Over 100 native fern species can be found in Illinois. This Zoom presentation will introduce basic fern terminology with photos and identification tips to identify them in the wild.

Christopher David Benda is a botanist living in southern Illinois. He coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program for the Chicago Botanic Garden, conducts rare plant surveys for the Shawnee National Forest, and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois at Southern Illinois University.

An accomplished photographer under the moniker Illinois Botanizer, Chris shares his extensive collection of plant photos on his website, illinoisbotanizer.com. Chris can be reached by email at botanizer@gmail.com.

So you’ve made the decision to create a beautiful and environmentally-friendly native plant garden. Now your garden is full of wonderful pollinators such as monarch butterflies, solitary bees, and clearwing moths that dart from flower to flower like hummingbirds. There are myriad species of interesting birds like warblers and woodpeckers and vireos. Success! But you also notice some larger, mammalian creatures like squirrels, raccoons, and skunks that have taken a shine to your plantings. In her presentation, Wildlife is Not Random, Peggy Anesi will discuss that whether you plant cultivars, natives, or garden vegetables, you may be welcoming in more creatures to your yard. A favorite, informative, and entertaining speaker, Peggy will join us via Zoom to help us understand and deal with our wild neighbors. She explains, “ If we work on coexisting rather than just coping with the wildlife around us, our lives just might experience a small bit of natural wonder without leaving our yard.”

Peggy is an educator for University of Illinois Extension specializing in environmental education, human/wildlife relationships, and water quality. She holds a B.S. in zoology with a specialization in wildlife management. Peggy is interested in large predators, coyotes, and feral swine in Illinois. She also holds an M.S. in education with a specialization in outdoor teacher education/curriculum and instruction. Peggy has been teaching environmental education for over 25 years, is passionate about helping children see their role in the environment, and helping people understand wildlife as it relates to their lives.

Everyone contributes a little bit to water pollution and flooding, and everyone can be part of the solution. Home is a great place to start! Join us to learn how to plant a rain garden that will soak up stormwater and absorb the pollutants it carries while attracting birds and butterflies to your yard. Learn why rain gardens are an important addition to the suburban landscape and how to properly size, plant, and care for your rain garden. Included in the talk are local resources to get you started. Rebecca has focused her career on land and water conservation and restoration in Northern Illinois and beyond. Rebecca’s work protects, enhances, restores, and creates natural areas and encourages human interaction with nature in various ways. The projects that she develops and manages provide natural areas and stormwater filtration in rural and developed settings like river corridors, drainage systems, wetlands, parks and open spaces, and neighborhoods. These projects ensure many benefits to our communities, including open spaces for people to enjoy, habitat for wildlife, and areas to provide natural water filtration and prevent flooding.  

Rebecca is the owner and president of Olson Ecological Solutions, LLC, a woman-owned consulting company founded in 2006 and co-owner of A3 Olson Ecological Joint Venture, LLC founded in 2021. Rebecca received her Master of Science in wildlife biology from Colorado State University after  attending Denison University for her Bachelor of Arts in biology and minor in chemistry. She moved to Rockford in 2000. She volunteers to serve her community as a member of the Land Conservation Committee for the Natural Land Institute and the Land Advisory Council for the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County.