Photos by Debbie Roos, Chatham County Cooperative Extension

In late 2008, I planted a demonstration pollinator garden at Chatham Mills to provide forage habitat for pollinators such as honey bees, native bees, butterflies, flower flies, hummingbirds, beetles, and other beneficial insects. The garden features over 145 unique species of perennials, 85% of which are native to the North Carolina piedmont. The garden is a great teaching tool that I use to conduct workshops and tours for hundreds of folks each year. It has taught me so much and I enjoy sharing this knowledge with others.

Over the years I have taken thousands of photos of the garden and its inhabitants. I post photos weekly on my facebook page and created a slide show of over 150 photos of the garden throughout the seasons and years that will allow you to take a virtual tour. I just updated the slide show with some new photos.

Below is a sampling of photos showing the diversity of insects and other critters that enjoy visiting the garden. You'll see native bees and honey bees, wasps, beetles, flies, butterflies, spiders, reptiles, and much more!

I give free monthly tours of the pollinator garden, and the next tour is this Wednesday August 13.

Mark your calendars now for the next Plant a Pollinator Garden Workshop and Garden Tour, just in time for fall planting: Wednesday October 1 and Saturday October 4 (same workshop, repeated) both from 2:00-5:00 pm in Pittsboro. Details will be posted soon on the Growing Small Farms workshop section.

For more information:

Pollinator Paradise Garden website

2014 Pollinator Garden Tour Schedule

What's in Bloom in the Pollinator Garden - updated bi-weekly!

Debbie's List of the Top 25 Pollinator Plants for the North Carolina Piedmont