Calendar

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.

Create a garden that buzzes with life and attracts butterflies, bees, fireflies and other insects. This presentation discusses what gardeners can do to create a healthy habitat for a variety of insects and birds right in their garden! Garden design, maintenance, and native plant selection are addressed as well as specific host plants and what insects they support. Join the growing number of home landscapes that are improving our world through their gardens. 

About Webinar Host: Lourdes Osorio 

A passionate gardener for over 25 years, Lourdes enjoys gardening not only for beauty but to provide an eco-friendly sanctuary for butterflies, bees, other insects and birds. Lourdes is a social media influencer as the creator of Native Plant Channel on YouTube and Facebook, a free educational channel that helps gardeners design ecological landscapes by growing native plants. She also manages the Native Plant Garden at Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne, NJ.

February  20th at 7:00 pm join us for this fabulous webinar.

‼️See registration link below in the comments.⬇️

Learn how to create a garden that buzzes with butterflies, bees, fireflies and other insects. This presentation discusses what gardeners can do to create a native habitat.  Garden design, maintenance, and native plant selection will be discussed.  

Lourdes Osorio is a passionate gardener for over 25 years who enjoys gardening not only for beauty but to provide an eco-friendly sanctuary for butterflies, bees, other insects and birds.

Lourdes is a social media influencer as the creator of Native Plant Channel on YouTube and on facebook Native Plant Channel, a free educational channel that helps gardeners design ecological landscapes by growing native plants.

She also manages the Native Plant Garden at Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne, NJ

Meet at the Center from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm.

Limited spots! Sign up at link in bio or bit.ly/braddock-

sowing

• Wash & Save your milk jugs, large salad containers, or plastic bottles with lids. We'll provide the rest.

© Coffee, snacks & chit chat for the first half hour.

• Rain or Shine

Winter Sowing in containers creates mini  cold greenhouses to protect native seeds  from wildlife while they endure the cold stratification period they are naturally designed to endure.

Ms.  Mary Anne Borge from NABA presented an educational webinar on the values of native host plants and the Lepidoptera that benefit from the plants. 

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.

Dr. Kelly Zimmerman, educated the audience on the local beneficial insects and their connection to our ecosystem.

NJ Gateway is proud to have collaborated with the JC Environmental Commission  and the Native Plant Society of NJ - Hudson Chapter in designing a contest for the funding of a pollinator garden.   The grant was awarded to the Pershing Field Garden Friends  for the  creation of  a native pollinator garden in Pershing Field Park.

The grant award will support efforts to enhance biodiversity, support pollinator species, and promote sustainable green spaces in Jersey City.

On May 1l7th, while the garden was being planted by the Pershing Field Garden Friends, the New Jersey Gateway provided an educational and informational table at the site with handouts for the public.  Native plant plugs were also given away for free.

The garden will serve as both a natural sanctuary and an educational resource for residents and visitors of all ages.

Wild Ones NJ Gateway board members and volunteers joined this neighborhood grassroots native garden movement, along with the NJNPS - Hudson Chapter.  WONJG donated ferns and a few other plants to add to the year-old garden.

A gathering to swap plants, discuss plant care tips,  and provide interactive activities for children.  We also gave away free native plant plugs.

Free native plant plug giveaways

Plant care and tips

Plant swap

Children interactive activities

Bring a Plant, take a Plant.

Plant care tips.

Kids interactive activities. 

Native plants giveaways.

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/ 

Wild Ones NJ Gateway applied for a small pollinator habitat garden kit and was awarded 550 native flower plugs and two native shrubs for the park.  Plants were planted at the arboretum site on two days, June 21 and 28th.  Volunteers came and helped plant along with the neighborhood grassroots group.  

Wild Ones NJ Gateway applied and was awarded a Xerces Society of Invertebrates small habitat grant consisting of  550 native plant plugs and two shrubs.  Plants were picked up and planted with volunteers on two days, June 21st and 28th.  

We collaborated with local neighbors and park administration for help planting and the maintance and supervision of the plants.   Kim Correro from the NJNPS was also involved as an additional contact for the grant.

Wild Ones NJ Gateway, along with preschool teacher Ms. Ileana Moyano applied for the Xerces Society of Invertebrate grant for 550 native flowering plugs and 2 shrubs and were awarded the plants.

On June 27th, we planted the plants with help from students, the teacher, and the school garden horticulturist. 

Wild Ones NJ Gateway collaborated with the Town of West New York, New Jersey, to install native plantings beneath the existing Asian cherry trees located in raised brick beds. The town funded the purchase of the plants and provided park personnel to assist with the project. Planting took place on July 8 and July 11, and the effort was supported by Wild Ones Board Members, three dedicated volunteers who joined town staff to complete the installation.

The closing event of this year’s Less Lawn More Life Challenge, will be led by Lisa Olsen, Chapter Liaison at Wild Ones. In this webinar, you’ll learn how small, personal actions like planting native species and removing invasives, can ripple outward to inspire neighbors, change policies, and reshape communities. 

During the premiere, native plant experts from Wild Ones and collaborating organizations will be active in the live chat. They’ll be ready to answer questions, share tips, and connect viewers with resources. The live chat will remain open for 30 minutes after the webinar, giving you plenty of time to ask questions and engage. Please note: You must be logged into a YouTube account to participate in the chat. 

The Less Lawn More Life Challenge is a free, 12-week action series designed to help people transform traditional lawns into vibrant, life-supporting native plant habitat. Each week, participants complete a simple challenge like planting a native shrub, removing invasives, or observing pollinators to reimagine their outdoor space and take meaningful steps toward restoring biodiversity at home. 

It’s not too late to get involved. Catch up on the weekly videos and start your rewilding journey today at https://www.lesslawnmorelife.com/ 

Discover how ecological landscaping with native plants can make your landscape more resilient and help address the climate crisis. This webinar will highlight practical, evidence-based approaches to designing and maintaining landscapes that build resilience to climate change and support native biodiversity. Join Wild Ones for a free webinar, “EcoBeneficial Landscape Strategies for the Climate Crisis,” featuring environmental horticulturalist and ecological landscape designer Kim Eierman.

Wild Ones NJ Gateway (WONJG), the New Jersey Native Plant Society–Hudson County The Chapter and the Town collaborated on an educational program to raise awareness about the Leave the Leaves initiative. The event engaged families and highlighted the importance of leaving fallen leaves in place to protect overwintering insects, improve soil health, and support local ecosystems.

Board members Carol McNichol and Dr. Kelly Zimmerman played a key role in the event by educating attendees about the ecological importance of the initiative and highlighting native Lepidoptera through a hands-on table activity.

An educational and interactive event showing the benefits of leaving the fall leaves undisturbed for over-wintering insects.  Entomologist Kelly Zimmerman was on hand to help educate the children.

NJNPS Pollinator Day – we joined the fun and participated in a question-and-answer event! Experts were on hand to answer all questions about native plants and pollinators.

Pollinator Day is a one-day event in collaboration with the Native Plant Society of NJ, with a huge emphasis on community and native plant gardening.  We will be pulling together exhibitors and a broad range of native plant experts who will act as an interactive panel.  This is a unique opportunity in that the attendees will be the ones asking the questions.  Come ready with your questions and get ready to learn.

Wild Ones NJ Gateway's President, Gisela Ferrer, was on the panel.

After dark and hanging a white sheet from pole to pole attendees watched the different types of moths attracted to the light on the sheet.  Dr. Kelly Zimmerman, NJ Gateway board member, and entomologist discussed the variety of moth species found that night;

Even after reading books and attending talks, many still have pressing questions about ecological landscaping. In this talk, Tallamy addresses common concerns on biodiversity, invasive species, native plants, and conservation strategies, providing practical guidance and motivation to restore nature in everyday spaces. 

Discover the power of ecological garden design in this free national webinar, Living in the Liberated Landscape: My Yard, with award-winning landscape designer Larry Weaner. Join us for a personal look at how dynamic, self-sustaining landscapes can emerge when we partner with nature instead of controlling it. Drawing on more than 35 years of experience, Larry will share practical strategies for designing dynamic gardens that evolve naturally, support biodiversity, and bring lasting beauty to your yard.

Designing with native plants isn’t just about what you grow, it’s about how you shape your space. In this hands-on workshop, Zoe Evans (Plan it Wild) and Heather Evans (Design Your Wild) guide you through the process of creating a cohesive yard plan that supports both your lifestyle and biodiversity.