Steven is a natural areas specialist at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. His interest in the natural world began in the backyard of his Ann Arbor home turning over rocks with his twin brother and comparing how many creatures his rock held. At age eight, his interest in nature was further supported when his father pointed out the three distinct variations of the leaves of the Sassafras tree. Steven earned a Natural Resources degree from the U of M. His interests include insect macrophotography and natural wood art, and he loves to share the spirit of the natural world with people using a “free-association” in nature, where one discovery leads to another.