08 Aug Praise ‘Bee’ to the Pollinators All Weekend at Wave Hill

Celebrate the winged creatures who beautify our gardens and put food on our tables during Wave Hill’s Bees, Butterflies & Blooms Weekend, August 12–13! Wave Hill is home to many different pollinators, including native bees, butterflies and our resident honeybees. Spend the day chatting with naturalists and beekeepers, visiting our honeybee hives, creating art, joining walks with experts to see pollinators in action and more. The gardens are full of flowers, so expect to see a bounty of butterflies snacking on plants and learn more from our butterfly experts. Swing by The Shop to purchase tasty honey, beeswax candles and a host of bee and butterfly-themed gifts.

There is a full program of events for gardeners and naturalists of all ages, including special events just for families. Bees, Butterflies & Blooms Weekend is a premium-admission weekend, with a $2 surcharge per visitor; there is no admission charge for children under six. Events this weekend are all free with admission to the grounds, but a materials fee will be collected for the Candle Making Workshop.

Pollinators are vital to our gardens and to sustaining ecosystems everywhere. Come spend the weekend paying tribute to them—and honoring the ways we can all help sustain these crutial creatures.

BEES, BUTTERFLIES & BLOOMS WEEKEND

SATURDAY AUGUST 12 – SUNDAY AUGUST 13

Welcome Table and Pollination Info Station
10AM–4PM
Plan your visit here! Pick up self-guided tours and activities, chat with an insect expert and go home with a list of pollinator-friendly plants.

Native Pollinator Walk
11AM–11:45AM; 1–1:45PM
Flowers attract the attention of both human and animal visitors. Honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies are easily spotted in the garden, but solitary bees, beetles and other native pollinators are often overlooked. With net in hand, naturalist Chris Kreussling scours the garden for all sorts of hard-working pollinators, offering a close-up look at a variety of insects before returning them to their pollinating duties. Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult.

Meet the Butterflies
11AM–3PM
Meet butterfly experts from the Tenafly Nature Center as they showcase a collection of beautifully colored butterflies and their caterpillars, sipping nectar, taking flight and munching on their favorite plants. Learn about the life cycle of butterflies and their importance to our ecosystem. Visit a butterflies’ mini habitat tent and ask questions or simply relax and enjoy the space while butterflies flit and fly about.

Hives and Honey Headquarters
11AM–4PM
Chat with beekeepers Mufti Ahmed, Pam Golben and Junior Schouten. Peek inside an empty hive, check out live bees in an observation hive (weather permitting) and learn fascinating facts about honeybees.

Drop-in Candle-Making Workshop
11AM–2PM Saturday Only
Drop by Armor Hall and try your hand at creating rolled beeswax candles to take home and enjoy. Materials fee collected upon entry to workshop; each kit includes enough supplies to make several candles. For adults and children ages 5 and older welcome with an adult.

Cooking Demo: A Taste of Honey
12PM–1PM Sunday Only
Honey is a sweet liquid produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers. Discover fascinating facts about honey and compare the complex tastes of honey with a Wave Hill beekeeper and Chef Nick Acosta of Great Performances, Wave Hill’s exclusive caterer. Sample delicious recipes using local honey and take home recipes designed to take advantage of honey harvest season. Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult.

FAMILY PROGRAMS

Family Art Project: Can You Bee-It
10AM–1PM
Have you tried weaving? Hone your cardboard loom weaving technique by making hexagonal creations in the shape of a beehive’s cells. Beautify your soft beehive with yarn scraps and cork-bees while learning about life in the hive.

Nature Detectives: Pollinator Walk for Families
1PM–2PM
Join environmental educator Olivia Kalin on an expedition to find colorful butterflies, busy bees and other creature pollinators and their favorite flowers. Ages 5 and older welcome with an adult.

Yoga for Busy Bees
11AM–12PM Saturday Only
Join environmental educator and yoga instructor Corinne Flax as she guides young yogis through a sequence of fun poses inspired by our favorite pollinators. Learn a cooling “bee’s breath” technique, move together through a celebratory “sun salute” and pose like a lotus flower or butterfly. Ages 5 and older welcome with an adult.

HOURS: Open all year, Tuesday–Sunday, 10AM–5:30PM. Marco Polo Stufano Conservatory 10AM–Noon; 1–4PM.

ADMISSION TO THE GROUNDS: $10 adults, $6 students and seniors 65+, $4 children 6-18. Free Thursdays. Free to Wave Hill Members, children under 6.

DIRECTIONS: wavehill.org.

Wave Hill
4900 Independence Ave
Bronx, NY 10471

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Image Credit: Wave Hill