Tuesday, September 17, 2024Social 6:30 pm. | Program 7:00 pm
Wood Lake Nature Center, Richfield MN
This hybrid program will also be available on online, but will not be recorded.
Presenter: Leah Darst
Explore the lives of monarch butterflies with an overview of their life cycle, migration, and conservation. Discuss their plant preferences and the best ways to help this charismatic flagship species.
Leah Darst is an Education Specialist, offering professional development workshops, public programs, and other outreach through
Monarch Joint Venture. She has been a naturalist for over 20 years: at seven nature centers across Minnesota, the
Minnesota Zoo, and through her own business,
Nature Enthusiations. She's been on the Board of Directors for the
Minnesota Dragonfly Society since 2018 and is also their Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator and current President. This 'bug lady' is an enthusiastic educator who loves finding connections with people to collaboratively learn and share about the natural world, with a special interest in invertebrates and conservation.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Habitat Tent at the Monarch Festival!
TO BE RESCHEDULED DUE TO ILLNESS:
Chasing Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers
Meet Phyllis Root and Kelly Povo, authors of Searching for Minnesota’s Native Wildflowers; A Guide for Beginners, Botanists, and Everyone in Between.
 |
| Lesser purple fringed orchid |
Phyllis Root is a writer, Kelly Povo is a photographer, and they love searching for and learning about Minnesota's native wildflowers—the ones that have been growing here for centuries. They happily climb steep hills, wade streams, search in bogs and fens, and brake for wildflowers they see along the road. Learn about the wildflowers they search for, why they search, and where they (sometimes) find some of Minnesota’s little-known native wildflower treasures. They will also share stories of their own adventures (and misadventures) that led to their first book, a Northeastern Minnesota Book Award finalist, and to their forthcoming book,
Wildflower Chasing: An Adventurous Guide to Minnesota's Native Wildflowers and Their Unique Habitats.
 |
| Well-dressed flowerchasers |
Phyllis, an award-winning author, has written many picture books about Minnesota, including
Big Belching Bog,
Plant a Pocket of Prairie,
One North Star, and
The Lost Forest, all published by the University of Minnesota Press. Kelly, a professional photographer for over thirty years, has exhibited in galleries and art shows across the country. Her photographs have been published on posters, calendars, note cards, and in books.
After their first book about wildflowers Kelly and Phyllis started a blog (
flowerchasers.com), and they frequently send audio postcards of their searches to Minnesota Public Radio. They are still chasing flowers and love sharing what they learn with fellow wildflower lovers.
Whatever they are doing, Phyllis and Kelly laugh—a lot.
