Fairy Garden Workshop

Gritt's Midway Greenhouse is offering a workshop on Saturday, July 18 from 10 am - noon at the Capitol Market.  This session is on making fairy gardens.

Protecting Pollinators in Ornamental Landscapes

Dear Master Gardener Coordinator,

I am sure that most of you have been training Master Gardeners to assist in answering questions about the safety of garden center plants to bees, and how to protect bees and other pollinators in the yard and garden.  Michigan State University and North Carolina State University have organized a national conference to inform educators on this subject.  Coordinators, leaders, program assistants, and master gardeners that want to be trained in this area of expertise are all invited.  The ‘Protecting Pollinators in Ornamental Landscapes’ conference, will be held in Kanuga, North Carolina, October 12 – 15, 2015.  The conference kicks-off with a keynote address by Professor Dave Goulson, University of Sussex, United Kingdom, at 7:30 PM, October 12^th, followed by a welcoming reception for all.  Dr. Goulson is first author of the recent Science Magazine review summary article: ‘Bee Declines Driven by Combined Stress from Parasites, Pesticides, and Lack of Flowers’.  He will be joined by 22 speakers from 11 universities and 3 countries, including Jane Memet (University of Bristol), Nigel Raines (University of Guelph), Dan Potter (University of Kentucky), Rufus Isaacs (Michigan State University), and many other outstanding speakers.  The conference will take place at the Kanuga Conference Center, in the mountains of North Carolina, which should be in full fall color.  It is designed to stimulate discussion among scientists, educators, industry leaders, landscape professionals and conservationists in a relaxed atmosphere.  Please see the attached brochure for a complete program.  Registering early is recommended.

Register for the conference at http://events.anr.msu.edu/PPOL/.

Register for accommodations at the Kanuga Conference Center at http://registration.kanuga.org/Pollinators2015

For more information about the conference, or for assistance in registering, please contact Kristin Getter, getterk@msu.edu, or Heidi Wollaeger, wollaege@anr.msu.edu

Upcoming Educational Opportunities

JOIN US AT UPCOMING EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE U.S. THIS SUMMER We hope you can join us at an event near you this summer! Xerces holds events in all 50 states and below is a list of upcoming events that we will be participating in. Many events require registration and some require a fee, so please check out the event details and reserve a spot soon if you are interested in participating. Please note that some events are not directly organized by Xerces, so registration and event questions may be handled by the hosting organization.     NORTHEAST Learn How to Attract Native Pollinators to Fields, Farms, and Orchards Corning, NY Thursday, August 27, 2015, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Big Flats Plant Material Center Click here for event details MID-ATLANTIC Save Our Monarchs Hockessin, DE Sunday, July 12, 2015, 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM Mt. Cuba Center Click here for event details Migratory Dragonfly Short Course Alexandria, VA Saturday, August 22, 2015, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM Huntley Meadows Park Click here for event details. Currently full, but you can add yourself to the waitlist. SOUTHEAST Native Meadow Tour: Buck Creek Serpentine Barrens Cullowhee, NC Wednesday, July 15, 2015, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, Western Carolina University Click here for event details Common Native Bees Slideshow and Garden Foray Chapel Hill, NC Sunday, July 26, 2015, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM North Carolina Botanical Garden Register by email to ncbgregistrar@unc.edu or phone919-843-8524. Fee: $15 ($10 for NCBG members). Click here for event details Enhancing Diversity to Support Pollinators: Focus on Bees Jamestown, NC Tuesday, September 15, 2015, 7:00 PM Sedgefield Garden Club, Griffin Recreation Center Register by email to sedgefieldgardenclub@gmail.comor phone 336-420-5926. Click here for event details GREAT LAKES Bumble Bee Survey at Pilot Knob Hill Mendota Heights, MN Friday, July 24, 2015 Pilot Knob Hill Registration coming soon through Great River Greeening Conservation Biological Control Short Course Farmington, MN Tuesday, July 28th, 2015, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM NRCS Farmington Field Office Click here for event details Pollinator Party: A Celebration of Bees Minneapolis, MN Thursday, July 30, 2015, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Lyndale Park Gardens Click here for event details Bumble Bees of Minnesota Brainerd, MN Sunday, August 9, 2015, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM Northland Arboretum Click here for event details SOUTH CENTRAL Official Summer Butterfly Count Fort Worth, TX Saturday, July 11, 2015, 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM CST Fort Worth Nature Center Please call 817-392-7410 with event questions Click here for Nature Center info PACIFIC NORTHWEST Mussel Re-colonization Monitoring Portland, OR Friday, July 10, 2015, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Westmoreland Park Click here for event details Mussel Survivorship Monitoring Portland, OR Monday, July 13, 2015, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Westmoreland's Union Manor Click here for event details Pollinator Passion Weekend Everett, WA Friday, July 24, 2015, 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM WSU Snohomish County Extension Click here for event details Macroinvertebrate Training and Monitoring Milwaukie/Portland, ORPart 1: Thursday, August 20, 2015, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Johnson Creek Watershed Council Milwaukie, OR Part 2: Sunday, August 23, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Westmoreland Park Portland, OR Click here for event details. Currently full, but you can add yourself to the waitlist.   BECOME A MEMBER If you are not already a member, please consider joining the Xerces Society as a monthly or annual donor. As a member, you will receive two issues of our member magazine Wingseach year. For more information on membership, please visit themembership page on our website. PUBLICATIONS Please visit our online store for books and merchandise on invertebrate conservation, including popular items such as: EVENTS Please visit our events page for more details about these upcoming events across the country this summer.  CONNECT WITH US        Photo Credit: Long-horned bee by Mace Vaughan/The Xerces Society. The Xerces Society * 628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, Oregon 97232 USA * tel 855.232.6639 info@xerces.org * www.xerces.org Copyright © 2015 The Xerces Society. All rights reserved.

Green Bank Herb Fair

The 3rd Annual Green Bank Herb Fair Friday July 17 – 18 celebrates the importance of herbs in our lives.
Come learn, relax, and enjoy a stimulating weekend on the scenic and spacious grounds of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory of Green Bank, WV. July is the perfect time to visit Pocahontas County ~ Nature's Mountain Playground!
With the generous support of a Calvin Price Appalachian Enrichment Series grant we began this adventure three years ago. It gives us great pleasure to continue the tradition of sharing herbal knowledge and skills - gifts so deeply grounded in our mountains.