[Pollinator] Wild Bees exhibition and programs start April 14 in Greenwich, CT

Tue Apr 10 06:38:56 PDT 2018

The pollination services of native bees are highlighted in this exhibition and related programs that may be of interest to this list. Please feel free to share.
Wild Bees: Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman
April 14, 2018 - November 11, 2018
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830

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Paula Sharp
Small Carpenter Bee on Wild Rose
Copyright Sharp-Eatman Nature Photography
Greenwich, CT (April 10, 2018) - The exhibition Wild Bees: Photographs by Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman, opening at the Bruce Museum on April 14, 2018, features approximately 26 exquisite photographs of wild bees in their natural habitats, along with native bee specimens that can be viewed under a video microscope, an interactive website, bee houses, and giant model bees at 20x scale.
While many people are aware of the collapse of European honeybee populations, fewer know that native insect pollinators are declining globally due to a combination of habitat loss and fragmentation, pesticide use, pathogens, and invasive species. Native bees pollinate both wild plants and agricultural crops - many of which cannot be pollinated by honeybees. Wild bees are important pollinators of wildflowers, garden flowers and commercial crops including fruit trees, berries, melons and garden vegetables, yet their significance in sustaining healthy ecosystems is often overlooked.
The photographs in the exhibition are part of a three-year wild bee project undertaken in July 2014 by photojournalist and writer Paula Sharp and nature photographer Ross Eatman to document wild bees inhabiting New York's Rockefeller State Park Preserve and neighboring Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.

Rockefeller State Park Preserve, located in Pleasantville, New York, is a haven for wild bees. Careful management of the park's meadows and trail edges has resulted in a proliferation of native bees, which are attracted to the park by its diverse array of wildflowers -- among them, wild azaleas, countless spring woodland bulbs, American white water lilies, four varieties of milkweed and large swathes of dogbane and meadow flowers. The preserve's Visitor Center garden also contains a range of native plants that provide nectar and pollen for wild pollinators.

            At the heart of Rockefeller State Park Preserve lies Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, an eighty-acre non-profit working farm that practices sustainable agriculture and serves as a farming education center. Stone Barns cultivates a multitude of crops, fruit trees, vegetables and cut flowers. Its grounds contain a greenhouse and several flower gardens, including a bee garden situated beside a colony of beehives.
This arrangement fosters a dynamic ecosystem in which domesticated honeybees and other pollinators travel between woodland nests and flora in the preserve and flowering plants in the agricultural production areas and gardens of Stone Barns. The result is a richly diverse population of pollinating insects that includes more than 100 documented species of wild bees. The exhibition captures the astonishing diversity of shapes, colors, sizes and lifestyles of the insects that play an essential role in our planet's health.

The exhibition is supported by Guardian Life<https://www.guardianlife.com/>, The Charles M. and Deborah G. Royce Exhibition Fund, Connecticut Office of the Arts, Ellen and Joanne Flanagan, Green Fingers Garden Club<https://www.greenfingersgardenclub.org/>, Greenwich Garden Club<http://www.greenwichgardenclub.org/>,  Lisette and Robert J. Henrey, Hortulus<http://www.hortulus.org/>, Knollwood Garden Club, Alice P. Melly, Heidi and Scott Smith, Withers Bergman and a Committee of Honor.

About the Bruce Museum
The Bruce Museum is located in a park setting just off I-95, exit 3, at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut. The Museum is also a 5-minute walk from the Metro-North Greenwich Station. The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students with ID, and free for members and children less than five years. Individual admission is free on Tuesday. Free on-site parking is available and the Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For additional information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376 or visit the website at brucemuseum.org<http://brucemuseum.org>.

WILD BEES PROGRAMS
The events below (except May 20) are held at the Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830. Brucemuseum.org. 203-698-1167

Saturday, April 14, 3:30 - 5:00 pm. The Story Behind Wild Bees. Hear from the naturalists/photographers Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman, whose three-year project documenting wild bees at Rockefeller State Park Preserve and neighboring Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture is highlighted in the current exhibition at the Bruce Museum. Their project, sponsored by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, focuses on a dynamic ecosystem in which native pollinators travel between agricultural plants and woodland nests and flora. Their result shows a richly diverse population of pollinators: To date, Sharp & Eatman have photographed more than 100 species of wild bees. Free for Bruce members and students (with valid ID),   $10 for non-members (includes Museum admission). Register at brucemuseum.org<http://brucemuseum.org>, click "Reservations."

Sunday, May 20, 8 am - noon. Birds and Bees Field Trip to Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Leaders: wild bee photographer Paula Sharp and Audubon naturalist Ryan MacLean. Rockefeller State Park Preserve in Pleasantville, NY, is an Important Bird Area designation with 180 recorded species of bird species. The site, in conjunction with nearby Stone Barns, is the focus of the photographic exhibition Wild Bees. Join us on a walk along the carriage roads built by John D. Rockefeller Jr., winding through wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and fields and past streams, rivers, and lakes while traversing wood and stone bridges. Photographer and bee expert Paula Sharp will help us learn the habitats and lifestyles of native pollinators, while Audubon expert Ryan MacLean helps us identify late spring songbirds by sight and sound. Ages 6 and up, free but limited space. Parking fee $6 per vehicle, so carpooling recommended. Advance reservations: Ryan MacLean at 914-417-5234 or rmaclean at audubon.org<mailto:rmaclean at audubon.org> or Cynthia Ehlinger at 203-413-6756 or cynthiae at brucemuseum.org<mailto:cynthiae at brucemuseum.org> .

Wednesday, June 13, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm. Symposium. Wild about Bees: How Gardeners Benefit from Pollinators. Geared to gardeners, this mini-symposium features state bee expert Dr. Kimberly Stoner, Associate Agricultural Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station presenting the keynote address "Beyond the Honey Bee: Native Bees of Connecticut." Rich Palmer, Jr. of Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses speaks on plants for pollinators (and offers special discounts at Sam Bridge). Representatives from the Savannah Bee store in Westport provide bee-related samples. Advance registration: Free for Bruce members and students (with valid ID),   $15 for non-members. Register at brucemuseum.org<http://brucemuseum.org>, click "Reservations." Additional $10 fee at the door.

Thursday, July 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm. The Language of Flavor in Honey: A Guided Sensory Honey Tasting Event. From Red Bee Honey of Wilton, CT, Carla Marina Marchese, Italian-trained honey expert, will lead an educational talk and guided tasting of 6 American honeys paired with local cheese and seasonal produce. Participants will learn about honeybees and their essential pollination services that bring us fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, spices - even coffee, chocolate and blue jeans! Learn how honeybees make this liquid gold we call honey, how terroir and nectar source determines a honey's color, aroma and flavor while engaging your senses to pick out aromas and flavors in each varietal honey. This is truly a unique honey lover's experience!
Carla Marina is a member of the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, where she received her formal training, and the author of The Honey Connoisseur.
Sample Honey Tasting & Pairing Menu
1. Linden honey with goat cheese, peaches and mint
2. Alfalfa honey with bok choy, tahini and sesame seeds
3. Bamboo honey with Brie and blueberry
4. Goldenrod honey with strawberries and bee pollen
5. Red currant honey with dark cacao
6. Honeycomb with toast
Limited to 30 people.
Advance reservations required: $50 Bruce Museum member, $65 non-member. Register at brucemuseum.org<http://brucemuseum.org>, click "Reservations."

# # #

Cynthia S. Ehlinger
Marketing and Science Curatorial Associate
Seaside Center Manager

Bruce Museum
1 Museum Drive
Greenwich, CT 06830
P 203 . 413 . 6756
F 203 . 869 . 0963
cynthiae at brucemuseum.org<mailto:cynthiae at brucemuseum.org>
www.brucemuseum.org<http://www.brucemuseum.org>
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