Speaker’s Presentations

The NCNPS only provides a listing service and interested parties who want to see a presentation should contact the presenter directlyThe listing of a presentation does not constitute an NCNPS endorsement of all of the material presented.

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Wild Orchids Across Scenic North Carolina
Habitat Gardens
Native Plants for Your Backyard, or Not
Carnivorous Plants of the Southeast
Wild Orchids of NC
Native Habitat Gardening
Doing Less & Getting More: Creating a Sustainable Landscape
Using Native Plants to Create Butterfly and Bird Habitats
Herbal Hedgerows
Tallgrass, Mixed Grass, and Short Grass: Our National Grasslands
Equisetum: What is Older than Horses, Named after a Horse, and Can Keep You Warm in Winter?
Wolf Trees, Boundary Trees, and Tree Hollows
Ambrosia Beetles: Plundering through Redbay, Sassafras, Spicebush, and Litsea.
A Brief History of Botanical Art
Noah’s Ark: Conserving NC’s 421 Imperiled Plant Species
Herbal Trees
Steeped In History: Herbal Libations
Leaf Variegation: A 17th Century Obsession
The Virtues of Violets
Environmental Stewardship and Native Plants of the Piedmont
Myth and Mystery of the Green Man
The Great American Medicine Chest


A Brief History of Botanical Art

Description: This presentation includes an overview of the tradition of recording plant images from early human civilizations to present day. Learn about explorers’ discoveries of native SE U.S. plants through field drawings starting in the 1700s and scientific illustrations used to accompany new species descriptions. In addition, an overview of herbals and “plant portraits” will tell the tale of ethnobotany (particularly use of plants for medicine), and the European’s obsession with plants from the new world.
Length:1 hour including 10 minute Q&A
Name & contact information:Amy TiptonUNCC Botanical Garden, Charlotte, NC
Phone: (704) 6870719
Email: amytipton @ uncc.edu
Equipment needed: Digital Projector required
Travel requirements/restrictions:Willing to travel state-wide
Charges:Donation to UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Certificate of Native Plant Studies Program, mileage, and housing if needed (at a member’s home, AirBNB or hotel).


A Gardener’s Intent

Description:This presentation gives native plant gardeners food for thought–why DO I garden, where DO I fit into the natural world, how do I make decisions within my gardening (native vs. non-native, well-behaved vs. invasive, etc.), and what are the ramifications? How does ego and need to order nature factor in? This will include some philosophical thought and societal opinions of man’s relationship with nature through history. The ephemeral nature of ornamental gardens, the persistence of nature, hardiness of natives, introduction of invasive species, and differing opinions on removal of invasive species will be discussed. The audience will leave with a “Gardener’s Mission Statement” to guide future gardening based on individual passions, priorities, and eco-concerns.
Length:1 hour including 10 minute Q&A
Name & contact information:Amy TiptonUNCC Botanical Garden, Charlotte, NC
Phone: (704) 6870719
Email: amytipton @ uncc.edu
Equipment needed:Digital Projector required
Travel requirements/restrictions:Willing to travel state-wide
Charges:Donation to UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens’ Certificate of Native Plant Studies Program, mileage, and housing if needed (at a member’s home, AirBNB or hotel).


Wild Orchids Across Scenic North Carolina

Description:When and how to find native orchids and and conservation issues with orchids
Length:30-45 minutes
Name & contact information:Kelvin Taylor
Email: plantsman @ scenicnc.com
Equipment needed:Digital slide projector
Travel requirements/restrictions:Will travel any where in North Carolina and parts of VA and SC.
Charges:Speaker fee varies from size of the group/chapter, but ranges from $75 to $100. Travel expenses: standard $0.50 per mile. Lodges expenses for overnight stays.


Habitat Gardens

Description:With continued urbanization and ever-decreasing acres of farm fields and woodland, the way we manage our residential landscapes has never been more important for the survival of pollinators, songbirds, and other wildlife. With a focus on native plants, even a tiny backyard can become a haven for a variety of species if managed correctly. Participants in this workshop will learn basic principles that will help them create landscapes that benefit surrounding ecosystems while also meeting the needs of their human inhabitants. Using examples from her own and clients’ gardens, Dale shares strategies for creating landscapes that are both sustainable and maintainable. Additional details are at our website: https://www.gardenerbynature.com          
Length:1+00
Name & contact information:Dale Batchelor
Email: dale @ gardenerbynature.com 919-828-2015
Equipment needed:Computer with Power Point, digital projector, microphone for large groups
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges: For non-local presentations (≥ 12 miles), I request time and travel expenses. For groups within 12 miles, I speak at no charge, but request a $150 contribution to the N. C. Native Plant Society.


Doing Less & Getting More: Creating a Sustainable Landscape

Description: When it comes to creating a sustainable home landscape, much can be accomplished by doing less. In this presentation, Landscape Designer Dale Batchelor covers some basic conservation principles with examples from her own and clients’ gardens. Discussion includes how eliminating pesticides, increasing the number and variety of native plants, and managing rainwater responsibly can create a healthy, functioning ecosystem that benefits its inhabitants and the surrounding community. Additional details are at our website: https://www.gardenerbynature.com
Length:1+00
Name & contact information:Dale Batchelor
Email: dale @ gardenerbynature.com 919-828-2015
Equipment needed:Computer with Powerpoint, digital projector, microphone for large groups
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges:For non-local presentations (≥ 12 miles), I request time and travel expenses. For groups within 12 miles, I speak at no charge, but request a $150 contribution to the N. C. Native Plant Society.


Native Plants for Your Backyard, or Not

Description:This presentation shows how one gardener has made his urban lot into a native plant haven and it shows some of the favorite plants used. The “or not” refers to invasive plants which can be a separate presentation.
Length:1+00 can be shortened to 30 minutes
Name & contact information:Tom Harville
Email: tom @ ncwildflower.org919-851-5369
Equipment needed:Video projector, screen (or wall) and power hook up
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges: I would like to get mileage reimbursement. If it is a night program more than a couple hours from home, I would appreciate being put up in a member’s house or getting motel expenses for the night.


Wild Orchids of NC

Description:This is a slide program (with a handout) covering the orchids that grow wild in our state.
Length:The program length can be varied, but I would prefer to have at least one hour for the presentation
Name & contact information:David McAdooKernersville, NC
Home phone: (336) 996 – 2324
Email: ncorchid @ yahoo.com
Equipment needed:I would appreciate a room that can be darkened & a large projection screen. If it is a small meeting room, I can bring a portable screen. I will bring the projector and a table.
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges:I would like to get mileage reimbursement. If it is a night program more than a couple hours from home, I would appreciate being put up in a member’s house or getting motel expenses for the night.


Carnivorous Plants of the Southeast.

Description:This is a slide program (with a handout) covering the Carnivorous Plants of the Southeast.
Length:The program length can be varied, but I would prefer to have at least one hour for the presentation
Name & contact information:David McAdooKernersville, NC
Home phone: (336) 996 – 2324
Email: ncorchid @ yahoo.comEquipment needed:I would appreciate a room that can be darkened & a large projection screen. If it is a small meeting room, I can bring a portable screen. I will bring the projector and a table.
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges:I would like to get mileage reimbursement. If it is a night program more than a couple hours from home, I would appreciate being put up in a member’s house or getting motel expenses for the night.


Using native plants to create butterfly and bird habitats

Description:Learn how to get started using your yard as a home for birds and butterflies.
Name and Contact Information:Angela Haigler, Charlotte NC
Home phone: (704) 953 – 0939
Email: silverscrybe @ gmail.com
Equipment needed:For a “high tech” powerpoint presentation I’ll need a projection screen or large space to project a picture and I’ll also need a powerpoint style projector. I’ve got a standard laptop and a table that I can bring. I can also do a simple “talk” for small audiences without a powerpoint.
Travel requirements/restrictions:none
Charges:$50 speaking fee plus mileage reimbursement if outside of Charlotte.Additionally, for overnight programs, lodging expenses or “being put up in a member’s home” would be appreciated.


Herbal Hedgerows: Artifacts of History, Habitats for the Future©

Description: Walks along English country lanes invariably include encounters with hedgerows: tall, green, wildflower strewn borders with birds, rabbits, and hedgehogs peeking about. They offer wonderful opportunities for harvest of fruits, nuts, and herbs for culinary and medicinal use. We can, and do, have hedgerows here as well, continuing a global tradition.
Length: 45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Tallgrass, Mixed Grass, and Short Grass: Our National Grasslands©

Description: There is more to Grasslands and prairies than most people see. From the broad diversity of plants, shrubs, vines and trees to insects, amphibians, birds, and humans, our native grasslands continue to change. As John Muir once said, “God has cared for these [trees/grasslands], saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods. But he cannot save them from fools.” They also give us some good ideas for gardening with drought resistant plant species.
Length:45 – 60 minutes
Name & contact information:Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Equisetum: What is older than horses, named after a horse, and can keep you warm in winter?©

Description: A story of adaptation and survival.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information:Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Wolf Trees, Boundary Trees, and Tree Hollows©

Description:A tale of what trees have done for us and what we do to them.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Ambrosia Beetles: Plundering through Redbay, Sassafras, Spicebush, and Litsea.

Description:This tiny native of India, Japan, Myanmar and Taiwan is devastating our forests and wreaking havoc on songbirds, quail, wild turkeys, bears, and Palamedes Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies.Program
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information:Kathy Schlosser
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:a PowerPoint projector
Travel requirements Contact the speaker for details.


Noah’s Ark: Conserving NC’s 421 imperiled plant species©

Description: The story of the effort in North Carolina to keep 421 endangered and threatened plant species from extinction
Length:40 minutes
Name & contact information:Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Herbal Trees©

Description:a look at our native tree species; where, how, and why they grow. Special look at trees suited to home landscapes for their shape, size, fragrance, color, and uses (culinary, medicinal, and other).
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information:Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Steeped In History: Herbal Libations©

Description: A short history of herbs as flavorings and preservatives in alcoholic beverages. Intended as curatives and aperitifs, they came to be used simply for enjoyment. Some contemporary adaptations.
Length:30 minutes
Name & contact information:Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed:Digital projector required
Charges:Contact the speaker for details.


Thanksgiving: A Botanists’ Delight © 

Description: Traditional dishes and their histories.
Length: 45 minutes.
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


Leaf Variegation: a 17th century obsession©

Description: By the 17th century, people were collecting plants that showed variegation in leaf color and breeding the those that held the trait.  Records remain, and some plants we still use in our gardens. A brief look at the causes of variegation and some of the plants available.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


The Virtues of Violets©

Description:NC has an abundance of violets, with 29 species native to our state and an additional 10 hybrids.  They have a history of use for food, flavoring, and medicine.  Hints for identifying them, and a look into their use in Arts and Literature.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


Environmental Stewardship and Native Plants of the Piedmont©

Description:“God Almighty first planted a garden,” said Francis Bacon in 1625.  We still plant and lovingly tend gardens and natural areas. Following nature’s lead, we can garden in ways that have less negative impact on the environment, are sustainable, and still give us great pleasure.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


Myth and Mystery of the Green Man©

Description:The cycle of life, death, and rebirth represented by the Green Man.  Found in ancient churches and cultures of many years past, the Green Man persists today in our imagination—and even in breweries!  The story of the Green Man.
Length:45 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


The Great American Medicine Chest© 

Description: The wealth of medicinal herbs found in North America, who “discovered” them, and ‘the John Clayton intrigue that persists.
Length:30 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.


Wacky Weeds and Fatal Cures© 

Descriptions: The sometimes amusing, sometimes frightening story of herbs as poisons and cures.  
Length: 20-30 minutes
Name & contact information: Katherine Schlosser(336) 855 – 8022
Email: kathyschlosser at triad.rr.com (replace the “at” with @)
Equipment needed: Program is best with a projector or a set-up to run through TV.
Charges:Contact speaker for details.