Wildwood to Host Great Pollinator Census Event on Friday
August 19, 2024
As a way to encourage the public to participate in the Great Florida Pollinator Census, the City of Wildwood is hosting a pollinator event at the Wildwood Community Center this Friday, Aug. 23, 2024.
“This is a great way for everyday people to become citizen scientists, regardless of background or education,” said Mayor Ed Wolf. “When I taught agricultural science here in Wildwood, I saw the value of helping to connect people with our natural world and all of its interconnected components.”
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce, resulting in one out of every three bites of food being dependent upon pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, beetles, and other insects.
Pollinator census participants will observe a plant at the event for 15 minutes and mark down how many of each type of pollinator they see on the plant during that period. Pollinators will be grouped into categories, so observers will not need to identify exact species.
Experts in entomology from UF/IFAS Extension Sumter County and volunteers from the Master Gardener program will assist participants with categorizing observed insects and animals for the count sheets, will provide short educational talks, and will be available to answer general questions.
The Great Florida Pollinator Census will collect information reported by citizens and feed that data to the Great Southeast Pollinator Census.
“We are expanding our programming to encompass new events and activities,” said Wildwood Parks and Recreation Director Courtney Kellem. “Our partnership with UF/IFAS Extension is helping to fuel that expansion through access to experts in many areas including the natural sciences, and is enabling us to provide exciting new offerings for our diverse and growing community.”
The event begins at 10 a.m. outside the rear entrance of the community center. At noon, a presentation on butterfly gardening will be given inside the center by Alycyn Culbertson from The Villages Butterfly Garden Club. Light refreshments will be served.
All are welcome to attend and participate, and no preregistration is required for the free event. For more information, call 352-461-0134.
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