Plants native to Evanston
speaker series
@ Terry Miesle, rusty-patched bumble bee

About the Endangered Rusty-patched Bumble Bee

Wednesday
October 21, 2026
6:30 pm
-
7:30 pm
Zoom

About our topic

Screening of Ghost in the Making, a short film, followed by a talk and questions with Libby Shafer, urban ecologist, on the Rusty-patched and local sightings

About Ghost in the Making (19 minutes). Everyone has heard about bee declines, but with so much attention focused on domesticated honeybees, someone has to speak up for the 4,000 species of native bees in North America. Natural history photographer Clay Bolt is on a multi-year quest to tell the stories of our native bees, and one elusive species – the Rusty-patched Bumble Bee – has become his white whale.

Traveling from state to state in search of the Rusty-patched, he meets the scientists and conservationists working tirelessly to preserve it. Clay’s journey finally brings him to Wisconsin, where he comes face to face with his quarry and discovers an answer to the question that has been nagging him: why save a species?

About the speaker

Libby Shafer is an urban ecologist fascinated by lawn culture, bumble bees, and social and environmental change. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden’s joint program in Plant Biology & Conservation in the Rethinking Lawns Lab. Her socio‑ecological research explores how shifts in lawn culture can better support plants, people, and pollinators. Libby was born and raised in Evanston and recently moved back. She also serves on the City of Evanston’s Environment Board.

Sponsored by Natural Habitat Evanston

We are 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, give them safe passage). 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.
Natural Habitat Evanston is a program of Climate Action Evanston.