Boston Flora

Tag: wasps

  • Thursday, May 8, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Native Plant Pollination, Online

    This American Horticultural Society virtual presentation on May 8 at 7 pm Eastern is a fascinating journey showcasing the development of different flower types and the presentation of floral resources to pollinators. Exploring the types of insect pollinators, their foraging behavior, and the floral features that attract pollinators, Heather will provide many specific examples of how native plants are pollinated and what pollinator is most effective and why. Please note, this program will not be recorded.

    Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants (2014), Bees (2017), Wasps (2021), and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States (2022). Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award (2018 and 2022 respectively). Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.

    Heather serves on the boards of the following non-profits: Friends of Cullen Nature Preserve and Bird Sanctuary, Friends of Minnetonka Parks, and the new Minnesota Oak Savanna Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts. In her spare time, she is an active community supporter, writing grants, and coordinating and participating in volunteer ecological landscape restoration projects. The latest project is a 13-acre oak savanna restoration that will provide thriving habitat for pollinators, birds, mammals, and passive, nature-based opportunities for people. REGISTER NOW. $15 AHS members, $20 nonmembers.

  • Tuesday, January 30, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm Eastern – Online Pollinator Workshop

    Join UMass Extension for this January 30 virtual winter workshop about pollinators. Get the latest buzz on the status of pollinators in Massachusetts from state apiary inspectors as well as researchers at the University of Massachusetts. Aspects of the health of honeybees and bumblebees will be discussed, along with “lesser-known heroes” of the pollinator world: ants, beetles, flies, butterflies, sawflies, and wasps! $35. Registration and a complete itinerary are at https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/events/winter-workshop-pollinator-topics

  • Wednesday, January 11, 7:00 pm – Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect, Online

    The Athol Bird & Nature Club presents a webinar of special interest to gardeners with author Eric Eaton on January 11 at 7 pm discussing his book Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect. The book, published by Princeton University Press in 2021, is described as the ultimate visual journey into the beautiful and complex world of wasps. Wasps are far more diverse than the familiar yellowjackets and hornets that harass picnickers and build nests under the eaves of our homes. These amazing, mostly solitary creatures thrive in nearly every habitat on Earth, and their influence on our lives is overwhelmingly beneficial. Wasps are agents of pest control in agriculture and gardens. They are subjects of study in medicine, engineering, and other important fields. Wasps pollinate flowers, engage in symbiotic relationships with other organisms, and create architectural masterpieces in the form of their nests. This richly illustrated book introduces you to some of the most spectacular members of the wasp realm, colorful in both appearance and lifestyle. From minute fairyflies to gargantuan tarantula hawks, wasps exploit almost every niche on the planet. So successful are they at survival that other organisms emulate their appearance and behavior. The sting is the least reason to respect wasps and, as you will see, no reason to loathe them, either. To register, visit https://atholbirdclub.org/

  • Sunday, August 12, 2:00 pm – Our Native Massachusetts Bees

    Join the Athol Bird& Nature Club on Sunday, August 12 at 2 pm at the Millers River Environmental Center, 100 Main Street in Athol, for an Open House and lecture on Our Native Massachusetts Bees. Can you tell a bee from a wasp? What about a native bee from a honey bee? What is a bee and where does it live? The University of Massachusetts Bee Lab members -Andrea Sroka, Aliza Fassler, and Phoebe Hynes — will have specimens of bees and their look-alikes on hand for you to look at under a microscope. You will also learn about native bee nesting strategies and how to help bees in your backyards. Free.  For more information visit www.atholbirdclub.org

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