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A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
KIRKWOOD, Mo.—Nature’s pollinating insects have our backs every day. Scientists estimate at one out of every three bites of food we eat is there thanks to pollinating insects and other animals. Did you know approximately 35% of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce? That also includes the peppers and tomatoes we grow in our own gardens, or the blackberries we might enjoy collecting in nature. Without our pollinators, we would be starving.
Since pollinators do so much for us, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites you to help them out too. MDC’s Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is hosting the Protecting our Pollinators event, on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. It’s a special event to celebrate these silent, but essential heroes of the insect and animal world. Some of Missouri’s most important pollinators include bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and moths. The event is free and welcomes people of all ages and will include educational booths, presentations, and activities to help the whole family appreciate pollinators.
The presentations during the event will take place in the nature center’s auditorium and will include the following topics:
Visitors will get a chance to see a living honeybee hive and discover the secrets of their amazing world. There will also be local honey tasting and honey for sale. Participants will learn about pollinators through fun, interactive games and hands-on by capturing insects with sweep nets.
Each family will receive a native plant and/or seed packet to take home to help attract pollinators to their own yards.
Guests can also visit with various pollinator friendly organizations at educational stations staffed by the Missouri Prairie Foundation, Wild Ones of Missouri, and Fat Cat Farm Honey. There will also be a booth to help visitors learn about bee homes and bee baths they can make themselves.
Find out how you can return the favors that pollinators do for us every day by learning how to protect and help them too.
Protecting our Pollinators is a free event, but online preregistration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4qx. Please complete registration for all who will attend.
Powder Valley Nature Center is located at 11715 Cragwold Road in Kirkwood, near the intersection of I-270 and I-44.
Sign up for email or text alerts to stay informed of MDC’s latest programs and events by going to https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZoP.
