Dr. Dobson, from Yale University, will take us right down to ground level and into the earth itself as we learn about the vital activities of the not-so-humble earthworm, and the challenge it is facing from invasive species, in particular the Asian jumping worm.

 Dr. Annise Dobson attended McGill University to study science, specializing in the interaction between plants and insects.  She pursued her graduate work at Cornell University in upstate New York, focusing on the impact of white-tailed deer and invasive earthworms on native plants.  She is currently employed as a post-doctoral researcher at Yale University, where she studies the ecology of urban forests.  Annise is no stranger to the Ottawa Valley; she grew up in Cobden, where her family runs the Connaught Nursery.