Natural history in the city: Connecting people with the ecology of their plant and animal neighbors

The world is urbanizing at an astonishing rate; rapidly transforming landscapes and the relationships people have with nature. Not surprisingly, there is much more to learn about how plants and animals use (or don’t use) the human-dominated habitats we’ve created. I will describe how natural history has shaped my research on birds and insects in urban environments. I will also make the case that natural history observations can be a powerful tool to understand ecological interactions in novel ecosystems, inspire community-based scientists, and encourage the public to engage in environmental stewardship.