Events

We are providing tools and snacks. Many hands make light work. Help with this exciting project and be invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony!

We are providing tools and snacks. Many hands make light work. Help with this exciting project and be invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony!

We will be screening a film about the importance of planting species that can regenerate and contribute to the overall health of our ecosystem and environment. Learn how easy it can be to join the Homegrown National Park movement, and pick up some free native seeds to help us keep San Diego Wild!
https://commongroundfilm.org/

Juan Reynoso of the Queer Sol Collective and Wild One Rosalind Haselbeck of Dwelling on Carbon invite community members to explore the queerness of polyculture landscapes and ecology. This workshop blends Kumeyaay Indigenous knowledge with hands-on urban restoration activities. By combining Traditional Knowledge (TK) and modern techniques we will explore how science systems can integrate respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility to (re) right our current relationships with nature.

Tour Caterpillar Chow milkweed nursery and help plant seeds in our new Wild Ones propagation area.

Sign on to our quarterly San Diego Wild Ones Chapter meeting. We will be discussing spring events.

We will be renewing and maintaining the California Native Plant Demonstration Area next to the tennis courts in Morley field. Help tend this community jewel and learn about native plants in Balboa Park.

We will be renewing and maintaining the California Native Plant Demonstration Area next to the tennis courts in Morley field. Help tend this community jewel and learn about native plants in Balboa Park, and meet the Balboa Park Garden Stewards.

All are welcome to join this free virtual panel discussion exploring the vital roles of native, solitary, and honeybees in pollination and biodiversity. Featuring experts Sam Droege (USGS), Dave Hunter (Crown Bees), and Dr. Lora Morandin (Pollinator Partnership), this event will discuss into the challenges pollinators face, the balance between managed and wild bees, and actionable ways to support all pollinators.

Gain insights from over 90 years of combined experience and learn how to advocate for pollinator habitats through planting native species, participating in community science, and adopting responsible management practices.

We will be renewing and maintaining the California Native Plant Demonstration Area next to the tennis courts in Morley field. Help tend this community jewel and learn about native plants in Balboa Park.

Come and discover how California native plants attract and support important pollinators for maintaining healthy gardens and green spaces. Use our discover scopes and observe how pollinators are best adapted to local, native plants. Take home native seeds and seedlings to attract pollinators into your garden. Love for you to Bee there!

We will be planting the next round of seeds to propagate free seedlings for upcoming festivals 🙂

We will be officially opening the educational pollinator garden at San Altos Elementary school with school representatives and local media. Open to the public. 

Public gardens hold tremendous power to influence landscaping norms and inspire change. By showcasing the beauty, functionality, and ecological value of native plants, these spaces help foster biodiversity, advocate for sustainable practices, and engage communities in environmental stewardship. 

This webinar will explore how public and demonstration gardens serve as powerful tools for native plant advocacy. Attendees will learn how gardens move beyond aesthetics to spark action—turning appreciation into engagement and inspiring participants to replicate these practices in their own communities.

We will hear insights from Nicole Machuca, Environmental Social Scientist at the Field Museum, on how public gardens influence behaviors, foster stewardship, and connect people to conservation efforts through research and community engagement. The Wild Ones Capital Region NY and the Wild Ones San Diego (CA) Chapters will share their experiences building native plant demonstration gardens and how these spaces drive community engagement, education, and advocacy. And We'll finish with a conversation exploring how public gardens create a lasting impact beyond planting day moderated by Kelly Kapuzzi, Demonstration Garden Char with the Wild Ones Hocking Hills (OH) Chapter.

Join us for a fun festival and planting at this growing community garden.

If you haven't made it to one of VP Hayley's crafting sessions, you've missed out on macrame arts, hand made paper with embedded seeds, and dehydrated fruit ornaments. What will she come up with next?! As always, there will be good food, good company, and great take-home creations. Please RSVP to [email protected].

Come spend the day in the wilds, explore native milkweed with Ken Abernathy of Caterpillar Chow. We will meet at the Santa Ysabel Nature Center for the hike at 10am. Consider stopping at Dudley's for a pastry on the way! RSVP at  [email protected] so we know to wait for you.

Come celebrate the new Pollinator Garden at San Altos Elementary School with a community festival! Check out local vendors, walk through the gorgeous garden as it flowers, and go home with some free native plant seeds 🙂 

Come and discover how California native plants attract and support important pollinators for maintaining healthy gardens and green spaces. Use our discover scopes and observe how pollinators are best adapted to local, native plants. Take home native seeds and seedlings to attract pollinators into your garden. Love for you to Bee there!

Come celebrate the new Pollinator Garden at San Altos Elementary School with a community festival! Check out local vendors, walk through the gorgeous garden as it flowers, and go home with some free native plant seeds 🙂

Hike up Dictionary Hill with friends and enjoy Amazing 360 degree views of San Diego County. Learn about the special flora and fauna, guided by knowledgeable scientists and Dictionary Hill Open Space Advocates,or hike on your own. Bring your phone to use the iNaturalist App and participate in the City Nature Challenge. Bring hiking boots, walking sticks, water, sunscreen, and a hat.
www.dictionaryhill.info

Help give some love (and water) to a long-neglected Native Plant Demonstration Garden in Balboa Park. Wild Ones has cleared the dead brush and is planting and celebrating new local species all the time! Tools, snacks, and drinks provided. Come be a part of the local ecosystem and help keep San Diego Wild!

Sign on to our quarterly San Diego Wild Ones Chapter meeting. We will be discussing summer events.

We will be working alongside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce, Dwelling on Carbon, and Caterpillar Chow on the second stage of Greening Old Town with native plants! Come plant native species and celebrate historic Old Town San Diego.There will be music, vendors, free seed and plant give-aways, crafts, food, and more. Come party with us as we help make Old Town Wild!

Wild One Rosalind Haselbeck of Dwelling on Carbon will introduce the concept of polyculture lawns/meadows as an approach for bringing healthy soils, carbon sequestration, pollinator habitat and water conservation to urban yards and parks. 

Learn about the carbon cycle, the urban heat island effect, and stormwater issues in cities – and how polyculture lawns/meadows can mitigate all of these. Learn about how to conduct basic soil testing with a chance to see tools up close and see demonstrations of testing for compaction, doing an infiltration test, and collecting a soil core for lab tests. Find out about principles of soil health and the importance of including diverse plant families in seed mixes. Get to see some different seed mixes to visualize the variation in size, shape, color and texture.

Join Wild Ones National Board President Loris Damerow for a special presentation as part of Week 3 of the 2025 Less Lawn More Life Challenge, “Native Plants Planted Right.” Loris will walk us through the basics of native plant gardening- from choosing the right plants to planting and maintaining them with confidence.

Join us on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 5 p.m. CT for the YouTube Live premiere of this 30-minute webinar. Native plant experts from  Wild Ones, Plan it Wild, Homegrown National Park, ReWild Your Campus, and others will be active in the live chat throughout the presentation and for 30 minutes after the webinar, giving you plenty of time to ask questions and engage! 

This event is designed for newcomers to native gardening and is part of the national Less Lawn More Life Challenge, hosted by Plan It Wild in collaboration with Wild Ones, iNaturalist, Homegrown National Park, Pollinator Partnership  and many others! 

See more about the Less Lawn More Life Challenge:  https://www.lesslawnmorelife.com/ 

Our last nature hike with Ken was so much fun, we're doing another one! This time, we will meet at Dudley's, where people can buy lunch (optional) before we follow Roz to her countryside property and see what is growing and blooming. Bring good walking shoes, sunscreen, water, and your favorite means of plant and insect identification. We can lunch together at her yurt 🙂

Come meet Al and get a tour of the amazing native plant garden he takes such good care of. June should be the best time to see pollinator plants supporting our local fauna.

"This year's theme is "Honoring Mother Earth, Respecting All Our Relatives". The Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel want to emphasize and remind community members of the interconnectedness we all share with plants, animals, elements, and soil. Whether we are working, playing, or being in nature, our actions impact all living things and in turn they impact us. Reconnecting with all our relatives and the earth has been proven to promote physical and mental health benefits, strengthen community bonds, and help us to remember our obligation to be good stewards of the land." -Joe Wier

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon! 

Details coming soon!