Early Spring Wildflowers & Plant Adaptation

Join ecologist Leslie Spencer for an exploration of early spring wildflowers during a guided walk through the forest. Discover how early geologic events have shaped the plant life we see today. We will learn about how these plants have adapted to thrive in the early season and we will keep our eyes out for early season pollinators.

Leslie Spencer is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Food Systems graduate program at UVM, where her work focuses on wild pollinator conservation and education. Leslie is an alumna of our Immersion in Education for Sustainability Program, and she offers these tips for educators on introducing students to pollinators and building a lifelong appreciation for pollinators’ important role in our world.

Before coming to Vermont, she studied wild pollinators in Costa Rican forests and coffee farms, Minnesota prairies, and the urban wilds of Boston.  She is also a Vermont Master Naturalist and member of the Vermont Pollinator Working Group Steering Committee.