Events

Join Xerces Society Ambassador and pollinator advocate, Brandie Dunn, to take a deep dive into the marvelous world of moths and discover the many wonders of nighttime pollination! You’ll learn about their unique life cycle, behaviors, diversity, and more - as well as the important role they play in our ecosystems. Brandie will share exciting insights she gleaned after her first attempts at mothing and inspire you to take note of Nature’s Night Shift in your own neighborhood. This presentation will conclude with constructive ways that you can help conserve these important, yet lesser-known, pollinators. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation is an international nonprofit organization that protects the natural world through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats.

Bio: Brandie was honored to become a volunteer Xerces Society Ambassador in 2022 and join them in their mission to engage and inspire people to establish meaningful connections with invertebrates. She came upon the conservation scene in part due to her Community Science efforts with bumble bees, more recently joining Xerces’ Firefly Atlas initiative.

In small, incremental steps over the course of the last decade, she has successfully incorporated over 70 native plant species into her suburban yard where she has welcomed an increasingly diverse array of species including endangered rusty-patched bumble bees. She aspires to make life more hospitable for both daytime and nighttime garden visitors where she lives.

A Volunteer Site Steward at a conservation site in McHenry County, she enjoys hosting monthly ecological restoration days in the community. As a Wisconsin & Illinois Master Naturalist, she volunteers in many capacities in her church and community to cultivate connections which promote conservation, restoration, education, and improved stewardship of the land.