Preserve & Protect Rhode Island’s Native Plants & Their Habitats

Solidago sempervirens (seaside goldenrod), Common buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia), DMcGrady

Our Native Plants

  • We provide opportunities to study and enjoy them.

  • We encourage and offer guidance in their cultivation and use.

  • We educate the public on their ecological and aesthetic values.

  • We support land preservation and practices fostering their natural communities.

Why native plants matter
What you can do

Happy Fall

Hypericum adpressum (creeping St. John’s-wort), South Kingstown, RI. State-threatened and regionally-rare. A species of coastal plain ponds.

Doug McGrady, a RIWPS walk leader, is passionate about exploring plant communities in RI and neighboring states.  He also tracks rare and endangered plants as a member of the Plant Conservation Volunteer (PCV) Corps, the oldest rare plant-monitoring program in the country.

Click image for recent and past plants from Doug’s forays. A flickr account is not needed to view the images.

Events/Programs Update

Our highest priority continues to be the health of our members, volunteers and those who attend our events.  Thus, we  suspended (albeit with much disappointment) the great lineup of our planned programs and events.

• See our Native Plant Sales Page for information about plant sales/seed starters and contributing images of your growing  plants to our facebook page.

• See our Program/Events and Walks page for updates.

Being in nature can be both physically and mentally restorative.  We hope you will find yourself in the outdoors, and on the trails.  Check out our self guided walks. or  Partner Page for links to organizations with conservation lands.   Focused on you own garden?  See our planting resources.

Upcoming Events

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Wed 23

Nature’s Best Hope – Talk by Doug Tallamy ONLINE

April 28 - October 31

Recent RIWPS News

RIWPS First Online Plant Sale – Much Thanks

RIWPS's first online plant sale is over, plants have been picked up and we hope are settling into gardens throughout our region. Thank you to all who supported our sale and brought 1600 plants into our communities.  
Read more
native plant sales

Plant Sale for Members

The ordering phase of our plant sale for members, from August 1 through August 9, is the beginning of having more than a thousand additional native plants in the landscape.  Almost 50% of the species we had available sold out, including all trees and shrubs.
Read more

Resources

Find online resources and printed references from organizations that steward native plants, including the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, New England Wild Flower Society,  University of Rhode Island Outreach Center, Among Rhode Island Wild Flowers and, of course, RIWPS .

Grow

The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) has seed starter groups in Exeter, RI (Seed Starters West) and Portsmouth, RI (Seed Starters East). Seed starters cultivate most of the plants at RIWPS plant sales.

Both groups would welcome more members. Dig in the dirt in non-gardening seasons and enjoy constantly learning about native plants! Don’t worry about the drive; many members car pool.

Explore

People of all botanical abilities are welcome at RIWPS events — beginners, experts, amateurs, and professionals. Come to enjoy and learn about wild plants.

Some RIWPS programs, especially the walks and workshops, can only accommodate a limited number of participants, however; so register early.