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.

With guidance from the National Wildlife Federation, speaker Cathy Tiffany will be
sharing ideas on how to add elements into your outdoor space to create a safe haven
for nature--a nature space that can be your happy place.

Cathy Tiffany is the founder (and Chief Groundskeeper) of Backyard Columbus. With
various platforms (blog, podcast, social media), she shares how to get the most out of
your yard, with a special emphasis on native plants and wildlife habitats.  Cathy is
Habitat Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation, as well as a board member
with Franklin County Pollinator Pathway.  While it is not her career, nature is Cathy’s passion, and she loves sharing and educating folks on how to be more connected to nature and how to obtain happiness from bringing it home.

Please register at the link below.  Also, please copy and save the Zoom invitation (below) for this presentation.

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Zoom 1 is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: How to Create a Habitat for Wildlife 
Time: Jan 26, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wildones-org.zoom.us/j/85614603487?pwd=dBaKZucQ8QCyRy8r7kr5v7HrBuxkgD.1

Meeting ID: 856 1460 3487
Passcode: ^X%Tx5

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One tap mobile
+12678310333,,85614603487# US (Philadelphia)
+13017158592,,85614603487# US (Washington DC)

Join instructions
https://wildones-org.zoom.us/meetings/85614603487/invitations?signature=eDMpL0YpAs8hyhhnwenrNepD8n2Q9W-SpsPnKLY_Jx0

Hosted a Dayton Area Wild Ones table at this event and gave away native seed packets.

Three Dayton Area Wild Ones board members and some interested Washington Township citizens met with Washington Township government officials to talk about a proposed natural landscaping ordinance that failed to be adopted at a Dec. 1, 2025 township trustee meeting. We advocated for native plants and natural landscapes.

This meeting was arranged with the government officials. This opportunity for advocacy was part of our weed ordinance project.

Join naturalist and DAWO board member Mandy Wolski to launch the monthly Dayton Area Wild Ones book club, where we will focus on books (non-fiction and fiction) for nature lovers. Each month we will also learn a bit about a chosen native plant; this month it is spring’s harbinger, skunk cabbage! Bring your suggestions for books, as well as your preferences for meeting dates and locations. Have coffee, grab a snack, and meet with other native plant enthusiasts who like to read. Feel free to stay the whole time or just drop in for a bit.  (If you cannot attend this meeting but are interested in taking part in the future, send your book suggestions and schedule preferences to [email protected].)

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.!  

NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS FULL

Are you new to gardening with native plants or want to enhance your knowledge? Join Dayton Area Wild Ones and the Marianist Environmental Education Center for an informational, inspirational, and FUN day about native plants and their role in creating healthy, functioning ecosystems. Highlights of the day include a special viewing of the new Homegrown National Park film, "The Extraordinary Caterpillar;" a Q&A with butterfly and moth expert Elisabeth Rothschild; a talk on native trees and how to create "soft landings" with Dr. Ryan McEwan; and a quick-start guide to native plant gardening with Macy Reynolds.  Doors open at 8:30 am and the symposium begins at 9:00 am.
 

(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!