POLLINATION CELEBRATION

Pollination Celebration: A BugFest Event at Prairie Ridge Ecostation

Saturday, September 18
9am–noon
1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh, NC

Join us at Prairie Ridge Ecostation as we celebrate our favorite pollinators! Visitors of all ages can enjoy the “Grub Zone” at the Nature PlaySpace, then take a walk around the prairie as you work to complete the story walk and engage with experts at Caterpillarology, beekeepers, and more!  It’s free!

Masks and Social Distancing
We request that all staff, volunteers, and visitors over the age of 5 wear masks when within 6ft of one another during this event.

Parking
Parking is limited at this location. Volunteers and staff will be directing parking. Please be patient as they guide you to an appropriate location.

About Prairie Ridge Ecostation
Prairie Ridge Ecostation is located at 1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh, NC, and consists of 38.5 acres of old cow pasture. This pasture has been transformed into a variety of habitats including prairie grassland, bottomland forest, ponds and stream. A diversity of plants, animals and other life can be found among the myriad habitats of this special place. The paths are unpaved and the terrain is hilly.

Exhibits

BASF Living Acres
BASF
Monarch butterfly populations have dramatically declined in the U.S. in recent years due to various reasons including overwintering habitat loss, extreme weather events, nectar sources for adult butterflies, and milkweed availability. Milkweed is critical as it is the only plant on which monarchs will lay their eggs, and it provides food for their larvae.
Enjoy a milkweed plant provided by BASF. Plant it and wait for the Monarchs to enjoy.

Bee-come a Bumble Bee Scientist
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Visit the Prairie Ridge garden to document the bumble bees you see for science!  Report your observations to us so we can share them with the Bumble Bee Watch citizen science project, then get a button of your favorite bumble bee species to take home.

Beekeepers Club at NCSU
Come visit Beekeepers Club at NCSU to play Bee Jeopardy, learn about our events, and check out some beekeeping equipment!

Be on the Lookout for Bad Bugs
NCDA & CS: Plant Industry Division
Learn about some of the bad bugs to look for! Spotted Lanternfly as well as the Asian Longhorned Beetle are deadly (to plants) insects that are spreading throughout the US. Learn how to help be part of the solution!

Wonderful World of Orthoptera
NC Entomological Society
Leap into the world of Orthoptera and meet some amazing critters! Fly with the grasshoppers, dig with the mole crickets and sing with the katydids!

Meet the Bugs!
Museum of Life and Science
Join the Museum of Life and Science for a live bug encounter. We will discuss pollinators and the wonderful relationship we have with them.

Caterpillarology
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Check out a variety of native North Carolina caterpillars from small spine-covered stingers to large silk moth caterpillars. Learn what plants these hungry larvae love to eat, what they’ll turn into when they transform into adults, and much more!

North Carolina’s Pollinators
The North Carolina Pollinator Conservation Alliance
Stop by our table to learn all about North Carolina’s native pollinators, as well as our statewide partnership dedicated to pollinator outreach and conservation.

Four Season Gardening for Bees
Master Gardener Volunteers of Wake County
Native bees and honey bees need food and water sources to thrive.  Your garden can provide year-round plants that bees depend on for nectar and pollen necessary for survival and reproduction.  Discover what you can do to make your garden a bee magnet!

Honey Bees!
5 County Beekeepers Association
The 5 County Beekeepers Association (5CBA) is a chapter of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association.  Our mission is to educate and support current and future beekeepers, and to help preserve and protect honey bees.

Funky Bug Antenna Crowns
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Honor our buggy friends by dressing up like one! Make your very own Funky Bug Antenna Crown and proudly display your passion for arthropods!

NC State Native Pollinators
NCSU Department of Applied Ecology, Urban Ecology Lab
North Carolina is home to 560 species of bees. At this table, you’ll learn more about them and the many places they build their nests.

T-Shirt Sales
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Check out the 2021 BugFest t-shirt featuring the theme arthropod…the carpenter bee!  Vintage shirts will also be available.

Bee Magnets
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Use your fingerprints to make a fun bee magnet to take home!

More coming soon!

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