Highlights
- Pollinator Exhibit installed as a new permanent feature of the Butterfly Conservatory
- Bilingual, family-friendly exhibit will educate visitors about the amazing diversity and importance of Ontario’s pollinators
- Visitors can travel along the newly established pollinator garden route through Niagara Parks to witness the pollination process in action
Today, The Niagara Parks Commission officially launched its new pollinator exhibit, Saving the Pollinators; Our World Depends on It, at the Butterfly Conservatory with an announcement and unveiling led by Niagara Parks Chair, Janice Thomson.
At this new bilingual exhibit, visitors can learn more about Ontario’s pollinating species, from bees to hummingbirds, who, despite their small size, play a major role in maintaining our environment. The exhibit will educate visitors on the different types of pollinators and their habitats, as well as spread awareness regarding the risks of pollination decline and how citizens can make a difference in protecting and preserving natural habitats so that pollinators can flourish and continue their important work.
The exhibit will be a permanent feature at the Butterfly Conservatory and will showcase eight bilingual stations that will educate visitors on the pollination process, the importance and role of pollinators as it relates to the Chain of Life, how plants are designed to ensure pollination occurs, as well as many other fascinating facts and anecdotes about pollinators.
The 3D aspects throughout the exhibit, such as a case that shows an image of a flowering plant seen through human eyes set against the same plant seen through the eyes of a pollinator, will allow visitors of all ages to fully engage and connect with the exhibit. The pollinator exhibit was developed in collaboration with the Ontario150 funding program administered by the Government of Ontario.
After learning all about pollinators and their role in our environment, visitors are encouraged to travel along the newly established pollinator garden route to witness the pollination process in action. The garden route contains 12 pollinator gardens, including the original Legacy Garden located just outside the Butterfly Conservatory, which range from formal manicured gardens to natural habitats, all providing support for a wide range of native pollinating species, many of which are considered at risk. The gardens are accompanied by bilingual signage which contain information about a certain type of pollinator, as well as references to various Indigenous myths, which offer wisdom concerning our connection to animals and our environment.
