Growing options to learn about native plants through classes and presentations
People interested in adding native plants will find many in-person and online classes and presentations to help get started and inspired. Check for more opportunities on Wild Ones Wisconsin chapter listings, UW-Madison’s Extension Horticulture program, and your local nature center. SOS Save Our Songbirds will also be listing classes as they are scheduled and/or we’re made aware of them. Send listings to lisa.gaumnitz@sossaveoursongbirds.org
Online
March 27, Lake Michigan Bird Observatory presentation, “Shrubs - The Forgotten Layer,” 7 p.m. Free. Registration required.
March 28, Chequamegon Audubon Society presentation, “Landscaping for Birds, Pollinators and Other Wildlife, 7 p.m. Link: https://tinyurl.com/5haupkxh Join via phone: +1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 913 7189 3694 / Passcode: 949546
In-person
Ashland
March 28, Chequamegon Audubon Society presentation, “Landscaping for Birds, Pollinators and Other Wildlife, 7 p.m., Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, 1411 Ellis Ave. Free.
Eagle
May 9 & 10, Friends of North Prairie Native Gardens presentation, “Basics of Starting a Pollinator Garden and Selecting Plants,” 11 a.m. by volunteer Dawn-Marie Staccia. In conjunction with the friends’ native plant sale May 9-12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the same site, white gazebo at the intersection of Highways 67/59/NN in Eagle.
Horicon
March 16, Friends of Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center workshop, “Bees, Birds, Blooms and Your Native Garden Workshop,” 10 a.m. -12 noon. Free.
Janesville
March 14, UW-Madison’s Extension Horticulture Program, “Beyond birdfeeders: how to be a bird-friendly gardener all year long,” 6 p.m. UW-Extension, Rotary Botanical Gardens, 1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville, WI. Free.
Madison area
March 16, Gardening with Native Plants at Sequoya Library led by Susan Carpenter, native plant garden curator and gardener at the UW-Madison Arboretum. 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at the library’s meeting rooms A and B.
March 21, Friends of Wisdom Prairie, SOS Save Our Songbirds and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance program, “Saving Our Songbirds Together: 3 Ways to Help at Home,” 9-11:30 a.m., Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 Co Hwy M, Middleton, WI 53562. $25 registration fee.
April 4, “Let’s Talk Helping Gardeners Restore Native Plant Habitats at Home,” at Sequoya Library, Meeting Rooms A and B, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Presented by Sarah Savage, owner of Tend Native Plants, sponsored by Sequoya Library and Midvale Heights Green Team.
Milwaukee area
March 2, Friends of Wehr Nature Center class “Gardening for the Birds and the Bees,” 1-4 p.m. at Wehr Nature Center, 9701 W College Ave, Franklin, WI 53132. Cost is $15, with discounts for nature center members and Milwaukee County residents.
March 13, Wild Ones Menomonee River Area Chapter presentation, “How to Build a Prairie and Wild Yard in the Land of Riding Lawn Mowers,” 6:30-7:30 p.m., Brookfield Public Library, 1900 N Calhoun Rd, Brookfield, WI, 53005. Free.
March 23, 2 p.m., Melinda Myers presentation, “Incorporating Native Plants into Your Landscape for You and the Pollinators,” 2 p.m., 2024 REALTORS Home & Garden Show, Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave, West Allis. Admission fee for show but presentation is free.
March 23, 4 p.m., Jennifer Lazewski presentation, “Natural Landscaping,” 2024 REALTORS Home & Garden Show, Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave, West Allis. Admission fee for show but presentation is free.
March 23, Fresh Coast Rain Garden Workshop presentation by Jennifer Lazewski, 10 a.m., Milwaukee Public Library Bayview Branch, 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee.
March 29, Wild Ones presentation, “Habitat From Scratch: Creating an Urban Prairie Garden,” noon, 2024 REALTORS Home & Garden Show, Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave, West Allis. Admission fee for show but presentation is free.
March 30, Wild Ones presentation, “The Wild Ones Organization: How it Came to Be, The Importance of Native Plants in a Landscape, Native Garden Designs and More!” 4 p.m., 2024 REALTORS Home & Garden Show, Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave, West Allis. Admission fee for show but presentation is free.
May 21, Urban Ecology Center presentation, “Native Gardening on Small City Plots,” 5-7 p.m., Riverside Park location, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee. Paid class.
Oshkosh
April 13, Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter class, “Establishing & Managing Native Plant Communities,” 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., UW Oshkosh Campus, 54901. Paid class.
Port Washington
April 17, Lake Michigan Bird Observatory presentation, ExpressScape Native Plant Workshop, 4:30-6:30 p.m., W.J. Niederkorn Library, 316 W Grand Ave, Port Washington, WI 53074.
Woodville
April 11, a Community One Read event from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Woodville Community Center featuring the book Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy and a free 5 p.m. talk “Gardening with Native Plants” by Susan Carpenter, UW-Madison Arboretum native plant gardener. Learn more from area bird and conservation groups starting at 4:30 p.m. A free chili supper and the chance to discuss Tallamy’s book begins at 6 p.m. Event sponsored by Baldwin, Deer Park, Glenwood City, Hammond, and Woodville Libraries.