Events

(NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS FULL, but a waiting list is available.)

As more homeowners explore native plants and communities consider how to define a “well-kept” yard, an important question emerges: What should a typical yard look like today, and why?

In this engaging and practical presentation, Patrick Higgins of Patrick Goes Native explores how native plants and thoughtful habitat features can create outdoor spaces that are both beautiful and ecologically valuable. You’ll learn simple design principles that help native plantings look intentional and maintained, not “messy” or neglected, along with strategies for incorporating elements like purposeful pollinator gardens, cues-to-care, seasonal interest, and even habitat features such as brush piles, dead hedges, or water sources in ways that fit comfortably within neighborhood expectations.

Whether you’re just beginning your native plant journey or ready to take the next step, this talk will offer clear, real-world guidance for creating yards that support wildlife while remaining attractive, ecologically valuable, and community friendly.

(This event is co-sponsored by the Washington-Centerville Public Library.)

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.

Bringing Back the Bluebirds: Best Practices for Conservation 

In this presentation by Bethany Gray, we will learn about the plight of eastern bluebirds and other native cavity-nesting birds and what we can do to offset the damage done by the loss of nesting habitat, harsh weather, pesticides, and fierce competition from non-native species such as house sparrows and European starlings.  We will also review best conservation practices for installing nest boxes and troubleshooting/ protecting against predators and learn which native trees and shrubs support bluebirds through winter.
 

About the Instructor:

Bethany Gray has been a bluebird trail monitor since 2010. She has a degree in education from Wittenberg University, and for the past 15 years her focus has been environmental education. Bethany completed the Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist (OCVN) program and the Habitat Ambassador program of the National Wildlife Federation. She is co-founder of "Operation Bluebird," a citizen science partnership with a local public school district and the subject of an article published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (at NestWatch.org). She is a regional contact for the Ohio Bluebird Society and a past board member of the Glen Helen Association and Tecumseh Land Trust. Starting in 2020, she has also served on a committee that helped the Village of Yellow Springs achieve certification as a "Wildlife Habitat Community" with the National Wildlife Federation. 

Join Dayton Area Wild Ones President Kari Carter and Brooke Medlin, Co-owner of Meadowsweet Ecological Landscapes, for a presentation on planning and designing a garden for wildlife. After the presentation, they will answer questions and offer information about local resources for planting for wildlife. Each participant will receive native seed packets to get started!

Ages 14 and up

Registration deadline: Tuesday, April 21

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!