Getting to Know Our Native Common Grasses with Dr. Nancy Adamson

Saturday March 14, 2026, 10:00am - 12:00pm

Meet at the ABG Visitor Center (indoor and outdoor class)

Grasses are everywhere, yet often overlooked. In this informal, hands-on class, Nancy Adamson will introduce common grasses found in the garden and surrounding landscapes. Participants will learn to spot differences between cool- and warm-season grasses, examine dry samples, and explore the habitats where grasses naturally thrive—including which species work well in home landscapes.

Nancy will also highlight the important role grasses play in supporting butterflies like grass skippers and share how tools like iNaturalist can help document what you see and contribute to community science. Participants are welcome to bring grass samples for identification, and weather permitting, the group may explore grasses growing around the Garden.

Nancy Adamson is an ecologist interested in community connections between plants, people, pollinators, other wildlife, and the micro-organisms we all depend on. She studied native grass establishment at the University of Maryland (MS) and native bees important for crop pollination at Virginia Tech (PhD). She has worked in environmental conservation throughout her career—with the Xerces Society, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, briefly with Virginia’s Natural Heritage Program, and now with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Newberry, SC. She hopes you’re inspired to support healthy communities and to document plant visitors to improve understanding of community connections. Find her pollinator clips on YouTube c/o MelittologyNancy.

COST: $35 for non-members, 25% OFF FOR ABG MEMBERS

CLASS SIZE : 35

**ABG MEMBERS: to apply your member discount, enter the coupon code: CLASSES25 at the checkout page. **