Pollinators: Bees & Beyond (Webinar)

Get to know your backyard pollinators by exploring the diversity of northeastern bees. This virtual bees-and-beyond tour will teach you to recognize bees and distinguish one species from another. We will also explore their lifestyle, nesting habits, and the unique adaptations that make them nature’s best pollinators. Learn about bees’ relationships with plants, including the latest discoveries in plant-pollinator interactions.

This course may be taken on its own, but makes a great accompaniment to the field-study course, “Pollinators: Bees and Beyond.”

Location: Online
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: $16 / $20
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Member Insider: Trees of the Trolls | SOLD OUT

This year, our latest friends the Giant Trolls have hidden the seeds of our most important tree species deep in our woods. These sculptures can only be found by visiting all five trolls—or joining us on this tour. Join Sarah Callan as she takes you on a walk to the secret seed sculptures, exploring the native trees our trolls are protecting along the way. Come learn about the history of these trees and their importance to our native ecosystems. Steeper hiking trails will be taken during this tour. 

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: Free

Pollinators: Bees & Beyond (Field Study)

In this field-study course, join Sarah Callan on a walking tour of the Gardens and discover the diversity of bees in the landscape, bee identification, pollinator preferences, bee anatomy and behavior, and the latest research into these important pollinators.

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Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: $25 / $32
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Member Insider: Native Bee Exhibit Tour

Our bees are always buzzing with activity, and this year is no exception. Join us this July for a tour of our new native bee exhibit. Sarah Callan, CMBG’s Interpretation & Exhibits Educator, will walk you through our apiary and native bee exhibit, exploring our local bee populations.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: Free
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Summer Naturalist: Bees (Ages 10-17) | CANCELLED

Learn to see the world from a bee’s-eye view! During this session, Sarah Callan will teach participants how to identify common native bees. Participants will visit the Gardens’ two bee-themed exhibits and go behind the scenes at our apiary to learn about the differences between native and non-native bees.

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Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: $10 / $12

Become a Guardian: Trees of the Trolls Tour

Dive into forest ecology and discover how to become a better steward of our ecosystem, just like the Guardians of the Seeds. These trolls have emerged at the Gardens to save the seeds of Maine’s most important tree species—help them protect the trees by deepening your connection to the forest around you. In this guided tour, learn not only how you, too, can become a guardian of the forest like our giant trolls, but all about these important trees, their significance in our landscape, and some of the many threats our forests face. Note that the emphasis of this excursion will be on the Maine forest, and we will only see three trolls on this tour.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: Free / $10
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Exploring the Ecosystems of the Trolls

Have you discovered the trolls' hidden treasure yet? This tour’s journey will take us through several different forest ecosystems, giving us the opportunity to get to know each one as we travel toward discovering just what the trolls have been protecting. Learn what keeps these ecosystems healthy and how you can help protect them so that everyone may enjoy the natural world for years to come! Expect a moderate hike along some of our trails and wear the appropriate footwear.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
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Pollinators & Honey

We have a special love of honeybees at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Sarah Callan, Interpretation & Exhibits Educator, and Emily Baisden, Entomologist Educator, will take us on a behind-the-scenes tour of our apiary to learn about the life of our bees and what it takes to care for them. After this look inside the hive, we'll take some time to enjoy the fruits--or honey--of their labor and sample some delicious honey both from our hives and around the world! Bring your sweet tooth and get ready to learn all about the types of honey and what factors influence color and flavor.

Location: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens 105 Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
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Wildlife in the Backyard: Insects (Ages 14+) (Cancelled)

Want to enter the world of beetles, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, wasps, and flies? Ages 14-adult are invited to join us and learn about the insect wildlife to be found in backyards and gardens. Learn to identify the most common insects and the roles these important creatures play in their ecosystems. After an introductory slideshow, we'll explore the Gardens to observe and gain insight into insect behavior, identifying where insects prefer to live versus where they’re discouraged. We'll take a holistic approach to studying insects, recognizing that even the smallest patch of yard is inclusive of nature.

Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.

Location: Bosarge Family Education Center Botanical Gardens Drive, Boothbay
Instructor: Sarah Callan
Price: $20 / $25

Winter Gardens Book Club

Now that the garden work is settling down, it’s a great time to read those books you’ve been meaning to get to! Join the conversation as we discuss four acclaimed books with nature at their core. We’ll conduct these conversations via Zoom, so anyone can participate regardless of where they spend their winters. Just sign up, read the selection and then join the group by logging into the Zoom meeting that day.

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Location: Online
Instructor: Sarah Callan
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Member Insider: Three Sisters Garden

Developed in collaboration with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, discover our newest garden space, the Three Sisters Garden. Following the traditional Indigenous planting methodology of corn, squash, and beans, this trio of plants demonstrates the value of reciprocity. Beyond companion planting, deepen your understanding of Wabanaki world views and values, and learn how practicing this tradition is critical to health and wellness.

Location: Lerner Visitor Center
Instructor: Sarah Callan
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