2023 Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail Spring Symposium and Native Plant Sale

We are looking forward to the May 5th Spring Symposium as we celebrate 10 years! We hope you will be able to join us. In addition to great speakers for the symposium we will have a native plant sale. The plant sale will include native plants, some must have annuals for that pop of color, Rosalynn Carter and Jimmy Carter Azaleas and some unique container gardens. We are very excited to have some of our partners attending the event and agreeing to talk to participants at breaks. You may want to bring your gardening questions for these experts to help you discuss issues in your garden.

The event will begin at 8:30AM with registration, the plant sale and silent auction. The ticketed program will begin at 9:15AM. The welcome and first program begin at 9:14AM. The event will end around 1:30PM.

Come talk with the experts about your garden! We will have extension service agents as well as native plant, wildflower, azalea and camellia experts to answer your questions about soil preparation, insect control, drought tolerant plants, and pollinator friendly plants.

Speakers

Felicity Davis

The Georgia Department of Transportation has identified locations around the state to implement pollinator friendly wildflower roadside plots. This presentation will include proper soil preparation, native plants and establishing a pollinator friendly habitat. The roadside locations include places the Monarch butterflies migrate through in the fall as they make their way to overwinters spots. Felicity and GADOT team members will be present to answer your questions before and after the presentation.

Dr. Jaap de Roode

Professor of Biology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Director of Infectious Disease Across Scales Training Program

Board of Director for the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail

Previous Speakers

Gary Bachman

Mississippi State University
Extension/Research Professor of Urban Horticulture
Host of Southern Gardening

Bodie Pennisi

Department of Horticulture
Professor, Statewide Extension
Landscape Specialist
University of Georgia

Erica Glasener

Nationally recognized Author/Writer/Speaker
Senior Producer of Growing a Greener World – PBS and CREATE TV series and
TV Host/Producer of A Gardener’s Diary – HGTV series

Kathy Crye

Horticulturist, Former Manager of Callaway Gardens Pollinator Garden and developer of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail at Callaway Gardens

Ernest Koone

The largest grower of native azaleas in the United States and also is a landscape designer for some very well-known gardens.

Karen Oberhauser

Director, Arboretum;Professor, Department of Entomology University of Wisconsin; Chair of Monarch Joint Venture and recipient of a White House Champion of Change Award in 2013

Bill Starr

County Extension Coordinator as well as the Agricultural and Natural Resources Agent for Sumter County.