Heather Holm, author of the award-winning “Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Forage Guide,” will discuss the clever engineering of flowers that entice, direct, and let’s be honest, outright manipulate pollinators into helping them execute world domination.

In recent years there has been a lot of focus on the most popular of pollinators – honeybees. But we often forget that there are many other creatures that help in pollination and some of them are superior pollinators to honeybees.

Ms. Holm’s expertise lies in understanding and educating about the architecture of native plants and how native bees, flies, moths, beetles, and butterflies are uniquely interested in and equipped to interact with the plants they evolved with. During her talk, she will show us the variety of native insects that are pollinators and show how many have specialized bodies or behavior that unlock native plants’ nectar sources.

Heather Holm will be lecturing at the Chicago Cultural Center on July 19, 1-3pm. This event is free but registration is required at luriegarden.org/speakers.