Chicago Botanic Garden Summer 2019

OFFICERS Robert F. Finke, Chair David R. Casper, Vice Chair and Chair, Finance & Investment, and Treasurer Jill M. Delaney, Vice Chair and Chair, Buildings, Gardens, and Visitor Experience Timothy A. Dugan, Vice Chair, Nominating & Governance Peter M. Ellis, Vice Chair, Government Relations John L. Howard, Vice Chair omas E. Lanctot, Vice Chair Catherine M. Waddell, Vice Chair, Science and Education Susan A. Willetts, Vice Chair & Immediate Past Chair Nicole S. Williams, Vice Chair, Finance & Investment Jean M. Franczyk, President & CEO DIRECTORS Russell F. Bartmes Martha D. Boudos Jennifer K. Brown, ex officio Neville F. Bryan John H. Buehler Michael J. Busch Heidi B. Capozzi Robin Colburn James W. DeYoung Jean M. Franczyk, ex officio Dorothy H. Gardner Steven J. Gavin Arthur J. Gibson Nancy Gidwitz Christopher E. Girgenti Ellis M. Goodman John K. Greene Charles V. Greener Joseph P. Gromacki Gillian Growdon William J. Hagenah Jonathan S. Holloway Jane Irwin Gregory K. Jones Peter Keehn R. Henry Kleeman Angela Korompilas Nancy Kurz, ex o cio M. James Leider Benjamin F. Lenhardt Anne Leventry Diane vS. Levy Laura M. Linger Anne S. Loucks Michael J. McMurray Christopher Merrill William E. Moeller Gregory A. Moerschel Lois L. Morrison Jane S. Park George A. Peinado Toni Preckwinkle, ex officio Bob Probst Arnold Randall, ex officio Mary B. Richardson - Lowry John C. Robak James Robinson Ryan S. Ruskin Darren Serrao Robert E. Shaw omas E. Skilling Maria Smithburg Pam F. Szokol Kim Vender Mo at, ex officio Andrew J. Warzecha Melvin F. Williams, Jr. Michael R. Zimmerman LIFE DIRECTORS Marilynn B. Alsdorf J. Melfort Campbell Barbara Whitney Carr Gary P. Coughlan Peter R. Crane Suzanne S. Dixon omas A. Donahoe Peter B. Foreman Ralph F. Fujimoto James J. Glasser Caryn L. Harris Pamela K. Hull omas B. Hunter III Posy L. Krehbiel William H. Kurtis Donna La Pietra Daniel I. H. Linzer Josephine P. Louis Mary L. McCormack Jeanine McNally William A. Osborn Homi B. Patel Susan L. Regenstein Anne O. Scott David Byron Smith Susan K. Stone Richard L. omas Howard J. Trienens Ernest P. Waud III Arthur M. Wood, Jr. We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Plants need pollinators. And we need them too. Without pollinators, our world—and our lives—would be drastically di erent. More than half of the produce you nd today at the grocery store would not be there. ere would be fewer blooms too, as nearly 90 percent of all owering plants require insects and other animals for their reproduction. Pollinators don’t all look, or act, the same. ere are nearly 270,000 species, from bees and ies to lemurs and bats. But they all share a fundamental connection to plants. And those plants keep our planet healthy, provide our food, and sustain our lives. Bees & Beyond will inspire a genuine appreciation for the vital role pollinators play in our everyday lives and in a healthy, diverse planet. is Garden-wide program includes pollina- tor-themed display gardens, an interactive exhibition on the diversity of pollinators, and After Hours Buzz, a series of cocktail events with Garden scientists. ere are more details on page 6. Bees & Beyond is fun, with oral carpets, topiaries, and hands-on activities for conservation- ists of all ages. But it also carries an important message. Pollinator populations are in decline, threatened by habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, and lack of food. Garden scientists are at the forefront in understanding these threats and their e ects on pol- linators and plants. For instance, Garden scientist Paul CaraDonna, Ph.D., found that warmer temperatures may a ect the diet, and perhaps long-term survival, of a population of native bees in the Southwest. If that mason bee population declines, what will happen to the shrub that bee pollinates, or the animals that feed o that shrub? We are also preparing for the future by training the next generation of plant scientists and land managers through the joint graduate program in plant biology and conservation through Northwestern University and the Garden and by revealing the power of plants to even the youngest students in the Garden’s Nature Preschool. ere are ways you can help, too. Plant your backyard garden with pollinator-friendly native plants like milkweed, which can help the threatened monarch butter y. Join Budburst, our citizen science project, that crowdsources research around plant life cycles, and pollinator and plant relationships. And help us stand up for plants and pollinators. One of the Garden’s core beliefs says it best: e future of life on earth depends on how well we understand, value, and protect plants, and other wildlife, and the natural habitats that sustain our world. Jean M. Franczyk President and CEO