WHO

St. Lucie County Residents and Community Partners.

WHAT

The Great Southeast Pollinator Census – The Great Florida Pollinator Census. UF/IFAS staff will provide education and opportunities for the public to participate with our Master Gardener Volunteers and us at several locations throughout St. Lucie County. The wonderful part about this citizen science project is that anyone can participate anywhere they have a flowering plant. Visit the The Great Florida Pollinator Census site for more information.

WHEN & WHERE

Virtual Meeting
Zoom Video (iOS, Android, Desktop)

• Monday, July 20 @ 10 a.m. • Thursday Aug. 20 @ 10 a.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Pre-Count - Virtual Education
  
  

Zora Neale Hurston Branch Library
3008 Ave D, Fort Pierce

• Tuesday, July 21 @ 2 p.m. • Monday, Aug. 17 @ 3 p.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Pre-Count at the Zora Neale Hurston Library
• Friday, August 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Saturday, Aug. 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Count at The Zora Neale Hurston Library
  
  

Heathcote Botanical Gardens
210 Savannah Road, Fort Pierce

• Friday, Aug. 21 @ 10 a.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Count at Heathcote Botanical Gardens
  
  

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd, Port St. Lucie

• Friday, Aug. 21 @ 2 p.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Count at Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens
  
  

UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Extension
8400 Picos Road, Suite 101

• Saturday, Aug. 22 @ 10 a.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Count at UF IFAS St. Lucie County Extension
  
  

Oxbow Eco-Center
5400 NE St. James Drive, Port St. Lucie

• Saturday, Aug. 22 @ 12:30 p.m.
  Great SE Pollinator Census Count at Oxbow Eco Center
  
  

HOW

Join us for one of our events or gather your own data. You’ll need to be able to identify between pollinator groups (bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, moths, etc.), use the appropriate datasheet, and upload your data to the GSEPC website.

WHY

Pollinators are precious and powerful. Over 90% of our flowering plants, including many crops, rely on their hard work. Capturing scientific data on pollinator diversity, seasonality, and geographical location is critical in education and conservation efforts. The Great Florida Pollinator Census provides an opportunity for community scientists to contribute this important data from the comfort of their home, neighborhood or community.

1. To create sustainable pollinator habitat by educating gardeners about using plants that provide nutrition for our pollinators while handling our summer droughts and do not have disease or pest insect pressure.
2. To increase the entomological literacy of our residents. We want students to go from “oooo, it’s a bug” to “look at the tarsal claw on that bee!”
3. To generate useful data about our pollinator populations, so we can begin to spot trends and see how pollinator populations are affected by weather and how honeybees influence native bee populations.