Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners to host tree ID expert Jack Shouba

You know the old joke: “How do you tell a dogwood? By its bark.” The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners November meeting will focus on winter tree identification presented by Jack Shouba.

Jack Shouba, a teacher, photographer, and botanist, will present how you can identify many trees by their bark, but also by their shape, color, branching pattern, habitat, leaves, flowers, and fruits. A close look at winter buds and twigs reveal fascinating details. Everyone loves oak trees, but do you know how to tell our state tree from other common oaks? Attend the meeting to learn the oak song which provides that information.

The meeting will be 6:45 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave.

Shouba is a retired biology and chemistry teacher, he taught classes on local flora, tree identification, and other natural history and photography subjects at the Morton Arboretum for over 20 years.

Long active in conservation, Shouba has received numerous honors, including the Dick Young Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District and the Lucinda Muirhead Corron Award from the Corron Farm Preservation Society.

His photographs have been published in Chicago Wilderness and Outdoor Illinois magazines, and used by conservation organizations such as Save the Prairie Society, the Conservation Foundation, the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, and Campton Township. He currently serves as a Director of Friends of Illinois Nature Preserves.

The Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners is open to all persons interested in gardening. The 501(c)3 organization promotes a love of sustainable gardening and the natural world through education and volunteerism.

For more information, visit bataviaplaindirtgardeners.org, or contact bataviaplaindirtgardeners@gmail.com.