Four Seasons of Gardening

DENISE R. ELLSWORTH

Program Director, Pollinator Education

Ohio State Department of Entomology

ellsworth.2@osu.edu

(330) 263-3723

Denise directs pollinator education programming through the Ohio State University

Department of Entomology a position she has held since 2012. In her Extension and

outreach work, Denise supports and teaches beekeepers, farmers, gardeners and others

across the state through a variety of workshops, webinars, written materials and

electronic resources. 

Before coming to Entomology, Denise served for 18 years as agriculture and natural

resources county extension educator in the Akron/Canton area with a focus on

horticulture, integrated pest management and environmental education.

In addition to chasing bees, Denise enjoys gardening, cycling and hiking the towpath trail

along the Tuscarawas river with her husband and dogs. Beelab.osu.edu

Dr. Karen Goodell

Professor, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

The Ohio State University Newark

Dr. Karen Goodell  is a professor of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University’s Newark campus. 

She teaches introductory biology and insect biology. She conducts research with graduate and undergraduate students on the ecology and conservation of native bees and pollinator ecology. Her current research investigates the distribution and diversity of Ohio’s native bees and methods of surveying bees, such as netting, passive trapping, and the use of environmental DNA surveillance. She has also conducted studies on the restoration of degraded lands for pollinator habitat and the risks of pesticide exposure to bees in crop systems. 

Dr. Goodell is originally from Massachusetts and spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. She earned a MS in Botany and Plant Sciences from the University of California Riverside in 1995, a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from SUNY Stony Brook in 2000, and was a David H. Smith Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University from 2000  - 2003. She has authored more than 40 original research articles in the fields of agricultural science, conservation, and ecology. Her research has been funded by grants from the USDA, NSF, the US Department of Defense, the Ohio EPA, the Columbus Zoo, and the Ohio Division of Wildlife. 

Christopher Kline is a plant guy by training, with a Forest Management degree from Northern Arizona University and a Masters in Plant Biology from Ohio University. Along the way his interest in bugs has grown, leading to developing and directing the Butterfly Ridge Butterfly Conservation Center in Rockbridge, Ohio, where he and his wife have converted 21 acres of fields and forests into butterfly-friendly habitats and have exploded the butterfly population in the process. As their butterfly population has increased by 300 percent, they have also documented well over 1000 moth species. He has authored several books including A Field Guide to Tropical Butterflies of American Conservatories, Butterfly Gardening with Native Plants, Butterfly Rider, Moths of Butterfly Ridge, and the Tony Spencer Mystery Series.