A Tour Through Our Iconic Flora

California Native Plant Society presentation by botany professor and local author Matt Ritter

May 3 (Thursday) 7:30-8:30 PM @ Vet’s Hall at Grand and Monterey, San Luis Obispo

Join us for a book release celebration and visual tour of California’s iconic native flora

There are more than 5,000 native species in California—one in five of which are now rare or endangered.
Matt Ritter will take attendees on a visual tour through the state’s most iconic flora in a lecture based
on his new book, California Plants. A richly photographed field guide to the state’s spectacular native
plants, the book also seeks to raise awareness of the unique beauty that is at risk. Matt will use his beautiful photographs, insight, and humor to share the natural history of California’s fascinating plants. A book signing will follow the presentation.

Author and Presenter
Dr. Matt Ritter is a botany professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he studies California’s native plants and cultivated trees. He’s the author of several books, including the funniest and best-selling guide to California’s urban forest, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees among Us (Heyday, 2011). He won the Cal Poly Excellence in Teaching Award and the International Society of Arboriculture Award for Excellence in Education. He’s an avid woodworker, mason, and gardener.