Events

We’ll watch a presentation by Dr. Harland Patch, one of the entomologists who helped create the Pollinator and Bird Garden at the Penn State University ARboretum, about its design and how we can apply those principles and recent research findings to our landscapes. After a short group discussion, Dr. Patch will join us for a live Q&A. 

Online only: Please email [email protected] for the Zoom link and indicate how you learned of this program. 

The Pollinator and Bird Garden at the Penn State University Arboretum reflects really

good science and really good design: the plant list and all of its features were chosen by

a team of scientists to support the highest possible diversity of pollinators native to the

region, as well as resident and migratory birds. The world-renowned landscape

designers Emmanuel Didier and Claudia West organized it into habitats inspired by the

surrounding countryside, ranging from open meadows to forested ridges and ponds,

and made it beautiful. More than 600 volunteers helped install its 143,000 plants,

totaling 300+ plant species.

No model existed for a pollinator garden of this size and scope. Now, three years later,

it’s won an international award for sustainable landscape architecture.

In addition to its beauty, this public garden supports a wide array of educational

programs and research into questions that matter to many of us, such as which plants

best support pollinator diversity and how does landscape design influence pollinator

populations?

Dr. Patch is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Entomology and Director of Pollinator Programming at the Arboretum at the Pennsylvania State University and co-author of “The Lives of Bees.” His research interests include pollinator health; pollinator behavior, population genetics; sustainable agriculture; food security; human nutrition.