Botanist Nate Dahlberg admits his interest in science was sparked by the detailed taxonomies in the popular game Pokémon. Join us for this entertaining class where Nate will show young scientists how they are using the tools of science when they hunt, find and collect Charizard, Bulbasaur, Ivysaur and Pikachu. He will tell them about spotted knapweed, a phytotoxic plant that battles native prairie plants by washing them in chemicals and taking over their territories. He will draw the parallel between studying the characteristics, environments and evolutions of Pokémon and the biological surveys that catalog the 2100+ native plants in Minnesota.

This event is offered as part of ArtReach St. Croix’s NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. In August 2020, we encourage everyone to read LAB GIRL by Hope Jahren and join St. Croix Valley your neighbors in programs related to themes found in the book. For more Big Read events in the valley, go to artreachstcroix.org/bigread/.