Author Talk: Doctors By Nature - How Ants, Apes and Other Animals Heal Themselves with Dr. Jaap de Roode
Thu Jun 04 | 7pm-8pm | Trees Atlanta Kendeda TreeHouse
Atlanta’s urban forest is a living apothecary—offering shade, nourishment, and medicine for people, pollinators, and wildlife alike. Join Trees Atlanta for a Pollinator Month talk with author and scientist Jaap de Roode. In his lab, Dr. de Roode and his team study monarch butterflies and honey bees to uncover how these remarkable creatures use plants, chemicals, and even microbes to defend themselves against illness. He brings these discoveries to life in his book Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves, revealing how animals—from insects to primates—use nature itself as medicine.
Beyond the lab, his team is deeply engaged in community science—visiting schools, festivals, and helping establish pollinator gardens that support healthier ecosystems right here in our city. Dr. de Roode reminds us that we can all plant with purpose to support the animals and wildlife that share Atlanta’s urban forest.
Ready to put your knowledge into action? Register here to join Trees Atlanta and Dr. de Roode for a hands-on planting event at The Carter Center Pollinator Garden on Sunday, June 7 (9:00–10:30 AM), where we’ll plant milkweed to support monarchs and other pollinators.
About the Presenter: Jaap de Roode is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Biology at Emory University, where he studies infectious diseases in pollinators like monarch butterflies and honey bees. He is the author of Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves, which explores how animals use nature to heal. He earned his MSc from Wageningen University and his PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Jaap serves on the board of the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, supporting pollinator habitat restoration and community education.
City Forest Certification: The City Forest Certification is Trees Atlanta’s newest community action program. This hands on program is designed to guide and empower everyday people with practical knowledge and skills. Neighbor by neighbor and property by property, we can grow and connect a network of forests big and small. **By attending this program you can earn 1 Acorn towards your City Forest Certification. Click here to learn how you can earn acorns towards your City Forest Certified Pollinator Stewardship Badge.
Additional Information:
- Doors open at 6:30 pm.
- Getting Here: This event will take place at Trees Atlanta’s Kendeda TreeHouse. (825 Warner St. SW Atlanta 30030). Bike racks are located on the side of the building (near the silo in the Picnic Patio). We are approximately 1 mile from the Oakland City and West End MARTA train stations (Red and Gold Lines). Limited number of parking spaces are available at our location, in addition to limited street parking. Lee & White is accessible via a walk on the Atlanta Beltline for those who plan to eat there before or after this event.
- Registration Required. This event is free. Please consider adding a donation when registering for a free ticket.
- Safety and Cancellation Policy: Learn more about our current Safety Protocols for In-Person Education Events.
- Questions: If you have any questions or comments regarding this event, please email education@treesatlanta.org. Replies to this email may require up to 2 business days. The Trees Atlanta TreeHouse office hours are Monday through Friday (8:30 am - 4:30 pm).
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