Events

Wild Ones is exhibiting at the popular Mecklenburg County Fairy House Festival 2023. We will have a craft for children in keeping with the fairy theme.

Fairy Houses are whimsical habitats built by children, families, gardeners, and nature lovers! This is a festival that everyone can enjoy and building fairy houses reconnects people with nature. Join us for this annual festival that will inspire appreciation of the environment with storytelling, children's crafts, activities, and games - all focused on fairies and nature! Fairy, gnome, and other appropriate costumes are encouraged but not required. Food vendors will be on site.

Our summers are warm (ok, hot!) and winters are mild. The soil is tough…sometimes literally. But this area is a great place to garden. We can always have a food crop growing, tons of trees and flowering plants grow well here and we have a nice, long growing season. Join MARSH - the local chapter of NC Wildlife Federation in the 28173 zip code, the Union County Extension Master Gardeners, NC State Extension and the Wild Ones Charlotte Piedmont Chapter for a collaborative five class series focused on gardening in the Mecklenburg/Union County area for new residents and/or new gardeners.

Classes will be approximately 2 hours in length with time for questions and discussion. We will provide educational materials, videos, useful websites and after class support. 

The Syllabus 

2/27/22 Class 1 
The Basics with Cindy Proctor, CPCC Horticulture Instructor
Topics include sunlight requirements, soil, planting times, watering, plant care, composting.

3/6/23 Class 2
The Yard with Debbie Dillion, Union County Extension Horticulture and Linda Nelson, President Wild Ones Charlotte Piedmont Chapter
Topics include to turf or not, basic landscaping plants and plans.

3/13/23 Class 3
The Food with Don Boekelheide Community Gardening Expert
Topics include basic vegetable and fruit growing, seed starting, plant care, timing, sun, feeding, best varieties.

3/20/23 Class 4
The Wildlife with Carol Buie-Jackson, Founder of HAWK, NCWF Chapter in Matthews
Topics include: “why plant natives?”, plants for butterflies, bees and birds and all the other creatures, maintenance advantages of adding more natives

3/27/20 Class 5
Bringing it all Together with all instructors and Lisa Tompkins, owner Carolina Heritage Nursery
This class will be a panel discussion to bring all the information together and discuss next steps for attendees. We will also have plants for sale!

Join us for a presentation and a guided tour of the herbarium collections at the Dr. James F Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studies (CBS) at Reedy Creek Nature Center. It is a rare opportunity to see these scientific collections and learn why this type of preservation is vital to our ensuring area's biodiversity. I have visited before, and it is fascinating!

As space is limited in the herbarium, registration is limited to 20 people. Members were given the first opportunity to register but space is still available. Join us and register soon! 

Wild Ones Charlotte Piedmont Chapter is invited to exhibit at this festival at Squirrel Lake Park in Matthews, NC. Activities and displays at the festival include: Eco-friendly exhibits (that's us!) and vendors, hikes and scavenger hunts, kids' nature crafts and STEM activities, and other free family fun. 

Celebrate Earth Day with action! Join us in removing invasive English ivy, privet, kudzu, and other invasive plants from Chantilly Ecological Sanctuary. This event is co-sponsored with our chapter, Charlotte Wildlife Stewards, and NC Native Plant Society Charlotte Chapter. 

Join us for a visit to a  Wild Ones Member Garden - Putting chaos back into controlled chaos gardening.  
This garden was started out of necessity: Erosion control. It morphed into “let’s save all the pollinators and birds and reptiles and amphibians and small and large mammals…”
Come see how it’s going now. We will discuss erosion control, invasive plant identification, removal methods and timing, native plant identification, finding “free” native plants, green mulch, layered plantings, piedmont prairies, rain gardens, and probably a lot more. More info on the registration page!

Kick off National Pollinator Week with Wild Ones! Hear from the nursery trade when Dearness Gardens Nursery & Landscaping in Huntersville hosts our June meeting. They will provide a talk titled No risky business! Natives, cultivars, and an integrated design approach.  Making it simple, pragmatic & rewarding to contribute to a healthy ecosystem in your backyard and beyond!!! No signup required. 
Address:  13501 S Old Statesville Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078

Please park in the lot to the left of the building. 

Added bonus: Dearness will offer discounts to those who attend.

As request of the program chair, Linda Nelson was ask to vie a similar presentation that was given to the Native Plant Society meeting in January. Linda spoke about Wild Ones Charlotte Piedmont Chapter and the benefits of native plants to increase biodiversity. 

The event is a celebration of the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of Union County. The aim is to provide inspiration to attain and sustain a healthy lifestyle, community and environment. Vendors and exhibitors include arts and crafts, plants and natural products, lawn and garden, historical, cultural, nature and science, health and fitness, and recycling and conservation.

Kids in Nature Day (KIND) is a free, fun-filled, hands-on adventure where kids and families get up close with nature! Activities include meeting animal ambassadors, creating art from things found only in nature, a guided nature hike, exploring native plants and animals, animal-themed yoga, and more.

“Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events of their lives.”  - Thomas Berry

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. 

A celebration on monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Learn how we can protect their habitats. Activities include crafts, seed giveaways, a monarch march around the pollinator garden, a photo booth with wings and other props and educational discussions about monarchs.

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.