Rare and Showy Plants of the Chicago Region and the Habitats that Support T

Please join us for "Rare and Showy Plants of the Chicago Region and the Habitats that Support Them" with Christopher Benda, The Illinois Botanizer, on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 2:30 pm (Central Time).

Despite intensive urbanization and development, the Chicago Region is a center of biodiversity in North America. A wide variety of natural communities exist across the spectrum from prairie to savanna to woodland, with numerous types of wetlands interspersed among them. Discover the many rare plants and showy wildflowers unique to this area, along with the habitats in which they occur.

Photo credit: Christopher Benda

Speaker Bio

Christopher David Benda is a botanist living in southern Illinois. He coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program for the Chicago Botanic Garden, conducts rare plant surveys for the Shawnee National Forest, and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois at Southern Illinois University. An accomplished photographer under the moniker Illinois Botanizer, Chris shares his extensive collection of plant photos on his website, illinoisbotanizer.com.