Pollinator tour using virtual format this year

Pollinator Week is June 22-28 this year.
In the past, Heather Francis of Imperial, Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist, has led pollinator tours in Chase County. There have also been alcohol tastings, where attendees can sample alcoholic beverages made possible by pollination.
Pollinators are animals that assist in the pollination of plants. Most of the time these are insects.
“Anything that blooms or has a blossom has to be pollinated,” Francis said.
This year’s tour will be different due to COVID-19, and will be virtual, held via Zoom.
The tour is set for June 24 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
“This is a new format to try for hosting our tour this summer,” Francis said.
“Right now, we will have a small group of people to help do the tasting at a local venue,” she added. “The tasting part of the tour will be live—fingers crossed for technology to work.”
Francis is also planning on a wildflower walk of blooming plants for a plant ID. That portion would be pre-recorded.
“It has been dry out here, and with the lovely wind the past few days, I hope to find some things blooming,” she said.
Also part of this year’s tour is a Make-and-Take card-making project.
Francis asks attendees to register by June 15 for the make-and-take project to ensure amount of supplies.
Confirmation emails will be sent out when project kits can be picked up.
RSVPs can be emailed to hfrancis@pheasantsforever.org including email address and phone number.
Links for Zoom access will be released after June 15.
For questions, contact Francis at 308-520-0139.