WHEN: March 3, 2025, 2 pm CST
WHERE: Austin Public Library, Yarborough Branch 2200 Hancock Dr.
COST: Free, NO Registration Required
Join Chris Garza on World Wildlife Day for a talk on insect and fungal interactions. Prepare to be spooked, wowed and inspired.
Insects and fungi which have various complex interactions. In some cases the fungi and insects benefit each other such as leaf cutter ants that feed and farm fungi for food (the good). Other insects spread fungal pathogens like oak wilt (the bad). Finally, some fungi have evolved complex methods of parasitism including controlling the behaviors of the insect hosts before growing a fruiting body out of them (the ugly!). Learn about these and many more interesting relationships between fungi and insects.
ABOUT THE GUEST SPEAKER
Chris Garza is a certified ecologist, certified arborist, and a certified ecological restoration practitioner in training. He has a MS in Forestry where he focused on forest entomology and has since become an avid mycophile.