Did you know that this week is Pollinator Week? At the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, pollinators are celebrated (and supported) year-round at the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center, at events and classes, and throughout the Arboretum’s gardens and natural areas.
According to the Minnesota DNR, there are thousands of insect pollinator species in Minnesota, including more than 500 species of native bees. Pollinators are essential to our environment and serve a critical role in our food systems.
“The ecological service they provide is necessary for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species,” reports the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
Unfortunately, in many places, pollinators are at risk due to habitat loss, pesticide use and introduced diseases. Learn more about how the Arboretum supports and celebrates pollinators and discover how you can get involved at pollinator classes and events this summer.
Visitors explore the exhibits inside the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center's Campbell Exhibit Hall.
Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center
Located at the Farm at the Arb, the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center serves as a visitor center and hub for community education grounded in the world-renowned bee research of U of M Entomologist and Professor Emerita Marla Spivak, Ph.D. Interactive displays use macro-photography of flowers and pollinators, and exhibits offer insights into honey bees, wild bees, monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
The Bee Center contains the Campbell Exhibit Hall, the McVay Learning Lab, Honey House, a working bee apiary, a covered picnic area and gardens filled with pollinator-friendly plantings.
Beekeeper and Educator Ping Honzay holds a frame from a beehive during a honey bee hive inspection. Photo by Laura Cogswell
Pollinator Classes and Beekeeping Demonstrations
Sign up for a class this summer to learn more about the fascinating world of bees and pollinators or drop by to watch Beekeeper and Educator Ping Honzay at work among the hives.
Select weekends, June 8-Sept. 6
Included with gate admission, no program registration needed
Special Access for Ages 6 to Adult: Honey Bee Hive Inspection
Select Saturdays & Sundays, May 24-July 20
$32 member/$52 non-member
Special Access for Ages 18 And Up: Honey Bee Hive Inspection
Sunday, July 13 or 20, 10:30 a.m.
$32 member/$52 non-member
Saturday, Aug 2, 10 a.m.-noon or 1-3 p.m.
Included with gate admission, no program registration needed
Insect Appreciation: Enhance Your Connection With the Natural World
Thursday, Aug. 7, 2-3:30 p.m.
$25 member/$45 non-member
Visitors can sample honey from the Arboretum's hives during special events. Photo by Katie Knapp
Summer Pollinator Events
Learn about bees and other pollinators at fun summer events at the Farm at the Arb.
Honey Harvest & Flowers for Pollinators Farm Day
Saturday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Included with gate admission
Part of the Summer Fun at the Farm series, the Honey Harvest & Flowers for Pollinators Farm Day offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about harvesting honey and cut flowers at the Farm at the Arb! Visitors can make their own farm bouquets in the field, taste honey in the Myers Education Center kitchen, visit pollinator-themed selfie spots, stop into the Luce Line Brewing Beer Garden and meet a beekeeper.
Plus, don’t miss the Farm Crawl: Pollinator Quest scavenger hunt, available daily all summer. This fun, interactive scavenger hunt is perfect for all ages and features six pollinator-focused stops around the Bee Center.
Honey Harvest & Flowers for Pollinators Farm Day and the Farm Crawl: Pollinator Quest are presented by Pollinator Strong, Powered by Great River Energy.
A scenic overlook behind the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center is filled with native plants for pollinators. Photo by Phil Zumsteg
Gardens and Demonstration Areas
Across the Arboretum, gardens, natural landscapes and demonstration areas provide pollinators with ample forage and habitat and inspire visitors to support pollinators in their own landscapes. The following gardens demonstrate ways visitors can support pollinators at home and in their communities.
Bee Lawn Demonstration
Bee lawns are a great way to expand pollinator habitat while maintaining the many benefits of a traditional lawn enjoyed by people. Maintained by Extension Educator Jon Trappe, signed turfgrass demonstrations next to the Red Barn at the Farm at the Arb include a bee lawn plot that allows visitors to see how a bee lawn compares to traditional lawn grasses.
Located around the Myers Education Center at the Farm at the Arb, the Foodscape’s Meadow for Sharing features many pollinator-friendly plants that also have edible parts that people and wildlife like to eat.
From butterflies to bullfrogs, the Johanna Frerichs Garden for Wildlife is a working laboratory designed to demonstrate the most effective ways to attract birds, insects and mammals to the backyard by providing food, shelter and a reproductive habitat.
Natural Areas and Plant Conservation
A robust and diverse population of pollinators requires a similarly healthy and varied population of native plants. The Arboretum’s Natural Areas, including the Bennett-Johnson Prairie and Spring Peeper Meadow, provide habitat that supports pollinators and other wildlife. The Arboretum’s Natural Resources Team strives to maintain vibrant plant communities in these areas that support not only generalist pollinators that feed on a variety of plants, but also specialists that are dependent upon a single genus or plant species to meet their dietary needs. These efforts may involve planting specific species to attract certain pollinators, utilizing prescribed fire to maintain healthy grasslands or eliminating invasive plants that threaten the biodiversity of the Arboretum’s natural areas.
In addition to preserving natural areas, the Arboretum’s Plant Conservation Program (PCP) works to protect endangered and rare plant populations at the Arboretum and across the region. Preserving rare, native plant communities helps maintain complex ecosystems and supports the specialist pollinators that rely on a specific plant for survival. In turn, these important pollinators allow rare plants to reproduce.
Head to the Arboretum’s bee and pollinator resource page to find upcoming classes and workshops at the Bee Center and learn more about how you can support pollinators.
Cover photo of the Tashjian Bee and Pollinator Discovery Center by Phil Zumsteg