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Healing the earth, one yard at a time
January 2016 Newsletter
In this edition:
Upcoming Events:
Soul Mates for Life: Mushroom Lecture with Tradd Cotter - January 8, 2016
Mushroom Cultivation Workshop with Tradd Cotter - January 9, 2016
Save the Pollinators. Save the World - February 15, 2016
Members' Dinner with the Symposium Speakers - March 4, 2016
Native Plant Symposium - March 5, 2016
Pollinator Rally - June 11, 2016
Connect and Learn through Facebook
In the News:
Judge allows USDA pesticide researcher's whistleblower claim to move forward
Habitat Feature: Milkweeds
What Winter Reveals: Hoptrees
Backyards + Birds = Pretty Pictures
Become a Wild Ones Member
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January 8 & 9 - Mushrooms!
with Tradd Cotter from Mushroom Mountain in South Carolina
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Soul Mates For Life: Native Plants and their Fungal Partners
Friday, January 8, 2016
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Join mushroom expert Tradd Cotter, mycologist and founder of Mushroom Mountain, for a fascinating lecture on native plants and their fungal partners.
In order to sustain life on this planet, a complex matrix of organisms has evolved to orchestrate the balance. Plants and fungi have merged and continue to unveil the benefits of collaborating with nature. We have a lot to learn from these relationships, and understanding the respect they have for each other can teach us more than just soil biology. Our native plant communities are communicating through their own internet, reaching out to other organisms to help repair the ecosystems that perpetuate life on this planet.
Open to the public.
Lecture to be held at UTC; details provided at registration
$10/person
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Mushroom Cultivation Workshop
Saturday, January 9, 2016
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Crabtree Farms
We're proud to partner with the Tennessee Aquarium to bring expert Tradd Cotter to Chattanooga for a workshop at Crabtree Farms.
You'll leave this half-day workshop understanding the best ways to cultivate delicious mushrooms at home or on your farm. This class will energize your efforts and maximize your production. Topics include: life cycle of fungi, woodland mushroom farming, indoor production and organic pest management.
Open to the public.
All Ages (with adult Supervision)
Limited to 30 participants
$30/member
$40/non-member
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February 15
Save the Pollinators, Save the World
Monday, February 15, 2016
6:00 pm
green|spaces
63 East Main Street, Chattanooga TN
FREE and Open to the Public
Join Ann Brown (Wild Ones member and Chair
of the Save the Pol
linators Committee) and Craig Walker (Th
e Barn Nursery "Plant Doctor") for "Save the Pollin
ators, Save the World," a presentation on the decline of honeybees and native pollinator groups around the world.
The program addresses the causes of this alarming decline and suggests what we can do as suburban gardeners to reverse this trend. It encourages our members and local gardeners to become advocates for saving the pollinators.
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Celebrating the Bounty of Southeastern Gardens
March 5, 2016
Registration Now Available
Make a note on your calendar and make your reservation now! Our fifth annual native plant symposium is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the UTC University Center Auditorium.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Larry Mellichamp, retired Professor of Botany and Horticulture at the University of North Carolina. Larry is an expert on native trees and shrubs, and he is the author of several books, including The Winter Garden, Bizarre Botanicals, and Native Plants of the Southeast. He is a most engaging speaker and will be giving two talks at the Symposium -- "Best Southeastern Natives for the Home Landscape" and "Bizarre Natives."
This year, we will have a variety of vendors and exhibitors, including native plant nurseries. Speakers will have their books on hand, and you can have them signed at the Symposium.
Register early to get the member discount and the early registration discount.
For more info about the symposium, additional speakers and talks...
and to register,
click the buttons below.
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Members' Dinner with the Symposium Speakers
All current Wild Ones Members are invited to a Pre-Symposium Dinner
with the Symposium Speakers - Larry Mellichamp, Ron Lance and Tony Glover.
Friday, March 4, 2016 at 5:30pm
212 Market Restaurant, 212 Market Street, Chattanooga TN
The 3-course dinner, including drinks, is available for Wild Ones Members
and one partner/spouse/guest. There will be plenty of time to visit with the speakers and
other Wild Ones members and to have books signed by the Symposium speakers.
Limited seating. $50 per person. Reservations required.
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Save the Date!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Pollinator Rally
In partnership with other local organizations, the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones will present its first "Pollinator Rally" at Grace Episcopal Church (20 Belvoir Ave., Chattanooga TN). There will be presentations, exhibits, plants for sale and activities for the entire family. You'll be able to learn about steps you can take to help save our pollinators.
More information will be coming soon!
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Connect and Learn through Facebook
Wild Ones Native Plants Group
Wild Ones Native Plants Group is a NEW national forum where members of Wild Ones Native Plants, Natural Landscapes can discuss native plant landscaping and exchange ideas and information about interrelated subjects. All discussions will be in keeping with the Wild Ones mission.
This is a closed group for Wild Ones members only. Members also need to have a Facebook account. Members can request to join and an administrator will verify their membership.
Anyone across Tennessee is invited to share their discoveries about birds, plants, mammals, butterflies, moths, insects, mushrooms, fish, trees and anything else related to nature. Questions, comments and information related to nature also welcome. The purpose of this group to not only share information but also connect with others who have an interest in nature, ecology and conservation.
Monarchs and Milkweed
This open group was created for all of you that LOVE the monarch butterfly and want to do everything you can do to make sure we continue to have the annual monarch migration in the Fall. The site was created to make everyone aware of the plight of the monarch and to do something about it. The site includes links to other organizations that deal with preserving the Monarch and in sourcing milkweed seeds and plants.
Tennessee Valley Chapter of Wild Ones
The Facebook site for our chapter is a great place to learn about native plants in our region. Questions, comments, news articles and events of interest are all a part of the page. Looking to identify a plant you've spotted? Post a photo here and other members will help you.
This is a closed group for those interested in the activities of the chapter. Members need to have a Facebook account. Anyone can request to join and an administrator will verify membership.
To visit any of these Facebook pages, click on the page titles above.
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IN THE NEWS
Judge allows USDA pesticide researcher's whistleblower claim to move forward
A judge has allowed a suspended US Department of Agriculture scientist to pursue a complaint against the agency. He alleges that he was suspended due to research on the correlation between pesticides and the rapidly declining bee population. [read more]
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Habitat Feature: Milkweeds
By Rhiannon Crain
The Cornell Lab YardMap Network
12-09-15
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why they are critical for monarchs, advise on how to choose the correct species of milkweed for your region, and how to join the effort to collect and share seeds. [read more]
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What Winter Reveals: Hoptrees
By Mary Ann Borge
The Natural Web
12-05-15
A winter walk reveals things that might be missed during the growing season, when leaves densely cover the trees. The fruits of Hoptrees (Ptelea trifoliata), or Wafer-ash, are among those potentially hidden treasures... The Giant Swallowtail
uses it as food plants for their caterpillars. [read more]
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Backyards + Birds = Pretty Pictures
By Susan Day
From the National Wildlife Federation
If you are just getting started in wildlife photography, the birds that visit your backyard may be your best subjects. [read more]
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Become a Wild Ones Member!
Join the Tennessee Valley Chapter
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See what's happening on our social media sites:
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Wild Ones: Native Plants. Natural Landscapes is a national non-profit organization with over 50 chapters in 13 states that promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Please read more information about Wild Ones at www.wildones.org.
The Tennessee Valley Chapter presents guest speakers, field trips and other special events throughout the year, as well as an annual native plant and natural landscaping symposium in early spring.
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