Western Reserve Land Conservancy, The Cleveland Pollinator and Native Plant Symposium and Nature Spark are pleased to announce the return of their collaborative series, Inviting Biodiversity into Our Gardens and Beyond. The symposium features nationally and regionally renowned experts to help viewers create vibrant, ecologically resilient gardens and greenspaces that benefit pollinators and wildlife. Inviting Biodiversity into Our Gardens and Beyond will inspire homeowners, horticulturists, botanists, naturalists, educators, conservationists, landscape designers, and other to learn more about the value of using native plants and trees to create and maintain healthy habitats.
This symposium is organized by Ann Cicarella of the Cleveland Pollinator and Native Plant Symposium, Judy Semroc of Nature Spark and Renee Boronka at Western Reserve Land Conservancy.
1:00 PM ET
Discovering Flower Bugs and Their Connection to Native Plants
Angella Moorehouse, Natural Areas Preservation Specialist, Illinois
What is a true bug? Most people can identify a butterfly or a bumblebee, but when we encounter a true bug, we are stumped. When Moorehouse shines a light on flower bugs with their kaleidoscopic array of colors, you will be curious and then charmed by these bugs in the order Heteroptera (40,000 and still counting). She showcases the diversity of a misunderstood and underappreciated group of flower-visiting insects and the important role they play in natural areas, providing essential ecological services, such as pest control and pollination.
2:00 PM ET
Native Plants, Your Backyard and Climate Change
Trevor Smith, Design and Education Manager, Weston Nurseries
Trevor Smith will take you past the scary statistics and the heartbreaking photographs and discuss what sorts of things you can do about climate change in your own backyard. He will discuss the plant-soil connection, the importance of biodiversity and overall, how native plants help the climate via hydrology, habitat, and restoring carbon cycling.
About the Speakers
Angella Moorehouse has worked for 27 years as a field representative for the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission. She has BS and MS degrees in Biology from Western Illinois University with a focus on avian and plant ecology. Her principal duties involve the long-term protection of high-quality natural areas using conservation easements, land acquisition and management agreements. Angella has spent the past eight years using photography to document location, habitat, and plant associations for insects other terrestrial invertebrates. She created and published rapid field guides using her photographs to aid in field identification of wasps, bees, flies, and moths in partnership with The Field Museum of Chicago.
Trevor Smith specializes in green storm water infrastructure, such as permeable pavers and rain gardens, as well as landscapes designed to maximize Earth’s systems while balancing them with the needs and desire of her human inhabitants. He is equally driven by both the form and function of his landscape designs. Smith is passionate about the natural world which inspires his commitment to ecological principles and practices devoted to creating beautiful landscapes that allow clients to reconnect with nature. Trevor holds many landscape certifications including NOFA, MCH, AOLCP, LEED GA and IPIC. He is also a past president of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and a current Trustee.
Advanced registration is required.
Fee: FREE
Please use this Zoom link to register for Inviting Biodiversity into Our Gardens and Beyond: Session 3
Special thank you to our sponsors:
Organizer: Renee Boronka, rboronka@wrlandconservancy.org, 216-533-8761