Nature Talks | Growing Caterpillars with Jim McCormac
Join us for a Nature Talk on Growing Caterpillars: A Tangled Tale of Birds, Plants, and Conservation with Jim McCormac!
Speaker: Jim McCormac
Special Events Hall at Phipps Conservatory
Free for Phipps members | $15 nonmembers | $10 child nonmembers
There are thousands of species of moths and butterflies in eastern North America. These winged adults are the short-lived finale of a four-stage life cycle: egg, pupa, caterpillar, and adult. The caterpillar phase provides the most support to the natural world, including to its own predators. Learn how these vegetation-obsessed creatures are vital to native plants, songbirds, botanical diversity and more!
The evening will open with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. during which guests can tour the Conservatory. At 6:30 p.m., guest speaker Jim McCormac will lead a richly illustrated talk delving into the seemingly magical synergy between flora, caterpillars and birds.
More Event Features:
- Bar with drinks for purchase (credit card only) from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
- Complimentary snacks
- Summer Flow Show: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland open to explore
About the Speaker
Jim McCormac
Jim worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004); and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioana Book award. He is a coauthor of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II book. His most recent books are Gardening for Moths (Ohio University Press 2023) and A Naturalist’s Guide to the Odonata of Ohio (Ohio Biological Survey 2024). Jim writes a column, Nature, for the Columbus Dispatch, and regularly publishes a natural history blog. He has written numerous articles in a variety of publications and has delivered hundreds of presentations throughout the eastern United States. He was named 2015 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Ohio League of Sportsmen. Jim is an avid photographer, shooting a range of natural history subjects. He has had hundreds of photos published in various forums, including the TV program Jeopardy. His photography can be sampled at https://www.jimmccormac.com/
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