Plants native to Evanston
speaker series
Dive into Chicagoland's diverse ecosystems with engaging, expert-led talks on nature. This journey is about marveling at nature and understanding our changing environment and actions we can take to enhance our urban environment and our own health, enjoyment and place in it.
Each presentation shares a piece of this story. Explore topics from our nighttime skies to the challenges faced by urban wildlife. From tales of butterflies and dragonflies to insights into the future of disease management (such as ticks) amid climate change. Secure your spot now!
Upcoming Presentations
@ Centers for Disease Control

New Neighbors: Invasive Mosquitoes, Urban Ticks in our Public Health Landscape

Mark E. Clifton, Ph.D.
North Shore Mosquito Abatement District
Wednesday
August 19, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom
@ Allison Sloan, bicolored striped sweat bee

From Canopy to Groundlayer: Building Soft Landings

Heather Holm
Pollinator conservationist and award-winning author
Thursday
September 17, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom
@ Terry Miesle, rusty-patched bumble bee

About the Endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee

Ghost in the Making and Libby Shafer
A short film, and an urban ecologist
Wednesday
October 21, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom
@ Wikimedia commons photochem_PA from State College, PA

Leaves are not Litter!

Max Ferlauto
Maryland State Entomologist
Wednesday
November 18, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom
@ Rider Panduro

Is this what conservation looks like? Lessons from Indigenous America and Local Activists

Alaka Wali
Field Museum
Wednesday
December 16, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom
Past Presentations
@ Centers for Disease Control

New Neighbors: Invasive Mosquitoes, Urban Ticks in our Public Health Landscape

Mark E. Clifton, Ph.D.
North Shore Mosquito Abatement District
(Video coming soon!)
@ Holly Greenberg and @ Libby Shafer

Evanston Conservation Initiatives

Holly Greenberg and Libby Shafer
Artist-Activist and Urban Ecologist
(Video coming soon!)
@ Chanchal Cabrera

The Foraged Pharmacy

Chanchal Cabrera
Author, Former chair, Botanical Medicine, Boucher Institute
(Video coming soon!)

The choices we make: A short primer on choices in your garden

Kelsay Shaw
Possibility Place Nursery
(Video coming soon!)
@ Dr. Teresa Horton

Healthy People, Healthy Planet

Dr. Teresa Horton
Northwestern University Department of Anthropology
(Video coming soon!)
@ Thierry Vrain

Glyphosate, engineered food, and your health

Dr. Thierry Vrain
Retired soil biologist, Canadian Dept of Agriculture
(Video coming soon!)
@ Jeffrey Forgash

A Light Proposal: Restore the Nights of Evanston

Ken Walczak
DarkSky International and Adler Planetarium
(Video coming soon!)
@ Laine Hoffman

Cities Are For Songbirds: Conservation and Coexistence in Biophilic Cities

Timothy Beatley, PhD
School of Architecture, University of Virginia
(Video coming soon!)
@ Ryan Michalesko

Crane Migrations: Securing critical stopovers across political borders

Dr. George Archibald
International Crane Foundation, Co-Founder & Senior Conservationist
(Video coming soon!)
@ Mike Nowak

Fixing Climate Change in Your Backyard (and Frontyard)

Mike Nowak
Award-winning journalist and radio broadcaster
(Video coming soon!)
@ 1987 Bennie Bengston and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

How are Native Plants Adapting to Climate Disruption?

Emily Dangremond
President, Illinois Native Plant Society
(Video coming soon!)
@ Kim Erndt-Pitcher

Herbicide Drift.  Are trees impacted here?

Kim Erndt-Pitcher
Prairie Rivers Network Director of Ecological Health
(Video coming soon!)
@ Leslie Shad

What do our Migratory Birds find overwintering in Costa Rica?

Debra Hamilton
President, Costa Rica Conservation Foundation
(Video coming soon!)
@ Kathy Ruttenberg

Twilight in the Garden of Hope: Nature as Inspiration

Kathy Ruttenberg
Multidisciplinary artist (sculpture, painting, and animation)
(Video coming soon!)
@ Jamie Walter

The Dark Side of Outdoor Light

Robert Sullivan
Retired, Argonne National Laboratory
(Video coming soon!)
@ illinoiswildflowers.info

A guide to restoring the little things that run the world

Doug Tallamy
Univ. of Delaware, TA Baker Professor of Agriculture and Natural Resources
(Video coming soon!)
@ Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo

Biodiversity in the city: using acoustics to understand the bats of Chicago

Liza W. Lehrer, M.S.
Assistant Director, Urban Wildlife Institute Lincoln Park Zoo
(Video coming soon!)
@ Pam Karlson

Birds in the Garden: Creating & Enjoying a Bird Oasis

Pam Karlson
Professional Gardener and Public Speaker

Mental Health amid Climate Disruption, Biodiversity Dwindling and Losses

Lise Van Susteren
Clinical Associate Prof, Psychiatry, George Washington University
(Video coming soon!)

Climate and Sustainability: the Challenge for Mosquito-Disease Control

Mark Clifton, Ph.D.
Executive Director, North Shore Mosquito Abatement District
(Video coming soon!)
@ iStock SteveByland

Urban Rats: how to Manage them and Let Wildlife Thrive

Larry Heaney
Negaunee Curator of Mammals, Field Museum
(Video coming soon!)

Butterflies and Dragonflies

Doug Taron
Curator of Biology, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
(Video coming soon!)
@Laine Hoffman

Bird Collisions: Hazardous Features and Easy Solutions

Annette Prince
Director, Chicago Bird Collision Monitors
(Video coming soon!)

Our Urban Wildlife: Coyotes, Bats, Rats and other critters

Seth Magle, Ph.D.
Director, Urban Wildlife Institute, Lincoln Park Zoo
(Video coming soon!)
NASA, Unsplash

It’s A Night Thing: How Dispelling the Dark has Altered our World

Ken Walczak
DarkSky International and Adler Planetarium
(Video coming soon!)
ABOUT NATURAL HABITAT EVANSTON
Natural Habitat Evanston, a program of Climate Action Evanston, is an all-volunteer community group of about 1,500 members, spreading the word on creating habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife. We aim to change the culture of lawns: leaving your leaves is the simplest first step; the second step is adding a native shrub or tree to shrink your lawn. We show how to transition from turf with low-cost cardboard methods, which keystone native plants to choose, that insects chewing on leaves is a ‘win’ (don't reach for pesticide), how turning off unnecessary lights saves insects and birds (and human health), and how to make your windows bird-friendly (because if you are going to invite birds to your yard, let them visit safely). We plant a lot of native trees and shrubs, especially at schools, parks and in the 2nd and 5th Wards.
We encourage people to think outside the lawn with No Mow May. Our Pollinator Pledge is a central focus of all our outreach and education, and a great way to spread the word to your neighbors.