These talks are generally aimed for educated lay persons and college students.

The Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem in Illinois. Origin of prairies following glaciation; plant adaptations to climate, fire, and browsing; types of prairies; biology of selected prairie plants; prairies after European settlement.

The Rose Family - A Botanical Bonanza. Roses, spireas, strawberries, cherries, apples, and pears all belong to the rose family, as do many other common native and cultivated plants. This is an overview of the family, with many interesting stories, such as the origin of garden roses and strawberries. Both non-technical and technical versions are available.

Native Plants of Illinois - a Wealth of Diversity. Selected trees, shrubs, woodland wildflowers, and prairie plants that can be used in home landscapes.

Native Plants Close-up: The Hidden World of Flowers. Macro photographs of flowers and fruits showing their structure and beauty as well as how flowers are pollinated and how fruits are dispersed and other stories about native plants.

Botanical Gardens of North America and Europe. The beauty and rich plant diversity of major botanical gardens, including Kew, Edinburgh, Paris, Madeira, Montreal, St. Louis, and Chicago.

The Basics of Plant Photography (limited availability). A three-hour workshop divided into two parts: 1) Technical points, such as camera types, lenses, films, depth of field, and exposure control, and 2) Composition, aesthetics, and perspective.

Biodiversity - Some Basic Issues. The human species is part of a planet-wide ecosystem, which is an intricate web. Since the industrial revolution, man has been greatly altering components of this web, including reducing biodiversity. Topics of this talk include a definition of biodiversity, various components of biodiversity, numbers of species in world and different habitats, extinction, reasons to preserve biodiversity.

Inspirations from the Tallgrass Prairie: Ecology, Art, and Literature. The presentation begins with an overview of prairie ecology followed by interpretations of the prairie landscape by various artists and concluding with some writer's perceptions of the prairie.

Revised December 2000

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