How are Native Plants Adapting to Climate Disruption?

About our topic

Starflower (Trientalis borealis) reaches a southern range limit in northern Illinois, which puts Illinois populations at risk due to climate change. Emily Dangremond, President of the Illinois Native Plant Society, researched this plant on the edge, investigating the phenology (timing) of flowering and fruiting in the upper Midwest. She will share how, from herbarium specimens and field observations, the research detected shifts in flowering dates to better understand the relationship between temperature and reproductive phenology in this species. Emily will also describe other activities sponsored by the Illinois Native Plant Society.

About the speaker

Emily Dangremond is the President of the Illinois Native Plant Society. She has done research on Midwestern understory plants, tropical mangroves, and California coastal sand dune plants. She was previously a biology professor and holds a PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of over 15 peer-reviewed articles on ecology, and a children’s picture book called Meet the Trees.

Natural Habitat Evanston, a program of Climate Action Evanston, is an all-volunteer community group of about 1,300 members, spreading the word on creating habitat for insects, birds, and other wildlife. We aim to change the culture of lawns: leaving your leaves is the simplest first step; the second step is adding a native shrub or tree to shrink your lawn. We show how to transition from turf with low-cost cardboard methods, which keystone native plants to choose for year-round forage, that insects chewing on leaves is a ‘win’ (rather than cause to reach for pesticide), how turning off unnecessary lights saves insect and birds (and human health), and how to make your windows bird-friendly (because if you are going to invite birds to your yard, let them visit safely). We plant a lot of native trees and shrubs, especially at schools and in the 5th Ward.

We encourage people to think outside the lawn with No Mow May. Our Pollinator Pledge is a central focus of all our outreach and education, and a great way to spread the word to your neighbors.

We encourage people to think outside the lawn with No Mow May. Our Pollinator Pledge is a central focus of all our outreach and education, and a great way to spread the word to your neighbors.