An upcoming event at Chilliwack’s University of the Fraser Valley campus will teach gardeners about plants, pests, and pollinators.
As part of UFV’s March for Sustainability, people can join associate professors Renee Prasad and Sandra Gillespie for the next Science Café on Wednesday, March 20. It runs from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the UFV Chilliwack library.
Learn about the little predators that stalk gardens, how to mount a successful defence against them, and how to nurture the pollinators that help gardens grow.
Prasad, also head of UFV’s Agriculture Technology department, focuses her research on agricultural pest control, including biological control. Gillespie, associate professor of biology, has an interest in native pollinators, which means more than just bees.
“I’ll be talking about native pollinator diversity in B.C. and how our native pollinators differ from the more familiar honeybee,” Gillespie said. “In the process, folks will learn about how to support them in their backyard gardens.”
While people are at the event, they can also check out the new ‘Birds and Bees’ display in the library’s back window, which includes books that the public can borrow with a community borrower card.
The Chilliwack library, which recently won UFV Sustainability Office’s gold sustainable office certification, also has a small, but growing seed library, which allows the community to borrow seeds and hand-held gardening tools. The tools and seeds are funded through a partnership with UFV’s Sustainability Office.
Science Cafés are open to anyone, offering casual, dynamic interactions between audiences and scientists. Previous Science Cafés have covered chronic pain, food sustainability, drought in the valley, and diabetes.
READ MORE: Professor to talk about chronic pain at Science Café in Chilliwack
Attendees have a chance to win door prizes. The library serves coffee and treats and will hand out a ‘plants, pests, and pollinators’ trivia sheet. Bring a reusable mug to be environmentally responsible.
The UFV Chilliwack campus is located at 45190 Caen Ave. The library is on the main floor in A building. Arrive early to find and pay for parking. If UFV lots are full, additional parking is available near the Vedder dog park, nature playground, and pump track by the Vedder River Rotary Trail.
For more info, call the library at 604-795-2824.
Looking for more events taking place in and around Chilliwack? Check out What’s happening Chilliwack in our community section.