Essex County Greenbelt Association invites families to peek inside the beehives at Cox Reservation from the safety of a screened-in tent! This show and tell introduces children of all ages to the importance of bees and other pollinators. In addition to the hive opening, we’ll have snacks and activities scattered around the property.
Planting sunflowers early attracts pollinators all season! Join beekeeping experts from the ECBA for this fun, free activity for the kiddos. Visit the sunflower table on the main lawn to plant and meet a beekeeper!
Join Greenbelt and North Shore Nature Programs to discover wild edible plants! Our leader will show us how to find and identify a variety of delicious things to eat in fields, in the woods, and maybe right in your backyard! Appropriate for all ages.
Wetlands are a hotbed of activity in mid-June and this program will focus specifically on the amphibians and reptiles that make ponds and streams their home. Join the Essex County Greenbelt Association to look for nesting turtles, tadpoles, and snakes that may be patrolling the shoreline. Families will learn the key differences between reptiles and amphibians, and hopefully will begin to be able to identify specific species.
Essex County Greenbelt Association will host an exploring insects workshop. Using nets and bug boxes, families will explore fields in search of insects. Special attention will be paid to differing insect lifecycles as well as how some insects are masters of camouflage. Families will be encouraged to design and hide their own insect to see how well they can use camouflage.
We had such a great reaction to last year's program "The Role of the Honeybee in Our Environment" that we decided to offer another bee based program. This time, gardening guru Andi Ross will present her new program, "To Bee or Not to Bee." Landscaping to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects as well as birds and butterflies is not only trendy, its critical to our own survival. This lecture will explore what plants will attract beneficial wildlife to your gardens with slides of glorious gardens filled with wildlife.
Join Mary Mansur, Cape Ann Waldorf School Kindergarten teacher and beekeeper at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary for a hands-on workshop to harvest honey and beeswax as we learn about the honeybee, and how humans and honeybees can support one another. Learn how the products of the beehive are utilized at Waldorf School at Moraine Farm and how the hive and the honeybee can teach people of every age. Participants will bring home a little bear filled with honey.
