Morrill Hall's 'Sunday Scientist' explores beneficial backyards July 21

Released on 07/01/2013, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

WHEN: Sunday, Jul. 21, 2013

WHERE: University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History, Morrill Hall, south of 14th and Vine Streets

Lincoln, Neb., July 1st, 2013 —
Justin Evertson, green infrastructure coordinator, Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and Kim Todd, associate professor and extension landscape specialist, UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
Justin Evertson, green infrastructure coordinator, Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and Kim Todd, associate professor and extension landscape specialist, UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
Coffeetree seeds
Coffeetree seeds
Sunday with a Scientist logo
Sunday with a Scientist logo

            The next Sunday with a Scientist for kids and families at the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History in Morrill Hall will explore plant life in our own backyards. The event will be from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 21 at Morrill Hall, south of 14th and Vine Streets on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus.

            We often take for granted the trees and other plants growing around us, but if we look closer, we'll see how fascinating and important they are in our lives. Museum visitors for the "Beneficial Backyards" program on July 21 will discover why building a better backyard benefits not only humans, but also the bugs, birds and beasts in our community. Topics will include native plants, drought tolerant plants, cultivating biodiversity, and attracting pollinators.

            The program will offer tips and facts about plants: What is the "Indiana Banana?" Why do "stinging nettles" sting? Why is the honeylocust armed with nasty thorns? Why are milkweeds important for monarch butterflies? Is the tumbleweed native to Nebraska? Why are bees important and how can we help them? What is a coffeetree and why does it have such hard seeds? (Hint: it has something to do with extinct mammoths and other megafauna that once roamed Nebraska.)

            "Beneficial Backyards" will be led by Justin Evertson, green infrastructure coordinator for the Nebraska Forest Service and the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, and Kim Todd, associate professor and extension landscape specialist in the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. Todd is also host of NET's Backyard Farmer.

            Sunday with a Scientist is a series of events that highlight the work of State Museum scientists and those from other UNL departments and institutions, while educating children and families on a variety of topics related to science and nature.

            Upcoming Sunday with a Scientist topics: Sept. 22 -- Agate Fossil Beds; Oct. 20 -- Bats; Nov. 17 -- Solar energy; Dec. 15 -- Gene silencing in plants. There will not be an event in August. For more information, visit http://www.museum.unl.edu.

            The NU State Museum of Natural History in Morrill Hall is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays, and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Sundays. Regular admission is $6 for adults (19 and over), $3 for children (5-18 years, 4 and under are free), and $13 for families (up to two adults and children). Admission is free from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays through Aug. 29. UNL staff, faculty, and students are admitted free with NU ID during all regular hours. Friends of the Museum are also free. There is an additional charge for planetarium shows. Parking is free in front of the museum. For further information, telephone the museum at 402-472-3779, visit its website or Mueller Planetarium's website, http://www.spacelaser.com.