The life of Edgar W. Denison (1904-1993), late resident of Kirkwood, MO, amateur naturalist, botanist, artist, and early leader in environmental sustainability, will be celebrated in Kirkwood this spring with events promoting education and appreciation of Missouri’s natural assets. All events are free and open to the public.
Edgar Denison Nature Education Series at Kirkwood Public Library, 140 E. Jefferson. All presentations begin at 7:00 PM.
- Monday, March 31st. Missouri Natural Communities and Natural Areas, Mike Leahy, Natural Areas Coordinator for Missouri Department of Conservation.
- Wednesday, April 9th. Naturescaping: Landscaping for Life, Mitch Leachman, Executive Director of St Louis Audubon Society and co-founder of Bring Conservation Home.
- Tuesday, April 15th. Natives, Beyond Beauty, Plants that REALLY Work, Bill Ruppert, Kirkwood Resident, representative of Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! Committee.
- Monday, April 21st. Show Me the Monarch: Adventures in Butterfly Gardening, Jennifer Loyet-Schamber and Tammy Behm, Greenscape Gardens.
- Tuesday, April 29th. The Best Missouri Trees for Native Landscaping, Mark Gruber, Urban Forester, Missouri Department of Conservation.
Edgar Denison: A Modern Johnny Appleseed. Monday, April 14th, 7:00 PM. A panel discussion on the life and contributions of Edgar Denison. Moderated by Scott Woodbury, Curator of Whitmire Wildflower Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve. Panelists include Dr. Peter Raven, Dr. George Yatskievych, Tom Ott, Lesley Schoedinger, and Bill Ruppert. First Presbyterian Church of Kirkwood, 100 East Adams.
Edgar Denison Day. Saturday, April 19th, 10 AM to 3:00 PM, Kirkwood Farmers’ Market (Argonne and Taylor), in conjunction with Kirkwood Living Green’s Earth Day celebration. Includes exhibitors and native plant sellers, kids’ activities and music.
At 10:00 AM dedication of an Edgar Denison Memorial Garden, designed by Kirkwood resident June Hudson, Supervisor of the Kemper Home Demonstration Gardens at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Spring Wildflower Walk. April 19th at 1:30 PM at Kirkwood’s Emmenegger Nature Park, (11991 Stoneywood Drive) led by Dr. George Yatskievych, Curator and Director- Flora of Missouri Project at Missouri Botanical Garden and Editor of Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri.
For more information, visit the Kirkwood In Bloom website.
