[BSW] Earthworm ecology + 6/1 Drakensberg Alpine Grasslands + MISC

[KATHY BILTON]

Wednesday, May 26 at 11am Eastern  (3pm UTC)
Frank Ashwood will speak on Earthworm Ecology
Zoom Registration:
https://esrag.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqceygqTstE9ZKFHVzWGGJnMjKVS87N5Si
(Further details at bottom of this email.)

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Next BSW meeting is coming up in a week - Tuesday, June 1 at 7pm.  Doors 
will open by 6:45 for socializing.

Topic: Drakensberg Alpine Grasslands: An assessment of impacts to plant 
diversity of fire and grazing.
(Some results of from a 2020 expedition to South Africa and Lesotho)
http://botsoc.org/jun21.jpg

Speaker: Robert J. Soreng, PhD, Research Associate, Dept. of Botany, 
Smithsonian Institution.

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89044695837?pwd=QUtZQ2c1MmRsRUhETXllc2tVZlZ1UT09
(If needed: Meeting ID: 890 4469 5837   Passcode:  990270

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Free Webinar: “Glades of Arkansas” with Brent Baker
Hosted by the Arkansas Native Plant Society
Time: Saturday, June 5, 10-11am

Program Description: Brent Baker, Botanist for the Arkansas Natural 
Heritage Commission, will discuss what glades are, the different types in 
Arkansas, and where they occur. He’ll also highlight glade plants in 
general and some plants unique to certain types of glades.

Click here to join: https://craftontull.zoom.us/j/93105676042

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Lots of online and in-person seminars this summer at Eagle Hill
https://www.eaglehill.us/programs/sems-online/calendar-online.shtml

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Vascular Plants of Maryland: A Comprehensive Account of the State's 
Botanical Diversity
https://smithsonian.figshare.com/articles/book/Vascular_Plants_of_Maryland_USA_A_Comprehensive_Account_of_the_State_s_Botanical_Diversity/14605674/1
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What You May Not Know about Poison Ivy
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/12/realestate/poison-ivy.html
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Fatal Attraction: Rare Corpse Flower Draws Hundreds of Onlookers
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/may/19/corpse-flower-san-francisco-bay-area

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Recording of April MNPS Program is now online.
Grasses That Bloom in the Spring with Lauren Brown
https://youtu.be/RtnasRASQk4
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Title: Earthworm Ecology

Dr Frank Ashwood will provide an overview of the many ecological groups of
earthworms and the ecosystem services that they provide. He will also
describe the global distribution of earthworms, and the effects of
introduced invasive species on native earthworm communities and ecosystems
in various regions of the world, especially the Atlantic region of North
America. (You may also ask "What has climate change got to do with
earthworms?")

Frank’s Bio

Dr Frank Ashwood is a soil ecologist working for Forest Research, Great
Britain’s principal organisation for forestry and tree related research.
Frank’s doctoral thesis investigated the role of earthworms as soil
improvers for tree establishment on reclaimed land, and he now researches
soil biological health in woodlands and forests across the United Kingdom.
In his spare time, Frank is the research officer for the Earthworm Society
of Britain, and an Associate Tutor for the Field Studies council, running
earthworm education courses for the British public. A world
renowned expert on earthworms, he was a keynote speaker at the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Annual Convention. The Forestry
Commission is internationally renowned for the provision of science,
research, evidence, data and services in support of sustainable forestry.