Wild Ones Big River Big Woods

03/27/2026

Your yard could look like this! Filled with pollinators and birds 😁 Native plants are great for reducing yard work (like mowing), they support outdoor life like monarchs, they’re beautiful, and much more!

Join Wild Ones to learn more about native plants and be surrounded by like minded people who can help you with your native plant questions.

03/11/2026

Save the date!
Sharing an upcoming event from the White Bear Lake Library’s Seed Library!

White Bear Lake Library’s Seed Library - 10 Year Celebration

Saturday, April 25th from 1-3 pm at the WBL library in the large room.

Adults and children welcomed!

There will be seed planting, various games for both adults and kids, lots of information about seeds, hands on seed saving activities, free seeds, yummy treats and more.

Photo: White Wild Indigo seed pod

03/10/2026

A great online tool for selecting native plants this spring! You can filter by sun light, soil, color, and more. Link in comments below!

Thinking about starting or expanding a pollinator garden this spring? 🌸

Our Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water Plant Finder can help you select plants suited to your Minnesota site—sun, soil moisture, pollinator value, and more.

A few things to consider: choose a mix of spring, summer, and fall bloomers to support pollinators throughout the season. Adding grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees can create more habitat and a resilient, diverse garden. 🌾🌳

Explore the Plant Finder: https://bluethumb.org/plantfinder/



Pictured: Red Columbine

03/04/2026

Do you live in an HOA but want something other than the traditional turf grass lawn, such as native plants? Some advice and guidance on how to handle that situation from Prairie Up.

In many Minnesota cities, you’re allowed to have natural/native plants and landscaping. It just has to be cared for (or maintained) and free of noxious w**ds.

Sometimes researching plants and prepping a garden bed are the easy part, while advocating for a natural meadow garden in place of suburban lawn proves the most difficult. Learn how to work with HOAs, neighbors, and municipal w**d control laws to foster sustainable, climate-resilient landscapes that...

03/03/2026

Join us for our March meeting! We’ll learn about the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. You can find a bunch of native plants at this park, especially spring ephemerals like Virginia Bluebells, May apples, trilliums, and more! Additional links in comments. We’ll hear all about them and the garden at this meeting.

All are welcome, free to attend.

03/01/2026

Join a local Wild Ones chapter today! If you live around Roseville/St. Paul, MN area, we’ll most likely be your local chapter.

02/23/2026

Straight lines, tidy edges, and uniform spacing shape how we think landscapes should look. Ecology does not work that way.

Joey Santore is taking a hard look at how inherited garden aesthetics limit ecological function and public understanding of native landscapes.

Join the conversation on March 18, 2026. 👉 Registration link in comments.

Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t

🌿 Straight lines, tidy edges, and uniform spacing shape how we think landscapes should look. Ecology does not work that way.

Joey Santore is taking a hard look at how inherited garden aesthetics limit ecological function and public understanding of native landscapes.

Join the conversation on March 18, 2026. 👉 Register here: https://wildones.org/joey-santore/

Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

02/23/2026

Adding native plants under trees is a great way to add more color to your property but also support pollinators, birds, and wildlife. And it reduces the need to mulch around trees 😁

Check out these tips and information from Prairie Moon Nursery

02/20/2026

Thanks everyone for coming to our February meeting: Metro Blooms - A Community Resource! We learned a lot about Metro Blooms, the services they offer, and also great native garden design advice from their staff.

Links to Metro Blooms/Blue Thumb websites below.

See you in March!

02/10/2026

Native plants and gardens are great for fireflies too! Many folks have commented on the lack of fireflies lately. Plant some native habitat for them ❤️

Do you want fireflies in your yard like when you were a kid?⚡

Here are four things you can do to help make sure these mystical creatures are around for generations to come:

1. Provide Habitat🌳–Fireflies thrive in secluded, moist, organically rich environments. Encourage them to stay at your place by setting aside a space for tree leaves and other plant material to naturally decompose. Grow a diversity of native plants with different heights. Most female fireflies send their signals from taller plants, blinking like little lighthouse beacons above the prairie.

2. Don’t Use Insecticides🚫– Need we say more?

3. Turn off the Lights🌑– Light pollution is easy to fix: simply flip the switch. Keep outdoor lights to a minimum so lightning bugs can communicate with each other.

4. Talk to your Neighbors👋– Fireflies are not limited to a single plot. Get friendly with your neighbors and encourage their involvement. Together, we can keep their lights glowing!

Whether you call them fireflies, lightning bugs, or glow worms, over 150 different species of these mystical beetles make their home in North America. Together, we can bring these nostalgic little beetles back from the brink and enjoy their dazzling performances again!

Do you call them fireflies🔥🪰, lightning bugs⚡🪲, or glow worms🌟🪱?

Search “firefly” on our website for native plants to add to your garden to support conservation efforts that help these whimsical insects.

Pictured: Firefly on Bunch Flower (Veratrum virginicum)

02/02/2026

Some great w**ding advice and what to do when starting a native plant garden.

Stay tuned for our February meeting speaker and information! More to come with starting and maintaining your native plant landscape/yard 😁

11/17/2025

Join us for an evening of socializing and fun with like minded Native Plant Lovers! This Thursday!