Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter

Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter Connecting people and native plants
for a healthy planet.

🎉 The Visitor Form for our new Garden Sampler Bureau is now OPEN!Are you looking for advice on beginning or maintaining ...
06/13/2026

🎉 The Visitor Form for our new Garden Sampler Bureau is now OPEN!

Are you looking for advice on beginning or maintaining a native garden project? Are you unsure what native plants would thrive in your yard's soil or light conditions? Do you need some up-close inspiration to give you a jump start? The new Garden Sampler Bureau is intended for Wild Ones RRV members to share their experience and knowledge with fellow members in a one-time, one-on-one format at a host member's garden. Chapter members who are interested in arranging such a visit will need to complete an online application and then be matched with a yard host member by our GSB coordinator.

Visit our website to sign up!
https://rrvcwildones.org/garden-sampler-bureau/

📆 SAVE THE DATE: On July 25, Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter members Janet and Karen will be giving a free presentat...
06/02/2026

📆 SAVE THE DATE: On July 25, Wild Ones Rock River Valley Chapter members Janet and Karen will be giving a free presentation as part of Mayfield Congregational Church - United Church of Christ and University of Illinois Extension - Boone, DeKalb and Ogle Counties' series "Partnering for Pollinators! Our friends at Country Road Greenhouses will also be hosting a pop-up native plant sale, and you can check out the Mayfield Monarch Waystation for some pollinator-friendly gardening inspiration 🦋

For more info on all of the pollinator programs, which begin this Saturday, visit: https://mayfieldchurchucc.org/missions/monarch-way-station/

06/01/2026

Why are native plants important for a healthy landscape? Come and find out at this program on July 7th!

Thanks to Chris Reisetter for teaching the Wild Ones how to take better cellphone photographs. It was a beautiful evenin...
05/22/2026

Thanks to Chris Reisetter for teaching the Wild Ones how to take better cellphone photographs. It was a beautiful evening in the native gardens at the Cherry Valley Public Library to practice our skills. Photos by Wild Ones member Jackie Rheume.

It’s lupine season in Winnebago County!
05/19/2026

It’s lupine season in Winnebago County!

THIS THURSDAY! May Meeting: Refining your Cellphone Wildflower Photo Skills with Chris ReisetterThursday, May 21, 2026 6...
05/19/2026

THIS THURSDAY! May Meeting: Refining your Cellphone Wildflower Photo Skills with Chris Reisetter

Thursday, May 21, 2026
6:00 Social Hour
6:30 Photo Workshop

Cherry Valley Public Library
755 E. State Street
Cherry Valley, IL 61016

Join renowned nature photographer Chris Reisetter for a workshop on capturing captivating nature photos using your own smartphone camera. In this hands-on session, Chris will provide guidance on improving your photography skills as we amble through the wildflowers planted around the library.

Chris is a Rockford tool maker who spends his free time photographing the often-overlooked beauty of the natural world and volunteering for the Natural Land Institute. He is currently photographing big trees for NLI’s Legacy Tree Project (https://www.naturalland.org/nlis-legacy-tree-program/ ). His photographs were on display at Rockford Art Deli during Rockford ArtScene in April.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Jerry Paulson at 815-222-4414.

Photo of Leatherwood flower and “Waiting for Breakfast” by Chris Reisetter.

Last week, we were thrilled to partner with Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens to host a free, sold out screening of the te...
05/17/2026

Last week, we were thrilled to partner with Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens to host a free, sold out screening of the terrific documentary The Extraordinary Caterpillar! 🐛

Thank you to all who attended - we hope you enjoyed seeing these tiny superheroes up close, and left inspired by the connections they share with native plants, insects, and animals! 🦋

If you're interested in learning more about caterpillars and getting an up close look at the lepidoptera life cycle, don't miss NCG's current exhibit "The Secret Life of Butterflies," which runs through May 24!

THANK YOU for your support of our 2026 native plant sale! Thank you to all of our hard-working volunteers who put in doz...
05/17/2026

THANK YOU for your support of our 2026 native plant sale! Thank you to all of our hard-working volunteers who put in dozens of hours to help make the sale a huge success. And thank you to our new and returning customers who are making a difference in the environment by purchasing and planting thousands of native plants across the region! This was our biggest sale yet, and it's so encouraging to see the enthusiasm you all share with us for rewilding our land. We'd love to see your new plants in their new homes in the comments!

If you missed the sale last weekend, there are two more opportunities to shop natives with us:
1) Sat, May 23 and Sun, May 24 from 10AM-3PM at Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens
2) Sat, June 6 from 9AM-5PM and Sun, June 7 from 9AM-4PM at Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden

At both events, we will have knowledgeable volunteers on-hand to help you select plants best suited to your needs! And stay tuned for information about our upcoming Fall Native Tree & Shrub Sale that will take place in early autumn.

05/10/2026

For our October program, Chris Evans will be sharing more tips on control of invasive plants in your yard.

Address

920 3rd Ave
Rockford, IL
61104

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