Events

Planting for pollinators and buying native plants can get expensive. Winter seed sowing into containers is one way to reduce that expense. In this workshop you will learn how to sow seeds in winter. You will leave with two planted containers, after which you can continue to expand your native plantings with more seed sowing this winter.

The workshop will be facilitated by Angela Sisson from the new Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley Seedling who has been helping people plant pollinator friendly gardens, including the recent pollinator garden at the library. Angela has an ecological landscape design degree and has been using native plants in the landscape for two decades.

Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley is launched!

This is our local chapter serving communities in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Ulster Counties.
Please join us for our first chapter meeting.
All are welcome, you do not need to be a member to participate.
During the meeting we will brainstorm events for our chapter.
This is an opportunity to get involved in the early stages of a new venture.
Come and share your ideas.

Email [email protected] for more information.

We will meet at the Fern Glen at Cary and together enjoy the lovely and ephemeral spring wildflowers while they are with us.  There are benches above the stream for sitting and admiring the view or enjoying a snack (bring your own.)  Please park in the upper lot at Cary and walk down to the Fern Glen unless you are mobility-impaired.  There are only 5 spots at the Fern Glen.

This is a short, narrow and occasionally slippery trail.  Please come prepared for ticks and sun with long pants or bug spray, hats, water.  Bring a snack if you like.

Come when you can; it will be easy to spot the group on the short trail.

RSVP to WildOnesMHV@gmail. com if you are coming.

Creating a Pollinator Meadow: Part I - Site Preparation

Call for Volunteers

Learn how to prepare a native meadow on this farm in Gardiner NY. We will start by filling sandbags and then lay tarps on two areas--a lawn and a field. The tarps will be held in place with the sandbags. Over the summer, the tarps will smother the existing plants enabling us to sow meadow seeds this fall.  Watch for the volunteer meadow seeding event in November. This meadow installation is designed to support pollinators at risk of local extinction.

Refreshments will be provided.

This is a free, public event on private property and requires registration. Address will be sent to all who register. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

This meadow is one of four anchor sites for Pollinate Now!, a project of Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley. Learn More about Pollinate Now! in the link below.

The Gardiner Library and Wild Ones Mid-Hudson Valley are hosting the second native plant sale to complement the library’s pollinator garden which was planted in 2022.

The small plants, called landscape plugs, are much less expensive than container plants and an excellent way to keep costs down while trying out some new plants.

Proceeds to benefit the Gardiner Library.

The following plant species will be available at the sale:

Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum); Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis); Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata); Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa); New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'); New York Aster (Aster novi-belgii); False Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis); Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa); Spotted Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum); Blueflag (Iris versicolor); Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis); Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata); Golden Groundsel (Packera aurea); Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. fulgida)

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve is located in the southern Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County, NY. The gardens are an ongoing work by author, teacher, and landscape designer, Carolyn Summers. Throughout her career, Carolyn has been acutely aware of the need for clients, DIY homeowners, and designers to be able to see how lovely native plants are when used in garden settings. The Catskills - mostly in a Zone 5 climate - makes an excellent test for fitness and hardiness. In addition to managed gardens, large areas of the property are preserved to protect native flora in their natural habitats, along with the wildlife that depend on them. We invite you to come and experience the beauty, diversity and sustainability of the native flora for yourself. These gardens will leave you inspired to plant more of the same.

This is a free event on private property and requires registration. Limit 20 people. Address will be sent to all who register. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

We'll visit and tour Earth Tones Native Plants nursery, which is located approximately 1 hour east of Poughkeepsie in Woodbury, CT.  Earth Tones propagates many of its own plants (unusually so) and many are available in plug form too (seedlings).  It's a beautiful spot and we'll learn a lot on the tour.

The nursery is located on a hill and is quite large - come prepared for lots of walking on steepish paths with good shoes, water, hat, sunscreen and bug spray.

A registration link will be posted on June 1.

Please be on time, the tour will start promptly.

For more info:

http://www.earthtonesnatives.com/

When it comes to nurseries, Catskill Native Nursery stands out among the crowd. They offer-

1) A truly unusual number of native plant species and plant types;

2) Beautiful on-site native plant gardens to wander through; and

3) Knowledgeable staff able to discuss the plants along with ecological landscaping principles.

Please join us on this field trip for a talk by the nursery manager. We’ll discuss planting natives along with other ecological landscaping topics followed by a Q&A. The discussion incorporates a stroll through the gardens (border, cottage, and woodland) where an extensive variety of native plants have found a home. Whatever your native-gardening level—beginner to advanced—this field trip will further your understanding and leave you inspired to learn more - plant more.

Catskill Native Nursery has been inspiring gardeners since 1999 to create biodiverse and remarkably ornamental gardens using plants that are native to eastern North America.

(Registration is required, limit 20 people)

Join us for our second tour this season when we visit these wonderful gardens again, this time with the gardens and meadows in mid-summer bloom.

Flying Trillium Gardens and Preserve is located in the southern Catskill Mountains in Sullivan County, NY. The gardens are an ongoing work by author, teacher, and landscape designer, Carolyn Summers. Throughout her career, Carolyn has been acutely aware of the need for clients, DIY homeowners, and designers to be able to see how lovely native plants are when used in garden settings. The Catskills - mostly in a Zone 5 climate - makes an excellent test for fitness and hardiness. In addition to managed gardens, large areas of the property are preserved to protect native flora in their natural habitats, along with the wildlife that depend on them. We invite you to come and experience the beauty, diversity and sustainability of the native flora for yourself. These gardens will leave you inspired to plant more of the same.

This is a free event on private property and requires registration. Limit 20 people. Address will be sent to all who register. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Call for volunteers.

Help plant native pollinator trees and shrubs in this streamside (riparian) buffer along the Wallkill River. The riparian buffer will help prevent further erosion of the river bank, while also serving as important hosts for pollinator insects at risk of local extinction. Volunteers will be able to plant the trees into holes which will already be dug. No shovels needed.

Refreshments will be provided.

Rain - light rain is ideal for planting but in the event of a storm, we can utilize a rain date of October 1st.

This is a free, public event on private property and requires registration. The address will be provided to all who register. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

This riparian buffer is a project of the NYS-DEC “Trees for Tribs” program and is one of four anchor sites for Pollinate Now!, a project of Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley.

Learn more about the Trees for Tribs program in the link below.

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. 

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. 

Call for Volunteers

Creating a Pollinator Meadow: Part II - Seed Sowing

If you’re thinking about reducing the lawn and starting a meadow, now’s your opportunity to learn more by volunteering for this project.

Help plant this pollinator meadow. Learn about native seed mixes, where to source them, and how to sow them in the same meadows that were prepared earlier this year. In May a section of lawn and a small field were smothered with plastic tarp held down by sandbags. This fall the tarp will be removed and we will sow the meadow seeds which will begin to germinate in the spring.

We will also talk about what to expect next year and the following years and how the meadows will be maintained in the future.

This meadow is one of four anchor sites for Pollinate Now!, a project of Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley. This meadow installation is designed to support pollinators at risk of local extinction. Learn More about Pollinate Now! in a link below.

Lunch will be provided.

This is a free, public event on private property and requires registration. Address will be sent to all who register.

This is also a family friendly event and supervised children are welcome.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].