Friends of the Hilltop Arboretum Symposium

This year's Friends of the Hilltop Arboretum Symposium is placing an emphasis on conservation on a small scale, which can make an enormous impact. Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard will feature three speakers addressing different ways to enrich the environment at home. Douglas W. Tallalmy will discuss the benefits of planting natives, outlining his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation. He will demonstrate ways that homeowners can transform their yards into conservation corridors providing wildlife habitats, without depending upon the whims of public policy. Linda Barber Auld "The New Orleans Buglady," will encourage ways to attract beneficial insets to your yard by planting native pollinators. And finally, professional naturalist Bill Fontenot will share his research on how to attract Louisiana birds to your garden. 

Hilltop's Hodge Podge Volunteers will also be on standby with an extensive collection of native plants for sale, including ground covers, understory trees, and canopy trees. Their cookbook Passalong Recipes from the Podge 'Digging Deeper," will be available for sale, along with gardening tools and other books. 

8:30 am–2 pm. $75; $65 Hilltop members; $25 students. Registration after January 14 will increase by $10. lsu.edu/hilltop.