Join Syl Ross the Nature Boss online as she shows you the magical ecosystem that is your garden!

There are hundreds of species of bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and flies that are native to Ohio and have been thriving alongside native Ohio flora for millions of years. The way we treat our yards, gardens and greenspaces has an impact on thousands of species of pollinators that feed on our flowers and blooming trees. Your yard can still provide the habitat needed for native species as long as we allow for a safe habitat, variety of food sources and water.

Learn how you can promote biodiversity in your backyard ecosystem by knowing which plants are pollinator friendly, how to provide a pollinator habitat, and which yard management practices benefits your whole ecosystem.

This class is virtual. Participants will have access to a recording of the presentation.

Cost: $10 / free for active volunteers

Meet Your Instructor: Sylvana Ross, AKA Syl Ross the Nature Boss, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s in Biology where she studied sensory behaviors in jumping spiders and found her curiosity and passion for insects and the natural world. She then became a science educator and beekeeper and helped start Queen City Pollinator Project, which works to provide pollinator habitat, conserve beneficial insects, and educate community members on how to save our local ecosystems. Sylvana is now a first year Entomology PhD student at Cornell University studying how urban ant populations are adapting to rising summer temperatures to aid in policies that prepare our ecosystems for climate change and human infrastructure. She hopes her work will help unravel the impacts systemic racism and residential segregation have on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics within cities. She wants her passion for learning to inspire avenues for creative and intuitive minority minds to find belonging within science.