If you’re inspired to help struggling pollinators in your own backyard, a couple of September events will provide the info you need. 

“Nature’s Best Hope” by Douglas Tallamy will be discussed during a 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, book talk at the Elkhart Environmental Center, 1717 E. Hively Ave.

>> Reserve your free copy of “Nature’s Best Hope” using the form below <<

Presented by Elkhart Public Library and led by Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley of the Goshen Department of Environmental Resilience, attendees will learn about native plants and food sources for sustaining pollinators like bees and butterflies. Every property owner can make accommodations for a thriving habitat. 

The event serves as a preview of sorts. The book’s acclaimed author is coming to the area. 

Tallamy will be speaking at the University of Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 15. The program, “Start a New Habitat: Homegrown National Park,” will begin at 2 p.m. in Corbette Family Hall on campus. Free tickets will be distributed by the university’s Environmental Change Initiative, but at press time, no other information was available. 

The ECI, Wild Ones South Bend, the North Chapter of the Indiana Native Plant Society, and the South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society are among the groups supporting Tallamy’s visit and presentation. 

Tallamy has written extensively on building local ecological networks to bridge parks and greenspaces through residential areas. He is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware.