Cafe Mezzanotte, Severna Park

Virtual: via Zoom (link will be emailed)

Presentation: Our outdoor surroundings are vibrant realms, places where many languages are spoken, sometimes in sensory alphabets we’ve only just begun to decipher. Much has been written about gardening for human senses, but how do plants and animals perceive the world around them? What do we miss when we landscape for our own visual appeal but neglect the perceptive experiences of our wild neighbors? Along with conventional landscaping practices, noise, light and odor pollution have many unintended consequences. Through science, heart, and our powers of observation, we can learn to mitigate these disruptions and create sensory refuges for the increasingly displaced flora and fauna that share our world.

Bio: Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife and Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature. A nature writer, habitat consultant, popular speaker, and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC, she pioneers creative, wildlife-friendly landscaping methods. Her presentations at diverse venues—from national wildlife refuges to local wildflower preserves—have inspired even seasoned horticulturists and wildlife experts to look at their landscapes in a new way. Certified as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, Nancy co-chairs Howard County Bee City in Maryland and helped launch a community science project, Monarch Rx, based on scientific discoveries made in her own garden. Nancy’s book, garden, advocacy, and scientific endeavors have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, O magazine, Entomology Today, and Ecological Entomology.