Promoting environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the conservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities.
Next Meeting: Wednesday April 14, 2021 at 7 pm
Notes From the Underground
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While many ant species worldwide go unnoticed, ants consist of a large biomass with more than 15,000 species named. Populations of these insects have been discovered on every continent except for Antarctica. As a part of the food chain, they eat waste products that other animals won’t eat and some species are important predators of other insect species. They move plant seeds around for dispersal. They also aerate the soil when they form a hole during their excavations. They’re part of the whole picture and complexity of an ecosystem. Grassland ants all nest underground, but during the growing season, most live nearer and become active at the surface or even above ground level, where the flourish of prairie life is in such vibrant force.
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Dr. James Trager has graduate degrees in entomology specializing in ant research, but has always been broadly interested in the natural history of terrestrial ecosystems. After a 10-year stint as a research entomologist in Florida, Brazil and Argentina, family matters brought him to Missouri, and he found employment as the interpretive naturalist and ecological restoration biologist at Shaw Nature Reserve near St. Louis, where he worked for 28.5 years, until he retired during the summer of 2019 (though staying on as an instructor and volunteer in the restoration program). He is currently working on a guide to the approximately 150 species of Missouri ants, frequently interrupted by “Zooming” off to entomology and other sorts of nature talks, even occasionally giving one himself. Lately he has become enchanted with a granddaughter, born in August, whom he hopes to influence as a student or at least a lover of nature.
Join the meeting via Zoom at 7 pm, April 14th by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87243831159
Resources
Our New Guides: Installing and Maintaining a Native Plant Habitat and The Benefits of Native Plants are Now Available!
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Order your free copy (shipping not included) of our 40-page booklet titled Attracting Birds to Your Garden with Native Plants
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Wild Ones Reflections E-Zine
Native Plants Provide
Essential Habitat for
Wildlife Including Food,
Shelter and Conditions
for Successful Reproduction
Essential Habitat for
Wildlife Including Food,
Shelter and Conditions
for Successful Reproduction
Native Plants are Crucial
for Clean Air and Water
for Clean Air and Water
Native Plants are
Vital for Soil Health
Vital for Soil Health
Native Plants Promote
Human Health
Human Health