Dave has given presentations on Illinois natural history and green landscaping to groups of all ages throughout the Chicago area since 1985. He is a popular speaker at garden clubs and is available weekdays and evenings, anywhere in northeastern Illinois or southeastern Wisconsin, depending on availability.
All programs are 60-minute PowerPoint presentations with 15 minutes of setup. The host venue supplies a screen or a blank wall. Please ask at least 6 to 8 weeks ahead.
Creating Dynamic Pollinator Gardens
Creating landscapes that are friendly and inviting to butterflies and other pollinators is a great way to act locally on behalf of the environment. This program will discuss and cover planning, design, recommended plant species, implementation, and proper maintenance. You’ll also be introduced to many common native butterflies and other pollinators.
Going Native in the Home Landscape
More and more people are discovering the beauty and environmental benefits of using native plants in home landscaping. This presentation will review the benefits of using natives and introduce you to a wide range of beautiful plants suitable for home gardens as well as how to incorporate them into your landscape.
Backyard Bird Feeding & Birdscaping
Learn the ABCs of attracting a variety of birds to your yard with properly maintained feeding stations and food plantings. The program will include a who’s-who of common local birds and some of the migrants to be observed in spring and fall.
Lazy Gardener’s Guide to Green Landscaping
Caring for our home landscape in ways that help protect the environment can also result in reduced time, money, and effort spent on landscape maintenance, pest control, and plant replacement while improving soil and plant health. This program will present several options available to reduce your environmental footprint.
Foraging for Wild Edibles
Foraging for wild edible plants requires knowledge and skill possessed by our ancestors but lost to most of us. This introduction will show you how, when and where to gather a variety of highly nutritious and delicious wild plants, including many common garden weeds.
Home Composting Made Simple
This program will dispel many of the common myths surrounding composting and present a variety of options for getting started, dealing with potential problems, and tips to help you begin reducing your environmental footprint, recycling your yard and kitchen wastes, and reap the rich rewards.
$200 per program. A travel fee is added for trips over 25 miles
Where Dave is speaking next
Dave's calendar is open. Book a program for your club.