National Pollinator Week

Celebrate National Pollinator Week at Pollinator Prairie in Olathe Friday, June 24

Please join us for a celebration of National Pollinator Week with the “Wonders of Discovery” event at the Pollinator Prairie near downtown Olathe at 320 S Blake Street on Friday, June 24, 2022, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Wonders of Discovery is a free event for all ages hosted annually by the Johnson County Extension Master Naturalists. Fun planned activities and exhibits will include a Caterpillar Petting Zoo, a Birds of Prey Exhibit from Operation Wildlife, What’s the Buzz about Native Bees, exhibits by the Idalia Butterfly Society, Monarch Watch, Northeastern Kansas Beekeepers, Wild Birds Unlimited, and much more! We always have games and activities planned for children, so this is a fun as well as educational event for the whole family. We hope you will join us for this celebration of National Pollinator Week.

Your first question might be “What is National Pollinator Week?” It is an event managed by the Pollinator Partnership. The first National Pollinator Week in the U.S. was observed in June 2007 after the Senate unanimously approved the week as a necessary step to address the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. The week is observed as an international celebration to protect the ecosystems that sustain pollinators. A pollinator is any type of insect or bird that takes pollen from one flower to another, enabling those plants to continue reproducing. Pollinators include butterfly species, honeybees, native bees, wasps, hummingbirds, dragonflies, beetles, and bats just to name a few.

Wherever their journeys may take them, pollinators of all types are always welcome at the Pollinator Prairie. Since it opened in 2012, this native habitat has provided food and safe shelter for a wide variety of pollinators by providing pollinator-friendly plant species. Pollinator Prairie’s seasonal gardens provide plants for different species of insects and wildlife to meet their unique needs from season to season.

This beautiful prairie ecosystem has not always been a safe place for plants and wildlife. From 1951 to 1989, this land was the site of a chemical brokerage and recycling facility. Over time, substances leaked or spilled into the soil and groundwater, requiring a comprehensive remediation program. Beginning in the early 2000s, a Citizen’s Advisory Group partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and members of the local community to implement cleanup of the site. In the years since, numerous businesses, community organizations, and volunteers have collaborated to develop an ecological habitat using native plants to create a natural environment for native bees, butterflies, moths, birds, and other pollinators. The Pollinator Prairie Garden is free and open to the public from sunrise to sunset every day of the year. The gardens of the Pollinator Prairie are linked by an accessible trail that winds around four gardens. The Bee Garden is a place buzzing with life. The plants in this garden represent mostly native Kansas wildflowers that attract bees. The Monarch Garden is labeled as “Nature’s Great Migratory Wonder” and describes how Monarch Butterflies migrate to central Mexico where they overwinter in large clusters on trees in the mountains. The Monarch butterflies return in the spring when the females lay eggs on milkweed, the only plants on which Monarch larvae will feed. While caterpillars need milkweed to feed, the adults need nectar for water and energy. In addition to milkweed, you can find other nectar plants in the Monarch Garden such as asters, coneflowers, and Joe Pye. The Bird Garden has seed and berry-producing plants that provide food for songbirds through the summer and in winter when insects are scarce. Various butterflies seen every year feeding on nectar in the Butterfly Garden include Monarchs, Common Buckeyes, Swallowtails, and the beautiful Red Admiral Butterfly.

For more information on the Wonders of Discovery Event or the Pollinator Prairie, you can check out the Pollinator Prairie page on Facebook or call the Johnson County K-State Research and Extension office at 913-715-7000.

Giant Swallowtail butterflies are pollinators that feed on nectar plants like Joe Pye.