Tending Nature Speaker Series

Register Here


This 6-session webinar series focuses on the ecological roles of native plants and some of the creatures that depend on them. We’ll meet virtually at 10AM EASTERN each Friday for 6 weeks from January 7th through February 11th.

All sessions are on Fridays at 10AM EASTERN and will last for approximately 60 minutes plus questions. Join live sessions or connect to webinar recordings.

1/7  Beneficial Insect Biodiversity: What It Is and Why It Matters

Mary Gardiner: author and professor, The Ohio State University

1/14 Bringing Nature Home: The Importance of Native Plants

Doug Tallamy: author and professor, The University of Delaware

1/21 Cultivating a Community of Support for Native Plants

Lisa Olsen: Wild Ones:Native Plants, Natural Landscapes

1/28 Host-plant Specialist Bees – Biology, Biodiversity, and Conserving Them in Your Backyard

Bryan Danforth: author and professor, Cornell University

2/4  Bumble Bee Banquet: Selecting Native Plants for Bumble Bees

Heather Holm: author and biologist

2/11 Native Plants in My Garden? Absolutely!

Debra Knapke: author and garden designer

Sponsored by the OSU Department of Entomology and The Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens and is funded in part by a USDA/NIFA Integrated Pest Management Pollinator Health grant.

Coordinated by Denise Ellsworth, OSU Department of Entomology. Questions? contact Denise at ellsworth.2@osu.edu

Register once to attend any/all sessions. The same link will allow you to join each webinar.

This event will be presented with automated closed captions. If you wish to request traditional CART services or other accommodations, please contact Denise Ellsworth at ellsworth.2@osu.edu. Requests made by will 12/31/21 generally allow us to provide seamless access, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

Check back for speaker links, resources and recordings (when available).

14 thoughts on “Tending Nature Speaker Series

  1. These lecturers are professional and passionate about their messages. Learning from them is a great experience and greatly appreciated for their commitment.

  2. The initial presentation by Mary Gardiner on beneficial insects was spot on. Light hearted but insightful with a large amount of information that is useful especially to Master Gardeners as myself. The weekly presentations in this series are on my calendar.

  3. I loved yesterday’s session so much, thank you for organizing this. I Had to bail before it was over and am now going to rewatch the recording, thanks for that service too.

  4. Thanks so much for such an interesting and informative program. I truly appreciate all the effort it must take to coordinate these. I look forward to the ones remaining. Thanks again!

  5. These are very informative and important programs. I am guessing that the audience, well, it’s somewhat like preaching to the choir. How do these messages reach a broader audience? I am disillusioned by people in power. It has to be a grass root involvement. How to accomplice that?

    • Accomplice is right! We need a bunch of informed accomplices to accomplish a proselytization of the mowers and the shakers. Peace. Loved the program, love Mary, love Denise!!!

  6. I just watched the initial presentation. Mary was informative, friendly, and knowledgeable. We are working to restore both our backyard and a future nature preserve. Thank you for this wonderful presentation.

  7. As usual, another highly informative presentation by Mary. I have recommended all OSU talks to others. They are very well organized and always excellent.

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