Events

(Rescheduled from June after heavy rains)

Wild Ones Smoky Mountains invites you to our first-annual Bioblitz and Picnic at the Meadow! The Wildlife Meadow at Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum is one of its most important but often overlooked installations. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch for your group, and dine "al fresco" with other nature lovers after having some fun observing native bees, butterflies and other cool insects just doing their thing! We will gather at 9am to learn about the meadow's history and ecology, then we'll Bioblitz two portions of it: photographing as much life as we collectively can until picnic time! 

While we eat, we'll upload the photos to iNaturalist so that KBGA, and future ecology researchers, will have a permanent snapshot of the meadow and its life in 2026.

Meet in the parking lot at the Carriage House at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens, 2749 Boyds Bridge Pike, Knoxville, TN.

Rain date: August 23, same time.

REGISTER HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bioblitz-and-picnic-at-the-meadow-2

Join Dr. Joseph K. Gordon to learn about our local herpetofauna (frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards, and snakes) and to discover some key strategies for welcoming and observing these beautiful, fascinating animals in your yard. 

Dr. Gordon (Joe) is Professor of Theology at Johnson University. He holds Tennessee Naturalist, Southern Appalachian Naturalist, Master Herpetologist, and Venomous Reptile Handling certifications and is conducting multiple scientific studies of the snakes and other herps of east Tennessee. He lives in south Knox County with his spouse and two children near the French Broad River. They are slowly (but surely) rewilding their yard, and his eight-year-old-son is trying to talk him into starting a native plant nursery. 

​Livestream also available; please register to receive the Zoom link.

This event is also a plant/seed swap! Bring any seeds or potted native plants you'd like to offer up for trading.

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IMPORTANT: This seminar is in a different building than our usual meeting location at the Carriage House. We will be meeting at the Dogwood Center.

2817 Boyds Bridge Pike

Knoxville, TN 37914

Enter the gravel driveway at the corner of Wimpole Avenue and Houston Street and follow the path down and around to the left. You will fully circle around the Dogwood Center and arrive at the adjacent parking lot.

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REGISTER HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/tennessee-herps-reptiles-and-amphibians-in-your-yard-hospitality-for-our-local-creeping-things

What does it really take to turn a conventional lawn into a thriving native meadow? Join Owner & Principal, New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL), Sara Weaner Cooper for a candid look at her family's ongoing lawn-to-meadow transformation featured in The New York Times and BBC. Drawing from three years of hands-on experience, Sara will share the methods, lessons learned, successes, and challenges of converting turfgrass into a dynamic native plant community. Participants will gain practical insights into site preparation, planting, management, and the ecological principles that guide successful meadow establishment, along with realistic expectations for how these landscapes evolve over time.

Registration link coming soon.

The monarch migration baffled scientists for decades. Almost a century later we're using new tools to discover details of how they make a journey of over 2,000 miles from Canada to Mexico. With both old and new tools, you can help research this iconic and vulnerable species. And like Appalachian Trail hikers receiving trail magic on their 2200 mile journey, you can support monarchs with migration magic when they pass through your community. Presented by Steve McGaffin of Zoo Knoxville.

About Steve:

As a child, Steve enjoyed exploring nature in his neighborhood, camping with his family and watching nature and outdoor adventure documentaries. His love of mountains inspired him to earn a BS in Biology as a Naturalist from Appalachian State University while leading climbing, caving and backpacking trips for ASU and local camps. After college he lived in upstate New York and eastern Pennsylvania, working as an outdoor and environmental educator before moving to Tennessee to be a Teacher/Naturalist at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. In 1994 during an all-night encounter with a bear he learned about the Education Department at Zoo Knoxville. He started as Outreach Coordinator nine months later, eventually becoming Education Curator in 2013. He started studying butterflies in 2009 which led to his interest in native plants. In 2013 he started the Tennessee Butterfly Monitoring Network with the help of a few volunteers. In 2020 he signed on to coordinate our region's annual City Nature Challenge project. Steve loves almost everything that he's allergic to, and lots of other things. 

Livestream also available; register for Zoom link.

…….

IMPORTANT: This seminar is in a different building than our usual meeting location at the Carriage House. We will be meeting at the Dogwood Center.

2817 Boyds Bridge Pike

Knoxville, TN 37914

Enter the gravel driveway at the corner of Wimpole Avenue and Houston Street and follow the path down and around to the left. You will fully circle around the Dogwood Center and arrive at the adjacent parking lot.

……

REGISTER HERE: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/monarch-migration-magic-with-native-plants

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. Join experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape design can help support bats. Learn about the ecological role of bats and discover practical ways to create habitat for North America's night flyers right in your own backyard.

Zoe Evans, rewilding coach and VP of Partnerships & Programs at Wildr shares a practical, science-informed framework for evaluating a home landscape, identifying its greatest habitat opportunities, and choosing actions that support more plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Registration link coming soon.

No yard required. Learn how native plants can turn patios, balconies, containers, and other small spaces into meaningful habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. This practical panel will cover plant selection, container design, seasonal care, and realistic ways to support biodiversity in limited spaces.

Registration link coming soon.

Birds depend on healthy, connected habitats for food, shelter, nesting, and migration support. Join experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to explore how native plants and thoughtful landscape choices can support birdlife at home. Learn how gardens, yards, and community spaces can provide the insects, seeds, berries, cover, and habitat structure birds need throughout the year.

Registration link coming soon. 

Monarch butterflies depend on a network of habitats stretching across North America, and home landscapes can play an important role in their survival. Join experts from Monarch Joint Venture to explore the science behind monarch conservation, including the importance of milkweed, nectar resources, and regionally appropriate habitat. Learn practical ways to support monarchs through native landscaping and help sustain one of the world's most remarkable migrations.
 

Registration link coming soon.