pinecones, seeds, dried fruit, and other natural items. Children welcome!

Come find out more about Wild Ones, Southern Kentucky Chapter. Explore books and magazines (and bring yours to share!). Share some stories of your native plant experiences, and learn about what WildOnes is planning for 2023.
 
Do you have experience with successfully growing a favorite native plant? Have trouble growing a native plant? Running into garden problems? Or just want to be inspired by fellow native plant enthusiasts  The Cross Pollinator Party is meant to be an informal meeting.  Everyone is invited to join Wild Ones Southern Kentucky Chapter members to share stories, experiences, resources, or information about native plants or our native ecosystems. Bring seeds to swap or giveaway if you have them!

At this Wild Ones event, you will be asked to confirm you have not experienced cold, flu-like, or Covid symptoms or been diagnosed in the 10 days preceding the event.

The SoKY Chapter Board of Directors holds planning meetings at 7:30pm via Zoom on 3rd Thursdays. All chapter members are encouraged to send in agenda items and are welcome to attend.

Please contact us at [email protected] for the password for the READ MORE link, which has the Zoom link and passcode. 

Would you like to create a garden bed using native plants, but don't know where to start? At this workshop, you'll learn design principles and get a list of plants native to our ecoregion in So. KY, and then you'll design your 4'x4' garden bed. (Later this year, we'll do some yard design, but we're starting small.)

Handouts - check list for Practicalities, check list for Dream Garden, 3 drawing pages for sketching plans, 7 pages of suggested plants for different microclimates. 

The SoKY Chapter Board of Directors holds planning meetings at 7:30pm via Zoom on 3rd Thursdays. All chapter members are encouraged to send in agenda items and are welcome to attend.

Please contact us at [email protected] for the password for the READ MORE link, which has the Zoom link and passcode. 

This will be a rain or shine event. Unless there is lightning, heavy winds, or heavy rain we will continue with the hike. 

Some rain won’t bother us but remember wet surfaces can be slick—take appropriate precautions. Go slow, use handrails on stairs, and watch your step!

Steve Kistler will lead a hike into Cedar Sink, a large sink hole in Mammoth Cave National Park, for a look at the vast array of spring ephemerals that grow in the area. 

Steve is a retired Hart County science teacher and former Mammoth Cave National Park seasonal guide of 12 years. He has led spring bird and wildflower hikes for the past 8 years in the park and plans to continue in 2023. Steve, along with his wife Janet, are active birders and botanists.

Please note that Cedar Sink is a depression that is only accessible via two sets of stairs into and out of the sink. A total of 295 stairs will be traversed during the approximately 2 mile hike. There is a limited number of parking spots at the trailhead. Parking has not been a concern this time of year and at the time of the hike in the past however, carpooling is encouraged! There is typically a regularly maintained port-a-potty/port-a-john at the parking lot. No flush toilets, sinks, or running water at the trailhead. The nearest public restrooms are at the Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center located approximately 10 minutes away by car at 1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259.

For those who may like to do a more accessible hike the Echo River Springs Loop Trail is a one mile loop on a flat, paved, wheelchair accessible hiking path with many spring blooming wild flowers. The trail is accessed from the parking lot where Green River Ferry Road meets the Green River. Click here for a link to google maps showing the parking lot and trailhead for the Echo River Springs Loop Trail. 

Wild Ones will partner with Lost River Cave for the spring BioBlitz in the LRC Meadow.  Participants will have a brief introduction to the native plants that have been added to the meadow since 2019. Charts with pictures of these native species will be available to help with plant identification. This is a great opportunity to practice plant ID with experienced members there to help if needed.  This activity is part of the ongoing effort to restore the meadow and help make decisions about future efforts at planting in order to benefit the wildlife in this special habitat.  Please join us in this worthwhile venture.

If you would like to get ready for the BioBlitz you can practice using the Seek app on your iPhone. It's fun! Seek is an easy to use app that helps you identify species of plants and animals.

YouTube video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsBnkOX0Lxo 

April 17th - April 23rd volunteer to give local wildlife a place to thrive! Bring your family, friends, or staff and enjoy the benefits of nature as we help restore habitats right in your own backyard!

Join us when you can! We understand from student to working professional, we all have a busy schedule, but we all deserve to enjoy nature, so join us when you want, as long as you want.

Some Earth Week events are paid and require registration. See links below for more information and to register!

EARTH WEEK SCHEDULE:

Monday, April 17 

    1:00 - 4:00 pm: Volunteer Day! Help by pulling all the wintercreeper you can find! 

Tuesday, April 18

    5:30 - 6:30 pm: Craft Your Own Hiking Stick

Wednesday, April 19

    1:00 - 4:00 pm: Volunteer Day! Help by pulling all the wintercreeper you can find! All volunteers will receive a free boat tour pass and the first 200 participants to register will receive a free Earth Week T-shirt!

First 200 Participants who Register will receive a Free Earth Week T-shirt!

Thursday, April 20 

    1:00 - 4:00 pm: Volunteer Day! Help by pulling all the wintercreeper you can find! All volunteers will receive a free boat tour pass and the first 200 participants to register will receive a free Earth Week T-shirt!

    6:30 - 7:30 pm: Yoga in the Cave

Friday, April 21

    7:00 - 8:30 pm: Buggin' Out

Saturday, April 22

    10:00 - 11:00 am: Class with Busy Bee Nursery

    11:00 - 4:00 pm: Native Plant Sale with Busy Bee Nursery

    Wild Ones will have a table set up to talk to people about the importance of native plants and our upcoming events!

Sunday, April 23

    11:00 am - 2:00 pm and 2:00 - 5:00 pm: Volunteer Day! Help by pulling all the wintercreeper you can find! All volunteers will receive a free boat tour pass and the first 200 participants to register will receive a free Earth Week T-shirt!

The SoKY Chapter Board of Directors holds planning meetings at 7:30pm via Zoom on 3rd Thursdays. All chapter members are encouraged to send in agenda items and are welcome to attend.

Please contact us at [email protected] for the password for the READ MORE link, which has the Zoom link and passcode. 

Would you like to create a garden bed using native plants, but don't know where to start? At this workshop, you'll learn design principles and get a list of plants native to our ecoregion in So. KY, and then you'll design your 4'x4' garden bed. (In October, we'll be doing some yard design, but we're starting small.)

Worksheets (checklist for Practicalities, checklist for Dream Garden, 3 drawing pages for sketching plans, suggested plants for different microclimates) will be available for download by May 1st. 

Please REGISTER for this event so we know how many are coming. 

Wild Ones SoKY Chapter will set up at the Community Farmers Market in Bowling Green to sell native plants and seeds grown and harvested from member gardens. 

Why native plants?

Over thousands of years, wild plants have grown naturally, adapting to each region’s unique environmental conditions. When grown in your garden, native plants bring beauty and excitement to your yard, creating a welcoming sanctuary that can be enjoyed at home along with many other benefits.

-Natives are sustainable, adapted to thrive in your region’s soils and weather conditions.
-Landscaping with native plants restores a healthy, natural environment and creates wildlife habitat.
-Many natives are deep-rooted, slowing down storm water and improving water quality as well as reducing erosion, carbon and excess nutrients.
-Natives need no fertilizer or extra watering once established.
-They act as natural pest controls and reduce the need for pesticides; many are deer-resistant.
-Native plants are the foundation of life and provide quality food for wildlife like caterpillars, as well as shelter for birds and other wildlife.
-They invite butterflies and other pollinators with pollen and nectar rewards.

Most plant prices will be between $3 and $10. As we get closer to the event we will share more info on availability. 

Members are welcome to donate potted native plants or packaged native seed clearly labeled with the botanical name.

This sale is open to the public and anyone is welcome to attend. 

Email [email protected] with any questions about this event or to donate native plants or seeds.

The SoKY Chapter Board of Directors holds planning meetings at 7:30pm via Zoom on 3rd Thursdays. All chapter members are encouraged to send in agenda items and are welcome to attend.

Please contact us at [email protected] for the password for the READ MORE link, which has the Zoom link and passcode. 

Wild Ones and Lost River Cave volunteers will complete the removal of wintercreeper around the meadow area. It should be a quick removal followed by sowing native Roundstone seed that does not require stratification in the cleared areas.  Next, there will be a planting of donated plants not sold at the WO Spring Plant Sale.  

Join us Saturday, June 10th from 8am - 12pm for the second BioBlitz of 2023. Wild Ones SoKY is partnering with Lost River Cave to inventory summer blooms in the LRC Meadow. Participants will have a choice of activities. We are having a Triple Header Event - Inventory/Pull/Plant since the May 20th invasive pull and plant was cancelled due to rain.  We have 97 plants donated by SoKY WildOnes to get into the ground plus native grass and wildflower seed to sow. 

Participants who choose BioBlitz will have a brief introduction to the native plants that have been added to the meadow since 2019. Pictures of the native species will be available to help with plant identification.  This is a great opportunity to practice plant ID skills with experienced members there to help if needed.

Participants who choose Invasive Pull and Native Planting they will be working in a small area to complete the wintercreeper pull, plant 97 native plants and sowing native grass and wildflower seed.

Join Wild Ones SoKY Chapter as we tour John's wildlife garden and the natural spring in his backyard.

Contact us at [email protected] for the address, or join our mailing list.

More information to come...

Create a bouquet with flowers and plants that are native to our region of Kentucky!  

Space is limited, so please register. You can choose to observe or to make a bouquet.  Please bring: a vase and clippers or plant scissors. If you have native flowers, grasses, ferns, etc. that you can share, please bring them!  

Requested donation: $5 for Wild Ones Members, $10 for non-members

HEALTH - At this Wild Ones event, you will be asked to confirm you have not experienced cold, flu-like, or Covid symptoms or been diagnosed in the 10 days preceding the event.

The Wild Ones SOKY August member meeting will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, August 12. We'll be starting at the Barren River Lake State Park (1149 State Park Rd, Lucas, KY 42156) with a tour of the monarch waystation, and concluding with a tour of member Barbara Brand’s property.

To limit the number of vehicles, this yard tour is limited to members only. Members are welcome to bring guests if carpooling. Upon arrival at Barren River Lake State Park, park in the front parking lot. Please note, the Monarch Waystation is not wheel-chair accessible from the parking lot. Attendees may take an elevator located in the lodge, but a few stairs are still required to reach the waystation. Barbara’s property is on a slope and may require navigating narrow stairs and uneven stepping stones.

Early Fall BioBlitz of Lost River Cave Meadow will be conducted to inventory plants that have been successful since plantings began in 2019.

Come help thin the beds at the library!  Free for the digging: bee balm, black eyes susan, goldenrod, coreopsis, butterfly weed

Would you like to change your property from mostly lawn to mostly garden, but don't know where to start?  The event is free (though donations are welcome!) but space is limited. Please REGISTER!  Link below.

Registrants will receive a packet with guidelines and questions to fill out before coming to the workshop, and a list of plants native to our ecoregion in Southern Kentucky. At the workshop, we'll go over design principles and practice some techniques then you'll sketch ideas for your property and share ideas with other participants.

HEALTH - At this Wild Ones event, you will be asked to confirm you have not experienced cold, flu-like, or Covid symptoms or been diagnosed in the 10 days preceding the event.

Join Wild Ones Honorary Director Heather Holm as she explores the nesting habitats, life cycles, pollen collection, brood rearing, and general characteristics of some of the most common native bees in eastern North America, while highlighting the pollination of native plants and the mutualism between native plants and native bees.

When creating and managing thriving habitats for native bees, many factors such as seasonal phenology, nesting strategies, and flower preferences must be considered—and with approximately 3,600 species in North America (north of Mexico), there are many unique aspects to keep in mind when managing successful landscapes for bees. 

Members of Wild Ones SoKY Chapter can swap and buy native plants and seeds from 8-9am on Saturday October 14th before the sale began for the general public. 

Locally grown native plants for sale to the public by Wild Ones Southern Kentucky Chapter members.

Join members of the Wild Ones Southern Kentucky Chapter to learn how to harvest seeds from native plants. Participants will have the opportunity to take home seeds collected by Wild Ones SOKY Chapter members. 
No registration required. 

Our November monthly meeting will consist of Chapter Officer Election. Come vote for next year's leadership and bring (labeled!) seeds of native plants from your garden for our Seed Packaging Party on November 18th.

Bee Hotel Workshop, Election, and Seed Swap

John Zippay will give an introduction to our often overlooked but indispensable native bees and lead a workshop to make a bee hotel! Over 90% of our native bees are solitary--females create their own nests in the ground or using native plant material. Join us to make and take a bee hotel you can place in your home garden!

Wild Ones SoKY Members can vote for 2024 officers at this event. 

This event will also host a native seed swap. Collect seeds from your own garden, label and package them, and come swap with others to increase the biodiversity of your home garden!

Join us for an enlightening webinar featuring authors, Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox, as they present their latest book, "The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants." This comprehensive compendium is a treasure trove of knowledge for gardeners looking to incorporate native prairie plants into their landscapes. Neil and Hilary will delve into the making and application of this essential guide, sharing rich historical and ecological insights about prairie ecosystems, all while showcasing stunning images of prairie flora. 

Join members of the Wild Ones Southern Kentucky Chapter as we sort and package seeds from native plants to donate to the Seed Sharing program at Warren County Libraries. Workers may take some seeds home, and coffee and donuts) provided.  

Join us on an outing to learn about the new streambank restoration project at Phil Moore Park in Warren County, Kentucky. A representative from Warren County Stormwater Management Department will talk to us about the restoration and about the native plants that were planted around the site. Warren Fiscal Court approved the project on Drakes Creek to improve water quality and prevent erosion near the canoe and kayak launch area at Phil Moore. The improved kayak and canoe launch area is across Scottsville Road from the gymnasium and ballfields. We will meet at the parking area next to the Bark Park at Phil Moore Park and then either walk or drive the short distance down to the creek restoration area. Portable restrooms are located by the Bark Park.

After touring the streambank restoration area, there is an optional 1-2 mile walk around the park. A wide variety of native plants grow along the floodplains of the creek. Let’s see how many native perennials we can identify by their dried seed heads. Also, native trees are abundant, including some very large mature trees near the water. We will follow the mowed cross-country path from the canoe and kayak launch down to the Scottsville Road bridges. Then, we will continue on the path under the bridges and explore the other side of the park. Finally, we will go back on the path and end at the Bark Park parking area.

Well behaved dogs on a leash are allowed. Bring water and wear sturdy walking shoes. In case of heavy rain/snow we will meet on Sunday, December 3rd at 2:00 CT.

No registration is required for this event. Just show up!

Our last meeting of the year will be a celebration of all we have done!  We'll swap seeds and cookies and play games