Living Landscapes: Native Trees & Shrubs

• When: March 21, 2026 | 10:00–4 PM
• Where: Cincinnati Zoo, Frisch's Theater. Zoo pass included for one day and parking. Lunch buffet included.
• Speakers: Jim McCormac, Tom Borgman, Sam Settlemyre, Greg Torres and and Brian Jorg from the Cincinnati Zoo.
• Details: Registration opens in late Fall 2025

•  Speakers & Presentations

Tom Borgman, Living Life on the Edge
We will investigate some ecological concepts of forest edges and succession.  We will also look at the plants and wildlife that inhabit edges and how you can create some edge like habitat on your property. The transition zone at the edges of habitats is where we frequently discover the most captivating flora and fauna!

          Brian Jorg, Top Ten Native Shrubs

          Jim McCormac, Caterpillars make the natural world go 'round

The biggest group of herbivores in Ohio, by a long shot, are caterpillars. Their collective biomass probably outweighs that of Ohio’s thriving white-tailed deer population. Nearly all of these caterpillars are the spawn of moths: 4,000 species? 6,000? No one knows with certainty, as moths are not nearly as well known as their butterfly counterparts (only 160ish species in Ohio). Native plants grow caterpillars, and caterpillars are the fuel that underpins ecological food webs. We would not have most of our songbirds were it not for native plants growing these tube steaks on legs, and a great many other animals depend heavily on caterpillars. Feeding evidence of caterpillars on one’s plants is by no means a bad thing – it should be a mark of pride for the gardener. Those that grow natives, and by extension the caterpillars that have co-evolved to feed on them, are contributing greatly to conservation. This talk will be a pictorial romp through the crazy and fascinating world of Lepidopteran larvae and the roles that they play. Some caterpillars are nearly beyond belief, resembling sea slugs, tree snakes, bird droppings, plant bits and all manner of other mimicry. Most importantly, we will look at how our work with native flora benefits the natural world around us via the production of caterpillars.

          Greg Torres, Planting for Birds

Plants and birds have a long history of working together. As an example of mutualism, this development and relationship between plants and birds has had far reaching consequences, encouraging co-evolution that enhanced the survival of both plants and birds. “Planting For Birds” explores some of these relationships, tips how we can grow plants to create habitats to help birds thrive, as well as resources for selections of beautiful native plants that support our local ecosystem.

           Sam Settlemyre, Best in Native Trees