Events

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.

Alicia Bosela, owner of Ironweed Native Plant Nursery will discuss the ongoing debate in the native plant community over whether nativars (cultivars of native plants selected for specific plant traits) are acceptable in a native plant garden. Many argue that nativars offer a stepping stone to native plants, and they increase genetic diversity and research shows nativars just as good at helping pollinators as their wild counterparts.

Attendees will be entered for a chance to receive a $25.00 Ironweed Nursery Gift Certificate, donated by Wild Birds Unlimited. 

This meeting will be held in basement. Entrance on Libby Street. Park on Libby St and in Libby parking lot.

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.!  

Dr. Chris Barton, UK Professor of Forestry, is also founder and president of Green Forests Work, an NGO that aims to improve the environment and economy of mined landscapes. Through this program, 8 million trees have been planted on mined lands in Appalachia and Australia and over 30,000 volunteers have participated. Dr. Barton will share research into reforestation of post-mined land and supporting programs. 

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.

Hosted by the iNaturalist Team, register for this free webinar on Thursday, March 19th at 12 PM to learn more about how you can help make identifications on iNaturalist, even if you’re not an expert! This event will be recorded. Please register if you want the recording.

The information presented is designed for those unfamiliar with identifying on iNaturalist, but will also include info an experienced identifier can use. You’ll learn:
How identifications work on iNaturalist
Quick tips to make your life easier while identifying
Tips to help sort basic types of plants — even if you’re not an expert!

Two recipients of the Lexington Wild Ones Garden Grants will describe their gardens, how they used the grant funds, and faced and resolved challenges. Our Garden Grant Program encourages the planting of native plants. Grant funds can be used to create a new garden or expand an existing garden. You will learn how to apply for our 2026 Garden Grant Program. This year we are offering 4 grants at $300 each. The application deadline is June 1, 2026. To become a recipient of this year's grants, download the document Lexington Wild Ones 2026 Garden Grant Program, which also tells what you need to do.

The meeting will also present the opportunity to volunteer in the 2026 City Nature Challenge April 24 to 27, using iNaturalist app to make observations of wild plants, animals, and fungi anywhere in Fayette County. Your observations will contribute to one of the largest community science events in the world to better understand nature that lives in and around urban areas. A brief iNaturalist training will be done at the April 9th Wild Ones monthly meeting at 6:30 PM. Please have the app downloaded on your phone. For more training opportunities with iNaturalist, visit our Volunteering page.

During our 6:30 – 7 PM social time, stop by Ann Witherington's demonstration table to see how to label the plants you will be bringing to the Native Plant Exchange May 7th. Wild Ones is supplying the 8" x 1" craft sticks on which you can write the common name, scientific name, light needs (e.g., sun, shade, sun/pt shade), water requirements (e.g., wet, medium, dry), height, bloom time, and color.

Celebrate Spring, Celebrate Birds!

Enjoy a fun-filled day of birding! Central Kentucky offers great opportunities for birding with over 350 documented species. There will be guided bird walks, presentations by birding professionals, bird banding, live raptors, plus vendors and exhibitors.

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.

Entrance donation to event: $10.00/person; Cash or Check.
You do not have to be a Wild Ones member to participate.

Bring the native plants you have in your garden that you would like to swap with fellow gardeners to this fun event! Bring one or more native plants (e.g., trees, shrubs, flowering perennials, ferns, grasses). Acceptable non-natives would include naturalized plants and herbs. If you don't have a plant to bring, you can still participate. Bring plants in clean pots, not bags or buckets! Please pot your plants at least 2 weeks in advance for good root development.

Labels should include common name, scientific name, light needs (e.g., sun, shade, sun/pt shade), and water requirements (e.g., wet, medium, dry). Other info could include height, bloom time, color.
Wild Ones will supply 8 x 1” craft sticks at the April meeting. Avery mailing labels work well to mount on this craft stick. Sample label writing:
beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis, sun, dry/med, 3 ft, spring, white
beardtongue, Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’, sun, dry/med, 2 ft; spring, pink

Silent Auction: Each item will state its value and minimum bid. Further bids will be in $10 increments. Participants add their name and bid. Yes, you can rebid at any point. Winners must be present to claim their prize and pay the donation bid.

You are welcome to bring refreshments to this event. No alcohol allowed. See you there!

Laura is a local artist with who focuses on telling stories in glass. For more than 25 years she has created stained glass installations in public libraries and hospitals which tell stories of community life, history, and species specific to a place. Laura uses her art to communicate that we are part of the tapestry of life of a place. Laura will show us her work and demonstrate the power of art, the ability of beauty to interrupt thought patterns and to reflect back to us our place in the world.

Admission ticket donation to all gardens: $10.00 or more/person; Cash or Check.
Tickets can be purchased at each of the garden homes locations, and at Wild Ones meetings.
Open to the public. No pets. No strollers. Tour the gardens at your own risk.

HOME GARDENS

Ann Witherington, 2004 Lampton Circle, Lexington 40514
Our garden wraps around the house and extends down to the South Elkhorn. Our garden’s sun and shade beds feature about 200 species of perennials, 75% native. All are botanically labeled.

Beate Popkin, 124 Idle Hour Drive, Lexington 40520
Our front and back gardens grace an older neighborhood. There are mature trees, shrubs and perennials, mostly native, interspersed with garden ornaments. Feel free to wander along the paths.

Ann Farrer, 2148 Ami Lane, Lexington 40516
My 3-acre plot features sun, shade, vegetable, prairie, woodland and orchard areas. Native plantings are 3-years old due to invasive removal. A bamboo stand was turned into a rain garden. Be willing to walk through a 25-year old work in progress.

Beth Blum Spiker, 2305 Cravat Pass, Lexington 40511
Over 5 years, we planted a sanctuary for ourselves & wildlife. Professional hardscaping came first. Plants are filling in. A historic stone wall bounds the back garden.

Debra Shockley, 128 S. Winter Street, Midway 40347
Our entire yard includes native plants in landscaping beds. There are also raised beds for vegetables, a pond and a rain garden.

PUBLIC GARDENS

Waverly Park, 4244 Southmoor Park, Lexington 40514
60-foot long all native garden with plant labels

Wellington Park, 565 Wellington Way, Lexington 40503
Wild Ones Lexington Pollinator Garden

Wild Birds Unlimited, 152 N. Locust Hill Drive, Lexington 40509
Bird and Pollinator Friendly Garden

Click to see map of locations

More info to come!

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!