Events

Dickinson Professor Gene Wingert will present information about deer overpopulation in the area and its effect on native plants.

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.

Board meeting (all members welcome to attend) starts at 6:30pm and general membership meeting begins at approximately 7pm.

"The Science of Attracting Pollinators to Your Backyard", a live talk by Heather Andrews.  Heather will share the latest butterfly and pollinator research and discuss how it translates into more winged beauty in your backyard.  

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.!  

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

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.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

A Dickinson Student will present on her research on local native bees and a tour of the pollinator garden will follow the presentation.

Walk along the Appalachian Trail (flat hike) to see spring ephemerals in bloom, led by Wild Ones South Central PA member Lorrie P.   (Rain date is Sunday, April 19 same time).

Celebration of nature and the arts.  Wild Ones SCPA tabling event

Celebrations event for wetlands at Wildwood Park

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Annual native plant sale featuring trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, forbs and more.  Wild Ones South Central PA members will be on site to help visitors select the best plants for their locations.  

This sale includes a large selection of native plants.  Our chapter will have an informational table at the event.

Plant sale by this very active garden club featuring many native plants along with other ornamentals.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Celebrate PA Native Species Day with a hike at Boyd's Big Tree Preserve to see Mt. Laurel (our state flower)  in peak bloom.  Members will help identify native plants and invasives during the walk.  Also view the Chestnut Tree trial area. Entrance off of Fishing Creek Road, 2.6 miles north of 322 on the right. 

Saturday, June 6th - 10:00 a.m. - Conococheague Audubon Native Plants Garden Tour at Norlo Park, 3050 Lincoln Way East, Fayetteville, PA.

Raindate - Sunday, June 7th - 10:00 a.m.  

Meet at the large, covered porch at the Community Center within Norlo Park.  Garden tour will last approx. 2 hours, followed by lunch at Caretti's Pizza and Italian Restaurant - 1710 Lincoln Way E., Chambersburg. 

 Approx. 1:30, Becky Shubert, the owner of The Native Niche native plant nursery will meet us at her retail location at 10 E. Walter Ave, Greencastle to give us some info about her nursery and allow us to shop.  More details will be sent out close to the date.  

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

This event is now being held on Sunday   Contact our chapter for address and directions.

Tour a rich member garden with a highlight being extensive use of groundcovers in the morning, enjoy lunch out, and then visit the Five Senses Garden which has been transformed to nearly all native plants.   (Rain date is Sunday at the same time).

You planted native. Your neighbor has opinions. Maybe your HOA does too. If you’ve ever felt like the hardest part of native plant gardening is the conversations, not the gardening, you’re not alone.

Wild Ones is thrilled to share this upcoming free webinar as part of the 2026 Less Lawn More Life Challenge. Join Lorraine Johnson for a practical conversation on navigating HOA rules, addressing neighbor concerns, and fostering community conversations about native plant gardening and ecological landscapes.

Environmental Festival sponsored by the borough of Camp Hill

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Enjoy lunch at the cafe on arrival and then enjoy a tour of the grounds, many aspects designed by Larry Weaner Landscape Assoc., and the art outside and in the museum. 

Native plants are the foundation of habitat, but wildlife need more than food to thrive. Join ecologist and Certified Wildlife Biologist Shaun McCoshum, PhD, to explore how nesting sites, shelter, water, soil conditions, and other often-overlooked resources can transform a yard into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity year-round.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Bring a dish to share and enjoy a walk around The Bower: A Native Plant Landscape and Sculpture Park in Perry County.   Highlight social event of the season!  Bring plants to trade as well.  

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Enjoy a picnic lunch if you wish while observing the annual raptor migration at the top of the Kittatinny Ridge.

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Board meeting (all members welcome) starts at 6:30 pm and the general membership portion of the meeting starts at approximately 7 pm. 

Members will bring seeds to share with each other and the public, as well as used tools, potting jugs, etc.   A talk on the importance of native plants will also take place.  More information on speaker as the event approaches. 

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.

Annual member meeting and election of board members and officers for 2027.   Annual review slide show.