NightSchool: Adventures in Botany

Get ready for some botanical adventures! Join Dr. Nathalie Nagalingum, cycad expert and the Academy’s Curator of Botany, as she hosts fellow botanists with their own tales of tracking down plants and blooms all around the world.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

• Let’s (virtually) head to the Andes! Forget the alpacas, this South American mountain range is home to 15% of all flowering plant species, including pantry staples like potatoes and quinoa, as well as spectacular bromeliads, orchids, and fuchsias. Join Dr. Laura Lagomarsino as she describes her encounters with the region's lesser-known plants and their hummingbird and bat pollinators!
   
• Australia is known as the place where everything is trying to kill you—and plants are no exception. Dr. Nathalie Nagalingum takes you on a virtual adventure to discover the beauty and dangers of the fascinating island country.
   
• Most people think of the “Big 5” and other charismatic animals when thinking of South Africa, but did you know if you looked down this beautiful country has some of the world’s highest plant diversity? Learn about the country’s Cape Floristic Region (CFR), a “knee-high” biodiversity hotspot, where Dr. Tanisha M. Williams studied the impacts of climate change on flowering plants found there.
   
• Dr. Dori Contreras hunts for leaves in both living and fossil tropical forests. Find out why she does it, and listen as she recounts some of the wild encounters and experiences working in vastly different environments during her quests to study forests past and present.

All NightLife virtual programming is intended for audiences 21+.

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PAST VIRTUAL NIGHTLIFE EVENTS

Missed the party? Just want to relive the magic? Watch the recorded livestreams on YouTube!