Join us on Wednesday, March 8 for a free public lecture on Timing is Everything: Plants, Pollinators, & People.

Phenology is the cyclic appearance of natural events. It is an increasing important field of community science and academic research to identify phenological mismatches between species, particularly due to climate change.

For example, as temperatures warm due to climate change, trees may bud, leaf out, and flower earlier. But will the specialized insects needed to pollinate the flowers hatch in time? Will the migrating birds that typically feast on those insects arrive to find that they’re too late? The combination of phenology, plant-pollinator research, and habitat restoration is a potential game-changer for conservation.

This engaging lecture will cover:

• What is phenology.
• Why phenology can help us understand the ecological impacts of climate change.
• How you can join thousands of community scientists around the world in phenological monitoring.
• What you can do at home to create pollinator gardens and restore habitat in your community.

Kerissa Battle is a research ecologist and not-for-profit entrepreneur whose work is focused on social-ecological connectivity, network resilience, and plant-pollinator conservation. She is a PhD candidate with Portland State University, the Founding Director of the Community Greenways Collaborative, manages the New York Phenology Project, and works as an advisor for organizations seeking to build capacity in the fields of conservation and education.

The lecture will be held in the Garden Room of the Katonah Village Library. Please join us for refreshments at 7pm (and bring a reusable mug to help us reduce our ecological footprint), and the lecture begins at 7:30. No registration required.