Monarchs Across Georgia
Creating Landscapes for Beauty, Biodiversity & Ecological Benefits
Saturday, May 17, 2025
9 AM - 3 PM
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
2450 South Milledge Avenue
Athens, GA 30605
9 AM - 3 PM
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
2450 South Milledge Avenue
Athens, GA 30605
Cost: $85 -- Includes catered box lunch and full agenda
Deadline for event registration is May 10, 2025. Deadline for book pre-orders is May 1, 2025.
Deadline for event registration is May 10, 2025. Deadline for book pre-orders is May 1, 2025.
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A block of rooms has been reserved at the Georgia Center. Book by April 16, 2025 online using code 47925 or call 706-542-2134.
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Keynote Speaker: Heather Holm
Attracting Bees and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants
Most insects have a positive impact in our landscapes. Native plants can be selected to attract specific bees and beneficial insects including predatory and parasitic wasps, beetles, flies, true bugs, and lacewings. Learn about the predator-prey relationships of these flower-visiting beneficial insects and how they help keep problem insect populations in balance. The life cycles, diversity, and nesting habitat of native bees will also be covered along with examples of native plants for different site conditions.
Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.
Most insects have a positive impact in our landscapes. Native plants can be selected to attract specific bees and beneficial insects including predatory and parasitic wasps, beetles, flies, true bugs, and lacewings. Learn about the predator-prey relationships of these flower-visiting beneficial insects and how they help keep problem insect populations in balance. The life cycles, diversity, and nesting habitat of native bees will also be covered along with examples of native plants for different site conditions.
Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.
Megachile pugnata (Heather Holm)
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Agenda
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Pre-order these book titles from our presenters and partners when you register! (Pre-orders available through May 1, 2025.)
$22
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$28
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$15
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Session 1 Options | 10:30 to 11:30 AM
Doctors by Nature
Jaap de Roode is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University, where he runs a research lab, and teaches courses on biology, evolution and infectious diseases. Most of de Roode’s research focuses on monarch butterflies and their parasites, and his work has shown that monarchs are experiencing ever increasing parasite prevalence. Following his research that showed that monarchs can use toxic milkweed as medicine, he wrote the popular science book “Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes & Other Animals Heal Themselves,” to be published in March 2025.
Habitat Clinic for Pollinator Gardens
Do you want to improve your pollinator habitat, but aren’t sure how to apply everything you have read or heard to your yard? Or maybe you know what you want to do but are not sure how to get started. There is lots of great “big picture” information available about creating pollinator gardens or larger pollinator plantings. However, there are not many opportunities to say “This is what I want to do. This is what I am struggling with. How do I make it work on my property?” and then get customized advice that is specific to you and your unique situation. That is what this Habitat Clinic is for. Join Shannon and Anthony Trimboli, co-hosts of Backyard Ecology, for a completely Q&A-driven session where we dive deep into answering your questions and providing you with customized guidance for taking the next step toward achieving your unique pollinator habitat goals. Do not have a burning question of your own? Come anyway. It is common for audience members to get answers to questions that they did not know they had, just by listening to the other questions that are asked.
Pollinator Garden Tour
Enjoy a walk with Donna Gast through beautiful and diverse gardens full of bees, butterflies, and more! Learn about plants that support these pollinators in a variety of habitats including woodlands and piedmont prairie. The focus will be on native plants and Georgia Pollinator Plants of the Year. The terrain is hilly, so wear your walking shoes!
Jaap de Roode is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University, where he runs a research lab, and teaches courses on biology, evolution and infectious diseases. Most of de Roode’s research focuses on monarch butterflies and their parasites, and his work has shown that monarchs are experiencing ever increasing parasite prevalence. Following his research that showed that monarchs can use toxic milkweed as medicine, he wrote the popular science book “Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes & Other Animals Heal Themselves,” to be published in March 2025.
Habitat Clinic for Pollinator Gardens
Do you want to improve your pollinator habitat, but aren’t sure how to apply everything you have read or heard to your yard? Or maybe you know what you want to do but are not sure how to get started. There is lots of great “big picture” information available about creating pollinator gardens or larger pollinator plantings. However, there are not many opportunities to say “This is what I want to do. This is what I am struggling with. How do I make it work on my property?” and then get customized advice that is specific to you and your unique situation. That is what this Habitat Clinic is for. Join Shannon and Anthony Trimboli, co-hosts of Backyard Ecology, for a completely Q&A-driven session where we dive deep into answering your questions and providing you with customized guidance for taking the next step toward achieving your unique pollinator habitat goals. Do not have a burning question of your own? Come anyway. It is common for audience members to get answers to questions that they did not know they had, just by listening to the other questions that are asked.
Pollinator Garden Tour
Enjoy a walk with Donna Gast through beautiful and diverse gardens full of bees, butterflies, and more! Learn about plants that support these pollinators in a variety of habitats including woodlands and piedmont prairie. The focus will be on native plants and Georgia Pollinator Plants of the Year. The terrain is hilly, so wear your walking shoes!
Session 2 Options | 12:30 to 1:30 PM
Connect to Protect: A Call to Action from a Conservation Botanist, in Solidarity and in Hope
Jennifer Ceska is the Conservation Coordinator at The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia.
The news about our environment can seem daunting and overwhelming. But we still hold hope, there is time to act, and we must get started. As native plant and insect lovers, we will discuss actions we can all take to help wildlife here in Georgia. Through stories, inspiration, and instructions for actions, Jennifer will share her mission to restore native plants to the land and share her vision on how we all can be part of the solution. No garden space or patio or window-box or right of way is too small. For the plants, the people, and the plenty of species that rely upon them, let’s connect to protect for biodiversity!
Moths: The Unsung Heroes of Pollinator and Wildlife Gardens
Moths may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to the animals you want to attract to your pollinator or wildlife garden. But moths play extremely important roles in the backyard ecosystems we are creating. Join Shannon Trimboli, founder and co-host of Backyard Ecology, to learn about moth diversity, the important roles they play in the ecosystem, how to attract them, and some fun ways to observe them.
Butterfly Identification
Anna Yellin, wildlife biologist with Georgia Department of Natural Resources, will share helpful tips on how to identify our native butterflies. She will also talk about some great online resources, apps, and citizen science projects that are open to anyone hoping to connect with and learn more about our butterflies.
Jennifer Ceska is the Conservation Coordinator at The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia.
The news about our environment can seem daunting and overwhelming. But we still hold hope, there is time to act, and we must get started. As native plant and insect lovers, we will discuss actions we can all take to help wildlife here in Georgia. Through stories, inspiration, and instructions for actions, Jennifer will share her mission to restore native plants to the land and share her vision on how we all can be part of the solution. No garden space or patio or window-box or right of way is too small. For the plants, the people, and the plenty of species that rely upon them, let’s connect to protect for biodiversity!
Moths: The Unsung Heroes of Pollinator and Wildlife Gardens
Moths may not be the first thing you think of when it comes to the animals you want to attract to your pollinator or wildlife garden. But moths play extremely important roles in the backyard ecosystems we are creating. Join Shannon Trimboli, founder and co-host of Backyard Ecology, to learn about moth diversity, the important roles they play in the ecosystem, how to attract them, and some fun ways to observe them.
Butterfly Identification
Anna Yellin, wildlife biologist with Georgia Department of Natural Resources, will share helpful tips on how to identify our native butterflies. She will also talk about some great online resources, apps, and citizen science projects that are open to anyone hoping to connect with and learn more about our butterflies.
Session 3 Options | 1:45 to 2:45 PM
Fireflies
A rare species of firefly has recently been discovered at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia. The Loopy Five, named for its looping flight pattern, has been spotted in high concentration in the wetlands boardwalk area on the garden’s orange trail. Join Amaad Blades, Wildlife Technician for Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to discover the communication systems in fireflies, including how they produce and perceive signals, and how the environment influences them.
Searching for Signals of Monarch Butterfly Overwintering
Charlotte Hovland is an MS student working with Dr. Sonia Altizer at the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology.
In recent years, there have been several isolated reports of eastern North American monarch butterflies overwintering in the US Southeast, rather than proceeding to their winter range in Mexico. Unlike resident breeding populations, which have also been observed in the Southeast, these overwintering populations appear to remain in reproductive diapause – not reproducing outside of the breeding season. In this session, I’ll discuss my efforts to identify potential overwintering sites in the Southeast using widely available volunteer science data. In this research project, supported by the Monarch Butterfly Fund, I use observations reported to Journey North, supplemented with field work, to try to answer the questions: (1) Where are monarch butterflies overwintering? and (2) Can we effectively use volunteer science data to find them?
The Bugs in Your Backyard: Meet the Beneficial Insects Controlling Pests in Your Garden
Denise Wilson is a Pollinator Outreach Ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Your garden is teeming with life! Do you know which bugs are helpful, and how to keep pests (including mosquitoes) at bay in an ecologically responsible way? Come learn about your insect neighbors, both helpful and pesky, and how you can support a balanced ecosystem that keeps pests in check and supports helpful insects such as native pollinators and pest-predators. You will also receive informative publications from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to take home.
A rare species of firefly has recently been discovered at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia. The Loopy Five, named for its looping flight pattern, has been spotted in high concentration in the wetlands boardwalk area on the garden’s orange trail. Join Amaad Blades, Wildlife Technician for Georgia Department of Natural Resources, to discover the communication systems in fireflies, including how they produce and perceive signals, and how the environment influences them.
Searching for Signals of Monarch Butterfly Overwintering
Charlotte Hovland is an MS student working with Dr. Sonia Altizer at the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology.
In recent years, there have been several isolated reports of eastern North American monarch butterflies overwintering in the US Southeast, rather than proceeding to their winter range in Mexico. Unlike resident breeding populations, which have also been observed in the Southeast, these overwintering populations appear to remain in reproductive diapause – not reproducing outside of the breeding season. In this session, I’ll discuss my efforts to identify potential overwintering sites in the Southeast using widely available volunteer science data. In this research project, supported by the Monarch Butterfly Fund, I use observations reported to Journey North, supplemented with field work, to try to answer the questions: (1) Where are monarch butterflies overwintering? and (2) Can we effectively use volunteer science data to find them?
The Bugs in Your Backyard: Meet the Beneficial Insects Controlling Pests in Your Garden
Denise Wilson is a Pollinator Outreach Ambassador for the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Your garden is teeming with life! Do you know which bugs are helpful, and how to keep pests (including mosquitoes) at bay in an ecologically responsible way? Come learn about your insect neighbors, both helpful and pesky, and how you can support a balanced ecosystem that keeps pests in check and supports helpful insects such as native pollinators and pest-predators. You will also receive informative publications from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to take home.
Learn More about the Pollinator Symposium . . .
Join the team! EEA is hiring a Communications and Events Specialist.
Learn more and apply HERE
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Environmental Education Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 801066 | Acworth, GA 30101 EEA does not does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its program , activities, or employment. For more information on EEA's non-discrimination commitment click here . Grievance officer may be contacted at [email protected] |