Join us for talks from two local experts, Megan Meyer and Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney, on how we can support native plants and beneficial insects!

Megan Meyer: Healthy Yards with Native Plants
One way to support our declining pollinators and birds is choosing the right plants for our outdoor residential spaces. Restoring bird and pollinator habitat in our own yards also creates a healthier space for our families and offers opportunities to connect children to nature.

Megan Meyer is trained in plant propagation and landscape design and ran her own garden design and maintenance firm for many years. As a graduate of Cornell Climate Stewards and training in Cornell’s Master Gardener program, her environmental work now focuses on encouraging residents, towns and counties to create healthier outdoor spaces not only for ourselves but for other creatures we share this amazing planet with. She Co-leads Healthy Yards Monroe County, a campaign of Color Your Communities Green and has been very active in her own town of Penfield.

Kaitlin Stack Whitney: Backyard Beneficial Insects
This presentation will cover some common beneficial insects that may be found in our region. Additionally, we will discuss what “beneficial” insects means, how and why it’s different than “native” insects, the history of these ideas, and alternative frameworks for valuing life we live alongside. We will end with concrete ways to help conserve them beyond yards and without land ownership. Everyone can contribute to conserving biodiversity and caring for insects.

Dr. Kaitlin Stack Whitney is an environmental studies professor in the Science, Technology & Society department at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Before completing her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on insect ecology, she worked in Washington DC for the US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs and the US AID Farmer-to-Farmer program.

Sponsored by Color Irondequoit Green.

The Irondequoit Public Library is committed to creating inclusive and accessible events. To request a reasonable accommodation or discuss your needs, please contact one of our Inclusion Coordinators or call the library at 585-336-6060.