Webinar October 21st, 2026

Bats are among the most important and misunderstood wildlife in our communities. They are also part of the intricate food webs that connect native plants, insects, water, and healthy landscapes.

Join Wild Ones and experts from Bat Conservation International to explore how native plants, healthy insect populations, and thoughtful landscape choices can help support North America’s night flyers.

Register for the webinar

Bats in the Backyard

Speakers: Brandi Christiano, PhD, and Megan White Organization: Bat Conservation International Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Time: 7 p.m. Eastern | 6 p.m. Central | 5 p.m. Mountain | 4 p.m. Pacific Location: Online, join the premiere on YouTube and participate in the live chat! Link provided with registration. This webinar will be recorded and shared with registrants after the premiere. Cost: Free

About the Webinar

What does a bat-friendly landscape look like?

Supporting bats at home involves more than installing a bat house. Bats need reliable food sources, clean water, safe places to roost, dark travel corridors, and landscapes rich in insect life. Native plants can help form the foundation of this habitat by supporting the moths and other insects many bats depend on.

Research Scientist Brandi Christiano, PhD, and Bat Gardens and Community Conservation Lead Megan White from Bat Conservation International will introduce participants to the lives of bats and the ecological relationships that sustain them. They will explain how bats use home and community landscapes, identify common challenges bats face, and share practical steps people can take to make outdoor spaces safer and more supportive.

Whether you care for a small urban garden, a suburban yard, or a larger property, you will leave with a clearer understanding of how your landscape can contribute to bat conservation.

What You’ll Learn

During this webinar, participants will learn how to:

• Understand the ecological roles bats play in North American ecosystems
• Recognize the habitat resources bats need for feeding, drinking, shelter, and movement
• Use native plants to support moths and other insects that provide food for bats
• Create safer water sources and dark areas where bats can forage and travel
• Consider when and where bat houses may be useful
• Reduce common hazards that can make home landscapes less hospitable to bats
• Make practical habitat improvements in outdoor spaces of different sizes

Please Note: I do not work with Wild Ones so I cannot answer any questions. Please see their website and reach out to them for any questions you may have. Thanks!

With the recent wildfires and the gestures broadly at the world I just wanted to share this link to the Corsi-Rosenthal Box. A simple homemade air filter that can be made with a box fan or several computer fans using off the shelf merv 13 or higher filters from your local store.

Yes, these have existed since before COVID. I had someone elsewhere get made at me because "it shouldn't be named that! Those two didn't invent it!" but like, I didn't choose the name lol. Anyways, I've made two for my house (former hoarder house we inherited and we haven't had the ducts cleaned yet but everything else is clean) and I can say, we both sleep better at night and they worked great through the wild fires.

Anyways, just wanted to share this as a quick little easy project. Or you know, not so quick if you wanna be like the people on Reddit's r/CRBoxes who 3D print fancy housings and do elaborate computer fan builds. Whichever you prefer.

Edit to add: Someone posted a Build Guide (non Reddit link) on Reddit for making boxes with PC fans.

I know we don't love Reddit links but

• Here's a Reddit post for a DIY/buy guide
• An Information post
• A tall computer fan box
• Triangle box fan
• MERV explained by the EPA (not a Reddit link) than you OatScoop

Sorry for the Reddit links, they just have a lot of conversations going on there currently.

Although about half of people go through menopause, less than 15% of them receive effective treatment for their symptoms. Treatment options for people experiencing irritating or severe menopause symptoms are often under researched, and some have questionable efficacy, or cause harmful side effects. Menopause experts now summarize what we know about menopause, call for more research into the timeline and treatment of menopause, and encourage individualized, holistic treatment that addresses both menopausal symptoms and other systemic changes happening in the body.

Although this article is 3 years old, it really hits home just how much we don't know about women's health in general but especially menopause and peri.

Ok apparently Home Grown National Park has some cool resources. They have a Keystone Plant Directory that shows you an image of the plant, it's common and technical name, and when you click on it it shows you the eco regions and more detailed information.

You can find your eco region by inputting your zip code and you can sort and filter by plant types such as trees, flowers, ground cover etc. as well as light needs, water needs, and height. I haven't done much with it yet but, if you live in the US it seems like a decent tool to assist.

For those in the US, you can check out Home Grown National Park's Resource Directory to see if they have lists of places to get plants in your area. It's not an exhaustive list but, check it out.

Wild Ones Webinar

Native plants are the foundation of a healthy landscape, but plants alone are only part of the story. To truly support wildlife, we must think beyond plant lists and consider the full range of resources animals need to survive, reproduce, and thrive.

Join landscape ecologist, Certified Wildlife Biologist, and author Shaun McCoshum, PhD, for an exploration of how natural ecosystems function and how those same ecological principles can be applied in home landscapes. Drawing on more than 20 years of conservation, restoration, and research experience, Shaun will share practical, evidence-based strategies for creating habitat that works for pollinators, birds, amphibians, and other wildlife.

About the Webinar

The Ecology of Home: Creating Habitat That Works
Speaker: Shaun McCoshum, PhD
Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Time: 7 p.m. Eastern | 6 p.m. Central | 5 p.m. Mountain | 4 p.m. Pacific
Location: Online, join live to participate in the chat. A recording link will be shared after the premiere.
Register Here

A healthy landscape is more than a collection of plants.

Pollinators, birds, amphibians, and other wildlife depend on a range of resources that are often overlooked in conventional garden design. Bare soil may provide nesting habitat for native bees. Fallen leaves and plant stems may shelter insects through the winter. Water, dead wood, dense vegetation, and specialized soil conditions can each support different species and life stages.

Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in ecological restoration, habitat management, and conservation research, Shaun will explain how these pieces work together within an ecosystem. He will also share practical ways to incorporate them into residential landscapes.

Whether you care for a small suburban yard or a larger property, you will leave with a better understanding of how to create habitat that supports biodiversity throughout the year. What You’ll Learn

Participants will learn how to incorporate features such as nesting habitat, overwintering sites, shelter, water resources, and specialized soil conditions that many species require but are often overlooked in garden design. Whether you manage a small suburban yard or a larger landscape, you’ll discover simple ways to transform your outdoor space into a functioning ecosystem that supports biodiversity throughout the year.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Identify key habitat resources wildlife need beyond food plants.
• Understand how ecological processes shape healthy ecosystems. Incorporate nesting, shelter, overwintering, and breeding habitat into residential landscapes.
• Apply practical habitat-building strategies that complement native plantings and support greater biodiversity.

Register

Please note I'm not affiliated with Wild Ones and this is an outside of NoLawns Webinar

🌱 STEP 1 Support a healthy habitat. Plant native and skip sprays to create a healthy yard that supports dragonflies, birds, and bats that eat mosquitoes.

🪣 STEP 2 Make a Mosquito Bucket. Target larvae in a controlled spot before they become biting adults.

💧 STEP 3 Dump standing water. Empty containers, gutters, and saucers, anywhere stagnant water collects.

🦟 STEP 4 Treat standing water you can't dump. Use mosquito dunks in birdbaths, rain barrels, and ponds.

🪭 STEP 5 Protect yourself when needed. Use screens, fans, repellents, and protective clothing to help reduce bites.

🏘️ STEP 6 Get your neighbors involved. Mosquito management works best when the whole community participates.

We've updated our wiki! It's now identical to the reddit wiki. Both probably need more info and updating but, this is significantly better than before!

OPs original Reddit post text: ☘️TL;DR: clover is awesome. Mix with other lawn seed for sustainability and don’t ignore soil health.

Hello all! For context, I’m writing this post as a first time homeowner, permaculture newbie, and as a non-landscaping professional. This is simply my experience of trial, error, and perseverance, and wanting to share with anyone who may be in the spot I was 4 years ago.

Some background about our yard (zone 5b): previous owner was fined by the city due to noxious weeds throughout the yard. As a bandaid fix, sod was laid (likely without any soil prep). When we moved in, we discovered there was a pretty significant grub and mite infestation, and the dying sod could be pulled up like carpet.

Enter the conversion to a clover lawn.

Year 1: Establishing the clover was fairly straightforward and simply required a consistent amount of water to remain moist while germinating. We were starting from bare soil after all sod was removed. What I would’ve done differently: (1) instead of tilling, I would’ve over aerated. We tilled the compacted soil and were met with an abundance of purslane seedlings (remember the noxious weeds situation?). This meant hours of pulling purslane while the clover established. (2) I would’ve chosen a bio diverse mix of clover, grasses, and native ground cover (e.g. https://www.highcountrygardens.com/products/xeriscape-clover-lawn-seed-mix) instead of just clover.

Results: see reference pictures!

**Years 2-3: **clover took off and came back in the spring. We had a lush, whimsical, cottage-core lawn that only needed to be mowed if we wanted to mow it for a more uniform and cohesive look. It required minimal work in terms of maintenance (low to no mowing, no fertilization required. Though beware, if you do mow, everything touching cut clover will be stained green).

Year 4 (current): here’s where hindsight comes in. Given our poor soil health, I wish I would’ve done some things to help prevent where we are now. Clover is a short lived perennial, typically lasting 2-5 years. Last year I did not reseed nor did I incorporate any soil amendments, and this year thanks to an incredibly dry winter we have a patchy lawn battling purslane again (purslane is winning).

My plan moving forward with the knowledge I have now: 2x per year (spring and fall) apply beneficial nematodes (like ones from Natures Good Guys or Arbico Organics). This will continue to decrease our lawn pest problems. In the fall (and every 1-2 years moving forward): aerate the lawn to help with our compacted soil and amend with compost. 1x per year (especially after aerating) Reseed a biodiverse mix of clover, grass, and native ground cover to prevent patchy areas when clover dies out and to choke out hiding weed seeds.

While has been a long and arduous process, I’ve learned so much and have found a love in learning about permaculture. Open to recommendations from others, and happy to answer any questions about lessons learned.

Reddit link to OC

OPs Description: Got rid of all the weeds, brambles, goose grass and so on late last year. I rotavated and raked, and picked out so many pebbles and old crocks. Then life got busy and I kept putting back the time I could sow the wildflower seeds I'd got. I sowed in May! Today the little meadow is in almost full bloom, and covered in bees and butterflies. I'm in love with this bit of the garden again :-)

June native plants news from WildOnes.org

A bit of an older article but better late than never

About the Webinar

In this webinar, author and activist Lorraine Johnson gets into the how: how to talk to neighbors who don’t get it yet, how to respond to HOA complaints or bylaw challenges, and how to build support in your community for the kind of garden that actually does something for the ecosystem. With three decades of writing and advocacy behind her, Lorraine has seen these conversations play out in every direction – and she’s full of practical, grounded advice for navigating them well.

Date:  Wednesday, July 22 

Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time / 6 PM CT / 5 PM MT / 4 PM PT

Location: Online! A link to watch will be emailed to registrants and Less Lawn More Life Challenge participants.
Join via YouTube and participate in the live community chat with Lorraine and partners from the Less Lawn More Life Challenge.

Whether you’re preparing for a formal HOA review or just want to know what to say when someone asks why your yard looks like that, this session is for you.

(I'm not affiliated with Wild Ones but one of the Reddit mods is).

I'm not affiliated with Wild Ones other than thinking they're cool but they have several US cities worth of native garden design plans on their website!

Event Details

Title: Rethinking Horticulture with Real Ecology Presenter: Joey Santore Date: Wednesday, March 18 Time: 7 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. CT | 5 p.m. MT | 4 p.m. PT Format: YouTube Live premiere, link provided with registration Recording: A recording will be shared following the live event

Garden aesthetics and how we got here

This is actually her last (first) walk. Now she's doing a hike/kayaking adventure.

This main break destroyed an entire road and left about 2 dozen houses without water for 2 days. My destroyed I mean, it literally looked like an earth quake happened.

It's absolutely critical that we pay attention to and maintain our infrastructure. We spend a lot of time labor, and money repairing things that should be replaced and/or upgraded. That being said, this is a cast iron main from the 1920s and that was the first break in this section. That's pretty damn good.

I think we could do better planning our infrastructure especially water and sewer to extend the life and avoid a lot of loss.

Fun fact, water systems have to be monitored and leaks have to be found or you'll lose a lot and I mean a lot of water. This tiny crack was causing about a 20% water loss for this town. I can't remember off hand how many gallons a minute that was but I THINK it averaged out to around 600 gallons an hour.

We can do water conservation on an individual level but if we're not monitoring our systems, we're doing ourselves an insane disservice. We're wasting time, resources, chemicals and energy treating and testing water that's just being dumped.

This valve was replaced and their water loss went back down to 1.5% the following month. (That's really great and the lowest of all the towns I've worked with).

There's a fun water system info dump for you ;)