Events

We need VOLUNTEERS to perform cleanup and preparation tasks at Old City Gardens in downtown, where we'll be growing plants for donation to other non-profits and for our 2026 Native Plant Sale! We will be cutting, clearing and composting tall invasive plants. We'll also be collecting used plant pots smaller than 1 gallon (the smaller the better.) Bring your extra pots, gloves, clippers, hand trimmers, loppers, and if you have a cordless drill and hardware for making pot corrals out of pallets, please bring them, too. 

Please feel free to drop in whenever you are available during the timeframe, for as long as little as you're able. 

Register Here: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/january-2026-volunteer-work-day-at-old-city-gardens/

In this special collaboration, Robin Wall Kimmerer, author, botanist, and founder of Plant Baby Plant, joins youth leader and Nurture Natives founder Esther Bonney for an intergenerational conversation about belonging, reciprocity, and native plant action. 

Together, they will explore questions such as:

How do we create opportunities for young people to have a voice and feel empowered, even when they are not homeowners or decision makers?What kinds of relationships and mentorships help people stay engaged in native plant work over decades?Why do stories, shared practices, and community invitations matter just as much as plant lists?

Robin and Esther will reflect on what invites people into this work, what keeps them here, and what elders and youth have to teach each other.

CANCELED DUE TO FORECASTED WINTER STORM

Invasive plants pose a serious threat to areas throughout Tennessee, but where do you begin to address the problem if they're not easily recognizable? Join us for an engaging walk at Ijams Nature Center where you'll learn to identify some of our area's most harmful exotic plant species and see firsthand how they spread and displace our native species. Whether you're a landowner or an individual looking to improve your community, this is your opportunity to get practical insight in understanding the critical need to remove these plants and protect the natural balance of our ecosystems. 

In addition to this invasive plant identification walk, we will also be taking time to stop by the Visitor Center to view a local artist (and Wild Ones member)'s installation! Come see hand-painted creations by MaceyLou Art, who also creates native plant-focused content on YouTube on her channel A Wild Approach.

Before beginning our walk, we will first meet by the pond in front of the Visitor Center. We expect parking to be limited, so in an effort of being respectful of Ijams Nature Center, attendance is limited to 25 people. Parking at Ijams is $5 daily. Register now and secure your spot!

Wild Ones Members will entertain you with their "Wish I'd Known That!" stories of starting out gardening with native plants. Learn from our mistakes! Ask your questions, you'll get lots of excellent answers. We will get started on the easy path to native garden success. Members, come ready to share photos and stories of your mistakes and successes!

A  Zoom link will be emailed to you upon registration.

Please Register Here: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/january-28-2026-seminar-wish-id-known-that-learn-from-our-mistakes-qa-registration/

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Zoom Information:Join Zoom Meeting
https://wildones-org.zoom.us/j/84766375373?pwd=3S841w7UrBPVnB7wbZai1xXKQSSmup.1

Meeting ID: 847 6637 5373
Passcode: kqPV#6

We are looking for volunteers to help staff our table at the Community Organization Fair during the Dogwood Arts House & Garden Show, held February 6–8, 2026 at the Knoxville Convention Center.

This is a high-traffic event, with more than 5,000 attendees over three days, and a great opportunity for us to share our mission, connect with the community, and recruit new supporters.

Event details

Friday, February 6: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday, February 7: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Sunday, February 8: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Our setup includes a 6-foot table and two chairs. We plan to have at least two volunteers at the table at all times and to work in shifts, so volunteers can explore the House & Garden Show before or after their shift.

Volunteer perks

Free admission to the show (normally $10). We currently have 6 free tickets available and will request additional tickets if we have more than six volunteers.

Flexible scheduling—sign up for one or more shifts.

A chance to engage with the public, support local ecology and gardening efforts, and represent our organization at a major community event.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out the registration form with:

Which day(s) you’re available

Your preferred time window(s)

More information about the show is available here:

https://www.dogwoodarts.com/houseandgardenshow

Thank you for considering helping out—we truly appreciate your support and hope you can join us!

If you wish to volunteer, please REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/february-6-8-2026-dogwood-arts-house-and-garden-show-volunteer-registration/

RAIN DATE IN EFFECT

Due to heavy rain on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 that is expected to persist all day, our Sunday workday at Old City Gardens has been POSTPONED to Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 from 12pm to 5pm.

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Come help us start growing native plants for our 2026 Native Plant Sale (May 2, Suttree's Landing Park, 10a-2p), and for donation to Knox County Parks (for Angora Frog Farm Kids/Dogs Pocket Park)! Volunteers throughout this process will go home with some FREE native plants at the Plant Sale!

We will be cutting, clearing tall invasive plants from our growing site.  We will also be filling plug trays and pots with growing medium, seeding into them, and labeling them.

We are actively collecting used plant pots smaller than 1 gallon (the smaller the better.) Bring your extra pots!

Other things that you may want to bring: gloves, clippers, hand trimmers, loppers. 

Please feel free to drop in whenever you are available during the timeframe, for as long as little as you're able. 

THANK YOU for donating your personal time to helping us get our resources GROWING! 

Thanks also go to Old City Gardens for giving the opportunity to grow in their space.

Our upcoming webinar with Basil Camu explores practical, evidence based ways to heal suburban and urban landscapes by working with trees, soil, and natural systems, drawing on real world practices from Leaf & Limb and community centered models for restoring life where we live, work, and play.!  

REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/february-25-2026-seminar-community-science-needs-you/

Urban and suburban habitats play an important role in maintaining biodiversity as cities expand. But how do we know what kind of impact our habitats are having? Join us to learn about community science projects that can help you learn about what's living in your yard and local parks while helping scientists gather important data about what lives where and how that's changing. Discover how you can create your own bioblitz to track your native habitat's success at supporting wildlife. Learn how to join the City Nature Challenge to help with the world's largest wildlife census. You created your own park, let's do science there! 

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. 

REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/march-7-2026-weed-wrangle/

Join us for an official Weed Wrangle to protect sensitive spring ephemeral wildflowers! Weed Wrangles are a statewide effort to eradicate invasive plants in our shared spaces—volunteers get a cool pair of Weed Wrangle™ gloves! 

What to Expect:
Wild Ones will have staff on hand to assist in identifying invasive plants. This is a “rain or shine” event, unless there are severe storms predicted (if so, we will notify you.) 

Dress: Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing that you don't mind getting dirty. 

Refreshments: Wild Ones will provide sustenance to keep our volunteers energized and hydrated throughout the event. 

Equipment:
Tools will be provided, but if you have personal tools you prefer, please label them well and feel free to bring them.

Location:

Dean’s Woods (also known as the Deanbrook Nature Area) is a parcel of land owned by the University of Tennessee. It consists of roughly 20 acres and is situated along Woodson Drive in South Knoxville. Plants that thrive on the site include Canada Violet, Celandine Poppy, Columbine, Dutchman’s Breeches, Golden Seal, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Shortia, Spring Beauty, Squirrel Corn, Virginia Bluebells, and Yellowroot. By removing invasive and unwanted plants, these native wildflowers are given an opportunity to grow without aggressive competition alongside the trails.

Parking: 

Street parking along Germantown Ln. (dead-end road).

Join Joey Santore, creator of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, for a candid Wild Ones National Webinar examining how inherited garden aesthetics shape native plant landscapes. Drawing on field experience and real ecology, Joey challenges tidy design norms and explores why dense, irregular plant communities are often the most resilient and ecologically sound.

Experience one of Knoxville's most impressive Spring wildflower displays on this guided tour!

Dr. Amanda Benoit of UT Knoxville's Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Department will give a FREE guided tour of this amazing natural assemblage of native East Tennessee spring ephemeral woodland wildflowers. Bring something to write on, so you can write down the name of each of the flowers you're sure to want to photograph! Register now, space is limited.

Parking: 

Street parking along Germantown Ln. (dead-end road).

REGISTER HERE: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/march-21-2026-wildflower-walk-at-deans-woods/

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM for the Confirmation from us, which will contain the Zoom link, if you will be attending virtually.

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Do you wonder “why don't I have more birds, butterflies and fireflies in my yard?”

This information-packed seminar will answer that question and more - and give you specific things to do to increase your enjoyment of your yard by making it "flutter and glow" with activity! Light refreshments provided. Presented by Regina Santore, President, Wild Ones Smoky Mountains.

REGISTER HERE (Zoom link will be emailed upon registration): https://smokymountains.wildones.org/march-25-2026-flutter-glow-seminar/

This volunteer-restored public woodland on the river's edge is a MUST SEE in Spring!

What does an area that was formerly choked with non-native, invasive plants look like a few years after you have removed all of the invaders? See how East Tennessee's wildflowers and native shrubs bounced back with vigor, even after spending more than 25 years covered by invasives. Guided tour for first-time visitors! Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the tour. Those who have been to visit before are free to self-guide and ask questions of the volunteers. Group size is limited to 15; register promptly!

You must be a Wild Ones Smoky Mountains Chapter member to register for this event. Learn more about becoming a member here: https://join.wildones.org/?chapter=104

Register here: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/april-11-native-spring-ephemeral-wildflower-tour-at-townsend-river-walk/

Join us for this aptly named Wildflower Greenway walk. There, we will learn about large populations of spring wildflowers including trout lilies, different trilliums, dwarf larkspur, showy orchids, celandine poppy, and others. We will also look for some of the later-flowering wake robin trilliums.

We will meet at the east trailhead at 10 AM and return about 12:30 PM (approximate).

The east trailhead is on East Vanderbilt Drive (GPS 36.0060, -84.2699) https://tnlandforms.us/greenways/maps03/wf.html

The trail is 0.8 miles one way and rated moderate; there are some hills and one small creek crossing. It can get a little muddy at the lower end. Dress appropriate for the weather with sturdy shoes or hiking boots, Please bring insect repellent, snacks, and water.

Register here: https://smokymountains.wildones.org/april-25-2026-oak-ridge-wildflower-greenway-walk-with-jimmy-groton/

Join award-winning author, photographer, and educator Rick Darke for What Is Wild and Why It Matters, a free national webinar on Tuesday, April 28th at 10 am CT. Discover how inviting a bit of authentic wildness can create a vibrant landscape that sustains you and local biodiversity. This national event is presented in collaboration between Wild Ones and Homegrown National Park.

Want more fireflies, birds, and pollinators in your yard? Start with native plants.

Join us Saturday, May 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Suttree Landing Park Pavilion in Knoxville for the Wild Ones Smoky Mountains Chapter Spring Native Plant Sale.

Shop a wide selection of locally grown native plants including groundcovers, flowers, milkweed, shrubs, and vines, all suited for success in our region. Knox County Master Gardeners will be on site to answer your gardening questions, including food gardening.

This sale helps support our local efforts to bring more native habitat back into our community. Every plant you take home is part of that work.

You’ll also find Wild Ones t-shirts and sweatshirts, along with fine art by Macey Lou Art.

Come early for the best selection and take home plants that do more than look good.

Plant pricing:

Annuals/biennials - $5

Perennials - $8

Larger/rare perennials $10

Shrubs - $15

Larger/rare shrubs - $22

Mixed groundcover pots (Violets, nimblewill, Carolina ponyfoot) - $3

Our plant selection: (visit this page for photos and more details):

False indigo bush, Eastern blue star, Eastern columbine, Swamp milkweed, Butterfly milkweed, Green milkweed, Blue wild indigo, American Belllflower, Partridge pea, Field thistle, Plains coreopsis, Honeyvine milkweed, Panicled ticktrefoil, Purple coneflower, Late boneset, Swamp rose mallow, Dense Blazing Star, Spicebush, Evening primrose, Appalachian groundsel / Small's Packera, Calico beardtongue, Appalachian Mock-orange, Lanceleaf Pickerelweed, Black-eyed Susan, Elderberry, Lizard's tail, Showy goldenrod, Smooth blue aster, Panicled aster, Common blue violet, Nimblewill, Carolina ponyfoot

Haw Ridge has a lot of different habitats and several rare plants like Tall Larkspur and Spreading Yellow False Foxglove. We’ll explore the plants in some cedar barrens, lakeshore wetlands, and limestone forests.

Most of the trail is easy to moderate. We’ll try to avoid the more difficult sections of trail or at least go slowly. In all we will go no more than 3-4 miles. It is a loop.

Dress appropriately for weather conditions at the time. Wear boots or sturdy shoes, bring insect/tick repellent, plenty of water, and snacks/lunch. Register for directions and parking instructions.

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/hike-at-haw-ridge-with-jimmy-groton

Amanda Spangler of UT's Plant Sciences Department and JD Zimmerman of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Delaware will share with us how they re-created - on the grounds of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum - a rare, endangered native habitat called a seep, where water wells up out of the ground and flows along the surface. They will share with us why they decided to undertake this unique project, what native plants require this habitat, and why seeps are important to native ecosystems. At the end of the presentation they'll give us a guided tour of the seep garden. Don't miss it!

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/seep-garden-tour-at-knoxville-botanical-gardens

About Amanda Spangler:

Amanda Spangler is a Lecturer in Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee who advances environmental sustainability through community-engaged, field-based teaching. She collaborates with community experts as co-educators and creates practical, place-based experiences where students apply sustainable growing practices beyond the classroom.

About JD Zimmerman:

James Zimmerman is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Horticulture and Design in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Delaware. His work sits at the intersection of ecological design, plant systems, and experiential learning, with a focus on how plant communities inform landscape performance and design practice.

Trained as a landscape architect, he holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Tennessee and brings professional design-build experience with an emphasis on ecological planting design. His teaching spans studio, lecture, and field-based courses, emphasizing hands-on, community-engaged learning that connects students to real-world landscape challenges. His scholarship and built work explore the role of plants in shaping resilient landscapes and advancing experiential education through living systems and community partnerships.

What is a Seep?

According to Dr. Dwayne Estes of the Southern Grasslands Institute, dolomite and limestone seep communities in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion of southwestern Virginia, east Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeast and central Alabama are a unique type of grassland community. A dolomite–limestone seep is a small, naturally wet spot on a hillside where spring water leaks out of cracks in dolomite or limestone rock and slowly flows downhill.  Because the ground there stays wet and the soil is very thin and rocky, big trees usually can’t grow well. Instead, these seeps are mostly covered by smaller plants like grasses, sedges, wildflowers, and mosses. Just beyond the seep—where the soil is deeper and more stable—you’re more likely to see a normal woodland or forest.

Read more about the seep garden: https://www.knoxgarden.org/seepgarden

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/seep-garden-tour-at-knoxville-botanical-gardens

Winner of the Native Plant Rescue Squad's Sassafras Award!

Over the past 12 years, Wild Ones member Karen Wilkinson has designed and installed 4 garden areas at Fulton High School, and is in the process of converting them to native plantings, with over 100 species and varieties so far. She will take us on a tour, describing her process, successes and challenges.

Register here (includes parking instructions): https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sassafras-award-winner-fulton-high-school-garden-tour

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 9 a.m. 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.

More info to come!

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!