On June 12, 2023 at 10 am we will have a family walk at the Nature Conservancy's Carter Preserve in Charlestown. Our walk along the Pawcatuck River in a unique pine barrens ecosystem should reveal plenty of interesting plants, and likely many lady slipper orchids in full bloom. As always, please bring plenty of water, […]
Creating a mini meadow in your landscape? Whether you are beginning a project soon or have one in progress, find inspiration, ideas and practical information tailored to strengthen your project and learn more about the design process in this workshop on June 22, 2023 from 2 to 4 pm at URI East Farm. Under the […]
Solidago sempervirens, seaside goldenrod with common buckeye butterfly On August 26 from 9 AM to noon find our booth at the Pawtuxet Village Farmer’s Market 60 Rhodes Place from 9 - 11 am. More details
Seaside goldenrod with common buckeye butterfly In late summer the flora begins to change as asters and goldenrods bloom and seeds and fruits mature. Animals rely on many plants for food and shelter while many plants rely on animals for pollination and dispersal. At times the interactions get quite defensive. If you would like to […]
Hummingbirds buzzing wild bergamot (Monada fistulosa), Trustom Pond. Photo: Carmen Rugel September is a great time to look for migrating birds! Come on a nature walk with fellow bird and native plant enthusiasts on Friday September 15, 2023 from 10 am to noon at the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge in South Kingston, RI. From […]
On Thursday October 5, 2023, from 10 am to noon, come explore some of the Taylor Point Nature Preserve. It has a variety of natural communities within its 20 acres, including maritime woodlands and shrub lands and 4000 feet of shoreline along the East Passage. A multi-year plant inventory has produced a list of 143 […]
NOTE. Page updated on November 12 with NEW LOCATION OF THIS PROGRAM Thomas Ryan Auditorium, Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences (CBLS) Upstairs Lobby and Lecture Hall 120 Flagg Road on the URI Kingston Campus. What are the challenges, opportunities and issues related to sourcing and supplying native plants, especially as demand for these plants […]
RIWPS annual meeting will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Fellowship Hall of the Kingston Congregational Church, 2610 Kingstown Road Kingston, RI on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Enjoy refreshments and fellowship followed from 1:00 to 1:30 followed by the business meeting and presentations. The business meeting includes the annual report, elections for […]
Tour Brown University Herbarium on April 1 from 10 to 11:30 am. The Brown Herbarium is located on the second floor of the Biomedical Center, 171 Meeting St, Providence. photo credit, Brown University Herbarium Brown University Herbarium offers a priceless snapshot of botanical life, in Rhode Island and across the nation and the world, […]
yellow birch, photo PCahallan THIS WALK IS CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS. Our first walk of the season, from 10 am to noon on 4 April 2024, will be led by retired Deputy State Forester Paul Dolan. We will explore the Snake Den Farm parcel of Snake Den State Park in Johnson, RI. Managed by […]
Ostrich Fern, photo GGardner Gardening With Native Ferns On Wednesday, April 17, 2024 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm, join Karen Asher, native plant specialist and former president of Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, at Beechwood Center, 44 Beach Street, North Kingston to learn about our native ferns. Ferns are ubiquitous here in Rhode Island, let's […]
Wednesday April 17, 2024 from 6 to 7:30 pm. Audubon Society of Rhode Island Nature Center, 1401 Hope Street, Bristol, RI 02809 While we look for practical opportunities for promoting ecological restoration through the successful removal of invasives and replacement with natives, what should we do with all these non-native weeds and invasives? The answer for […]
Trillium cernuum, nodding trilium. DMcGrady On May 2, 2024 from 10 am to noon, join us at the Ben Utter Trail, Arcadia Management Area in Exeter, RI. On this walk with biologist Denise Poyer, we will discover early spring flowers deep in the Arcadia Management Area. We will first walk south on Sand Trail to […]
On May 11, 2024, starting at 9 am, find us at the Casey Farm, Farmers Market, 2325 Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown. For details about this sale and our other plant sales see our Native Plant Sales Page.
Anne Raver, will lead three walks along the trails of the Haile Farm Preserve in Warren, with an eye to how a landscape changes with the seasons. Join us on May 14, 2024 from 10 am to noon for the first of these walks. The subsequent walks will be scheduled in August and October. Because […]
Find our largest selection of plants at this sale on June 1, 2024 at the URI Botanical Gardens, Kingston All details about this and our other sales can be found on our Native Plant Sales Page
Join botanist Elizabeth Dickson for a workshop on how to key wildflowers using Newcomb's and GoBotany. Bring a copy of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, a hand lens, and your cell phone, tablet or laptop and we will key out as many wildflowers as we can, and learn about the Mystery Plant challenge on the RIWPS Among-RI-Wildflowers […]
Due to the holiday we have moved this First Thursday Walk to the second Thursday in July! On Thursday, July 11, 2024 join Audubon's Director of Properties, Laura Carberry from 10 am to 12 pm for a morning walk at Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge, Exeter, RI. Come explore several different habitats including forest, fields and […]
red columbine On Thursday July 18, 2024, from 10 am to noon, join Marc Doherty, Westerly Land Trust's Land Stewardship manager, for a walk at WLT's Grills Preserve. Located along the Pawcatuck River in Bradford, Grills has a wide variety of habitats and soil types, including a diversity of wetlands, rocky outcrops, pitch pine uplands […]
Lobelia cardinalis, cardinal flowerphoto GGardner On August 1, 2024 we welcome you to join Nate McCullin, Land Stewardship and Outreach Manager and Aaron Teixeira, Community Connections Coordinator of the Westport Land Conservation Trust for a walk at Herb Hadfield Conservation Area in Westport, MA from 10am to noon. Herb Hadfield is a 187 acre property […]
Anne Raver's three walks along the trails of the Haile Farm Preserve in Warren, focus on how the landscape changes with the seasons. We invite those who participated in the Spring Walk and new walkers to join Anne on August 14, 2024 from 10 am to noon to explore the preserve in its summer attire. […]
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) with Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), photo credit Randi Eckel On August 28, 2024 from 2 - 3 pm join Debbie Brodie, a Master Gardener since 2007 and Master Composter since 2008, to consider gardening for herbs and pollinators, diversifying your garden and providing food for yourself and the pollinators! She […]
Acer pensylvanicum (goosefoot maple, striped maple), photo DMcGrady Note: Details of this walk have been updated as of August 6 to reflect a change from the original planned route of the walk. On 5 September 2024 from 10 am to 12 pm join Tysh McGrail, long time RIWPS member, landscape designer and lover of native […]
Join Beth Dickson from 10am to noon on Thursday, 10 October 2024 for a leisurely walk within the Succotash Marsh State Management Area in South Kingstown, RI. The 182-acre management area is located between Potter Pond and Point Judith Pond near the village of Jerusalem. The tide reaches the salt marsh system though a connection […]
Anne Raver’s series of three walks along the trails of the Haile Farm Preserve in Warren, focuses on how the landscape changes with the seasons. We invite those who participated in the spring and/or summer walk along with new walkers to join Anne on October 15, 2024 from 10 am to noon to explore the preserve […]
Get your Questions Answered Eutrochium fistulosum (hollow Joe-Pye weed) with monarch, photo DMcGrady On Wednesday October 16, 2024 from 2 to 3 pm bring your gardening questions to our panel of experts. The panel includes Kevin Alverson, Landscape Architect who donates some of his time to the design and management of the Jules A. Cohen […]
Asian Bittersweet, photo from Invasive Plants: The Threat They Pose On 26 October 2024, from 1:30 to 3 pm, Tom Hoagland, President, Friends of Canonchet, and Alan Woodmansee, Master Gardener, will lead this guided trail walk in Canonchet Farm, a 124 acre second growth woodland that has become infested with invasive plants, shrubs and vines. […]
SE New England Native Seed Exchange November 10th, 2024 3:00 - 6:00 pm Tillinghast Place, Barrington RI 231 Nayatt Rd, Barrington, RI 02806 Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS) & Plant Community RI are pairing up with farmers and community scientists to get native seeds into the hands of growers around the area! Through its […]
Lisa Lofland Gould Program Introducing the Rhode Island Plant Insect Community Network Saturday, November 23, 2024 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm Gaige Hall, Auditorium 100 Rhode Island College 600 Mt Pleasant Ave Providence, RI 02908 Campus Map/Parking This event is free and open to the public. Register Below Plants and insects are inextricably linked […]
Native Seed Winter Sowing Workshop Join the Aquidneck Land Trust, Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS), and Middletown Public Library in this hands-on workshop and learn how to turn your yard or community space into an oasis for wildlife! Thursday, January 23 · 6 - 7:30pm EST Middletown Public Library 700 West Main Road, Middletown, […]
Backyard Entomology: Who’s Who in Your Garden’s Ecosystem Wednesday February 19, 2025 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | No Kingstown, RI 02852 Speaker: Pam Gilpin, Estate Gardener and Certified Horticulturist Insects play an essential role as pollinators, predators and recyclers of decomposing animal and plant material. They are of […]
Experience the Lure of Observing Plants in Wild Places Annual Meeting & Guest Speaker March 1, 2025 | 1:00 to 4:00 pm URI Pharmacy Building (room 170) | Kingston RI Driving directions, parking, how to find the building and lecture hall Meeting is free and open to the public. REGISTER below to let us […]
Virtual Book Discussion (for RIWPS members only) Book: Crossings Discussion date: Sunday 16 March, 3:00 to 4:00 While the days are still short and the temperatures near freezing, let's read and then gather around our screens to discuss Ben Goldfarb's book Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. Goldfarb is an engaging, prize-winning writer. His […]
March 20 from 6 - 8 pm Chop - Culinary House of Providence 211 Washington Street Providence, RI 02903 RIWPS is excited to co-host an in-person social event with Providence Green Drinks, Grab a drink (or don't) and prepare to talk native plants! click here to get your ticket
Join Christopher Modisette, State Resource Conservationist for the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Warwick, RI, from 10 to noon on April 3, 2025 for our first walk of the season. We will explore the Snake Den Farm parcel of Snake Den State Park in Johnston, RI. This parcel of Snake Den State Park, managed by the Northern […]
Find RIWPS at the Spring Garden Expo April 5, 2025 | 11 am to 3 pm Tiverton Public Library | 34 Roosevelt Ave. | Tiverton, RI This FREE annual event sponsored by the Tiverton Public Library features soil testing, free seeds, family activities, local experts including RIWPS members ready to address your questions about native […]
Find RIWPS at the Party for the Planet at Roger Williams Park Zoo! Celebrate Earth Day and enjoy a family fun-filled day that emphasizes the importance of protecting our planet. Stop by our table and celebrate our native plants on April 16 from 9 to 3 and April 17 from 9 am to noon. Party […]
GET TO KNOW THE RARE PLANTS OF RHODE ISLAND Wednesday April 16, 2025 | 1:30- 2:30 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | No Kingstown, RI 02852 Sabatia kennedyana (Plymouth rose-gentian), South Kingstown, RI. State Endangered, photo DMcGrady Although small in size, Rhode Island has a wide range of ecological habitats that support a […]
Beaver River Field Visit Members can find details about this event in an email to them on March 26 (via Constant Contact) If you are a member and did not receive this email please contact office@riwps.org
Ecosystem Gardening with RI Native Wildflowers Come to a RIWPS presentation on April 22, 2025 at 6 pm for a talk at the East Greenwich Library 82 Pierce Street, East Greenwich. Want to turn your backyard into a bio-diverse refuge for the plants, birds, pollinators and animals that share our planet? Come and learn about […]
Pollinator Night at the Glass Station April 24th, 2025 | 6-7:30pm Glass Station | 446 Main Street | South Kingstown RSVP required - see link below Join the URI Bee Lab, RIWPS, and The Glass Station to learn about our local bees and the importance of pollinating flowering native and crop plants as we discuss […]
Transforming the Landscape Supporting Native Plants and Pollinators Audubon's 2025 Transforming the Landscape symposium will feature workshops and lectures with scientists, master gardeners, and environmental organizations including RIWPS. Take advantage of the opportunity to purchase of some ecotypic seeds, including from some ReSeedingRI species. RIWPS' ReSeeding RI initiative aims to increase the supply of these […]
Early blooms. Erythronium americanum ssp. americanum (American trout-lily), Grills, Westerly, RI Join biologist Denise Poyer on May 1 from 10 am to noon to discover early spring flowers at the Grills Wildlife Sanctuary in Bradford, RI. If our timing is right, we should see an abundance of the elusive trout lily, Erythronium americanum, a sweet […]
On May 10, 2025, starting at 9 am, find us at the Casey Farm, Farmers Market, 2325 Boston Neck Road, Saunderstown. For details about this sale and our other plant sales see our Native Plant Sales Page.
Join a beginner-friendly, educational plant walk led by Keri Brule at Trott-Perry Land Preserve in Scituate, Rhode Island. This easy, accessible walk will take place mostly along an open field. We’ll focus on identifying early emerging and spring edible plants, exploring their habitats, uses, and sustainable foraging practices. No experience is required—just bring your curiosity […]
doll's eye, white baneberry (Actea pachypoda), photo KAsher Join biologist Denise Poyer on May 16 from 10am to noon on the Ben Utter Trail in Exeter RI. We will discover early spring flowers deep in the Arcadia Management Area. We will first walk south on Sand Trail to look for Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana), […]
Ecosystem Gardening with RI Native Wildflowers May 20, 2025 | 5:30 pm A pollen-dusted Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) on Lilium superbum (Turk's-cap lily) Rhode Island Historical Society| Aldrich House, 110 Benevolent Street | Providence 02906 Join the Rhode Island Historical Society and the Wild Plant Society for a talk on how to use native […]
Join Roger Greene on June 5, 2025 from 10 am to noon to explore Simmons Mill Pond Management Area in Little Compton, RI. We’ll take a walk along the historic laneways through this globally rare Oak/Holly woodland. In early June we will see the transition from spring ephemerals which will be fruiting and going to […]
On June 7, 2025 from 10:00 am to noon, join Nathan Lambstrom, for a walk through the various ecosystems at George B. Parker Woodland Wildlife Refuge in Coventry RI. Participants will review basic identifying features of various native plants in leaf and flower, as well as practice the pattern recognition and other techniques used by […]
Join botanists Peter Del Tredici and Brian Maynard for an urban ecology walk on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, from 10 a.m. to noon, along the Pawtuxet River and through Oxboes State Park in Cranston. Peter Del Tredici, has written a field guide, Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast, featuring 268 common urban species – native […]
Hone your botanical observation skills and learn to identify plants! Join botanist Elizabeth Dickson for a workshop on how to key wildflowers using Newcomb's and GoBotany. Bring a copy of Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, a hand lens, and your cell phone, tablet or laptop. we will key out as many wildflowers as we can, and learn […]
On July 10, 2025 ,from 10 to noon, join Brian Maynard, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Sciences & Entomology at the University of Rhode Island, in an exploration of the varied habitats found at the Great Swamp Management Area in West Kingston, RI. Ranging from oak-maple forest to wetlands and powerlines we are sure […]
On July 27, 2025 from 10 am to 11:30 join this beginner-friendly, educational plant walk led by Keri Brule at Trott-Perry Land Preserve in Scituate, Rhode Island. We’ll focus on identifying summer edible plants, exploring their habitats, uses, and sustainable foraging practices. This easy, accessible walk will take place mostly along an open field. […]
Join Ethan Paiva & Nathan Archer from the Audubon Society of RI for a walk at Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in Exeter, RI. on August 7, 2025, from 10 am to noon. Come explore several different habitats including forest, fields and wetlands, observing birds, trees, plants and butterflies. Who knows what we will discover! This […]
Mushroom Hunting: Summer Session Wednesday August 20, 2025 | 1:15- 2:45 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | No Kingstown, RI 02852 On August 20, 2024 from 1:15 to 2:45, join Ryan Bouchard and Emily Schmidt from the Mushroom Hunting Foundation at the Beechwood Center for Life in North Kingstown, RI to learn about […]
Eutrochium fistulosum (hollow Joe-Pye weed) with monarch, photo DMcGrady This walk is cancelled due to illness. On September 4, 2025 from 10am to noon, join Marc Doherty, Westerly Land Trust's (WLT) Land Stewardship Manager for a slow walk around the coastal grasslands, shrublands and salt marsh at Westerly Land Trust's founding property, Avondale Farm Preserve. […]
On September 6, 2025, from 10 am noon, find us at the Pawtuxet Village Farmer's Market, 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston, RI Note: Members Presale 9 am to 10 am Not already a member? Join now For details about this sale and our other plant sales see our Native Plant Sales Page.
On September 13, 2025 from 10:00 am to noon, join Nathan Lambstrom at the Carter Preserve in Charlestown. We will use commonly available field guides to hone our ability to identify unknown trees, shrubs, and vines. The walk will traverse several ecosystem types and offer a chance to see some familiar and unfamiliar plants in […]
On October 2, 2025 from 10 am to noon, join Joe Jamroz, environmental enthusiast and advisory board member for the Neutaconkanut Hill Conservancy. We will explore parts of this conserved property and enjoy spectacular views of Providence. Rising nearly 300 feet above Narragansett Bay, the park is situated in the heart of the most densely […]
GETTING IT RIGHT MISUNDERSTOOD ARBORICULTURAL PRACTICES Wednesday October 15, 2025 | 1:30- 2:30 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | No Kingstown, RI 02852 photo DMcGrady Tree expert, Chris Fletcher, will discuss commonly misunderstood practices for caring for your trees including pruning, root collars, wood chip mulch, irrigation, cabling practices and root invigoration practices […]
Asian Bittersweet, photo from Invasive Plants: The Threat They Pose On 26 October 2025 from 1:00 to 3 pm, Tom Hoagland, President, Friends of Canonchet, and Alan Woodmansee, Master Gardener, will lead a guided trail walk in Canonchet Farm, a 124 acre second growth woodland that has become infested with invasive plants, shrubs and vines. […]
RIWPS' initiative ReSeeding RI will be participating in this event! SE New England Native Seed Exchange - November 9, 2025 12:00 - 3:00 pm Tillinghast Place, Barrington RI 231 Nayatt Rd, Barrington, RI 02806 The SE New England Native Seed Exchange is for anyone interested in native plants, including folks who are new to […]
Forests in a Changing Climate: Impacts on Trees and Ecosystems with Dr. Ali Kosiba Lisa Lofland Gould Program This program is underwritten by the Lisa Lofland Gould Native Plant Program Fund and sponsored by Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, Rhode Island Natural History Survey and University of Rhode Island Master Gardener Program. Saturday, December 6, 2025 1:00 pm […]
Interested in learning how to grow your own native plants? A team of gardeners from The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society and Master Gardeners from Kettle Pond and Trustom Pond projects will provide gardeners with the materials and information needed to winter sow native plants. Gardeners will sow seeds into a gallon milk jug and […]
Native Seed Winter Sowing Workshop Join the Aquidneck Land Trust, Rhode Island Wild Plant Society (RIWPS), and Middletown Public Library in this hands-on workshop. Learn how to turn your yard or community space into an oasis for wildlife! Thursday, January 22, 2026 · 5:30 - 7:o0pm Middletown Public Library 700 West Main Road, Middletown, […]
Growing Native: Successes, Setbacks, and Seeds Friday, January 30, 2026 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. online Join this program , organized by the Association to Preserve Cape Cod to get caught up with RIWPS propagation efforts. Sue Theriault, leader of RIWPS ecotypic seed program, ReSeeding RI, has propagating seed at RIWPS since 2018,. In […]
Interested in learning how to grow your own native plants? A team of gardeners from The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society and Master Gardeners from Kettle Pond and Trustom Pond projects will provide gardeners with the materials and information needed to winter sow native plants. Gardeners will sow seeds into a gallon milk jug and […]
Focus on Native and Sustainable Plants Wednesday February 18, 2026 | 1:30- 2:30 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | No Kingstown, RI 02852 Jane Case, owner of Blue Moon Farm Perennials will highlight newly developed and other favorite plants. Blue Moon Farm Perennials is home to the " largest diversity of quality […]
Supporting Pollinators with Native Plants Spring is around the corner! Learn how you can enhance your garden with native plants. Eutrochium fistulosum (hollow Joe-Pye weed) with monarch, photo DMcGrady Thursday 19, 2026 | 5 to 7 pm Rogers Free Library | 523 Hope St.| Bristol, RI The program includes Sue Theriault from RIWPS' ReSeeding RI […]
How Science, Fieldwork, and Time Reshape Our Understanding of New England’s Flora Annual Meeting & Guest Speaker Arthur Haines February 28, 2026 | 1:00 to 4:00 pm URI Pharmacy Building (room 170) | Kingston RI Driving directions, parking, how to find the building and lecture hall Schedule • 1:00 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship […]
On March 14, 2026, from 10:00 am to noon, join Nathan Lambstrom for a walk through URI’s North Woods, focusing on techniques and features we can use to identify trees in winter. For better or worse, many of our woody plants do not have leaves for most of the year. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing […]
Join us on March 26, 2026, from 11:30 an to 1:30 pm, to explore Audubon's Lathrop Wildlife Refuge on the shore of Winnapaug Pond, Westerly, RI. Salt marshes and salt ponds are both sensitive and resilient Rhode Island habitats. Scott Ruhren, Ph.D., Senior Director of Conservation, Audubon Society of Rhode Island will lead us around […]
Our first First Thursday walk of the season is April 2, 2026, from 10 am to noon. We will explore the Snake Den Farm parcel of Snake Den State Park with Chris Modisette, a retired forester with more than 40 years of service with the National Resources Conservation Service. Managed by the Northern Rhode Island […]
Bottle gentian with bumblebee Pollinating the Planet on an Individual Basis Wednesday April 15, 2026 | 1:30- 2:30 PM Beechwood Center | 44 Beach Street | North Kingstown, RI 02852 Steve Burke, president of the Rhode Island Beekeepers Association, has been a beekeeper for over 30 years. He teaches the Association’s yearly training program for beekeepers and […]
Local Bees: Pollinating Native Plants and Agricultural Crops Limited free spaces available, RSVP required. RSVP is through the Glass Station. CLICK HERE Join the URI Bee Lab, Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, and The Glass Station for an engaging look at our local bees and the vital role they play in pollinating native plants and […]