August 2018 Newsletter
Healing the earth, one yard at a time.

We're sorry, but the Wild Ones website and our chapter website continues to be down.
In the meantime, access information about Tennessee Valley Wild Ones events at:
Upcoming Events
Creating Living Landscapes
Featuring Dr. Doug Tallamy
Friday, September 7, 7:00pm
UTC University Center Auditorium
642 E. 5th St., Chattanooga TN

Don't miss this opportunity to see and hear this renowned author, speaker and advocate for healing the ecosystem by using native plants in our gardens.

Dr. Tallamy will suggest ways to make your property a showpiece, without losing its ecological function in the local ecosystem.

Copies of Bringing Nature Home will be available for purchase and signing by the author.
Bringing Nature Home:
A Home Garden Tour
Saturday, September 8, 2018, 10am-6pm
Five gardens in Chattanooga and on Signal & Lookout Mountains

Visit four different established native plant home gardens (from full sun to full shade) AND the native plant gardens at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. Learn how to garden more sustainably and bring nature to YOUR garden.

Proceeds go to Seeds for Education grants for pollinator gardens at local schools.
Save $$$
Get a Combo Ticket
Doug Tallamy AND Garden Tour
September 7 AND 8
Attend BOTH events for only $15!
Available for Wild Ones Members ONLY
News From Our Chapter
We Need Volunteers!

On September 8th, our chapter is presenting its first ever tour of five native plant gardens. In addition to garden docents, we need volunteers to help direct visitors to parking, as well as volunteers to assist at the registration tables at each garden.

We also still need a few volunteers to help welcome and direct attendees for Doug Tallamy's talk on September 7th.

Check out details and sign up by clicking HERE .

Nature Journaling Group

Wild Ones members Fran Randall and Chris Tanis have organized a Nature Journaling Group that gets together from 9:30-11:30am on Tuesdays, outdoors in clear weather, indoors or under a pavilion in rain, to spend time in nature. Locations will vary each week.

You are free to pursue whatever creative outlet you desire, whether that be writing, sketching, painting, photography, journaling, observing, walking, hiking, or sitting. Sometimes members of the group go different ways and sometimes they stay together.  Sharing what you do is your option. This is not a group designed to provide instruction or feedback, but rather a group encouraging each other to set aside personal creative time in nature.

To join the group, click HERE .
Bees Love Trees

Valarie Adams and Ann Brown prepared an information booth on native trees for native bees. It was part of the Master Gardener's display for the National Association of Agriculture Agents and Specialist annual convention.

 The signs says: After a long winter’s sleep, native bees are in need of a good meal. Native trees that bloom before perennials begin to flower give a boost to bees, supplying them with much-need pollen and nectar. 
Seeds for Education Grants
Grants for Local Educators

Is your school located in the Chattanooga metropolitan area and would you like to:
  • Attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators to your schoolyard with wildflowers and native grasses.
  • Add opportunities for hands-on science in biology, ecology and earth science.
  • Expose students to healthy, outdoor physical activity.
  • Reduce energy consumption and improve storm water management; enhance sustainability and green-school certification.

CHAPP and Wild Ones offer assistance for all aspects of such projects.  Cash grants of up to $500 are available for plants and seeds, and in-kind donations from Nursery Partners can help stretch these dollars. We can help you locate experts and information in the Chattanooga area. 

Go to our   SFE Criteria page   to read how we will evaluate an  application .  


Certificate in Native Plants
Coneflower
The Certificate in Native Plants program is designed to expand students' knowledge of botany, ecology, conservation, and uses of native flora in the southeastern United States. Students will get both classroom education and hands-on application to increase knowledge and skills that can be applied at home, in the community, and at work. The course setting will provide a common ground for native plant enthusiasts to meet and connect with others who share their interests. 

The CNP is designed to benefit both home gardeners and landscaping professionals alike. You do NOT need to be working toward the Certificate in order to register for classes.

Most CNP classes are limited to 25 participants. They fill up quickly, so register now to ensure your place.  

Class registration is now open for all 2018 classes:

Instructor: Walter Bland 
Saturday, October 13, 2018 
9 am- 12 pm (EDT) 
Sixth Cavalry Museum and Chickamauga Military Park
Fort Oglethorpe GA 

Instructor: Wyn Miller 
Saturday, November 10, 2018 
9 am - 4 pm EST 
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center
Events in the Region
Tennessee Valley Chapter of NABA
August 25

Reflection Riding Fall Plant Sale
September 20-22

Crabtree Farms Fall Plant Sale
September 22

Hamilton County Fair
September 29-30

Native Plant Conference
Memphis Horticultural Society
October 25-28, 2018
Interesting Information
Declare Independence from
the English Ivy!

There are a few consequences of having English Ivy that homeowners should be aware of:
• The leaves hold water and the damp ground underneath is  a breeding ground for mosquitoes .
• Vines that climb trees produce flowers and fruit, allowing this plant to spread to neighboring properties (forcing your neighbors to deal with it).
• The dense groundcover suppresses native vegetation, creating a monoculture that reduces bug diversity (think: fewer butterflies and moths).



Landscaping for the
Not-So-Green Thumb

Can technology make garden designing less intimidating? The New York Times tested three new online landscape design tools to find out -- Yardzen, Landstylist, and iScape.


[Note: Wild Ones has neither evaluated nor endorsed these design tools. If you have experience with any of them, please let us know.]
60 Million Acres
of Monarch Habitat
to be Sprayed with Weed Killer

Within the next two years, more than 60 million acres of  monarch  habitat will be sprayed with a pesticide that’s extremely harmful to milkweed, the only food for monarch caterpillars, according to a new analysis from the Center for Biological Diversity.



Photos from the Field
Ailanthus Webworm Moth on Passionflower.
Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Loomis Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum loomisii)
Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Red Spotted Purple Butterfly.
Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Snowberry Clearwing Moth on Echinacea.
Photo by Mike O'Brien.


Stay Connected
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Join our Facebook GROUP, where you can ask questions about native plants, join discussions and learn more about native plants and natural landscaping.