An Afternoon for the Bees: Feasting and Learning in an Expertly Designed Pollinator Garden

By: MEA McNeil, journalist for the American Bee Journal and Bee Culture Magazine.

A rare opportunity to stroll a private garden that is a mecca for pollinators is offered on Saturday, May 4, from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at Hillside Gardens in Mill Valley Mill Valley.

It will be an afternoon of feasting, learning and music to celebrate the wonder of native and honey bees, both of which are suffering declines due to pressures in their ecosystems.

The dreamscape was designed under the tutelage of UC Berkeley native bee expert Prof. Gordon Frankie, whose expertise has resulted in forage for some 60 kinds of native bees there, ranging from early to late season blooms. Visitors can wander the garden with an expert or take a self-guided tour to observe the plants and their visitors.

The ticket supports a Marin survivor stock bee project that is at the forefront of a movement across the country that is taking on the precipitous decline of the bees. The bee-rich afternoon includes an observation hive with a Marin Beekeeper to explain its goings-on and demonstration stations that, for example, will teach the visitor simple cues for telling a bee from a fly, revealing some surprises.

Locally-sourced foods will be prepared by Ali Ghiorse of Savory Thymes: even the woodfired pizza oven is shaped like a beehive. As part of their program supporting honey bees Haggen-Dazs will be providing bee inspired ice cream delights. Local meader Dan Stralka will provide meads, honey wines, uniquely created to preserve the floral quality of their various nectar sources. An extraordinarily wide range of nectar sources can be sampled at a honey tasting from light, delicate spring samples to robust, dark fall honeys. 

Together with varietals – such as sage, manzanita, orange, star thistle, avocado, blackberry, buckwheat – there will be samples of wildflower honeys from Marin beekeepers labeled with their locations. Among the fascinating brains to pick at the event is that of Charlie Kennard, an expert in the use of native plants for basketry.

He will be weaving a skep, a traditional type of beehive, from materials that he has gathered in Marin. Kennard, whose woven fence can be seen at the Academy of Science in San Francisco, has taught widely on how to learn the landscape and how fiber plants grow, particularly those used by Native Americans. String musicians on the stage at the bottom of the terraced garden will be playing Celtic, Scottish and Irish tunes. Short talks by Prof. Frankie of UCB, Kathy Ziccardi, the landscaping expert who oversees the garden, and Mea McNeil, Master Beekeeper will offer the most recent understanding of the ongoing plight of the bees and how gardeners can address their needs for forage. 

Because a precipitous decline of bees continues, Marin Beekeepers have undertaken the husbanding of sustainable populations of local untreated bees. Selection of strong queens that have overwintered in various Marin microclimates is part of a local breeding effort. The beekeepers are reaching out to gardeners to come to the event to broaden their appreciation for the possibilities of planting forage.

The event is sponsored by Savory Thymes to benefit the work of SuperOrganism with support from the Marin Beekeepers. Savory Thymes educates about sustainable systems in grassroots movements through beautifully planned events. SuperOrganism is a nonprofit organization dedicated to furthering sustainable agricultural practices. Tickets are $35. For this kid-friendly event, children are $1, with a maximum of two children per adult.

Tickets can be purchased online at:http://www.superorg.org (click on Celebration of the Bees in the Projects section). Your ticket purchase is your RSVP.

Please note that all guests will park at Mill Valley Middle School, 425 Sycamore Avenue. There will be a shuttle running from the parking lot at the school for a five minute ride to the venue. Shuttle service will begin at 12:40 p.m.

For more information, please contact Jerry Draper at 415 457-3431 or email at: celebees@superorg.org.