Carbon County in bloom

National Pollinator Week has local gardeners buzzing.

Five certificated pollinator gardens in our area will host a day of celebration Saturday and raise awareness of the importance of pollinators.

The event is sponsored locally by the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation and organized nationally by the Pollinator Partnership in California.

"One out of every three or four bites of food is thanks to a pollinator," said Kathie Romano, a garden manager at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Slatington, which is taking part in Saturday's event. "Everything from chocolate to almonds, and most fruits and vegetables, is thanks to pollinators."

Bees continue to struggle for survival, making education and pollinator gardens more important than ever. The Bee Informed Partnership, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, estimates that more than 40 percent of American bee colonies died or disappeared in the last year.

Pennsylvania beekeepers reported losing 60.6 percent of their hives. In a normal year, beekeepers can expect to lose about 15 percent of their bees.

"Not only is Colony Collapse Disorder still going on, but now we are finding dead bees at the hive," said Dan Kunkle, director of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. "The whole honey bee situation is very fragile."

Romano plans to host a garden tour at 1 p.m. on Saturday at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. This tour, which will highlight the plants the center is using to attract and benefit pollinators, is just one of many activities available at the center and at gardens throughout the area.

Education will play an important role in all of Saturday's activities.

Visitors can tour certified pollinator gardens at each location, and speak to a Master Gardener at the Hill Home Forge Bed and Breakfast or the Penn Kidder Library.

At Lehigh Gap Nature Center, visitors will be able to examine bee specimens under a microscope and see the types of plants that have attracted and hosted these bees and other pollinators.

Researchers at the center have identified 120 native species of bees on site. The center will also host a pollinator walk at 10 a.m. and additional activities.

"To have a successful pollinator habitat, pollinators need a place to nest, and a place to eat," said Kunkle.

He noted that most home gardeners have good intentions, but sometimes fail to provide plants that offer food for both young and mature pollinators. Bees need plants that provide both pollen and nectar; butterflies need both food to eat and plants such as milkweed to lay their eggs and feed their young.

Bees may make the biggest buzz when it comes to pollinator-friendly gardens, but butterflies, birds, and even beneficial bugs all play a role in our gardens and food supply.

"Pollinators are just the tip of a very large, beautiful iceberg," said Kunkle.

Local gardens open for tours and activities Saturday include:

• Hill Home Forge Bed and Breakfast, 10 Flagstaff Road, Jim Thorpe. From 1-3 p.m., tour a certified pollinator garden in a residential setting and speak with a Master Gardener.

• Friends of the Dimmick Library Memorial Garden, 58 Broadway, Jim Thorpe. Friends of the Library will open their pollinator garden. Books and educational materials about saving bees will be available.

• Lehigh Gap Nature Center, 8844 Paint Mill Road, Slatington. A pollinator walk will begin at 10 a.m., and a garden tour will be offered at 1 p.m. A pollinator picnic (reservations required) will be held at noon. Crafts and displays will be available throughout the day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Bear Mountain Butterfly Sanctuary, 18 Church Road, Jim Thorpe, will offer live butterflies and hourly programs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is a fee.

• Penn Kidder Library & Visitor Center, Pine Point Plaza, 2589 Route 903, Albrightsville, will host a presentation by Master Gardener Pat Suda at 1 p.m. on "The Birds, The Bees and the Beetles."

For more information, go to www.discovercarbonpa.com and click on "Festivals and Fairs."