Did you know that there are over 4,000 different wild bee species in the US? We usually think of wild pollinating bees in our gardens and meadows, but many of our wild bee species also rely on forest habitats for part of their life cycle. For example, some are specialized to only collect pollen and nectar from spring ephemerals on the forest floor, others nest in rotting logs and in leaf litter deep in the woods, overwinter in the forest, and others even use canopy pollen. Join Kass & Erin of The Xerces Society to explore how wild bees use the woods--from the forest floor to the tippy top of the canopy. We will also discuss how you can help these bees with soft edges, hedgerows, shrubby habitat, and forest management for healthy, diverse, climate-resilient forests. 

Speakers:

• Erin Cocca is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with The Xerces Society and an NRCS partner biologist. She assists landowners and managers across the state of Maine by providing site-specific information on improving pollinator habitat across working landscapes
• Kass Urban-Mead is a Pollinator Conservation Specialist with The Xerces Society and an NRCS Partner Biologist. Her graduate work at Cornell in the Entomology department characterized the wild bees and their use of canopy pollen in early spring temperate hardwood forests and woodlots.

*This sliding scale registration is designed to make our workshops as accessible as possible by providing a range of pricing options, with a goal of ticket sales averaging in the middle. The recommended price for this event is $5 for MOFGA members and $10 for non-members. Please pay what feels reasonable for you.

Questions? Email forestry@mofga.org