This year, the Friends of Coffs Harbour Botanic Garden will celebrate Australian Pollinator Week in a big way. Their plan turns the week into a boost for pollinators, for the Garden, and for Friends fundraising.
Graeme Tupper, a volunteer guide and educator at the Garden and President of the Australian Association of Friends of Botanic Gardens, explained the plan at a recent BGEN webinar. It has four parts.
A native plant sale. Pollinator Week opens on Saturday with a native plant sale. The nursery coordinator has sourced plants from the Wheen Bee Foundation’s Powerful Pollinators list for the North Coast. Each plant will be sold with a story about the butterflies and other pollinators it supports.
A Pollinators Picnic. Sunday brings a family picnic. Visitors will get face painting and a hands-on introduction to pollinator counting, and the Friends hope to add honey tasting. Beginners start with slow-moving insects such as beetles rather than fast-flying bees. The Friends scout the flowers beforehand and lend out clip-on macro lenses for phone cameras, which Graeme says opens up a whole new world.
Citizen science all week. For the rest of the week, schools and families are invited to take part in the Australian Pollinator Count, and a photo display will run at the Garden.
Promotion before and after the week. The Friends will post a series of local pollinator photos on social media. They are also taking a half-page ad in the local paper, which usually comes with some free editorial space. They plan to use that space for stories on why pollinators matter and how to plant a pollinator-friendly garden at home or school. The picnic will be listed on the Pollinator Week events page, on the Friends’ website and with the local council.
Graeme’s advice to other Friends groups is to build on what you already do. Many Friends groups already hold plant sales, and Pollinator Week gives that sale a clear message that suits social and local media. It also falls just as people begin shopping for Christmas gifts. “We’re not asking you to do anything different to what you’re doing,” he said. “We’re asking you to have a particular focus.” The Pollinator Week resources can be used as they are, and extras like face painting and nest-making are optional.
He also offered one more idea from the Garden’s nocturnal tours. Under ultraviolet light, pollen glows bright white and some flowers show “landing paths” leading to it. It is a striking way to show visitors how insects see the world.
Register your event, download resources and be inspired at australianpollinatorweek.org.au.
