Nov 10 - The Garden at Night: Moths, Pollination Services, and Climate Change

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 pm, James W. Porter, Josiah Meigs Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia, will present the annual Johnstone Lecture at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens.) Porter, known for his award winning photography as well as his knowledge of butterflies and moths, climate change, coral reefs, and ecology, will delight eyes and curious minds with “The Garden at Night: Moths, Pollination Services, and Climate Change”. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak with Porter during a reception following the talk. 

Wing of the IO moth by James Porter

Dr. Porter has received the UGA Creative Research Award, the University's Meigs Teaching Award, and the prestigious Eugene P. Odum Award for environmental education. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Great Barrier Reef Committee.  In 2006, he was elected President of Sigma Xi, a scientific honor society with more than 160,000 members worldwide, including all living Nobel Laureates.

  

Dr. Porter's award winning photographs have appeared in Life Magazine and the New York Times.  His work has been featured on ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, CNN News, and the CBS Evening News. 

Although Dr. Porter is now a marine ecologist, his undergraduate work was in the area of entomology.  He returned to the study of butterflies and moths while teaching ecology at UGA’s field station in Costa Rica.  He continued these studies upon his return to Athens, and is currently writing a book about the butterflies of Costa Rica.

Luna Moth by Chuck Murphy

Both the Johnstone Lecture and reception are free, but reservations are required. Reservations may be made at botgarden.uga.edu, by calling 706-542-6138, or emailing garden@uga.edu. The Johnstone Lecture, sponsored by FRIENDS of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, was named in honor of the State Botanical Garden’s first director, Dr. Francis E. Johnstone, Jr. 

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a unit of Public Service & Outreach at the University of Georgia.