Join artist Emma Brittain as she guides you in discovering the art of identifying subtle colors and enhancing the vibrancy of your drawings. In this class, participants will learn to use artist-grade colored pencils to sketch a great blue heron. The primary emphasis will be on refining colored pencil techniques and honing the ability to perceive the myriad of colors hidden within the feathers of a common bird. A sketchbook or drawing grade paper and 24 or more pack of Prismacolor brand colored pencils is recommended. $29. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/colored-pencil-techniques-great-blue-heron-online/. Emma Brittain is a studio artist and planning committee member for Black Birders Week. Her art often involves social commentary with animal or plant symbolism. She hopes to spread wonder and hope through her work.
Spring is an essential time for insects. After the harshness of winter, insects and other wildlife need plentiful food and resources to help them prepare for the new season ahead. Learn about some of the earliest-emerging insects and how you can plan, prep, and primp your garden to make it a haven for these harbingers of spring. Samantha Nestory is the engagement manager at Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden in Villanova, PA. She holds ecology and entomology degrees from the University of Delaware and is passionate about ecological gardening, native plants, and insect conservation.
Dig deeper into the business of cultivars. The concept of a native plant seems simple, until you start hearing about cultivars, nativars, selections, ecotypes, and hybrids. In this class we’ll dig into what all those terms mean, where named plant selections come from, and how they impact the ecosystem that is your garden. Joseph Tychonievich is a life-long lover of plants and gardening. He got his degree in horticulture from Ohio State University and went on to work for specialty rare plant nurseries in Japan and Michigan. Joseph is the author of several books including The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: Step-by-Step Vegetable Gardening for Everyone and his writing has been published in Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and The New York Times. Joseph has a special love for hepaticas, and plans trips every spring to see them flowering in the wild.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are creating existential threats to people and nature. But we can help. In this presentation, you’ll learn about how traditional landscape management is contributing to climate change and biodiversity loss and discover small steps we can all take in our own backyards and communities to steward our landscapes for nature and wildlife. This program is part of the online Mt. Cuba Lecture Series. Danae Wolfe is an award-winning conservation photographer, writer, educator, and TEDx speaker focused on fostering appreciation and stewardship of backyard bugs and wildlife. Ever the pragmatic, she believes that everyone has the power to make a difference in combatting climate change and biodiversity loss. Danae was the 2022 recipient of the Garden Communicators International Emergent Communicator award, and her work has been featured in various outlets including CNN, The American Gardener magazine, and Nature Conservancy Magazine. Through her community conservation initiative, Chasing Bugs, she has reached global audiences with science-based education about the importance of gardening for biodiversity and has inspired gardeners to appreciate the beauty of our natural world and embrace their role in its protection.
Join Leah Brooks as she highlights the strategies and adaptations that native animals use to survive the winter. Unlock the secrets of frogs that freeze, mammals that hunker in hollows, butterflies that bunk under bark, and more! This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/how-animals-overwinter-online/
Leah Brooks is the Public Programs Coordinator at Mt. Cuba Center. She has dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware in Environmental Science and Wildlife Ecology. She is a Delaware Master Naturalist and Vice Chair of the Delaware Invasive Species Council. She’s an avid contributor to the Delaware Native Plant Identification and Exchange group on Facebook. Her passion is sharing the joy of nature and native gardening with ot
With a focus on the intersection of climate change and gardening, Angelica Patterson, PhD will explore how shifting climate patterns affect plant growth and what steps can be taken to manage gardens and cultivated land sustainably. Angelica will share practical strategies for mitigating climate-related risks and promoting eco-restoration in gardening practices. Leave with actionable insights to cultivate resilient, thriving gardens in the face of environmental change.
Dr. Angelica Patterson is the Curator of Education and Outreach for the Miller Worley Center for the Environment at Mount Holyoke College. Angelica received her bachelor’s in natural resources from Cornell University and her master’s, master of philosophy and doctorate degrees from Columbia University in plant ecophysiology. She is a strong advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental sciences. When asked to name her favorite native plant, Angelica is quick to share her love for the northern red oak.
Traditional turfgrass lawns provide little benefit to native biodiversity, are significant sources of air and water pollution, and require huge investments of time to maintain. In a world grappling with the climate crisis, every action counts, and adopting a new lawn paradigm that champions native biodiversity in your own backyard is a powerful way to take control of your environmental impact. Todd Bittner, plant ecologist, will discuss a visionary lawn paradigm shift – one where lush, low-growing native grasses and forbs take center stage. Explore the journey behind Cornell Botanic Gardens’ native lawn, from its inception to the multitude of benefits it brings, and the invaluable lessons it has taught us.
This Mt. Cuba Center program takes place online on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 6 pm Eastern. Todd Bittner is the Director of Natural Areas for the Cornell Botanic Gardens. The Gardens’ Natural Areas program protects and manages a system of preserves spanning nearly 3,700 acres across 40 natural areas. The preserves encompass one-third of Cornell’s iconic campus landscape, including two massive gorges, scenic Beebe Lake, and a renowned wildflower garden, which hosts the Gardens’ “native lawn” that was featured in the New York Times in 2023. Todd leads the protection and stewardship of these lands and the Gardens’ native biodiversity conservation efforts. Todd also directly educates students and the public on natural heritage topics and is a lecturer in the School of Plant Science. Todd is also a conservation scientist with the Center for Plant Conservation, and in 2020, was named a “Conservation Champion” by the Center. $25. Register at https://mtcubacenter.org/event/cultivating-a-native-lawn-online/
Much has been written about gardening for human senses, but how do plants and animals perceive the world around them? What do we miss when we landscape for human visual appeal but neglect the sensory experiences of our wild neighbors? Noise, light and odor pollution can have many unintended consequences. Through science, heart, and our powers of observation, we can learn to mitigate these disruptions and create sensory refuges in an increasingly noisy world. This program is part of the Mt. Cuba Lecture Series. This program takes place online Saturday, March 23rd, 2024. $25. Register HERE
Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife and the recently released Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature. A certified Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, she co-chairs Howard County Bee City in Maryland and co-launched a community science project, Monarch Rx, based on discoveries in her habitat. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O magazine, Ecological Entomology, and Entomology Today.
In this Mt. Cuba Center online lecture, timed to coincide with Women’s History Month, author Jenny Rose Carey gives a historic overview of American women in horticulture and landscape design. Using archival images and the words of the female horticulturists of the time, Jenny paints a picture of a movement that brought women to the forefront of the burgeoning gardening movement in the early part of the twentieth century. Jenny will discuss authors, educators, garden designers, the garden club movement, and conservationists. You might be surprised to learn that the early roots of our passion for native plants and protecting birds was alive and well 110 years ago right here in the Philadelphia region. Learn the names of some of the most incredible horticulturally minded women and their influence on the ways that we garden today. Jenny Rose Carey is a lifelong educator, garden author, and former public garden director. She is a practical, hands-on gardener who gardens on over four acres in Ambler, PA. She is also a garden historian with a specialty in women in gardens, and English and American gardens.
This program takes place online Wednesday, March 13th, 2024. $19. Register HERE.
The Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware is sponsoring an online talk on February 21 on Misunderstood Native Plants. Canada goldenrod, Virginia creeper, and American pokeweed, oh my! These and other native plants like eastern poison ivy are often maligned as worthless weeds because they don’t fit into the popular idea of what a garden plant should be. Join Leah Brooks as she explores how species which may not be suitable for a home garden provide important wildlife benefits and add beauty to the natural landscape. Leah Brooks is Mt. Cuba’s Public Programs Coordinator. She graduated from the University of Delaware with dual bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and Wildlife Ecology. She’s an avid contributor to the Delaware Native Plant Identification and Exchange group on Facebook. Her passion is sharing the joy of nature and native gardening with others. $19. Register at Mount Cuba Center’s website
