The ever-popular and family-friendly Pollinator Festival returns to the North Tract of the Patuxent Research Refuge on Saturday, September 24, 2022, 9am-1pm.

This is a great event for people of all ages to learn more about the role of pollinators in nature. Activities include:

• Live monarch butterflies—caterpillars, chrysalises, and adults. Adult monarchs will be tagged and released to continue their migration south to Mexico.
• Children's games and educational activities—play the monarch migration game, fluff out milkweed seeds to be spread on the wind, take a hike with knowledgeable leaders, visit the displays about pollinating insects.
• Talk to scientists and biologists from the Eastern Ecological Science Center at Patuxent Research Refuge who are studying pollinators.
• See a live beehive in action—look into a beehive of European honeybees and talk with beekeepers who care for them.
• Visit the traveling Nature Shop from the National Wildlife Visitor Center of the Patuxent Research Refuge and take something home for yourself or as a gift for someone else.
• Have fun and learn about the fascinating world of pollinators and their importance in our lives.

This is an outdoor event, so please dress accordingly and bring a hat, water bottle, sunscreen and insect repellent. Bring a friend, bring your family, or come by yourself for this fun and educational event.