Events

2017 Conference Registration is Now Open!
For information about our 2017 Conference, please visit: http://westcook.wildones.org/the-beautifully-natural-garden-conference-2017/
 

 
Native Plant Conference Featuring Doug Tallamy
Plus Seven Workshops
Read about the workshop presenters and descriptions
When: May 17, 2015 11:00am (registration opens)-5 pm  Tallamy's talk begins at 12 pm in the Lund Auditorium.
Where: Dominican University, 7900 W. Division Street, River Forest, IL
Registration is open until noon on Saturday May 16, 2015.  Click on this link to register : Native Plant Conference Registration and Native Plant Sale.  To get the most up to date information, sign up for our newsletter: Newsletter link
 
About Doug Tallamy:
We are so excited to bring Doug Tallamy to the Oak Park/River Forest area.  His work has been a catalyst for change at the grass-roots level and has helped us form the principles that guide how we treat our landscapes and prepare the ground (literally!) for future generations.  He has taught us that without native plants, there is little biodiversity, which humans as a species need to survive.  As he puts it, "Biodiversity is not optional." He is also an Honorary Director for the national Wild Ones.

Doug Tallamy received his BS in Biology from Allegheny College in 1973, his MS in Entomology from Rutgers University in 1976, his PhD in Entomology from the University of Maryland in 1980, and his post-doctoral training at the University of Iowa in 1981. He joined the faculty of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in 1981 where he is now completing his 31st year.  Doug currently serves as Chair of the Department and is also director of the Center for Managed Ecosystems.

Over the years Doug’s research has focused on various questions in behavioral ecology including the evolution of insect parental care, sexual selection, and plant/insect interactions. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. He has authored 78 research articles and has taught Insect Taxonomy, Behavioral Ecology, and the Conservation of Tropical Biodiversity.

Doug’s book Bringing Nature Home; How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 silver medal by the Garden Writer’s Association. Bringing Nature Home has stimulated a national discussion about the need to share our living and working spaces with the biodiversity that runs our ecosystems. To this end Doug gives 80-100 nation-wide talks per year describing the essential role that insects and the native plants that support them play in ecosystem function.

He and Rick Darke have recently co-authored a book entitled The Living Landscape which easily helps gardeners design for beauty and biodiversity.

The conference is made possible by a generous grant from the Oak Park/River Forest Community Foundation.