Wolves, Hummingbird Snacks, Hosting Bumblebees

How are wolves capable of helping a whole ecosystem? Do hummingbirds actually benefit from the plants that you're growing for them? Want to help science learn more about bumblebees by hosting them in your yard? Come find out at this month’s Nature Nerds!

If this is your first Nature Nerds program, please read this:

Nature Nerds is an informal educational event for grown-ups.

We swear sometimes. Jokes are made that are not intended for kids. Pretty much every biologist who gets on stage talks about sex. This program is not for the haughty or for youths. It is... a good time!

What’s the Deal with Wolves in California?

Myths, Expectations, and the Reality of Canid Conservation

Why did wolves leave California? And how they did they make their return? Come find out the details on how we should be welcoming this keystone species into our spaces and how and why wolves can encourage native plant and animal populations. Get insight into the way they can be used to reduce emergent wildlife diseases and bust some myths about livestock interactions.

Dr. Anna Doty, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at California State University, Sacramento, is a wildlife biologist for the nonprofit organization Women for Wolves. Anna is an avid conservation wildlife biologist who has over 15 years of experience focusing on mammalian physiology and ecology. She has conducted wildlife research throughout the United States, South Africa, and Australia. She also REALLY loves bats!

@womenforwolves

womenforwolves.org

Hummingbird Snacks or Nah?: Comparing Native and Exotic Plant Species as Hummingbird Resources in California

Are cultivars and exotic plants an ecological trap for hummingbirds? These little charismatic garden visitors have some strong preferences for certain colors and shapes of flowers, but does it matter if it’s a native plant? How about a cultivar? Get some insight into what we might want to consider as the climate is changes and we plan our gardens accordingly.

Bucky Squire is an Ecologist at UC Davis, where he is pursuing his PhD. He studies the birds and the bees (literally), and how climate warming changes their relationships with plants. In his

spare time, he enjoys camping all over California, making stained glass, and playing hide and seek with his cat.

Smart Bumblebee Queens Need Homes: Cognition, Pesticides, and Urban Nest Success

Have you ever considered fostering some bumblebees to help advance scientific understanding of what do bumblebees need to learn and remember? Maybe you should! Come learn about the bumblebee life cycle and why queens are so cool! Get some insights into queen bumblebee cognition across life stages and find out how you can help collect data by hosting a nest box in your yard!

Melanie Kimball is a postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis. She received her PhD studying house sparrow behavior and neurobiology at LSU and began studying bee cognition in the Muth Lab in 2024. In her free time, she paints pet portraits, runs (slowly), plays guitar (badly), and observes the behaviors of her two cats, snake, and tortoise.

@urban_bumblebees

www.melaniekimball.com

ABOUT TICKET PRICES:

$33 tickets are for you if you own your home, can travel internationally for fun, have savings and investments. This price directly offsets lower prices for folks that could use support.

$19 tickets are for you if you can meet your basic needs.

$9 tickets are if you're a single parent, you use EBT, cannot afford to take time off without financial burden, are an unpaid community organizer.