​Ripley Horticultural youth club learns about pollinators, makes insect watering stations

The Ripley Horticultural Society’s “For Our Youth” Club had a special July meeting this summer, as the members were warmly welcomed into the beautiful native gardens at the home of Christine and Jim Roberts in Blair’s Grove, Huron-Kinloss Township.

The club doesn’t usually meet in July, due to the heat and vacation schedules, but it couldn’t resist Christine’s generous invitation to host and give a presentation about pollinators (plus she promised cupcakes!). Twelve memberskids and five leaders joined Christine and Jim for a memorable few hours, braving the heat and humidity for an enjoyable time together.

The group kicked off the meeting with the club song, and then everyone gathered in Christine’s backyard under the shadiest tree to listen to her fascinating talk on pollinators.

She is quite the expert on native gardening. As well as being a long-time member of the Ripley and District Horticultural Society and president of the Huron Bruce Nature Club, she also leads the Ripley Huron Pollinator Garden Project with a network of 10 pollinator gardens throughout Ripley and the neighbouring lakeshore. She just completed her Pollinator Stewardship Certificate and is a David Suzuki Foundation Butterfly Ranger. She had a very avid group of listeners as she shared information with the club.

Pollinators encompass far more than just honeybees; in fact, honeybees are not even considered native pollinators in North America. There are a huge number of other insects, including native bees, that do a wonderful job of pollinating. Christine encouraged members to name as many as they could, and pointed out the different types of insects on two colourful posters.

She explained the process of pollination and the relationship between plants and the bugs that help them grow. Members were pleased to be able to name and recognize so many important insects in the pollinating process. Interested in a poster of your own? Visit cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/downloads/booklets-handouts/poster_pollinators_en.pdf.

After providing the group with lots of interesting facts, Christine sent half of the members on a scavenger hunt throughout her property and gardens to look for different pollinators, such as ladybugs, birds, spiders and caterpillars. Everyone had a great time touching, smelling and observing the different types of plants Christine and Jim have lovingly grown and tended, from fruit trees and grape vines, to blackberry brambles and flowering shrubs, to a water garden with frogs and monarch caterpillars. The club learned the names of many native plants and talked about the variety of organisms that help a garden stay healthy and thrive. The discovery of a crab spider was a particular highlight!

While the scavenger hunt was taking place, the second group learned how to make insect watering stations, using mason jars, small pebbles and plastic lids. The jars are filled with water, which then trickles out of small holes in the lid to soak the pebbles, providing insects with a place to land while they drink. The kids had a lot of fun decorating their jars with paint pens, and coming up with pollinator-related designs. The leaders are always so pleased with the way the kids encourage one another and share materials during craft time.

After the groups had switched places to explore the gardens and tinker with their watering stations, the club gathered for a delicious snack of butterfly-shaped cupcakes made by Christine, along with drinks and cookies. Everyone was glad for a chance to sit and enjoy the refreshments while Christine read a picture book called “The Garden Next Door” by Collin Pine. It tells the story of three young children who wonder why all the butterflies flock to their neighbour’s yard instead of their own, leading them to discover how to attract pollinators to their own backyard spaces.

The club is so grateful to Christine for sharing her wealth of knowledge with the group, and to her and Jim for opening up their backyard to the group on one of the hottest days of July. The club presented Christine with a card and a donation toward her Pollinator Garden Project, and everyone left in good spirits to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The next meeting is at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens, Aug. 16, where the members will be harvesting vegetables from their own garden and learning how to bake flatbread in the mud oven.

If you have a child who is interested in joining the club, or you would like to become a volunteer leader, contact Kimberlee Feick Lowry at kimberlee1072@yahoo.ca. We’ve always got room for you!