PHOTOSYNTHESIS III: POLLINATORS AND THE URBAN FOREST
Lansdowne Park, Civic Garden
Programming Schedule for Sunday, September 29th and Sunday October 6th
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH 10 am - 4:30 pm
All day activities include an outdoor reading room, display tables, food and drink, kids’ crafts.
10:00 am - 11:00 am: Nature Scavenger Hunt with Tree Fest Ottawa
Have fun, be active and explore the plants, shrubs and trees around Lansdowne Park. Suitable for kids over eight years old.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Story hour with Alison and Caitlin from the Ottawa Public Library
Stories with bees and butterflies and other urban wildlife. All ages, but best for kids 2-6 years old.
11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Presentation with Berit Erickson, Home Gardener
“Learning how to cultivate a safe landscape for insects, especially bees who are our most effective pollinators, starts in our home gardens.” Benjamin Vogt.
Meet home gardener Berit Erickson who transformed her yard into a stunning wildlife oasis. Berit will talk about her experience and share tips and stories to inspire other home gardeners.
1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: Pollinator Survey with Wild Pollinator Partners
Join Wild Pollinator Partners to learn more about the hard-working insects that help us to grow fruit, vegetables, and beautiful flowers.
They’ve been surveying gardens around the region all summer and are learning to recognize the diversity of bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, and other pollinators. Come and have a look at the raised garden beds at the Civic Garden next to the Horticulture Building to see what pollinators have found the variety of food plants and flowers there.
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm: Guided Walk with Andrea Prazmowski, Forest Therapy Ottawa
“Stop and smell the roses." That advice is more timely than ever, in our fast-paced and info-loaded lives. A significant shift happens when we slow down and notice nature with all our senses. Come discover simple ways to make that shift, and learn why it's so important for your health. With Andrea Prazmowski, Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6TH 10 am - 4:30 pm
All day activities include outdoor reading room, display tables, food and drink, kids’ crafts
10:00 am - 11:00 am: Art Mural Painting
Help paint a pollinator and native Ontario plant themed art mural. All ages welcome!
11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Nature Scavenger Hunt with Tree Fest Ottawa
Have fun, be active and explore the plants, shrubs and trees around Lansdowne Park. Suitable for kids over eight years old.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: City of Ottawa’s Policies and Actions to Support Pollinators
Join Amy MacPherson, Natural Systems Planner with the City of Ottawa, to learn more about what the City is doing to support native pollinator health, and why it’s important. Amy will be pleased to provide an update on the new City Hall pollinator garden and bee hotel, which were established on June 7 to mark the City’s first annual Pollinator Appreciation Day.
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Story Hour with Natasha and Juliahna
Enjoy a collection of nature-centred stories. Best for children 2-6 years old.
1:00 pm - 1:30 pm: Guided Walk with Sarah Coulber from the Canadian Wildlife Federation
Join the Canadian Wildlife Federation for a guided walk where you'll discover the key features of a pollinator-friendly garden and get tips on how to enhance your outdoor space to support these tiny allies.
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm: Bee Box Making Workshop
What can you do to help pollinators? Join Wild Pollinator Partners and learn how to make a bee box that works for Mason Bees, the pollinators of our early-blooming fruit trees.
Materials will be available to make a simple nesting box. Make tunnels by rolling up typing paper, and place a bundle of them inside a recycled milk carton. Please bring along an empty, clean 1-litre carton if you can.
We’ll show you the offspring of the bees that used our boxes this spring. We’ll be storing the “sleeping” bees in a refrigerator for the winter, to protect them from predation and extreme temperatures, and put them outside in new bee boxes next spring, when they’ll wake up and start their life cycle again.