The Dawes Arboretum is looking for volunteers with schedule flexibility who are willing to commit to an ongoing survey. They need folks with a strong comfort level with pollinator identification (or those who are willing to assist in ID of specimens).  They are also seeking an individual with strong biology/ID skills for a temporary field biology position.

The Gardiner Lab at The Ohio State University is developing a youth-focused citizen science program called Dandelion Detectives. The lab is seeking individuals, school groups, and other youth organizations to participate in this collaborative project! Dandelion Detectives aims to measure the value of lawn weeds for bees and other insects by having school age kids (targeting 3-7th graders) monitor an “Observation Dandelion” and collect data about the richness of blooming weeds (or lack thereof) found in their yard. Dandelion Detectives will take place over the summer of 2019 and is open to anyone who has access to a yard.

The project will take ~5 hours to complete and involves: completing a pre and post questionnaire about insects and their importance; observing insects at an “Observation Dandelion” created using simple provided materials and sugar water mixture; and conducting a lawn weed survey. Participating Dandelion Detectives will be able to upload all of their findings to a project website. At the end of the project, students will receive a “Student Scientist” certificate and be invited to attend an optional event in Columbus Ohio where they can meet OSU scientists who study insects and see what their data and participation has contributed to!

Sign up here to become a Dandelion Detective!

Here are some upcoming programs for National Pollinator Week, June 17 to 23rd.

We have an assortment of casual bee and pollinator exploration events scheduled across the region. These events are all free with no registration required, except for the June 18th program at Secrest (see details below). Dress for the field (long pants, hat, shoes for walking, bring water). Nets, vials and bee cards provided. Individual events are cancelled if it’s raining (call for message: 330-263-3723). Denise Ellsworth will be leading each event.

June 15th, Wooster Memorial Park: bee walk and bee blitz 1PM to 3PM (park at education entrance). This “pre-event” kicks off the week.

June 18th: Secrest Arboretum: early summer bees, plants and pollinators with a focus on bumble bees. This is an indoor and outdoor workshop from 10AM to 2PM, please register.  Meet at the Secrest Welcome and Education Center. Dress for the weather and light walking. $10 at the door for the public; free for VPS class participants. Pack a water bottle and your lunch.

June 19th, Smuckers Store in Orville: bee walk and bee blitz 1PM to 3PM (meet at store entrance)

June 20th, Rittman Orchards in Doylestown: bee walk and bee blitz 1PM to 3PM (meet at store entrance)

June 21st, Chadwick Arboretum on the OSU Columbus campus (meet in front of Howlett Hall): bee walk and bee blitz 1PM to 3PM

June 22nd, Pollinator Palooza at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus. Free event, lots of activities and displays! Rain or shine! Free bee walks at 11:30, 1PM and 2PM in the pollinator garden.

Questions? Please email Denise: ellsworth.2@osu.edu

Hello Ohio Pollinator Advocate! You’re invited to a free program on May 23rd at Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware (map here), sponsored by Stratford and OSU Entomology. Dave Noble will be teaching “The business end of honey bees, for non-beekeepers,” including the economics of beekeeping, pollination, honey, hive products (propolis, pollen, wax…), bees, queens, etc. Dave will discuss how beekeepers manage hives to produce and profit from these different products. We’ll begin with indoors, then we’ll head out to visit the bees after lunch.

10:15 — gather

10:30 to 3:00 indoors and outdoors with Dave Noble and the bees

No fee to attend. Bring your lunch and dress for the outdoors and the bee yard (light pants and closed-toe shoes recommended, no heavy perfumes or cosmetics). Registration is limited, so register soon (open to Ohio Pollinator Advocates and Volunteer Pollinator Specialists).

Register here so we know you’re coming.

Questions? Please contact Denise Ellsworth. Hope to see you later this month!

What threats do bees face, and what steps can we take to protect them? Gather in Columbus with bee biologists, conservation experts, educators, gardeners and citizen scientists to learn and network.

OSU Pollinator Summit: Our Threatened Bees

Keynote Speaker:

Laurence Packer, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at York University and author of

Keeping the Bees; Why All Bees Are At Risk And What We Can Do To Save Them and co-author of Bees: An Up-close Look At Pollinators Around The World.

You are invited to attend this free training class on Thursday, January 17, 2019: 9:30am – 12:00pm

Frick Room 110, Shisler Conference Center 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH

The Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program (IMMP) monitors monarchs and evaluates their habitats to inform monarch conservation efforts.

We are now accepting applications for the 2019 Volunteer Pollinator Specialization program. Ohio Pollinator Advocates, OSU Master Gardeners, Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalists, Chadwick Arboretum volunteers, urban farmers and others are invited to apply.

Participants will take part in at least 30 hours of educational training through monthly specialization programs. Our emphasis will be on native bee and bumble bee biology and identification. The orientation on 2/11 and 2/12 is required; all other sessions flexible.

To certify, participants will complete 30 educational hours and 20 volunteer hours by September 2020. Volunteer hours can be obtained through pollinator-related projects, gardens or outreach in your community.

This program is co-sponsored by the OSU Bee Lab in the Department of Entomology and Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens.

Monthly classes (9:30AM to 3:00PM)
February – November, 2019
Locations in and near Franklin County

Topics include:

Bee Biology
Pollinator Ecology
Bee Identification
Bumble Bees
Pollinators in Community Gardens
Intro to Beekeeping
Monarch Butterflies
The Ohio Bee Atlas
Creating Pollinator Habitat
Gardens and Farms for Pollinators
Teaching Others

Dates and locations:

2/11 and 2/12, Chadwick Arboretum on the OSU Main Campus
3/28, OSU Pollinator Summit, Main Campus
4/24, Franklin Park Conservatory
5/16, Stratford Ecological Center, Delaware
6/11, Franklin Park
6/16-22, Bee Blitzes across Ohio
7/11, Chadwick Arboretum
8/3, Chadwick Arboretum
9/5, Meadow visits
10/10 Chadwick Arboretum
10/30, One Day Insect University, OSU
11/13, Chadwick Arboretum

Register here; registration deadline is December 15th, 2018. This program is sure to fill quickly, so don’t delay if you’re interested in participating!

Applicants will be contacted by December 21st about admission to the program.

$250 includes all sessions, supplies and handouts. Payment is not due until January (participants will be contacted with details).

Access the program flier here: http://u.osu.edu/vps2019/vps-central-flier/

For questions or for more information: contact Denise Ellsworth, ellsworth.2@osu.edu

Hello! Amber Barnes from Pollinator Partnership has passed on this information about milkweed seedlings for 2019 projects. Please read on for details about purchasing milkweed plants as well as grant opportunities for resptoration projects.

As you may know, the monarch butterfly is in decline and they need milkweeds and other nectar sources to be planted across the landscape to support their fantastic tri-national migration. One of the key frustrations many gardeners, conservationists, and land managers face in their conservation efforts is the inability to find locally appropriate milkweed plants to provide this much-needed habitat.

In response, Monarch Watch has created the Milkweed Market to assist those who are looking for regionally appropriate milkweeds to incorporate into their garden, restoration, landscaping, or to sell in their garden center. The Milkweed Market provides the opportunity to get low cost or free (for non-profits and schools) milkweed seedlings for your projects. You simply need to order ahead of time, to make sure they can meet the upcoming year’s demand.

As part of a North American Pollinator Protection Campaign effort, members of the Monarch Task Force are working to spread the word about this great resource and let you know that the time to order is now. Please see the below message from Monarch Watch to find out more, and share this with your network as you see fit!

Three ways to get milkweed seedlings: order now from Monarch Watch for Spring 2019 plants!

Monarch Watch is excited to report that with our partner nurseries in Kansas, Oklahoma, California, and Florida, we distributed over 147,000 milkweed seedlings in 2018. Planning for Spring 2019 begins now. Preorders and early applications are necessary to help us determine how many plants we need to grow.

Please help get the word out about these three ways to get milkweed plants, and put your order in now.

1. Milkweeds are available for purchase by the flat through our Milkweed Market. Preorder for Spring 2019 here: https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/

2. We have funding in place to distribute 100,000 FREE milkweeds for restoration projects. We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2019. The link to the free milkweed information page and application is provided below. This grant provides free milkweeds for large scale (2+ acres) habitat restorations on both private and public lands. http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/milkweed/free-milkweeds-for-restoration-projects/

3. Through a separate grant, schools and educational non-profit organizations can apply for one free flat of milkweed for Spring 2019 at this link: https://biosurvey.ku.edu/application-free-milkweed-nonprofits-and-schools

Thank you for your help in spreading the word and planting more milkweed for monarchs. If you do not see milkweed available for you now, re-visit the Milkweed Market later to see if we have added products based on new seed acquisitions.

Please contact Dena Podrebarac at Monarch Watch with any questions at denap@ku.edu.