Bees, Butterflies Highlight Family Pollinator Day

Greenbelt Hosts Kid-Friendly Activities/Education for Gardeners

Essex, May 8, 2018 —  Celebrate and learn about honeybees, butterflies and the other pollinators so important to our flowers and food supply with Greenbelt, Essex County’s Land Trust, on May 19, Family Pollinator Day.

There is much to learn about these hard-working pollinators.  With kid-friendly activities and a lecture for adult gardeners, attendees will learn about the many fruits, vegetables, and nuts, including chocolate and coffee pollinators help bring us.

 

Children will delight in being given a butterfly to release, tasting honey direct from the hive, watching honeybees work through see-through glass, and taking part in a pollinator scavenger hunt.

 

Adults can learn how to reduce or eliminate pesticide use and create a pollinator-friendly habitat with native flowering plants that supply pollinators with nectar, pollen, and homes.

 

Every family can take home a plant and pollinator-friendly seed kit to plant in their own gardens.

The activities begin at Cox Reservation in Essex at 10 am with family events scheduled until 1 pm.  Adult gardeners are welcome to attend a lecture from 1 to 2 pm on “Pollinator-friendly Pest Control for the Residential Garden.”

Local experts Randy Johnson and Mike Garvey will discuss how to garden with an eye towards helping pollinators, from planting to controlling pests naturally to selecting plants that will encourage a healthy pollinator community. They will discuss pollination and how it works, common garden pests, and give an overview on what to look for when choosing garden materials that will not harm pollinators.

All events are free.  A full schedule can be found at ecga.org/events.

If you go…

Timed activities for Pollinator Day: 

 

 

Hive Opening                          10:30-11:00pm

Kestrel Outdoor

Education Kid-friendly

Activities                                         11:00-1:00pm

Honey Extraction                    11:30-12:00pm

Butterfly Release                    12:30-1:00pm

Pollinator Friendly

Pest Control Lecture   1:00-2:00pm

 

Ongoing activities for Pollinator Day: 

 

Observation Hive

Take a look inside an empty hive

Pollinator Garden Sign Making

Mason Bee House Making

Scavenger Hunt

Pollinator Seed Kit Making

Tool Kit Making with Cape Ann Trail Stewards

Plant your own plant to take home