Polinator Past Events
The Pollinators became a subgroup of Climate Action Coffee in 2019. Our focus is to educate the public about the importance of pollinators and the native plants upon which they rely. Each year we host a series of events to raise public awareness to include celebrating National Pollinator Week (NPW), during the last week of June, in a special way.
2021
The first NPW kick-off event was held at the Gazebo in Takoma Park, MD with a reading of a poem by Takoma Park’s poet laureate; speeches by MD Delegate Lorig Charkoudian and Kate Medina of Koiner Farm; a puppet show by Rhonda Krantz; a rapper performing musical poetry; children’s art projects; tabling along with Friends of Sligo Creek, the Mt. Rainier Chapter of the Sierra Club educating attendees about the Wildlife Corridor; kids potted up plants to take home; and, special youth dance performances were held. Three eating establishments in Takoma Park provided “pollinator drinks” at their restaurants during NPW, such as the Bees Knees and Nocturnal Nectar. Salon Jam hosted a display of plant drawings. A self-guided tour of native plant gardens was organized throughout the City. Our group provided education and free plants at the Crossroads Farm Market and WOWD’s Eric Bond interviewed one of our members, Barbara Whitney on Talk of Takoma. A well attended webinar about native plants rounded out our week.
2022
Along with providing information and giving away native plants in Old Town Takoma Park, at the Crossroads Farm Market, and the Presbyterian Church on Mothers Day, Eric Bond of WOWD interviewed Sam Droege of the Bee Lab of the USGS on Talk of Takoma. We created a float and entered the Takoma Park 4th of July Parade.
Earlier in the year, we partnered with the City of Takoma Park to host a webinar on invasive plants to acknowledge National Invasive Species Awareness Week.
2023
Aside from our usual events providing information and giving away native plants at Earth Day at the TP Coop, the Presbyterian Church on Mothers Day, Old Town Takoma, the Crossroads Farm Market and at the TP Folk Festival, we created a display of information about pollinators and native plants which was paired with related books at the TP Library. A series of articles were published in the TP Coop Newsletter called Mosquito Tidbites. Garden signs encouraging native plants were created and native plant swaps were held in the spring and fall.
2024
We again partnered with the City of TP to host a lecture by Sam Droege of the Bee Lab of USGS. We participated in a children’s story time at a local bookstore, People’s Book, with a reading of, "Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds” by Jean Richards to an audience of pre-schoolers.. A series of articles on butterflies and their host plants was published in the TP Coop Newsletter. We added the TP House and Garden Tour and the TP Folk Festival to our usual locations where we provided information on native plants and gave away plants. Plant swaps were again held in the spring and the fall.
2025
To change things up, our group created sets of four signs with colorfully Illustrated humorous jingles that promoted native plants ala the Burma Shave ads. These signs were placed throughout the City of TP in every ward during National Pollinator Week. We continued our usual tabling and free plant giveaway events as well as our plant swaps in the spring and fall.