Urban Ag Talk: Native Plants and Pollinators

Saturday, September 23rd | 11:00am - 12:30pm:

Native bees are some of our most important pollinators. Non-native honeybees receive all the press (and make all the honey), but there are 4000 species of native bees that help pollinate crops and wildflowers too.

Urban environments host a surprising number of bee species, probably due to the diversity of plants grown in window boxes, parks, and community gardens. In this 90-minute workshop, you will learn all about pollination in urban environments from the perspective of both plants and bees. For the first half, we’ll focus on native bee diversity, biology, and their decline and conservation. Later, you’ll learn how these bees interact with plants in your urban garden and how to ensure that they visit your garden throughout the year. There will be a short demonstration at the end about how to build your own native bee house. The workshop will be led by Nick Dorian, a Tufts University PhD student. He has studied and raised bumble bees for three years and is an enthusiastic urban gardener. Please RSVP here: volunteer@thegrowingcenter.org