National Pollinator Week in Champaign-Urbana
All events are free and open to the public!
Market on the Square in Urbana
every Saturday in June
8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Featuring a different collectible pollinator bookmarks each week. Visit our booth at the Urbana Farmer's Market to learn about the status of pollinator in North America and how you can help.
Pollinator Discovery Day
U of I Pollinatarium (directions)
Sunday, June 28, 1:00-4:00 PM
Join us at the newly-opened Pollinatarium in celebrating the final day of National Pollinator Week 2009. The Pollinatarium is the first free-standing science center devoted to flowering plants and their pollinators. In addition to the current displays, there will be games, crafts, a bee hive and a pollinator-themed magic show. The day will also feature workshops on insect photography and on becoming a BeeSpotter.
Insect Photography Workshop
2:00 PM
Learn how to photograph bees and insect pollinators in nature. Especially for naturalists and insect enthusiasts, the presentation will demonstrate camera setup and technique. Photographers of all skill levels are welcome.
BeeSpotter Demonstrations
throughout the day
BeeSpotter is an online monitoring effort based at the University of
Illinois that partners citizen scientists with the professional
scientific community in order to educate about honey bees and bumble
bees and to contribute data to nationwide efforts establishing
baseline information on the status of pollinators. Participants in the
workshop will receive instruction on navigating the BeeSpotter website
and hands-on training with the bumble bee identification keys.
Native Plants for Pollinators
A presentation by local woodland plant expert, John Marlin
Urbana Free Library, Auditorium
Wednesday, June 25, 6:30- 8:00 PM
John Marlin will discuss how and why to use native plants in your landscaping as a way to attract and conserve our native pollinators. He will also explore the diversity of native pollinators found in central Illinois.
Children's Discovery Programs
Pollination Station
Urbana Free Library
Tuesday, June 23, 2:00-3:00 PM
Pollination Station
Douglass Branch Library
Champaign Public Library
Friday, June 26, 2:00-3:00 PM
Beautiful Bees
Anita Purves Nature Center
Saturday, June 27, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Nurturing Native Bees Workshop
Champaign Public Library, Robeson Pavilion, Room C
Saturday, June 28, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Must pre-register by June 25th!
Email us at pollinator.network(at)gmail.com to register.
Learn about the different types of pollinating bees that visit our gardens and parks. Workshop will include a lecture on the types of bees found in Illinois and how to encourage for native pollinators through gardening and nest boxes.
Guided Nature Walks
Meadowbrook Park, Race Street Entrance
Time to be determined
Discover the interconnected relationships between the native
pollinators and plants of central Illinois. Plant biologists and
entomologists from the University of Illinois will guide participants
on a tour of the world of pollination in the restored prairie of
Meadowbrook. A great introduction to the *who, what, where, when and
why* of pollinators.
