Great Southeast Pollinator Census

  • Friday, August 18, 2023 – 10:00 am–2:00 pm
  • Saturday, August 19, 2023 – 10:00 am–2:00 pm

North Carolina's pollinators need your help!

bee on a yellow flower

Started by Becky Griffin, MPPPM, from University of Georgia Extension, the Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a citizen science project created to survey the population and diversity of pollinators in the Southeast.

This year, North Carolina is joining the census for the first time. For two days in August, Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19, Arboretum visitors can spend time in the gardens counting wasps, bees, flies, butterflies, and other insects to contribute to comprehensive data of our region's pollinators. Once entered, this data will be displayed on the Great Southeast Pollinator Census Web site and be used by researchers to spot trends within pollinator populations.

When should you come to participate?
Participants can count at any time on August 18 and August 19. The Arboretum will be open 9:00 am–8:00 pm on Friday and 8:00 am–8:00 pm on Saturday. There will be volunteers from 10:00 am–2:00 pm both Friday and Saturday to help answer questions and offer more guidance for collecting data.

What do participants do exactly?
After picking up a tally sheet from the Visitors Center, participants will find a plant in the garden with insect activity and count pollinator visits for 15 minutes. You are specifically looking for what types of pollinators (wasps, flies, bees, butterflies, etc.) are visiting the plant you're watching and making a count of how many times a pollinator lands on the plant.

Once the 15 minutes are over, return to the Visitors Center to drop off the tally sheet. Participants can do more than one plant but they need separate tally sheets for each plant.

Other tips for participating

  • Wear a watch or have a timer on your phone to help you track the 15 minutes.

  • Look for signs in the Arboretum that designate "Hot Spots" where we anticipate there will be high levels of insect activity.

  • Don't worry about if you're counting the same insect. You're counting pollinator visits so if the same insect leaves and comes back, it's okay!

  • Pick a manageable size to watch. You don't have to watch the entire plant! We suggest doing a small hula hoop sized area or imagine you're holding a beach ball with your arms and lay that over the plant as your area to watch. Hula hoops will be at the Visitor Center or Hot Spots to help you gauge the correct size.

  • This is a family friendly activity. There will be a special tally sheet for our younger participants. Participants that are second grade or older are welcome to submit an official tally sheet for data collection. Participants first grade and younger will have special tally sheets to complete.

  • Remember, you just need to observe. No need to touch or catch any insects for this activity! Feel free to take pictures and tag us on social media.

Want to learn even more? Join the Great Southeastern Pollinator Census team to learn about the Census and how to participate in the Census on Thursday, August 10, 2023 from 1:00 pm–3:00 pm. A free Zoom webinar will feature Dr. Danesha Seth-Carley, Dr. Hannah Levenson, and Dr. Matt Bertone. Register here.

Age
Open to everyone!
Cost
Free.
Registration
No registration is required for this self guided program.
Location
JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC 27606.
Directions
Need directions? Click here.
Parking
Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.
Questions
Please write jcraprograms@ncsu.edu for more information about this program.