Master Gardeners planning Chapman garden, June 2025.
Each summer, the Chapman Museum grounds are home to numerous bees and butterflies flocking to a variety of flowering plants. With the support of Master Gardener volunteers from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County, a garden specifically built to support these pollinators, has taken over the northwest corner of the Museum property. This garden serves as a space for educating Museum visitors regarding conservation, ecosystems, and the important role native plants play in improving soil and water quality.
What is pollination?
When a pollen grain moves from the anther (male part) of a flower to the stigma (female part), pollination happens. This is the first step in a process that produces seeds, fruits, and the next generation of plants. This can happen through self-pollination, wind and water pollination, or through the work of vectors that move pollen within the flower and from bloom to bloom.
Who are pollinators?
Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. They visit flowers to drink nectar or feed off of pollen and transport pollen grains as they move from spot to spot.
Why are they important?
Pollinators provide pollination services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1200 crops. That means that 1 out of every 3 bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators. In addition to the food that we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.
Thank you to our garden sponsors and supporters:
