Under semi-cloudy skies Saturday morning, local residents gathered in the Cupola House Gardens to take part in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census , joining thousands of citizen scientists across the Southeast in counting the insects that help keep our gardens and environment healthy.
Master Gardeners from Chowan and Perquimans counties coordinated the Edenton event and assisted participants as they selected flowering plants, observed them for 15 minutes and recorded the bees, butterflies, moths, flies, wasps and other insects that stopped by.
The annual census provides researchers with valuable information about pollinator populations and the plants and habitats that support them.
For younger participants, the morning included some hands-on fun. Children created colorful bees to take home for their gardens while learning about the important role pollinators play in nature.
Evan and Harper Williams, joined by their mom, Jill, learned how to make their own garden bees as part of the morning's activities.
Held in the historic Cupola House Gardens, the event offered a simple reminder that sometimes contributing to science is as easy as finding a flower, watching closely and taking the time to count what comes buzzing by.
