Support Local Native Nurseries!
Have you caught spring fever yet? Now is the time to make your plans for adding more native plants to your gardens to provide lots of delicious nectar and pollen for all kinds of bees and other pollinators, as well as host plants for butterflies and moths to lay their eggs on, especially milkweed for hungry monarch caterpillars.
Check out our recommended species list for the Greater Asheville Area here. It's the first "resource" listed. You'll notice a list of local nurseries at the end who specialize in local native plants that are not treated with pesticides that may harm pollinators.
Register Now--Organic Growers School March 11-12!
Back by popular demand, Organic Growers School Spring Conference is back on the UNC Asheville campus with more than 150 workshops on topics ranging from cooking to mushrooms to pollinators.
OGS Pollinator Track
Bee City USA has partnered with Organic Growers School to offer the following workshops with outstanding presenters:
Creating Monarch Habitats - Kim Bailey
Invite monarchs to lunch by growing milkweed and providing
a succession of nectar plants throughout the season! Take an in-depth look at monarch natural history, migration, and habitat needs. Discuss pollinator plant propagation, techniques for rearing caterpillars indoors, and explore related citizen-science projects.
Enhancing Farm Diversity to Support Pollinators - Nancy Lee Adamson
Floral diversity on farms supports pollinators and many other insects that benefit our farms, gardens, and watersheds. Learn about some of our smaller farm heroes: the most common types of bees, wasps, flies, beetles, and other wildlife that help ensure healthy harvests.
Growing Native Plants from Seed - Pat Sommers
Discuss seed morphology, pollination and the importance of species plants in a highly hybridized world. You'll plant two six-packs with a variety of native seeds while learning germination requirements and the what, how and why of growing them.
Integrating Pollinators into the Garden - Angie Lavezzo
Learn the benefits of attracting pollinators to your vegetable gardens for boosting natural pest control, increased yields, and overall beauty.
Meet the 'Other' Bees - Jill Sidebottom
Native bees were the New World's pollinator work horses long before the honey bee was brought here from Europe. Discover the rich diversity of native bees in western NC, and learn how to recognize the most common groups and how to increase them in your garden or farm.
Plant-Pollinator Interactions - Tim Spira
Have you ever wondered why there is such an incredible diversity of flower shapes, sizes, colors, and fragrances in nature? Discover how plant-pollinator interactions have been a key force generating the diversity of flowers that we see in nature.
Who Pollinates Your Food? - Phyllis Stiles
Plants and their pollinators co-evolved over millions of years in mutually beneficial ways. Today three-quarters of the world's crops benefit from pollinators, either for producing seeds or improving the quality and/or quantity of yields. Get ready to be amazed at how crafty flowers can be!
Half-Day Workshop: Beekeeping Basics - Sarah Eshan McKinney & Diane Almond
Learn what's involved with the magic of honeybees: time, money, equipment, and management options and issues to enjoy and sustain healthy hives. Class will be taught through PowerPoint, beekeeping equipment, and handouts.
