NATURE'S BEST HOPE
Presenter: Douglas Tallamy
**This seminar was presented on Wednesday, April 13, 2022.                           
​Recent headlines about global insect declines, the impending extinction of one million species worldwide, and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. In this presentation, Tallamy discusses simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity and will explain why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

HEALTHY YARDS: REPLACING THE INVASIVE WOODY PLANTS IN YOUR LANDSCAPE WITH NATIVE SPECIES
​​Presenter: Melissa Custic, Chicago Region Trees Initiative
**This seminar was presented on Thursday, September 16, 2021

Oak ecosystems once dominated our landscape, but now oak trees and associated species are in decline and isolated. Your yard is key to repairing those ecosystems! In this presentation, Melissa Custic from the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and Morton Arboretum discusses which woody plants in your yard are causing trouble, and how and what to replace them with to enhance the health of your yard- and make it more enjoyable for you.

BEAUTIFUL TO WILDLIFE, BEAUTIFUL TO PEOPLE: LANDSCAPING WITH NATIVE PLANTS TO SUPPORT NATURE with Drew Lathin, Owner of Creating Sustainable Landscapes, Inc. 
**This seminar was presented on Thursday, March 25, 2021

Drew is a fierce advocate for the need to re-wild our urban and suburban landscapes using native plants in thoughtful and legible designs to bring biological diversity and beauty to our everyday lives. Landscaping with native plants is critical to build habitat, reduce resource inputs, and build healthy outdoor living areas. Learn why only native plants can do this. Drew also shares design tips to make your native landscape beautiful. 

RAIN GARDENS with Drew Lathin, Owner of Creating Sustainable Landscapes, Inc. 
** This seminar was presented on Thursday, April 29, 2021 

Rain gardens are shallow depressions that collect rain water before it enters municipal storm water systems. They are a great way to alleviate problems associated with flooding and drainage, they keep water clean by filtering storm water before it enters local waterways; provide habitat and food for wildlife, and rain gardens enhance the beauty of individual yards and communities. In this presentation, Drew covers the basics: what a rain garden is, how rain gardens work, how to design a rain garden, and how to build a rain garden.