Photo by Clay Bolt/claybolt.com
Get Buzzed About Bees at the 4th Pollination Celebration!
You’ve probably heard that honeybees and monarchs are in trouble, but did you know that almost all pollinators need our help? An astounding three quarters of the world’s plant species need pollinators to reproduce and every third bite we eat is thanks to all sorts of pollinators.
Launched in Asheville in 2012, Bee City USA urges municipalities, individuals, organizations, corporations, and communities to promote and establish pollinator-friendly landscapes that are free of pesticides. So far, 18 cities across the nation have been certified.
To raise pollinator consciousness, every designated Bee City USA® community commits to holding at least one educational event each year, usually during National Pollinator Week in June. Being the inaugural Bee City USA, Asheville gets really “buzzed” and hosts Pollination Celebration for the whole week. Ingles Markets and Tupelo Honey Café are the lead sponsors for this year’s event.
The fun kicks off June 16, 5–8 P.M., at the Renaissance Asheville Hotel, where complimentary appetizers and live music on the patio provide the warm-up for the premiere of a video depicting a day in the life of the bees residing on the Renaissance roof. Monarch expert Ina Warren will give guests an up-close look at live monarch butterflies and Twin Leaf Brewery will unveil its 2016 honey tea Belgian saison beer.
All week long, participating restaurants and bars will feature a dish or beverage made from honey and/or ingredients dependent on pollinators. They will donate ten percent of their proceeds from these featured menu items to support the work of Bee City USA in making America’s urban areas more “PC” (pollinator conscious).
The Asheville and Hendersonville affiliates of Bee City USA and The North Carolina Arboretum team up this year to bring environmental educator, author, and landscape designer Heather Holm to the Arboretum on June 21. Her latest book, Pollinators of Native Plants, has received extraordinary reviews. Heather will give two presentations back-to-back with the first (Gardening for Bees, Butterflies & Beneficial Insects) starting at 6 P.M. and the second (Selecting Native Trees and Shrubs that Support Pollinators) at 7:30 P.M.
Pollination Celebration event goers can learn all about honey at the Asheville Bee Charmer. Buncombe County Extension Master Gardeners and Research Station volunteers will provide tours of their pollinator demonstration garden, which features native perennials, shrubs, and trees. At the Botanical Gardens, naturalist, plant ecologist, and garden educator Dr. Lisa Wagner teaches how to encourage native pollinators by using native plants that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season. Hop’n Blueberry Farm invites families to visit the butterfly meadow and house and build native bee houses. Asheville GreenWorks hosts a tour of private gardens, in which Bee City USA will showcase examples of what gardeners can do to provide healthy habitat for pollinators.
Whether you want to learn about pollinator-friendly gardening, taste honey from around the world, touch a monarch caterpillar, take a guided walk, or hear from national experts on pollinators, there’s sure to be something both children and adults will enjoy during this weeklong “bee-in.”
For complete details about each Bee City USA® event and a full list of participating restaurants and bars, visit beecityusa.org/2016.
