Wild Ones South Bend

09/05/2026

Pre-sale vendors are now live on the Wild Ones South Bend website for our October 3rd Native Plant Sale. Shop online to make your picks early and pick up at Pinhook Park on the sale date.

09/04/2026

Our next member meeting is one week later in September (due to Labor Day), but not to be missed!

Dr. Spencer Cortwright from Indiana University Northwest will join us to discuss native amphibians and their life cycles. As essential parts of the local ecosystem, amphibians are key players in the Midwest environment.

Oh, and don't come by this Monday (Labor Day)! We'll see you then NEXT week.

09/03/2026

Wild Ones South Bend needs your help to connect with area HOAs. Do you live in a community with an HOA or know someone who does? Let us know the best way to get in touch with the board. We are ready to offer a variety of resources, such as:

- A Wild Ones speaker joining an HOA event to discuss native plants and the benefits of reducing lawns,

- An article or blog for an HOA newsletter,

- The chance for an HOA board member to “shadow” a Healthy Habitat Ambassador visit, or

- An invitation for the board to a Wild Ones South Bend event.

For this first round of outreach, we will be focusing on St. Joseph County but hope to expand in the future. Reach out to us via email at [email protected].

08/28/2026

Interested in helping monitor stream health in our local ecosystem? St. Joseph County Soil & Water Conservation District will be hosting a workshop on October 16 for adults to learn how. You'll walk away certified and ready to test and submit results to a statewide database.

Interested in learning more? Check out the post shared below:

🌊 Become a Hoosier Riverwatch Volunteer! 🌊

Interested in protecting Indiana’s waterways? Join us for an upcoming Hoosier Riverwatch Training, where you’ll learn how to monitor stream health, collect water quality data, and become part of a statewide effort to care for our rivers and streams.

Anyone can join! Hoosier Riverwatch is a citizen science program designed for educators, students, outdoor enthusiasts, and community members who want to make a difference.

To register visit https://www.stjosephswcd.org/events/hoosier-riverwatch-training.

08/27/2026

Don't miss our next Native Garden Tour at Walnut Grove MHA's Wildflower Butterfly and Bee Habitat. This is your chance to see how native plants are building an ecosystem in this community and meet fellow native plant enthusiasts. All are welcome and invited!

Be sure to park on 29th Street and meet at the Habitat sign on the corner of N 27th Street and E. Colfax.

Check out more details and let us know you're coming at https://www.facebook.com/events/1362898589318421

08/24/2026

Mark your calendar for this upcoming Wild Ones webinar! ⤵️

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? 🌿

Replacing turfgrass with native plants can create a more biodiverse, dynamic landscape—but the transformation doesn’t happen overnight.

Join us on Wednesday, September 16, for a free Wild Ones webinar with Sara Weaner Cooper, owner and principal of New Directions in the American Landscape, as she shares the real story behind her family’s ongoing lawn-to-meadow project.

From site preparation and planting to weeds, competition, surprises, and changing expectations, Sara will share what she’s learned through multiple growing seasons—and what it really takes to let a meadow develop over time.

👉 Register today: https://wildones.org/from-lawn-to-meadow/