Talking about the birds and bees at Tomoka State Park

From crafts and free giveaways to presentations by professionals, the annual pollinator event was a success.

By Jacque Estes
| 1:57 p.m. June 19, 2017

Master Gardener Sally Cummings talks about caterpillars she brought from home with Xavier Guerra and his grandmother Susie Sterbenz. Photo by Jacque Estes

Jack Dunlop talks with Sam Cay and Mia Zulinski about bee keeping. Photo by Jacque Estes

Caterpillars were popular at the pollinator event at Tomoka State Park on Saturday. Photo by Jacque Estes

Audrey Tramontano studied monarch butterflies last year in kindergarten. Photo by Jacque Estes

Susan Barry helps Roark Shutts get started on a project, Photo by Jacque Estes

Everlie Shutts worked on an insect project. Photo by Jacque Estes

Roark Shutts is so interested in the environment he is going to several nature-themed camps this summer. Photo by Jacque Estes

Ormond Beach Observer
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Almost before Master Naturalist Paul Rebmann asked the question, Audrey Tramontano’s hand was up and the word “Monarch” flitted out of her mouth and across the room.

Identifying the butterfly Rebmann had projected onto the screen won Audrey a cell phone selfie-stick at Tomoka State Park’s annual “All things Pollinators and Native Plants” event on Saturday. The event was part of “National Pollinators Week,” June 19-25.

Audrey, a homeschooled first grader, knows all about Monarch butterflies and the role they play as pollinators, she raised her own as part of her science studies last year.

Everlie and Roark Shutts spent their last day visiting their grandparents, Kathy and Larry Shutts at the pollinator program.

The event was a warm-up of sorts for Roark who had a long list of summer camps yet to attend when he and his family returned home to Kansas City, Missouri.

While there were plenty of activities for children, the adults were also engaged in presentations.

“I am really happy with the turnout,” Park Services Specialist Aggie Armstrong said. “Many people even came early, which doesn’t usually happen.”

The park community room was filled with tables of information about which plants grow where and how to attract bees and butterflies to local gardens. Constance Darrisaw, Amelia Evans and Sonya Guidry from the Paw Paw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society had seeds available for a $1 donation, so visitors could start planting their pollinator-friendly garden right away.

“Support pollinators by putting native plants back into your landscape,” Guidry told people.

Jack Dunlop brought a bee hive and bee keeping equipment to show how beekeeping can be a backyard venture.

Master Gardener Sally Cummings brought plant clippings and flowers from her garden, but it was what was on the clippings that were of interest to Xavier Guerra – butterfly eggs, caterpillars and a netted enclosure of fully developed butterflies and moths.

Guerra was there with his grandmother Susie Sterbenz and the pair huddled over the display with Cummings to learn about the different stages of the butterfly’s life.

“The hurricane took our trees down so we started our own garden,” Sterbenz said. “We are getting some ideas on what to plant.”