NEXT GENERAL MEETING: If You Build it, They Might Come, With Molly Rightmyer, May 16, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Molly Rightmyer is a bee taxonomist who has become increasingly interested in native plants while attempting to increase the bee diversity of her home garden, an experience she wishes to share with other gardeners who hold similar aspirations.
She got her start as a freelance scientific illustrator here in southern California. She then worked with fossil turtles as an apprentice illustrator at the American Museum of Natural History, NY, eventually landing a job as scientific assistant for Hymenoptera, working with Jerry Rozen and Jim Carpenter. Under Jerry’s kind tutelage her interest in bees was sparked; she then attended the University of Kansas to work with Charles Michener, obtaining her PhD on the systematics of the parasitic bee Triepeolus in 2006. Afterwards, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian studying parasitic bees in the genus Nomada, and at the USDA Wild Bee Lab in Logan, UT, working on the systematics of the mason bee genus Osmia. Since returning to San Diego, Molly has shifted her focus to education as she homeschools her two daughters. She is currently a Research Associate at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
If You Build it, They Might Come, With Molly Rightmyer,
May 16, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
This meeting is in-person at San Diego Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, CA.
Online registration required
SD Hort Member (and their guest) registration is FREE
Non-member registration is $15
The Plant Forum has returned! So please bring some of your plants to share with members...
All you have to do is:
1) Bring a cutting or a potted plant to a meeting.
2) BEFORE you leave home, take a minute to print out a slip of paper with the common and scientific name of the plant, where it is native to (if you know that), what city it is growing in, your name, and a couple of sentences about your experience with the plant.
MEETING LOCATION:
San Diego Oasis
In the Innovation Center room downstairs
17170 Bernardo Center Dr
San Diego, CA 92128
Looking Ahead: Upcoming General Meeting - June 20, 2026 - 1:30p-3:30p In-person Oasis R.B.
Tony Gurnoe presents Right Tree, Right Place, Right Fire Zone: A Look at San Diego’s Trees and Their Future
Native trees are all the rage, with municipalities such as Encinitas passing regulations that require new landscape development projects to include native species. Which trees count as native? Are they good choices for your yard? How do native trees relate to fire and California's new zone 0 regulations? We'll talk about all of these things while profiling some of San Diego's unique and often underappreciated local trees.
Tony Gurnoe has conducted research related to native tree species in 7 different southwestern states for agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the State of California and institutions including San Diego State University. Tony also spent several years collaborating with university researchers in Baja California, particularly focused on the taxonomy and conservation of rare oaks. Prior to all that, Tony led horticulture, science, and conservation departments at the San Diego Botanic Garden. In 2022, he founded Treehugger Care & Consulting, a company focused on proactive approaches to preserving trees throughout our region. He is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist, a Certified Urban Forest Professional, and maintains Tree Risk Assessment Qualifications. Tony also serves as the chairman of the City of Encinitas' Urban Forest Advisory Committee. He has extensive and unique experience cultivating and studying trees from San Diego or the surrounding region and looks forward to sharing some of the most important things he has learned along the way.
But that's not all! Tony is also on the San Diego Horticultural Society Board in charge of Programs, and he is taking over from Karen England as the Let's Talk Plants! Newsletter editor.
