FREE CLASS. Join local backyard conservation advocate, Jen Telander of Mora, for a family friendly educational walk around the farm to learn about Monarch butterflies and milkweed. We will explore the trails for signs of Monarchs and other pollinators with hands-on learning about conservation in your own backyard. Take home a packet of milkweed seeds for your own gardens!
REGISTRATION FOR CLASS IS FULL We welcome mushroom expert Kathy Yerich to the farm. She will be doing a presentation about foraging for mushrooms, and we will take a walk on the trails of our 172 acres to see what we can find.
“Start Seeing Mushrooms” Co-author of the popular and accessible local field guide, Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest (Adventure Publications, 1st Ed. 2014, 2nd Edition 2020), Kathy Yerich has been hanging out with the Minnesota Mycological Society (MMS) and
North American Mycological Society (NAMA) for more than 15 years. Current MMS Vice President, her mission in those organizations is to make learning about mushrooms fun and accessible to everyone! Annual NAMA forays have brought her around the country in search of interesting fungi. Like mushrooms, mushroom enthusiasts are interesting company, and no matter the location or time of year, nothing beats time in the woods.
We will be learning about native bee diversity and habitat needs, including how to identify and support the rusty-patched bumble bee, a federally endangered bee that has recently been detected near the farm, and is persisting in very low numbers across the Midwest.
Together, we will tour the farm from the perspective of a bee, looking at foraging & nesting resources, protection from pesticides, and the many habitat strategies that Sapsucker Farm has employed, including their innovative and successful approaches to planting and managing diverse native flowers in the understories of their orchards. Come early for lunch or stay late for happy hour or dinner (two food trucks and several beverage options will be available throughout the day). This free field day is co-hosted by the Xerces Society and Marbleseed (formerly MOSES).
Planting milkweed is a great way to save our monarch butterflies and give back to the planet. Bring the family and stop by on Friday, April 22ndto take a walk around on the trails, an Earth Day coloring contest and a free pack of milkweed seeds, while supplies last!
