June Monthly Meeting
Public Welcome Free Event Chapter Meeting Wheelchair Accessible Public Restroom Free Public Parking Drinking Fountains
Richard Hitt will give a presentation on
The Curious Ways Flowering Plants Reproduce
Clues to Darwin's Abominable Mystery
How did flowering plants diversify so rapidly and come to dominate the world's flora? This question puzzled Charles Darwin, who famously described their sudden rise as an “abominable mystery.” Today, flowering plants account for nearly 90% of all plant species.
This presentation explores Darwin’s mystery through several native plants with unusual reproductive adaptations. From the sex-changing Jack-in-the-pulpit and the deceptive cranefly orchid to the timing mechanisms of passionflower and the seed-cloning abilities of dandelions, these species reveal the inventive ways plants reproduce and spread. Together, their evolutionary innovations offer insight into how flowering plants became one of the most diverse and dominant groups of organisms on Earth.
Everyone is welcome!
Format: Hybrid (in-person and Zoom)
Zoom: Link
Date: Monday, June 22, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM CST
Location: Ed Jones Auditorium, Ellington Ag Center, 416 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN (36.06398, -86.74472)