Join the Hanover Garden Club and our community partners on April 22, 6-8 p.m. at the Nugget Theaters in Hanover for a special showing of the film, The Extraordinary Caterpillar. A film by Jeff McKay, it features Sam Jaffe from The Caterpillar Lab in Marlborough, NH, and renowned entomologist, author and speaker, Doug Tallamy, co-founder of Homegrown National Park. Free, but registration is required because of limited seating. Arrive as early as 5:30pm to see the live exhibit of caterpillars and to collect resources from the partnering organizations listed below. There will also be an onsite drawing for some great caterpillar swag, including 15 native plants donated by Cedar Circle Farm, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle donated by Barbara McIllroy, and How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard, Doug Tallamy’s latest book donated by Hanover Garden Club.

Register at this link: https://hanovergardenclub.wildapricot.org/event-6620211

Using macro videography, the film gets up close and personal with the enchanting and miraculous caterpillar. Writer, director and producer Jeff McKay explores the caterpillar’s role as a lynchpin in the conversion of plant energy to food source in the complex web of life on our planet. McKay reports that “the caterpillar transfers more plant energy into the greater food web than any other creature”. From chickadees, who need six to nine thousand caterpillars to feed one clutch of hatchlings in just the first two weeks of their lives, to bears, bats, spiders, lizards and more, caterpillars are a critical source of food.

The story of discovery and wonderment of these diverse and colorful creatures takes a turn which is all too common these days when discussing our natural world. Loss of habitat, in the form of native shrubs, flowers and trees, is threatening this keystone species and, by extension, all the wildlife that depends on them, especially birds. Since 1970, one third of our birds in North America—3 billion birds—have disappeared.

The film educates us and urges us to be part of the solution. We can help by preserving existing habitat on our properties and restoring native plants. Working as a community, we can create habitats for caterpillars to thrive, thereby ensuring the health and diversity of the ecosystem that depends on them.

After the one hour film there will be a Q&A panel with local experts: Amber Jones (VT Center for Ecostudies), Alicia Houk (A Wild Garden), and Chris Rimmer (local bird specialist). Also, The Caterpillar Lab will have a staff member onsite with a live caterpillar exhibit. They will discuss caterpillars and native plants, creating insect and bird habitats at home, and strategies for yard rewilding. Plus, we’ll have free resources to help you take action right away. This event is suitable for ages 5+.

Additional co-sponsors of this event: A Wild Garden, Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center, Hanover Conservancy, Hanover Conservation Commission’s Biodiversity Committee, Hanover Improvement Society, LindeMac Real Estate, Northern Woodlands, Norwich Conservation Commission, Sustainable Hanover, Vermont Center for Ecostudies.

Come with your questions and enthusiasm to make a difference in biodiversity, one yard at a time.