2026 Lunch & Learn Series
Hello! I’m your host, Lisa Kuder, from UMD Extension. Join us on the first Wednesday of each month from noon to 1 as we delve into various topics related to native plants. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional, this series provides an opportunity to expand your knowledge and engage with experts in the field. Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, these sessions are an excellent way to earn Continuing Education Units. Although the presentations are free of charge, registration is required to attend. Don’t miss this chance to enhance your understanding of native plants while enjoying your lunch. Register to attend one or more of the first three live only sessions.
JAN 7th - Microforests for macrosolutions
John Evangelista is the Executive Director of Groundwork Elizabeth. He collaborates with City governent and community groups to plant microforests to address climate risks in formerly redlined neighborhoods and brownfield areas. Using the Miyawaki method–restoring forests by planting native trees on deforested, degraded soils–these microforests improve soil permeability, mitigate flooding, improve air quality, reduce the heat island effect, and help replenish biodiversity. Health and well-being in the target neighborhoods will also improve as a result of cleaner air, less noise pollution, and the presence of community spaces.REGISTER HERE
FEB 4th - Rethinking lawns: turning green carpets into diverse ecosystems
Dr. Liz Anna Kozik is a Research Scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She is an interdisciplinary researcher who started doing native prairie restoration and ended up using those skills and knowledge to figure out how we can incorporate our native plants into our lawn landscapes. With the Rethinking Lawns (rethinkinglawns.com) team at Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Park District, and University of Michigan Flint, she studies and tests the methods and benefits of changing our existing lawns into more diverse spaces that can benefit both people and the living world.REGISTER HERE
MAR 4th - Importance of mycorrhizal fungi for plant propagation: where to start?
Dr. Adriana Corrales is Lead Field Research Scientist & Underground Explorers Program Director at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN), which is a non-profit organization focused on the conservation of mycorrhizal fungi. Most of her work focuses on the ecology of tropical mycorrhizal associations in lowland and montane forests. Before joining SPUN, she was an Assistant Professor at Universidad del Rosario in Colombia for six years. Dr. Corrales is a Forest Engineer with an MS in Environmental Conservation from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and a PhD in Plant Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.REGISTER HERE
Apr 1st - Paula Becker from MD DNR - More details coming soon!
May 6th - Appalachian ethnobotany and the potential for new horticultural crops
Dr. Eric Burkhart is a botanist, ethnobotanist, and agroforester in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State. He holds degrees in Botany/Ethnobotany (B.A, Idaho State University), Horticulture (M.S., Penn State University), and Forest Resources (Ph.D., Penn State University). His research and teaching program focuses on wild plant stewardship and agroforestry crop development in Appalachia and the Caribbean. Burkgart will talk about the Appalachian region of the eastern United States, which includes most of Pennsylvania, and is a rich repository of temperate plant biodiversity. In this presentation, Dr. Burkhart will share examples of his work with culinary and medicinal crop development using native Appalachian forest species, and discuss some of the conservation, restoration, and economic opportunities associated with these efforts. REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON.
June 3rd - Dr. Katalin Szlavecz, Impacts of invasive jumping worms on native vegetation - more details soon!
July 1st - From wasteland to wonder: easy ways we can help heal Earth in the sub/urban landscape
Basil Camu, Treecologist & Wizard of Things, will discuss how the way we currently manage the suburban and urban landscape is creating a wasteland and harming the well-being of Earth. Fortunately, we have an alternative path: we can work with natural systems instead of working against them. During the presentation we will begin by examining how the systems of photosynthesis and soil formation work and how they affect water, carbon, and all other life on land. We will also discuss how we are damaging these systems. The remainder of this presentation are practices we can implement that help heal Earth based on firsthand expertise developed at Leaf & Limb. REGISTRATION LINK COMING SOON.
Aug 3rd - Dr. Dan Buonaiuto, Phenology of natives and invasives in a changing climate - More details coming soon!
Details about Sept-Nov talks comign soon!