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!

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

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!