Events

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September 2025

Sep
18

Free Webinar: "EcoBeneficial Landscape Strategies for the Climate Crisis" with Kim Eierman

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Thursday, September 18th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

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.

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Sep
21

My Favorite Native Shrubs

Sunday, September 21st, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Family-Friendly Limited Access Recording Program/Speaker Presentation

Please join us for the free, virtual presentation, "My Favorite Native Shrubs," with Adrian Fisher, West Cook Wild Ones board member extraordinaire on Sunday, September 21, 2025 from 2:30-4:00 pm.

Shrubs are the unsung heroes of the native plant landscape, since they can add beauty, structure and privacy, as well as habitat for numerous wild creatures. Yet many people’s yards and gardens either lack these wonderful plants, or the existing shrubs might be non-native and possibly invasive. In this talk we will explore the wonderful world of native shrubs, what’s so great about them, and ways to use them when landscaping.

Presenter Bio:

Adrian Ayres Fisher educates about and advocates for native-plant gardening, natural area restoration, and biodiversity. She has been enthusiastically gardening with native plants for over thirty years, and is a long-standing board member of West Cook Wild Ones, in Chicago’s near-west suburbs, where she is co-chair of programs and advocacy. She also serves as volunteer site steward of the 75-acre National Grove Woods Forest Preserve in Riverside, Illinois, where she manages volunteer restoration projects.  Formerly she was a sustainability coordinator at a community college.

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October 2025

Oct
13

West Cook Chapter Board Meeting Members Only

Monday, October 13th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Oak Park, IL

Members Only Free Event Chapter Board Meeting

Members are welcome to attend.  We will open with a brief period for member comment before commencing business.  If you are a paid member and would like to attend, please email us [email protected] for the Zoom link. Please include your Membership ID. Your ID can be found on your Membership Page. 

Oct
16

Free Webinar: "Next Steps for Nature" with Doug Tallamy

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Thursday, October 16th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Even after reading books and attending talks, many still have pressing questions about ecological landscaping. In this talk, Tallamy addresses common concerns on biodiversity, invasive species, native plants, and conservation strategies, providing practical guidance and motivation to restore nature in everyday spaces. 

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Oct
16

Gardening Lecture: Author Talk, Mysterious Moths with Chelsea Gottfried

Thursday, October 16th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Though seldom seen due to their nocturnal nature, moths are every bit as beautiful and charismatic as their butterfly cousins. Their role as pollinators is essential to the survival of many of our plants, especially orchids. Most importantly, moths and their caterpillars are food for birds, bats, and countless other animals. We will take a photographic journey into the intriguing world of moths, exploring which of our native plants are most enticing to these lovely Lepidopterans. We can all greatly benefit the ecosystem around us by “moth gardening” in our yards! We are excited to host Chelsea Gottfried, co-author of Gardening for Moths, for this program. This lecture is co-sponsored by West Cook Wild Ones. Register here.

We are delighted to co-sponsored this presentation with  Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory.

Speaker Bio

Chelsea Gottfried works as a naturalist and nature-based preschool teacher for the Crawford Park District in north central Ohio. She is an avid gardener and a passionate entomologist.

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November 2025

Nov
11

West Cook Chapter Board Meeting Members Only

Tuesday, November 11th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Members Only Free Event Chapter Board Meeting

Members are welcome to attend.  We will open with a brief period for member comment before commencing business.  If you are a paid member and would like to attend, please email us [email protected] for the Zoom link. Please include your Membership ID. Your ID can be found on your Membership Page. 

Nov
20

Free Webinar: "Living in the Liberated Landscape" with Larry Weaner

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Thursday, November 20th, 2025
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

January 2026

Jan
21

Free National Webinar- January 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, January 21st, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

February 2026

Feb
18

Free National Webinar- February 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, February 18th, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

March 2026

Mar
18

Free National Webinar- March 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, March 18th, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

September 2026

Sep
16

Free National Webinar- September 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, September 16th, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

October 2026

Oct
21

Free National Webinar- October 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, October 21st, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

November 2026

Nov
18

Free National Webinar- November 2026

Hosted by Wild Ones National
Wednesday, November 18th, 2026
to (Central Time)
Online/Virtual

Public Welcome Recording Available Free Event Program/Speaker Presentation

Details coming soon! 

Speaker Bio

Chelsea Gottfried works as a naturalist and nature-based preschool teacher for the Crawford Park District in north central Ohio. She is an avid gardener and a passionate entomologist.