Gardening with Native Plants to Sustain Wildlife starts March 8 in Lewes
The Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware will host a three-week discussion series on Gardening with Native Plants to Sustain Wildlife from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Wednesdays, starting March 8. The discussions will address the importance of planting native plants in the home garden landscape to provide food and habitat for wildlife, and sustain healthy ecosystems. They will explore how to help reverse the decline in biodiversity starting in backyards.
The discussion series will be moderated by Ptery Iris, who became devoted to native plants when she was serving on the board of the Southern Delaware Botanic Gardens and heard Dr. Douglas Tallamy from the University of Delaware speak on the importance of gardening with native plants. Iris has a bachelor’s degree in biology and science education, and a master’s in teaching English to speakers of other languages. She is retired from teaching middle school science, foreign languages, English for speakers of other languages, and elementary school Spanish.
The March 8 discussion will focus on insects and native plants: why they need each other, and why people need them. For the March 15 session, Donna Hoyt, habitat steward with the Delaware Nature Society, will discuss how to ready and certify gardens as Wildlife Habitats, which provide the resources needed by birds, butterflies, bees and other wildlife. The last discussion March 22 will focus on natives, exotics and invasives: what and how to plant, and what not to plant and to actively eliminate.
Advance registration is not required. A one-time $10 donation is requested for the course. Proceeds from this discussion series will support UUSD's mission to nurture spiritual growth, embrace diversity, work for justice and strive for a loving world. UUSD is a welcoming and progressive spiritual community. The address is 30486 Lewes-Georgetown Highway, Lewes. For more information, go to www.uussd.org or contact Len Bowman at AdultEducation@uussd.org or 443-286-3495.
