BRINGING NATURE HOME
BRINGING NATURE HOME is a series of programs presented by Friends of Heights Parks and the Cleveland Heights Parks & Recreation Department.
The free talks by local experts educate and inspire residents to create biodiverse native habitat in our public and private green spaces.
Bringing Nature Home 2025 records, including presenter slide decks, are here.
all talks are at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Blvd. 44118
Questions? info@FriendsofHeightsParks.org
Saturday, January 10, 2026, 10-noon
Registration opens 12/26/25
Shrubs – The Missing Link presented by John Barber
We talk about tree canopy and native perennials for pollinators. But there's a layer in between and on edges - shrubs and small trees. Come hear about how shrubs are understood and misunderstood, used and misused. We'll talk about what makes a shrub a shrub, how best to use them in our yards and parks, and show examples of beneficial natives.
Saturday, February 7, 10-noon
Registration opens 01/11/26
Not All Butterflies Are Snowbirds presented by Mary Lynn Delfino
The migrating monarch is not typical. Learn how butterflies overwinter in our own backyards!
Saturday, March 7, 10-noon
Registration opens 02/08/26
Local Resources
Three local resources will talk about their free programs that help us garden more ecologically: The Heights Tree People, Nature in My Backyard, and the Heights Native Pollinator Path. A panel will answer your questions!
Saturday, April 11, 10-noon
Registration opens 03/08/26
Meadows of Northeast Ohio: Openings in the Forest presented by Dave Tomashefski of Meadow City Nursery
When European settlers first arrived in Ohio, they found a land that was 98% forested and rich in wetlands. Gardeners of today know, however, that a number of our native flowers and grasses prefer sunny, drier conditions. These include meadow species like little bluestem and nodding wild onion. What were the natural factors that allowed these plants to colonize our area and persist to the present day? This presentation will examine meadow communities of northeast Ohio, with an emphasis on their origin, characteristic plant species, and ecological significance.
John Barber has expanded his experience of his first love, birds, to the importance of bird habitat to all of nature. A licensed bird bander, he has had the excitement of banding 60 bird species in his own biodiverse urban back yard.
John has been a citizen scientist for over fifty years, active in the recovery of Peregrine Falcon populations; the continuing recovery of Eastern Bluebirds; and monitoring wildlife populations in suburban parklands. Now retired after 35 years in the business world, he is passionately engaged in restoring and maintaining biodiversity in his community. As co-chair of Friends of Lower Lake park he has worked with volunteers weekly on Sunday mornings since 2018 to remove invasive species and replace them with native ones.
Mary Lynn Delfino became butterfly-obsessed nearly a decade ago. Since then, she has volunteered as a citizen scientist with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park's butterfly monitoring program at Terra Vista Natural Study Area. Wherever she goes, she is butterflying, whether in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Costa Rica, Italy, or her Cleveland Heights yard, which she is slowly converting to a native habitat.
Dave Tomashefski is the Education Specialist for Meadow City Native Plant Nursery. He has an MS in Natural Resources with a focus on Ecological Restoration from Ohio State University. Prior to joining Meadow City, Dave was a Research Associate in OSU’s Soil, Water, and Environmental Lab. He is an avid gardener and life-long nature lover.
There are no upcoming events at this time.