Saving the Wild South w/ Georgann Eubanks

Georgann’s talk will focus on efforts to save two endangered plants in the southern piedmont region: the Schweinitz’s Sunflower and the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily.

Free and open to the public. In-person or virtual via Zoom.

The American South is famous for its astonishingly rich biodiversity. In this talk about her new book from UNC Press, author Georgann Eubanks takes us on a wondrous trek across six states to search out native plants that are endangered and wavering on the edge of erasure. Even as she reveals the intricate beauty and biology of the South’s interconnected plant and animal life, she also shows how local development and global climate change are threatening many species, some of which have been graduated to the federal list of endangered species.

Why should we care, Eubanks asks, about the small patches of Schweinitz Sunflower surviving in North and South Carolina, or the annual blooming shoals lilies in the Catawba River and a few other sites. These plants, she argues, are important not only to the natural environment but also to southern identity, and Eubanks finds inspiration in talking with the heroes—the botanists, advocates, and conservationists young and old—on a quest to save these green gifts of the South for future generations. These passionate plant lovers caution all of us not to take for granted the sensitive ecosystems that contribute to the region’s long-standing appeal, beauty, and character.