Buzz into autumn on September 14 at 9:30 am with New England Botanic Garden as we guide you in planning a bee-utiful garden full of the best pollinator plants. Peek inside our resident honeybee hive and sweeten your experience with a honey tasting featuring local varieties and honey straight from the source. It is beekeeping with no “stings’ attached.

Buzz into autumn with New England Botanic Garden as we guide you to planning a bee-utiful garden, a visit to our hives, and a honey tasting.

Instructor Hunter Blanchard is a horticulturist at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA. He has been with the organization since 2018, serving in roles that allow him to share his passion for making plants accessible to people and for nurturing growing things. Today, Hunter leads a three-person team responsible for 10 acres of naturalistic garden spaces that foster plant biodiversity and support pollinator populations through a focus on North American native plant species. He enjoys interpreting these garden spaces for visitors through tours and talks, hoping that these learning opportunities inspire people to engage more with plants at home or in other areas of their lives. A community builder, Hunter serves on the board of directors for F.E.R.N., a nonprofit that supports conservation by promoting synergy between individuals, communities, and organizations, and on the Conference Planning and Education Committees for the Ecological Landscape Alliance. Hunter holds an A.S. in sustainable horticulture from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and a B.S. in plant soil science from Umass Amherst.

Alyson Prokop serves as the Manager of Adult Education at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylton, MA. She joined NEBG in May 2024 after a decade at the Royal Botanical Gardens Canada, where she worked as a botanical horticulturist overseeing the Teaching and Community Food Gardens, in addition to her roles as Public Programs Coordinator and Horticultural Societies Liaison. She is passionate about leading and expanding garden programs, with a particular interest in initiatives that connect people with plants. Alyson is especially interested in food security and strives to make programming accessible to diverse audiences.

Alyson’s background as an educator, field botanist, horticulturist, and market gardener informs her dedication to promoting biodiversity and sustainable practices. She prioritizes integrating community engagement and botanical stewardship in program development. Guided by her values of continuous learning, collaborative leadership, and sustainability, Alyson aims to contribute to plant conservation and educational projects in a managerial or curatorial role within botanical gardens.

$35 member adult, $45 nonmembers. Register at www.nebg.org