UGA Great GA Pollinator Census at Mason Mill park

As part of UGA’s Great Georgia Pollinator Census, DeKalb County Master Gardeners and volunteers from the GA Native Plant Society helped guide the insect counts at Mason Mill Park on Saturday morning, August 20th. In dual roles, I represented as both a Master Gardener and a supervisor with our DeKalb Soil and Water Conservation District.

Here are a few photos from the day’s event. The Pollinator Garden, now in full bloom, was funded by the DeKalb Soil and Water Conservation District in 2021. If you haven’t yet finalized your count, UGA extended the day through monday, August 22nd and the portal to upload counts will remain open until Sept. 16th! Upload your counts here.

The various migrating butterflies, bees and Skippers love the tall Rudbeckia laciniata (commonly called Cutleaf Coneflower), which has a long bloom phase through early fall. There are shorter versions of Rudbeckia as well.

We had a good number of people walking by on the path who stopped to help with the count. Kids seemed to enjoy the event too!

Jonah McDonald, Mason Mill Park’s Ranger and Naturalist, installed the pollinator garden last year. You can view the first stage of its solarization here.

Solarization is an organic and effective way to kill off the seeds and roots of invasive plants, creating a new “blank canvas” for wildflowers. The Pollinator Habitat Project is a partnership with the DeKalb Soil and Water Conservation District, DeKalb County Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts. The project was made possible with a grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.