Content below adapted from 2018 Master Gardener Annual Report

Butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, oh my! If you've taken a stroll through the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden before, you've likely encountered a pollinator or two amidst the diverse ecosystem of our campus environment. Pollinators are not only incredibly important to the health of our environment, but also to our agricultural economy and our food security. 

In 2017, the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden joined in collaboration with the UC Master Gardener Program to offer public education to the Yolo and Solano communities on gardening for pollinators. In an effort to encourage biodiversity, the UC Master Gardener Program oversees pollinator-friendly gardens all throughout California, among many other efforts toward sustainable landscaping. 

Led by UC Davis Arboretum Director of Horticulture Ellen Zagory, a team of six UC Master Gardener volunteers held weekly lectures and fieldwork sessions to educate the public and arboretum visitors about key local pollinators and the plants that sustain them. 

In spring 2018, the same group of volunteers trained even more pollinator-focused UC Master Gardener volunteers in both Yolo and Solano counties. These newly trained participants joined in the effort to share the importance of pollinators and best practices for pollinator-friendly gardening through local events and workshops.

Over the last two years, the collaboration has been a huge success, as members of the public were eager to participate and learn more about our local pollinators. In this time, the UC Master Gardener volunteer group has had face-to-face contact with more than 1,000 attendees at Pollinator Discovery Day, open houses at the Central Park Gardens of Davis and special events at the Arboretum.

To read the full UC Master Gardener Program 2018 Annual Report, visit http://mg.ucanr.edu/files/302109.pdf.