Name: November Public Program: What’s Up with Butterflies? by Alan Branhagen
Start: 2024-11-04T20:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-11-04T22:00:00-05:00
Location: St. John United Church of Christ

$November Public Program: What\u2019s Up with Butterflies? by Alan Branhagen$

What’s Up with Butterflies? with Presenter Alan Branhagen
Monday, Nov 4, 2024 (NOTE MONDAY, not regular Tuesday due to Election Day)
7:00 pm
St John’s United Church of Christ, 1010 S. Park Blvd. Freeport, IL
The program will be presented by Alan Branhagen and will be a look at the marvelous array of butterflies and moths that can be found in our area. You will learn about the various species found here, their status, how you can attract them to your yard with their host and nectar plants and even ways to garden or maintain your landscape so that you don't harm them. Alan hopes the program inspires some reverence for these amazing insects, that are sadly in trouble. What you see now is the new normal, but it is not normal. Luckily, they have resiliency to rebound if given a chance.
Alan is an all-around plantsman and naturalist specializing in Birds, Butterflies, Botany, and planning and design with Nature. He is the author of 3 books: The Gardeners Butterfly Book, Native Plants of the Midwest, and The Midwest Native Plant Primer. These books will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.
Alan Branhagen is the Executive Director of the Natural Land Institute in Rockford, Illinois: one of the nation’s first land trusts and organization.
Alan was Director of Operations at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul (America’s 15th largest public botanical garden) from 2017-2023 where he managed Horticulture, Plant Curation, and Natural Resource Management.
For over 20 years he was the Director of Horticulture at Powell Gardens, Kansas City’s botanical garden where he oversaw all horticulture and site planning as well as resource management of the 915-acre site.
Alan’s career began at the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County in Rockford, Illinois where for almost a decade he oversaw all forest preserves’ planning, development, and management. He was part of the beginning of the Klehm Arboretum which launched his public horticulture career. Alan’s career has come full circle back to Rockford.
Alan has a Bachelor’s of Landscape Architecture from Iowa State University and a Masters of Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University.