“Nature’s Best Hope” by Doug Tallamy

Reimagine Your Yard—Restore the Planet

Join Doug Tallamy for a captivating talk on how we can be Nature’s Best Hope during National Forest Week, and all year long!

Doug Tallamy, professor of Agriculture presents his vision for a Homegrown National Park that supports the insects and animals that sustain humans. By planting Native plants and trees, we can create a network of viable habitats providing vital corridors that connect remaining natural areas and enhance local ecosystems.

The headlines are sobering: global insect populations are plummeting, and North America has lost three billion breeding birds. These alarming trends are a wake-up call—our current landscape designs aren’t just falling short, they’re failing the ecosystems that sustain us.

But here’s the good news: you can be part of the solution.

By planting native species in our yards, gardens, and green spaces, we can rebuild the food webs that support birds, bees, butterflies, and more. Native plants are nature’s powerhouses—they:

Feed pollinators and wildlife
Sequester carbon
Support diverse native bee communities
Protect and manage our watersheds

Together, we can create a Homegrown National Park—a vibrant, connected network of habitats right in our own backyards. This grassroots movement empowers everyone to play a vital role in conservation, turning private properties into thriving ecosystems that link and strengthen the natural areas around us.

Your yard can be a lifeline. Your choices can shape the future.

Are you ready to grow something that matters? Come out to this talk to be inspired to action!

Doors open at 7:00, talk starts at 7:30 pm

There are two kinds of tickets available— in person tickets at the OAC Centennial Arboretum Centre (only 200 seats) and online tickets, via the Arboretum Zoom account (495 online tickets available). Tickets are the same price, $10.  All proceeds support The Arboretum’s educational programming for future National Forest Week events.

For more information and to register: To register

Doug Tallamy’s talk is made possible by the Bob Keith Education Fund at the University of Guelph Arboretum (with in-kind sponsorship by the Delta Hotel Guelph)