By Gwen Steele
Border Free Bees is celebrating the creation of Kelowna’s very first Nectar Trail today (June 25) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Pollinator Picnic will take place on the Summerhill Winery Heritage Lawn, 4870 Upper Mission Drive, Kelowna.
Bring your picnic lunch.
The Pollinator Picnic’s purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of wild pollinators by providing an afternoon full of fun, family-friendly community activities and to celebrate the wild success of The Kelowna Nectar Trail Project. There will be booths and displays set up by the many community partners involved in Border Free Bees projects.
Come and learn how to create your own pollinator garden.
Be sure to visit us at the OXA booth.
There will be music and a great creation opportunity for kids and adults: ‘A Swarm in June’, a community art project with Armstrong artist Rhonda Neufeld.
Check www.BorderFreeBees.com for more information.
The Kelowna Nectar Trail is a 7.4 km series of flowery stepping stones through the south Mission neighbourhood that helps pollinators move safely through the urban landscape.
The south anchor point is Summerhill Pyramid Winery and the north, the unH2O Xeriscape Garden at 4075 Gordon Drive in front of the H2O Centre.
More than 70 businesses, schools and private homes have committed to planting a meter square or more of pollinator plants.
The Nectar Trail has already inspired other community groups to create Nectar Trails in their own neighbourhoods: Glenmore hosted a nectar trail event on June 4th and UBCO is creating a nectar trail through the campus.
Gwen Steele is executive-director of the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association. Learn more about Gardening with Nature and plants for the Okanagan on the website at www.okanaganxeriscape.org
