Learn to nurture nature at your house at Dundee library
As your own backyard comes back to life, learn how it can support a national movement to nurture native plants, insects, birds and wildlife. The “Bringing Nature Home” film and panel discussion will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, at the Dundee Library, 555 Barrington Ave., East Dundee.
The library welcomes the Northern Kane County Chapter of Wild Ones, along with Dundee Township, for the presentation of a locally-taped lecture of Doug Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants,” followed by a live discussion from a local panel of experts.
Native plants are crucial to the survival of insects, birds, and animals. Because 95 percent of the continental American landscape is now planted with exotic species, we are reaching a tipping point for critical insect/wildlife species.
Tallamy is an entomologist at the University of Delaware who lectures on the vital connection between native vegetation and insect and wildlife populations. Native plants are a vital component of the landscape; without them, there would not be the insect populations to feed the birds and wildlife. All plants are not created equal. The plants native to this area provide ecosystem services and benefits that nonnative plants can’t provide. The good news is that everyone with a yard or a plot of ground can help fix this.
Carol Rice manages the mentoring program for the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee in McHenry County. She is a native plant proponent and has gardened with native plants for more than 20 years.
Sue Harney is the Dundee Township Supervisor, overseeing the purchase, restoration and reclamation of 862 acres of Dundee Township Open Space. She is vice chairman of the Kane County Planning Commission and has been active in planning and restoration for more than 20 years.
Jim Cudney’s involvement in the native plant movement came from attending local preserve work days. He is the communications chairman for the Northern Kane County Wild Ones and a participant in the WPPC 2011 mentoring program.
The program is free. Registration is recommended. To register, visit the library’s “Events & Registration” page at dundeelibrary.info, call (847) 428-3661, ext. 308, or stop by the Information Services Desk on the main level.