The free webinar series will feature five sessions intended to guide you from start to finish in creating gardens that benefit pollinators and other wildlife. Join us and explore the importance of restoring our increasingly fragmented and disappearing native habitats beginning in our own backyards—whether small or large.
Book Recommendations
We’ve collaborated with local bookstore, Loganberry Books, to set up an easy-to-use, one-stop bookshop to find and purchase all the titles. This includes pre-ordering our Session 1 presenter Uli Lorimer’s The Northeast Native Plant Primer: 235 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden, which is scheduled to ship on May 10.
Session 3: Forests and Pollinators: Sustaining a Close-knit Ecosystem
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
1:00 – 4:00 pm ET
FREE
The third of five, this session will focus on the integral role trees play in attracting pollinators to our gardens. Our presenters will address oaks and other woody species in our landscape, and how pests are affecting our forests, and in turn pollinators.
The third of five, this session will focus on the integral role trees play in attracting pollinators to our gardens. Our presenters will address oaks and other woody species in our landscape, and how pests are affecting our forests, and in turn pollinators.
1:00 pm ET
The American Oaks: Diversity, Ecology and Identification
Tim Boland, Executive Director, The Polly Hill Arboretum
Familiarity with oaks is vital for anyone looking to garden for biodiversity. Tim will give an overview of the great diversity of oaks found throughout North America, and locally in the Midwest, while he also shares its fascinating evolutionary history and challenges posed by disease and climate change. Tim will show us how to identify the species native to the Midwest and offer guidance on species selection, installation, and maintenance for establishing oak trees in our managed landscapes.
2:00 pm ET
Forest Health Research: Protecting the Forest Ecosystem
David Burke, Ph.D., Vice President for Science and Conservation, Holden Forests & Gardens
Beech and hemlock trees, an important part of northeast forest ecology, are in danger of disappearing as result of beech leaf disease and hemlock wooly adelgid, a non-native insect attacking hemlocks. These trees play a vital role by providing deep shade along creeks, which maintains cool micro-climates critical to the survival of trout and other cold-water species.
Additionally, these forested areas are part of a heterogenous landscape where agriculture, is nestled closely with natural and developed areas. This creates a complex habitat for wildlife and small insects, including native bees. Dr. Burke will explain the latest research being conducted in the hope of saving these ecologically valuable trees.
3:00 pm ET
Selecting Native Trees and Shrubs that Support Pollinators
Heather Holm, Author and Biologist
While most trees are wind-pollinated, the ones that are insect-pollinated provide important forage for pollinators, especially in early spring. Learn about which canopy trees, small trees, and shrubs are insect-pollinated and the types of pollinators each plant attracts. Factors influencing pollinator visitation include flower structure, flower resources, flowering phenology, and the plant community where the woody plant occurs will also be discussed.
Speaker Biographies:
Tim Boland
Executive Director, The Polly Hill Arboretum
Tim Boland has been the Executive Director at the Polly Hill Arboretum on the island of Martha’s Vineyard since 2004. He previously held positions as Curator at Polly Hill Arboretum and The Morton Arboretum. Tim is a plantsman with varied interests which include oaks, magnolias and the genus Stewartia. His work at the Arboretum includes developing a modern working flora of Martha’s Vineyard and the adjacent islands. Tim also travels widely to collect seed for the Arboretum’s collections with nearly a dozen trips around North America over the last decade focused on native Stewartia and endangered oaks. The goal of these trips is to develop a scientific collection of woody plants, as well as to introduce new plants into American horticulture. Tim’s initial work with oaks began in 1995 when he traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to study oak diversity as part of his graduate studies at Michigan State University. In 2018, Tim was appointed to the board of the International Oak society where he is chair of the oak research and conservation committee. Tim has a BS in Ornamental Horticulture from MSU and a Masters of Science in Plant Systematics from the Botany and Plant Pathology Department at MSU.
David Burke, PhD.
Vice President for Science and Conservation, Holden Forests & Gardens
Dr. David Burke is the Vice President for Science and Conservation at Holden Forests & Gardens. His primary research interest as an ecologist has been the interaction between plants and soil microorganisms. Of special interest are the mycorrhizal fungi that form mutually beneficial relationships with plants that can enhance plant growth, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and affect plant community composition. David believes a deeper understanding of how mycorrhizal fungi interact with plants will be necessary to develop sound management of ecosystems. Holden Forests & Gardens works with the Great Lakes Basin Forest Health Collaborative and the U.S. Forest Service.
Heather Holm
Author and Biologist
Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. In addition to assisting with native bee research projects, she informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinator and native plants. She is a National Honorary Director of Wild Ones and serves on the boards of several non-profits. Currently she is working on three projects with volunteers, restoring approximately ten acres of city-owned park land in her neighborhood for pollinators and people.
Advanced registration is required, a link for the virtual program will be sent upon registration.