Partners for Native Landscaping
2024 Spring Series
February - April
The 2024 series has three parts
Part 1: February 20 - March 20
Tuesday, February 20, 7:00 p.m.
Keynote: Native Plants for Native Pollinators
Dr. Ed Spevak - Saint Louis Zoo
This talk will focus on the diversity of our native pollinators, from bees to butterflies to beetles to birds, and also the flies. Dr. Ed Spevak will share how these keystone species support our ecosystems, habitats, and food and how you can support them through rewilding your own yard and community.
Wednesday, February 21, 2:00 p.m.
Native Plant Gardening 101
Erin Goss - Shaw Nature Reserve
New to native plants and want to the learn more? This is the session for you! We’ll cover basic terminology and concepts, popular native plants for St. Louis gardens, and resources that can be used to answer common questions or help design, install, and maintain a native plant garden.
Tuesday, February 27, 7:00 p.m.
The Social Benefits of Trees
Rebecca Hankins - Forest ReLeaf of Missouri
Native trees aren't just for the birds. Trees offer people many ecosystem benefits, including cleaner air and energy savings. They offer surprising social benefits too, including improved mental health, connectivity, and ways to address environmental injustices.
Wednesday, February 28, 2:00 p.m.
Native? Invasive? Exotic? Choose Eco-Logically
Jean Ponzi - Earthways Center
Meet some WILD-ly wonderful options to bio-diversify our home and community lands! Green Jean Ponzi shares how plant choices matter to birds, bugs and people - and why some good-looking plants go bad.
Tuesday, March 5, 7:00 p.m.
Using iNaturalist in Your Garden
Dr. Nina Fogel - ShutterBee & Washington University
This talk will demonstrate how you can use the platform iNaturalist to catalog the wildlife benefiting from your native plant habitat and give tips for taking photos of animals using your smartphone.
Wednesday, March 6, 2:00 p.m.
Native Plant Food Gardening Panel
Dr. Nadia Navarrete Tindall - Lincoln University
Matt Lebon - Custom Foodscaping
Dean Gunderson - Seed STL
Moderator: Jean Ponzi
If you like the idea of growing food and restoring our ecosystem at the same time, this panel discussion features three experts who are on the leading edge of growing food as sustenance for wildlife and humans alike.
Tuesday, March 12, 7:00 p.m.
Kill Your Lawn for the Birds
Emily Connor - Audubon Riverlands & Dan Pearson - St. Louis Audubon
Grass lawn is a landscaping fashion trend that is now among the top drivers of habitat loss for birds and other wildlife in the country. By making space for native plants instead, we can help to improve the health of our ecosystem to the benefit of birds and humans alike. We will explore the natural beauty and practical functionality of native plants as well as resources that can help anyone, anywhere dig into native plants for birds!
Wednesday, March 13, 2:00 p.m
Container Gardening with Native Plants
Joan Klingensmith - Shaw Nature Reserve
You don’t always need a sprawling garden or prairie planting to contribute to the vital movement of native gardening for biodiverse habitat. Container gardening with natives is a great way to add beauty and biodiversity to your space. Learn about the advantages and limitations of growing natives in containers, including tips on container choices, placement, and soil mix preparation. Native plant selection, the year-round maintenance of containers, and some design basics will also be discussed.
Tuesday, March 19, 7:00 p.m.
Planning for Future Drought with Native Plants
Shannon Callahan - St. Louis Audubon
Learn about the importance of planning for future droughts. Leave this presentation with an understanding of how climate change is predicted to affect our growing-season precipitation patterns and what Missouri native species you can plant to support wildlife and withstand drought while looking beautiful in your landscape.
Wednesday, March 20, 2:00 p.m.
Native Landscaping for Butterflies & Moths
Chris Hartley - Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House
Attracting more butterflies to your yard is sometimes as easy as choosing their favorite plants. This talk will describe the 20 most common butterfly species in Missouri along with their host plants and popular nectar plants. We will also cover a few noteworthy moths that are commonly seen in home gardens.
