Workshops & Events

Saturday Speaker Series

Join us for Hamilton’s Saturday Series, where expert speakers share practical tips for your garden, yard, and home. Some sessions feature demonstrations. Don’t forget to explore our beautiful, accredited campus arboretum while you’re here.

All events in this series begin at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and are free and open to the public.

Attend in person in the Taylor Science Center’s Kennedy Auditorium, or join online via Zoom by registering below.

Directions & Campus Map 

The Wood Wide Web with Tom Horton

February 7, 2026, at 10 a.m.

You may have heard about Suzanne Simard’s Mother Tree book. It is a topic that gets a lot of attention. Tom Horton’s take is a little different from Simard’s in that he starts from the mycorrhizal network itself—the fungi below ground—and works up to the connected trees. This ‘mycocentric’ view yields insights that are largely absent in the Mother Tree.

Mycorrhizal networks are not continuous networks connecting the trees. They are made of many species with varying life histories. Fungi in general have evolved ways to recognize hyphae as not their own and will reject fusions with individuals from the same species, let alone from other species. Further, the fungi do not grow equally well with all tree species in a forest. So, a mycorrhizal network is made of many individuals that are patchily distributed at a relatively small scale. The transfer of resources through such a complex network is likely not as free and easy as the popular press suggests.

Learn more about this fascinating topic on February 7.

---

Growing the Native Plant Movement Together with Jennifer Geiger from Wild Ones Mohawk Valley

March 7, 2026, at 10 a.m.

Join Jennifer Geiger from Wild Ones Mohawk Valley as she explores how to connect people with native plants for a healthier planet. Wild Ones promotes native landscapes through education, advocacy, and collaborative action.

The primary purpose of Wild Ones Mohawk Valley is to educate and support homeowners as they learn and develop their own native landscapes. The goal is to help people create beautiful and sustainable yards while enjoying the support and camaraderie of a community of fellow gardeners and native plant enthusiasts.

Activities include garden tours, field trips to natural areas, an annual plant sale, visits to native nurseries, educational presentations, volunteering with other nonprofits, and planting events where they share tips and learn from one another.

---

Observing Changes in Frog Behavior with Ariel Kahrl, Hamilton College Assistant Professor of Biology

April 11, 2026, 10 a.m.

Professor Ariel Kahrl is an evolutionary biologist studying the evolution of traits that are subject to sexual selection. She accomplishes this by combining experimental biology, comparative analyses, and fieldwork. She is developing a new research program centered around the evolution of reproductive physiology in frogs and salamanders. She hopes that her lab research can be integrated into her classroom, providing students with active research experiences and teaching them valuable skills. An assistant professor of Biology at Hamilton College, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Kahrl’s research focuses on understanding broad patterns of evolution across all animals and the physiological mechanisms that underlie them.