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We’ll meet one week from today (11/7) in Fisher Auditorium on the Wooster campus (1680 Madison Ave, Wooster 44691).

To bring: a potluck item to share (breakfast, snack or lunch item), any library books still checked out, any collecting items you’d care to recycle (bee boxes, pins, etc.), any unwanted books you’d care to contribute to next year’s class (Keeping the Bees, Bees in Your Backyard).

9:30 Gather and peer round table sharing (informal updates on your projects and passions)

10 Roger Downer of OSU: moths and butterflies as pollinators

11:30 Amber Barnes of Pollinator Partnership: monarch projects in the works.

Potluck lunch. Truly the luck of the pot! Bring something delicious to share as a breakfast, snack or lunch item. Drinks and tableware provided.

1 to 2:30 MaLisa Spring, OSU Museum of Biological Diversity: Identifying and double checking IDs. MaLisa will help us wrap our minds around all that bee ID we’ve learned and will even help ID collected bees. Bring your specimens (in any shape or state, no shame!) and we’ll help ID and look ahead to bee collecting next year to complete your ID kit.

3 Evaluation, plus plans for next year….including…

Monarch Watch 1/17 in Wooster

Laurence Packer plus Reed Johnson, Mary Gardiner and Karen Goodell at the OSU Pollinator Summit 3/28 in Columbus

Dave Noble and the honey bees May 23 in Delaware

Bee Blitzes in June for National Pollinator Week+ June 15 to 22

One Day Insect University 10/30 in Columbus

Let me know any questions you have about the day! Looking forward to seeing you next Wednesday in Wooster!

Hi all,

At the VPS meeting yesterday I introduced the idea of using some of the beautiful photos taken by our members and creating note cards to sell. I’m looking to form a group of interested members to help plan the project. Especially the feasibility of using profits to turn Denise’s “we” into a true we. The goal would be to help fund an intern for Denise.

So along with people that could contribute eye catching photos, catchy informational phrases for the back of the cards and distribution/ marketing ideas, we could use someone with business savvy to tell us if this is feasible or not.

Please contact me, Ann Lighthiser, at lighthisera@gmail.com, with your name and contact information. I will send out details only to those interested in hearing them. Most of actual production of cards can be done by email. Funding part will be a little trickier.

Thanks,

Ann

Sent from my iPad

We will be gathering this Thursday at 9:30 at the Hiram College field station (11305 Wheeler Rd, Garrettsville, OH 44231). We’ll tour the station with Jane O’Brien, Hiram instructor and VPS graduate whose projects at the field station include growing produce to feed field station animals, raising pawpaw trees, collecting phenology data and working on nature displays. Jane also spends time collecting a literal smorgasbord of seeds from native perennial plants.

Bumble bee expert Jessie Lanterman (from our winter bumble bee program) will also join us at the field station for a review of bumble bee ID and an update on the state bee survey and bumble bee queen survey. She’ll save time to answer your questions about the amazing biology of bumbles.

And, since one of our greatest resource is US, we’ll take time for a peer round table to share ideas, projects, successes and lessons learned. Could you plan on sharing for 5 minutes about your pollinator outreach, garden, project or other effort related to our class? Nothing formal is necessary, no panic-attack planning necessary, just a few minutes to share something pollinator-related you are passionate about with pollinator friends. Bring an image to project if you want, or e-mail me something in advance and I’ll have it ready. If you can’t do this in October (or won’t be there), plan on sharing on November 7th in Wooster.

See you later this week!

Boy Bumbles Waiting for a Queen (image by Steve Upperman)

Hi all! First of all, a BIG thank you to Ann Cicarella and team for an outstanding Pollinator Symposium last Friday! Every year, this symposium manages to pull together engaging speakers and many interested participants. This event can also be a great way to stay in touch with VPS class members in future years! September, 2019 anyone?

Now details on our October 18th meeting. We will be gathering at 9:30 at the Hiram College field station (11305 Wheeler Rd, Garrettsville, OH 44231). We’ll tour the station with Jane O’Brien, Hiram instructor and VPS graduate whose projects at the field station include growing produce to feed field station animals, raising pawpaw trees, collecting phenology data and working on nature displays. Jane also spends time collecting a literal smorgasbord of seeds from native perennial plants.

Bumble bee expert Jessie Lanterman (from our winter bumble bee program) will also join us at the field station for a review of bumble bee ID and an update on the state bee survey and bumble bee queen survey. She’ll save time to answer your questions about the amazing biology of bumbles.

And, since one of our greatest resource is US, we’ll sprinkle in time for a peer round table to share ideas, projects, successes and lessons learned. Could you plan on sharing for 5 minutes about your pollinator outreach, garden, project or other effort related to our class? Nothing formal is necessary, no panic-attack planning necessary, just a few minutes to share something pollinator-related you are passionate about with pollinator friends. Bring an image to project if you want, or e-mail me something in advance and I’ll have it ready. If you can’t do this in October (or won’t be there), plan on sharing on November 7th in Wooster.

November 7th??? you say? Yes, we’ll be meeting one final time in Wooster on November 7th. MaLisa Spring will help us wrap our minds around all that bee ID we’ve learned and will even help ID your collected bees. Amber Barnes from Pollinator Partnership will be sharing details about their upcoming projects and her work to identify pollinators in the field. Plus, more peer round table and a pot luck to wrap up what I hope has been a fantastic year of fellowship and learning. Those details to follow.

That’s all for now…keep looking for that Colletes polyester bee on goldenrod, and I hope to see you in October!

I’m sending this to everyone so as not to inadvertently leave someone off the list. If you’re coming to Wayne County tomorrow (Thursday), 9/20, here’s the schedule for the afternoon. Join us wherever you’d like when your schedule allows. Call Denise at 330-495-1284 with any questions.

1PM Bee hunting (don’t forget your supplies!)

Smuckers Store and Cafe in Orrville

333 Wadsworth Rd, Orrville, OH 44667

2:30 Bee hunting

Secrest Arboretum, Wooster

park near the rose garden

1680 Madison Ave, Wooster

3:30 The Bug Zoo, OARDC campus

Thorne Hall, #10 on the map

1680 Madison Ave, Wooster

5:00 visit to Local Roots

Indoor/year round cafe and farmer’s market (more about Local Roots here)

140 S. Walnut Street, Wooster, OH 44691

6:00 Dinner at Broken Rocks Cafe

123 E Liberty St, Wooster, OH 44691

We have a room in the back.

Please make sure you’re on the list below, if you intend to come to Wooster for Friday’s program. If your name isn’t here, you need to contact Ann Cicarella today to make arrangements. I’ll follow up with details for those planning to come early on Thursday for bee hunting, visiting the bug zoo, and dinner at Broken Rocks (6PM).

Donna Allen

Dean Babcock

Peter Boyer

Mary Brennan

Rose Mary Burns

Doris Chambers

Danita Davis

Ken Davis

Julie Edwards

Cynthia Foust

Amy Rose Goletz

Bob Heath

Ann Lighthiser

Michele Manzo

Susan McMann

Sherilyn Medkeff

Alesia Miller

Dave Reid

Macy Reynolds

Denny Riser

Kathy Schwable

Troy Schwable

Mary Simonelli

Lynn Sparks

Bill Stitt

Hi all! Have you signed up for next week’s pollinator symposium on Friday, September 21st in Wooster? It’s not too late, but we’re getting close! Here are the details. Remember: the organizers (Ann Cicarella and team) need to know you’re coming, and they need a check from you for $25 to cover your lunch.

We DO NOT HAVE CLASS on September 20th, although it was originally on our schedule. Check your calendar, because several people are still confused.

Instead, if you’re coming to Wooster on Thursday afternoon to be ready for Friday’s symposium, you may want to meet a small group of us that will be hunting bees and visiting Jeni’s Bug Zoo, then having dinner together. At 1PM, those who are able will be meeting at the Smuckers Store in Orville to hunt for bees in their meadow, then to Secrest Arboretum in search of bees, then the Bug Zoo at 3:30, then dinner (maybe Brocken Rocks, my favorite) for dinner at 6. Please e-mail me (Laurie, Alesia, Bob and Macy have already done this) if you are coming on Thursday. and I’ll make sure we stay in touch.

Looking forward to seeing many of you next week!

I’m sorry I didn’t clarify where to send the registration form for the Pollinator Symposium. Send to Ann Cicarella at the address on the form. She’ll know from your name and the $25 check that you’re “one of us.”

Thanks!

Hello! I wanted to pass on the schedule and registration materials for the September 21st Pollinator and Native Plant Symposium to be held on the OARDC campus in Wooster. Fellow VPS participant Ann Cicarella organizes this event, and she’s once again pulled together quite a lineup of speakers!

To attend the Symposium, please complete and return the symposium registration form along with payment for $25 to cover food costs. The balance of your registration fee will be covered from our class account.

Note that because of the change in venue, we WILL NOT be meeting on September 20th at Holden Arboretum. The two locations are quite far apart, so it doesn’t make sense to meet over two days as we had originally planned. I’m sorry to miss out on sharing a day together at Holden!

Because of the early start time on the 21st (and long driving distance for many of you), we’ll have an informal gathering at 3:30 on September 20th for anyone coming to stay overnight. We’ll visit Jeni’s Bug Zoo, look for some pollinators (at Secrest Arboretum and/or Smuckers Store in Orrville) and head to Wooster for dinner (on your own). Let me know if you’ll be meeting on the 2oth (plus I’ll send a reminder as we get closer).

Below you’ll find the schedule for Friday, September 21st. It should be a great day!

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

8am – 4:30 pm          Gardeners Marketplace open

8 – 8:45am                 Registration, Coffee and Snacks

8:45 — 8:55am            Welcoming Remarks

8:55 – 9:55am          OPENING KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Mark Richardson, Director of Horticulture, Garden in the Woods

Sustainable Horticulture: Redefining the American Landscape

10:00 – 11:00am      Dr. Chip Taylor, Founder of Monarch Watch

Saving the Monarchs

11am – 11:15pm       BREAK

11:15 – 12:15pm      Dr. Annie White, Ecological Landscape Architect

Inspiring Design Strategies for Creating a Pollinator-Friendly Landscape

12:15 – 1:15pm         LUNCH

Gardener’s Marketplace  & Book Signing

1:15 – 2:15pm          CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Session #1                  Dave Noble,

Apiarist, Stratford Ecological Center

So You Want to Be a Beekeeper!

Get an overview of what is needed to get into beekeeping:

equipment and costs, available educationalopportunities, what you can expect as a “newbee” and tips for approaching beekeeping to maximize your success!

Session #2                  Denise Ellsworth, Program Director for the Honey

Bee and Native Pollinator Education Program
at the Ohio State Bee Lab

Native Bees in Our Own Backyard: Who They Are, Where They  Live and  What They Do

Session #3                  Mark Richardson

Shade Gardening with Native Plants for Northeast Ohio: Right Plant, Right Place

Session #4                  Dr. Annie White

Choosing the Best Plants for Pollinators and How to Place Them Effectively

2:15 – 2:45pm          AFTERNOON REFRESHMENT BREAK

Gardener’s Marketplace & Book Signing

2:45 – 3:45pm           AFTERNOON KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Jessica Walliser, author, horticulturist and radio personality

Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control

3:45 – 4:30pm           Dave Noble

The Domesticated Bee

Honey bees are uniquely different from native bees and other pollinators, as one of the very few domesticated insects in the world playing a huge role in agricultural economy. This is a fascinating look into how honey bees helped to shape and were shaped by our  agricultural systems and how they fit into our ecology.