Summer in Missoula Ushers in a “Pollinatorpalooza”

When Missoula Mayor Davis proudly proclaimed June 17-23 as Missoula Pollinator Week, we celebrated with a butterfly puddler painting event at the Missoula Public Library and kicked off the summer with a "Pollinatorpalooza" pint night at Imagine Nation Brewing Company. With our partners at Rocky Mountain Gardens, we hosted a volunteer day, planting and weeding in the rain garden. We had a front row seat to the garden at work when we were caught in a sudden downpour!

Speaking of rain, we've hosted not one, but TWO rain barrel workshops in partnership with Missoula Urban Demonstration Project (MUD). Members of the community came together to transform leftover syrup drums donated by Coca-Cola into reservoirs. The result: barrels to capture rain from their roofs and offer a sustainable water source for their wildlife-friendly gardens. In August, we also debuted a new workshop in partnership with MUD: leaf-shaped bird baths! With some chicken wire, concrete, and rhubarb leaves, participants created sweet bird baths to welcome their neighborhood feathered friends.

Two sisters show off their leaf-shaped bird baths in progress. Credit: Eliza Lindley

In between workshops, we also worked with over 130 kiddos at summer camps around town. We asked campers at YMCA Survival Camp and the Montana Natural History Center STEEM Camp to put on their detective caps to tackle our "Wildlife CSI Challenge." Junior Master Gardeners in training got to flex their avian muscles as we explored bird adaptations through a "beak tools" activity.

A Junior Master Gardener tests out tools to decide which type of bird beak is best for cracking open nuts. Credit: Eliza Lindley

Each month, we visited YMCA Camp Imagination and Camp Horizon for various wildlife-centered activities, including painting butterfly puddlers and discovering the macroinvertebrates that live in lakes and streams all around us.

Missoula has a number of amazing community events, and we joined in the fun-rain or shine. Each month, we attended the Clark Fork River Market to share what we love about Garden for Wildlife® as folks strolled by with their tomatoes and zucchini. At "Out to Lunch" and "Downtown Tonight," our bird nest feeders and pollinator pals activities added a layer of fun to the live tunes. And even despite the afternoon rain, our activity table brought the wild side to fairgoers at the Western Montana Fair.

As summer draws to a close, we're looking forward to a fall full of fun! From fairy gardens to Bat Week, we have a lot in store, and we can't wait to see you there! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on all of our upcoming events-and wildlife fun!

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