Virtual Event: A Guide to Restoring the Little Things That Run the World
2021-06-09 | Deschutes Brewery Public House, 1044 NW Bond St, Bend, OR, 97701, United States
Join Dr. Doug Tallamy, entomologist and author of Nature’s Best Hope, for this lively discussion. A recent UN report predicts that as many as 1 million species will disappear from planet earth because of human activities. Many of these are insects and nearly all species at risk rely on insects. Insects have already declined 45% since 1974. How do we create beautiful landscapes brimming with life; landscapes that support the pollinators, herbivores, detritivores, predators and parasitoids that run the ecosystems on which we depend? Tallamy will remind us of the many essential roles insects play, and describe the simple changes we must make to keep insects on the ground, in the air and yes, on our plants. Also learn about the Native Plant Society of Oregon: High Desert Chapter, the Bend Pollinator Pathway, and how you can get involved. What can we plant and what actions can we take to support native pollinators in Central Oregon?
This virtual event is FREE but registration is required.

Gardening with Native Plants for Pollinators
2021-09-14
Native plant gardening has been ranked as one of the top three landscape and garden trends over the past few years, in part because of the benefits that they offer to pollinators. However, native plants are not widely planted by home gardeners, and only limited selections can be found at many retail nurseries. This talk will share research conducted by the OSU Garden Ecology Lab for the past four years, and will address questions such as:

Which Willamette Valley native plants are most attractive to pollinators?
Why aren’t native plants more broadly available for purchase?
What native plants are most attractive (according to Oregon gardeners), and which native plant traits gave gardeners concern?
Are native cultivars a good approach to some of the problems associated with the production and sale of native plants?
Do pollinators visit native cultivars as much as they do native plants?

Registration information to come.

Adapting Your Garden and Landscape for Climate Change
2021-10-12
Northwest gardeners and landscapers are accustomed to our Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. With climate change, we can expect more variability in our weather with more frequent and intense weather events. How will these extreme events affect your plants? Learn strategies to adapt your garden and landscape to these new conditions.
Registration information to come.

Healthy Soils for Healthy People
2021-11-09
Research has suggested that healthy soils can benefit human health, via transfer of beneficial microbes from the soil to the skin. What are the characteristics of healthy soils, and do these characteristics align with the soils tended by Oregon gardeners? This talk will provide an overview of what is known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis’, and how this relates to healthy garden soils. OSU will present data gathered from the soils of Oregon gardeners, as well as share initial results on a study looking at how garden soils might (or might not) influence the skin microbiome of Oregon gardeners.
Registration information to come.
