Events Calendar

Medicinal Native Plants in the Tennessee Valley Region

The botanically-rich region of the Tennessee Valley makes it a full pharmacy when it
comes to the medicinal qualities of its native plants. In this course, participants will get
to know over 20 native plants found at Reflection Riding: how to identify them, where
they grow, what their medicinal properties are, how and when to harvest them and how
to make them into medicine. We will match plants with people through a health
assessment, so participants can see what plants might be important to include in their
own garden to help themselves, their friends and family. Ethically-sound and
sustainable sourcing and wildcrafting practices will be stressed.

Stewardship of native plants and habitat seem to be at its highest support from the general public and the ecologically minded alike in recent memory. From hearings in Congress to TikTok infuencer pages, the message of “going native" is resonating and people are getting their hands dirty, but is it enough? The environmental and economic costs of the nursery industry, whether native or not, cannot be ignored - we must have a diverse approach in how we build native habitat. Mostly overlooked, and seldom fully appreciated as it trails behind the spectacle of the growing season, seeds of the native plants can hold significant value to how we access native flora and share its wonder with others. From curbing the carbon footprint tagged to every plug planted, to the banking of genetic lineages and adaptation of historic regional native landscapes, seeds offer us common sense strategies for making ecologically important landscapes -not just beautiful ones. Explore the nuances of native seed collections, its ethics and the process from shoot to seed and learn what it takes to do home-grown conservation.

Dylan Hackett is the founder and owner of The Rewilding Collective, a conservation oriented land management and consulting business, dedicated to ecological stewardship and progressive native habitat management of the regional southeast. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee, Dylan moved to Chattanooga in 2012 to attend the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but now calls Chattanooga and Southern Appalachia his home. With an affinity for the systems and plant ecology of the Southeastern U.S., Dylan has explored conservation through his work doing native plant propagation and the building of robust native habitat. In 2022, The Rewilding Collective concept was developed and founded in response to the lack of progressive ecological restoration being practiced and served to the greater Chattanooga area. Since then, Dylan and his team at TRC have worked to restore private and public lands in the Southeast, introducing tens of thousands of native plants into the landscape, removing acres of invasive species, and constantly developing great collaborative working partnerships with ecological leaders from the southeast. Currently, Dylan’s work has found him in part, doing native seed collection and banking of important, but often overlooked grassland species of the southeast. He
believes that work such as this ensures the continuation of a rich ecological history of a region vitally important to the whole of Earth’s biodiversity, and that through collective effort and education, we can pass along the most meaningful parts of the human enterprise to future stewards.

August's Book Discussion is on Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy in preparation for his free lecture this fall. 

Discover how hope takes root in our own backyards. In Nature’s Best Hope, renowned ecologist and entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy offers an empowering call to action—urging each of us to become conservationists right at home. Through engaging stories and practical guidance, Tallamy shows how planting native species and rethinking our landscapes can create vital wildlife corridors, restore biodiversity, and heal the planet—one yard at a time.

This heartfelt discussion invites readers of all backgrounds to explore how small, personal choices can add up to a powerful collective impact. Come be part of a passionate community ready to turn awareness into action and transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary habitats. Together, WE are nature’s best hope. 

Have a shady spot in your yard and not sure what to do with it? Discover the art of native plant landscaping and learn how to match the right plant to the right place. Shade gardening is more than just selecting plants that tolerate low light—it’s about understanding the unique conditions your space offers. She will also show how mosses can be combined with wildflowers to form a natural green ground cover. Join local expert Charlotte Freeman as she shares practical tips and her extensive experience with shade gardening in North Chattanooga.

Charlotte Freeman has a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Emory University and a Master’s degree in Zoology with a minor in Ecology from University of Florida.  She taught biology at the university level and secondary school level for 38 years.  She received the National Association of Biology Teachers Award for Outstanding Biology Teacher in the State of Tennessee in 1986.  She received the Distinguished Teacher Award at Girls Preparatory School in 1989.  Charlotte became an advocate for native plants about 40 years ago and has received her Certificate in Native plants from the Tennessee Valley Chapter of The Wild Ones and is a teacher of plant communities, and liverworts, mosses and ferns for the CNP classes.  Her passion is converting her yard to native plants and propagating them as space allows.  She has been instrumental in starting several other native wildflower gardens in the Chattanooga area.

If you have taken our Plant Communities core class, you touched on how geology and geography affect native plant communities. This elective class will focus in on these factors. 
Geobotany is the study of how plants, their variations, and their distribution are influenced by geological factors like rock type, soil composition, and topography. Geology, in turn, provides the substrate and environmental conditions that plants inhabit, impacting their growth, survival, and distribution.

Join Wild Ones at the 3rd Annual Rock the Ridge Festival, an environmental celebration dedicated to conservation awareness and habitat preservation of the Cumberland Plateau's Walden's Ridge. 

You don’t need to be a native plant expert to help at a Wild Ones table! Just bring a friendly attitude, be a good listener, and use our cheat sheets to help guide conversations. It’s a fun way to make new connections and support Wild Ones' mission. 

Please bring a folding chair and dress comfortably for the weather. You're welcome to bring a favorite native plant or themed book to brighten up the display. More details will be emailed to you before the event. 

Questions? Email Sarah at tvwomembership at gmail dot com.

Discover how ecological landscaping with native plants can make your landscape more resilient and help address the climate crisis. This webinar will highlight practical, evidence-based approaches to designing and maintaining landscapes that build resilience to climate change and support native biodiversity. Join Wild Ones for a free webinar, “EcoBeneficial Landscape Strategies for the Climate Crisis,” featuring environmental horticulturalist and ecological landscape designer Kim Eierman.

Free tour of 2 of our Members' Gardens

September's Book Discussion is on Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy in preparation for his free lecture this fall. 

Bringing Nature Home is the book that sparked the Native Plant Movement in 2007. Dr Tallamy begins with a call to action for suburban yards in taking up their vital new role to create balanced communities for insect diversity. The book gives suggestions in how to blend it with the neighbors, what to plant, and has loads of photos of caterpillars and moths and the plants that support them. Bringing Nature Home goes deeper into the How Tos and what insects you will notice than his other books, so it's a great resource to have. 

“No prior training is needed to become a backyard ecologist!” (Book cover)

Join TN Valley Wild Ones members and hike leader, Zach Irick, for an Autumn wildflower and rare plant exploration at Red Clay State Park, just south of Cleveland, Tennessee. 

Come out to view several interesting and uncommon ecosystems right in our backyard. This is an easily accessed, botanically and historically rich area.  We will view fall flowers and interesting shrubs in their natural habitat, several of which are endemic.  

Rating: Easy.

Distance: 1-2 miles of explorations. Approximately 4 hours at the site.  Optional nearby stops and roadside botanizing depending on interest.
 

More details soon!   Registration opens about 4 weeks prior to event.

Fall Plant Sale.

Fall is the perfect time for planting.  Join us for this free event.  A variety of local and regional native plant nurseries will be selling a large selection of plants.

Join botanist/ecologist Gary Kauffman for a hands-on native grasses workshop
highlighting grass identification and grassland communities. We’ll learn to use a
Southern Appalachian grasses key derived from Weakley’s Flora of the
Southeastern U.S. and other identification tools, look at samples of common
native grasses, and learn a bit about grassland communities and the wildlife they
support. You should come away from the workshop to be more comfortable using
the key to Poaceae (grasses) groups and genera, recognize a dozen common
grasses by sight, and have ample resources to hone your grass skills.

Join Master Gardeners of Hamilton County in celebrating Fall! The MGHC Fall Garden Festival will feature a variety of plants for sale, nature-inspired art, demos and exhibits, and fun & educational children's activities. There will also be a food truck and homemade baked goods for sale. 

You don’t need to be a native plant expert to help at a Wild Ones table! Just bring a friendly attitude, be a good listener, and use our cheat sheets to help guide conversations. It’s a fun way to sprout new connections, support a mission that pollinates change, and grow your confidence. Come dig in - we’d love to have you!

Volunteer Role Description: 

If you'd like, bring your favorite native plant or themed book to brighten up the display

Help with setup/takedown if you're signed up for those shifts

Familiarize yourself with booth display items

Greet visitors and share info about Wild Ones

Keep booth area and displays tidy

Distribute materials: brochures, membership info, native plant guides

Encourage newsletter signups and memberships

Join landscape architect Matt Whitaker to learn the art and science of pruning. Matt has been pruning since the age of 10 when he decided to “clean-up” the yard. Since that day, he has spent four decades studying plants and practicing the art of pruning everything from azaleas to peaches. Matt practiced landscape architecture in Virginia for 9 years where he studied pruning under world-renown fruit expert Tom Burford. Topics will include an overview of plant anatomy and physiology, different pruning cuts and plant response to the cuts, and differing approaches for different plants.

About Matt Whitaker:
Matt is the founding principal of WMWA Landscape Architects. After working twelve
years at award winning firms in Virginia and Washington, DC, Matt returned home to
start his own firm.

When Matt was 17, his high school art teacher took notice of his interests in art and
nature and suggested that he study landscape architecture. Landscape architecture is
his third profession after working as a butcher during undergrad and managing the
production of cutting-edge drug delivery polymers shortly after he graduated. His
bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Alabama in Huntsville
centered on the macro and micro characteristics of plant ecology. Building on his
interests, Matt applied his love for ecology and plant communities to a rigorous design
curriculum while earning his Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of
Georgia’s School of Environmental Design. As a lifelong student, his passion for
ecology and natural systems heavily influences his work as a landscape architect.
Matt loves the outdoors, good food, and is fascinated by plants. Matt’s friend Tom
Burford, a world-renowned apple and fruit expert, told Matt to go to Chattanooga and
start a firm. When Tom Burford tells you to do something, you do it.

Details coming soon! 

Board members meet to discuss our chapter's progress and make decisions when necessary.

All Tennessee Valley Wild Ones members and guests are welcome to attend.  We will have a potluck lunch, election of officers, highlights of 2025, and a seed & plant swap.  Please bring a dish and plants to share. This is a great time to visit with other native plant enthusiasts!

This class will focus on how soil and water interactions lay the foundation for supporting a functional, healthy landscape. We will frame our conversation around the five soil forming factors of parent material, climate, biota, topography, and time, and take a look at how each of these is at work in our landscape. We will use technology tools but also simply get our hands dirty to help uncover information that will help in management decisions. 

Details coming soon! 

Our Holiday Social is the perfect time to visit with your native plant friends and celebrate a successful TVWO year.  Members are welcome to bring a guest. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share. More to come!