With high wind warnings for this evening, we have consulted with our
“Bees & Biodiversity” speaker, Jerry Freilich, and decided it’s best
to postpone our event.
We’re now planning for this event to take place at 7:00 pm on Thursday
January 7, in the same location, QUUF. We appreciate your
understanding, and hope to see you then!
On Thursday, December 3, the JLT Natural History Society will sponsor a presentation on Bees and Biodiversity by Jerry Freilich, former director of the North Coast and Cascades Science Learning Network. An entomologist by training, Freilich coordinated scientific research in Olympic National Park. He has researched insect biodiversity since 1996, and recently carried out a project to find and identify as many bee species as possible in Olympic National Park.
Most people can name perhaps three or four kinds of bees. They are surprised to learn that close to 4,000 species of native bees inhabit North America, (this doesn’t including honey bees, which were introduced by European settlers). Freilich will explain why bees are so difficult to study. Most are tiny, fast-flying, and inconspicuous. They go about their jobs, don’t interact with people, and generally fly below human ‘radar’.
Across North America, native bees can be found any place where flowers bloom. They have been pollinating the continent’s flowering plants since long before the arrival of honey bees. Even in today’s vastly altered landscapes, these champion pollinators continue to service the majority of native plants, as well as important human-cultivated varieties such as tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, cherries, blueberries, and cranberries.
The program begins at 7 pm in the QUUF’s sanctuary hall on San Juan Avenue, Port Townsend. This event is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of five dollars.
http://jltnatural.org/2015/11/02/bees-and-biodiversity/
CONTACT: Noreen Parks, 379-4007
Filed under: Events, Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound | Tagged: Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend, Puget Sound |
