> How many eyes does a praying mantis really have?
> Are there more species of flies, beetles or butterflies in North America?
> Why do insects and other small invertebrates matter so much to ecosystems?

Find out the answers to these and many more questions in this session with Chris Helzer.  Chris (not an entomologist, but an admirer of insects) will present photos and stories of insects to help you gain an appreciation for these tiny wildlife species.

Chris earned a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1994 and 1996, respectively.  His undergraduate degree was in forestry, fisheries, and wildlife and his master’s project was in landscape ecology, with a focus on grassland birds in fragmented grassland landscapes.  Chris is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska.  His main role is to evaluate and capture lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration work and share those lessons with other land managers.  He also works to raise awareness about the value of prairies and prairie conservation through his photography, writing, and presentations.  He is the author of two books published by the University of Iowa Press: “The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States” and “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter”.

He lives in Aurora, Nebraska, a beautiful small town right on the edge of tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie.  Learn more at http://prairieecologist.com.  Also see https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/great-lakes/stories-in-the-great-lakes/midwest-pollinators/.