Bees, Butterflies & Beyond Symposium

Saturday’s Agenda
Two workshops of two hours each will be held in the morning and repeated in the afternoon
Andrea Greco’s Landscape Planning Workshop
– 2 hours – repeated in the afternoon
Susan Meyer’s Pollinator Plant Planning Workshop
– 2 hours – repeated in the afternoon

9:30 Welcome
10:00 First Workshop
12:00 Barbeque Lunch and visit Vendors
1:00 Second Workshop
3:00 Tour the Gardens and Visit the Vendors Casual dress, wear your garden shoes (no flip flops please) bring pruners, bug spray, and a folding chair.

Over the past 20 years, Andrea has fallen in love with the native flora and ecosystems of Georgia. Transplanted from the Northeast, she has a Masters in Landscape Architecture from UGA, an undergraduate degree from Bucknell University in biology and environmental studies, and a certificate in native plants through the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Currently, she practices as a professional landscape architect/project manager and ISA Certified Arborist at Pond & Company in metro Atlanta where she works on a variety of projects around the state, including the master planning and design of public parks, multi-use and soft surface trails, as well as landscape design for institutional settings. Previously she served on the Atlanta Tree Conservation Commission and she currently is a board member of the Georgia Urban Forest Council. An active member of GNPS, Andrea has served as a plant rescue facilitator for over 5 years. Many of the plants from rescues now live in her garden, which is certified Gold through GNPS’s Native Habitat program. Andrea found her path to native plants after having some interesting experiences in entomology and ecology research including an unfortunate and inadvertent beheading of a milkweed beetle. Her experiences in both her work and private realms have given her opportunities to gain insight on cultural perceptions and expectations of both our designed and ‘natural’ landscapes.

Susan has worked in the field of environmental education (EE) for more than twenty years. Recently retired from the Education Department at Stone Mountain Park where she taught a variety of science-based programs for Kindergarten through High School students, she is now able to devote more time to her passion, “planting the seeds” of awareness, understanding and commitment to Monarch education, conservation and research. Susan was “bitten by the Monarch bug” so to speak in 2003 after a visit to their winter sanctuaries in Mexico’s Transvolcanic Mountain Range with Dr. Bill Calvert, the scientist upon which Sue Halpern’s travelogue, Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly, was based. Since that life-changing event, Susan has volunteered with Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG), coordinating trips to those Mexican sanctuaries for eight years, administering MAG’s Pollinator Habitat Grants and Certification programs, coordinating their Mexico Book Project and Plant Sales, facilitating teacher workshops, developing lessons and activities for students, and searching out every opportunity to learn more about this fascinating insect. She is a Trainer for the University of Minnesota’s Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP), a Conservation Specialist for Monarch Watch based at the University of Kansas, and routinely raises, tags and tests Monarchs for Project Monarch Health, a citizen science program based at the University of Georgia. She is also a Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, Certified Environmental Educator, and a member of The Garden Club of Georgia. Her pollinator garden in Lilburn has six different species of Georgia native milkweeds and a variety of nectar and host plants for butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Susan holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in environmental science.

Hike at Broxton Rocks TNC Conservation Property

Morning hike 9:30 am Meet at Vincent Gardens to drive to Broxton Rocks 12:00 pm Back to Vincent Gardens.

Afternoon hike 2:00 pm Meet at Vincent Gardens to drive to Broxton Rocks 4:30 pm Back to Vincent Gardens.

NOTE: There are no facilities available at Broxton Rocks. You must be over 18 years of age to attend the hike. It is an easy hike but has some rough ground. Wear comfortable walking shoes, bring water, and insect repellent. Dress for the weather.