If you Plant it, they will come!: Attracting Pollinators to your Garden

Pollinating insects or pollinators play a critical role in maintaining natural plant communities. These beneficial insects can be encouraged to take up residence in your yard by adjusting a few of your gardening efforts to create a healthy habitat. Including pollinator-friendly plants around the yard welcomes the insects to move in naturally. Learn about pollinators and plants that attract them in this 90 min class. Walk and see many of the plants in the Garden’s Purdy Butterfly House, the Native Teaching Garden, and other locations. Leave with the knowledge that you can create a beautiful landscape and support a healthy habitat that attracts these hard-working insects. Participants are encouraged to wear attire to match the weather and comfortable footwear for the walk-around. Contact Mike Shelton for questions about course content and other logistics.

Additional Information: This class will take place in-person at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. The location will be shared through email to registrants prior to the date of the class.

Pricing:
Members: $35
Non-Members: $60

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Instructor Bio:
Michael (Mike) Shelton is the Natural Areas Supervisor at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. His duties include participation on a multidisciplinary team that implements management actions to improve exhibits and trails and to enhance visitor experience. Mike has an over 32 year career in environmental science in government, university, and private sectors. Prior to coming to the Garden, Mike served the people of Alabama for over 17 years as a Natural Resources Planner at the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, a partnership between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He participated in stewardship activities on nearly 10,000 acres of uplands, wetlands, and state-owned waterbottoms near Fairhope, Alabama. He served with scientists, outreach specialists, and regulatory personnel to apply current science in the management of coastal resources and in improving decision-making regarding use of coastal lands and waters. Mike earned a master’s degree in Biology at Emory University and an undergraduate degree in Biology at Hampden-Sydney College. He resides now in Huntsville with spouse, Wendy, enjoying outdoor activities, music, movies, and all the amenities of the city and of north Alabama.