Growing Caterpillars: A Tangled Tale of Birds, Plants, and Conservation

There are untold thousands of species of moths and butterflies in eastern North America (overwhelmingly moths). The winged adults are but the short-lived finale of a four-stage life cycle: egg, pupa, caterpillar, and adult. It’s the caterpillar phase that makes much of the natural world go around, and countless billions become food for other organisms. Without vegetation-eating caterpillars and the native plants that they require, most songbirds would go extinct, botanical diversity would plummet, and our forests would fall silent. This richly illustrated talk delves into the seemingly magical synergy between flora, caterpillars, and birds.

Jim worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for 31 years as a botanist, and later specializing in wildlife diversity projects, especially involving birds. He has authored or coauthored six books, including Birds of Ohio (Lone Pine 2004); and Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage (Kent State University Press 2009). The latter won the 2010 Ohioana Book award. He is a coauthor of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II book. His most recent books are Gardening for Moths (Ohio University Press 2023) and A Naturalist’s Guide to the Odonata of Ohio (Ohio Biological Survey 2024). Jim writes a column, Nature, for the Columbus Dispatch, and regularly publishes a natural history blog. He has written numerous articles in a variety of publications and has delivered hundreds of presentations throughout the eastern United States. He was named 2015 Conservation Communicator of the Year by the Ohio League of Sportsmen. Jim is an avid photographer, shooting a range of natural history subjects. He has had hundreds of photos published in various forums, including the TV program Jeopardy. His photography can be sampled at https://www.jimmccormac.com/

ON BEHALF OF THE RIVER OAKS GARDEN CLUBTHIS SEMINAR IS FREE  AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The 36th Annual Sadie Gwin Blackburn Environmental Seminar  Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 9:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the Caroline Wiess Building, Brown Auditorium of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet Street, Houston, Texas 77005

Please use the following code  AT: Single Presentation: TMN AT Report Hours