Beneficial Insects in Your Garden

From parasitic wasps targeting caterpillars to six-legged ecosystem engineers, these insects not only support the health of your garden but can be vital for restoring healthy ecosystems in our urban areas.

In this program, you'll learn about the important insects that can protect your plants, help your veggies grow and work magic in your soil. The incredible world of your neighborhood insects will spark your curiosity and give you a new outlook on your backyard! We'll also cover how to support these beneficial insects by following good land management practices and creating safe habitat space. No matter the size of your garden or where you live, you can be a steward of your local ecosystem and benefit the innumerable insects around you.

This class is virtual. Participants will have access to a recording of the presentation.

Active CGC volunteers can take this class for free!

Meet Your Instructor:

Sylvana Ross, AKA Syl Ross the Nature Boss, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor’s in Biology where she studied sensory behaviors in jumping spiders and found her curiosity and passion for insects and the natural world. She then became a science educator and beekeeper and helped start Queen City Pollinator Project, which works to provide pollinator habitat, conserve beneficial insects, and educate community members on how to save our local ecosystems. Sylvana is now a first year Entomology PhD student at Cornell University studying how urban ant populations are adapting to rising summer temperatures to aid in policies that prepare our ecosystems for climate change and human infrastructure. She hopes her work will help unravel the impacts systemic racism and residential segregation have on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics within cities. She wants her passion for learning to inspire avenues for creative and intuitive minority minds to find belonging within science.