Darren Butler is a Consulting Arborist, Ecological Designer, and Landscape Specialist. His recent projects include designing and developing food forests in residential landscapes, which are forest-like systems that produce food with minimal maintenance once established. He has appeared on several episodes of "Weekend Gardening" for a large international television audience as an expert horticulturist and landscaper, on NPR radio, in newspapers, and other media. He has taught Sustainable Landscape Design and Diagnosing Plant Problems for the University of California Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, Small-Space Food Gardening at Descanso Botanic Gardens, and is working with the Getty Villa to develop and teach gardening-related workshops.
     He volunteers hundreds of hours per year mostly to help low-income people grow and eat more nutritious food, and has recently acted as horticultural consultant for the Edible Walls project through urbanfarming.org for the homeless in downtown Los Angeles.
     He maintains many landscape- and plant-related certifications and licenses including ISA Certified Arborist, University of California Master Gardener, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Permaculture Design Certificate, and others. In 2007 and 2008 he developed curriculum for and taught certification programs in Sustainable Biointensive Gardening and in Edible Landscaping. From 2007 through 2008 he served on the Statewide Advisory Committee and currently serves on the Statewide Steering Committee for all University of California Master Gardener programs, and is a speaker at the upcoming 2008 University of California Master Gardener Conference. He has been gardening since childhood, and developing expertise in Southern California gardening since 1996.

Darren Butler is available for public speaking, special engagements, and workshops within the greater Los Angeles area and nationwide.