Wingard’s Market will bring author, entomologist and ecologist Doug Tallamy to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden on May 16 to talk about his book, “A Chickadee’s Guide to Gardening,'' which focuses on the importance of native plants.

“It feels great,” said Melodie Scott-Leach, the director of habitat horticulture for the zoo. “We love partnering with local, homegrown nurseries like [Wingard’s]. We feel it's very important to support them and to keep them up and running.”

Zach Steinhauser, naturalist for Wingard's, shared that during the event, attendees will have multiple opportunities to win a giveaway. He said that some of the prizes include Tallamy's books, both individual and sets, and items that will be provided by Wingard's and the zoo.

Steinhauser told the Chronicle that Tallamy is essentially a native plant guru, adding that the idea to bring Tallamy happened when he was sitting with his parents after a sunrise tour on the lake, ultimately reaching out to the zoo to host the event.

Steinhauser elaborated on Tallamy, saying that he travels the country to talk about native plants and the importance of using them in gardening. He added that Tallamy touches on how it is for the sake of local environments.

“I was always skeptical of native plants. I always thought it was just kind of a novelty,” Steinhauser said. “When I listened to his talk, he was talking about this relationship that butterflies lay hundreds of eggs on oak trees, and how migratory birds like warblers and birds depend on these caterpillars to feed, … to raise their young and survive.”

He told the Chronicle that after that talk, he went to his backyard and was seeing birds he hadn’t seen in a long time or was seeing for the first time.

“It was a light bulb moment that just went off for me,” Steinhauser added. “I was all native plants from there on out.”

The naturalist said that the overarching goal of this event is to make attendees more aware of what they can do for the birds, insects and other wildlife living in their backyard. He added that getting people to recognize the importance of having native plants around is a key goal.

The event also supports one of the zoo’s goals, Plant for Pollinators, a program for informing residents about what they can plant in order to aid in the revitalization of insects.

“We're trying to encourage people to just take a small section of yard,” Scott-Leach said. “Just add a row of some flowering plants because when you ride around and you look at home landscapes, it's very barren. Unless you've got flowering plants, you're not providing anything for the critters at all.”

Scott-Leach said that insects are the backbone of everything we eat. They help flowering plants, provide food for wild animals and are important to gardens. She told the Chronicle that hosting events like these are crucial to getting the word out.

When it comes to how these events benefit the market, Steinhauser said that it can help them tap into the Richland County markets, as the zoo brings in a majority of its visitors from the counties it straddles.

“We're trying to cross-pollinate our audiences and that's kind of what the role we both play is,” he said. “Trying to bring in both our memberships together, so that way, we both can benefit.”

According to Scott-Leach, the zoo is always looking for the opportunity to partner with local businesses, adding that with this event, Wingard’s really took the initiative on it.

“Events like this are important from an educational standpoint. It's an opportunity for people to learn and understand and take away new lessons that they didn't previously know about,” Steinhauser said. “It's just an opportunity for you to open your eyes and grasp a new concept.”