Pre-registration required.

Cost: $35 (25% off for BGA Members)

In this informal, hands-on introduction to common grasses, Nancy will highlight differences between cool and warm season grasses, go through some dry samples and talk about the habitats where they are commonly found and which ones work well for landscaping.  She’ll also share a few slides about some of the grass skippers and other butterflies that depend on grasses as host plants, and highlight how you can help us learn more by documenting what you see in iNaturalist. Participants are welcome to bring samples they want help identifying. She’ll also share additional resources for those interested in delving more deeply into grassland communities. Depending on timing, visibility of grasses on site, and weather, we may explore the Garden grounds together. She recommends downloading iNaturalist and Seek by iNaturalist for those interested in documenting what they see.

Instructor

Dr. Nancy Adamson is an ecologist interested in community connections between plants, people, pollinators, other wildlife, and the micro-organisms we all depend on. She studied native grass establishment at the University of Maryland (MS) and native bees important for crop pollination at Virginia Tech (PhD). She has worked in environmental conservation throughout her career—with the Xerces Society, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, briefly with Virginia’s Natural Heritage Program, and now with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Newberry, SC. She hopes you’re inspired to support healthy communities and to document plant visitors to improve understanding of community connections. Find her pollinator clips on YouTube c/o MelittologyNancy.