BioBlitz, Bee City USA Events Mark National Pollinator Week

Parks and Recreation uses BioBlitz data to manage habitats, protect pollinators

​The Bee City USA Bloomington committee, which includes Parks and Recreation, celebrates National Pollinator Week this month with programs, presentations, and a BioBlitz volunteer event to collect data on pollinators and plants in Bloomington and surrounding areas.

The BioBlitz, hosted by Parks and Recreation, takes place June 21 through 28. To participate, download the free iNaturalist app and register for the BioBlitz. Take a picture of a pollinator (bee, butterfly, hummingbird, etc.) or plant with the app, and the online community will help identify the species. Observations made throughout Bloomington and surrounding areas support data-driven land management decisions. 

Bloomington was designated a Bee City USA affiliate by the Xerces Society in 2025. Bee City USA provides a framework for communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides.

All Bee City USA and Pollinator Week events are free and open to the public.

• Pollinator Week Pop-up Exhibition June 18 from 2 until 4 p.m. at the Lilly Library, 1200 E. 7th St. on the Indiana University campus
  
• Documentary screening: "My Garden of a Thousand Bees" June 21 from 12:30 until 2 p.m. at the Monroe County Public Library, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
  
• Parks and Recreation Guided BioBlitzes June 22 through 27 at various city parks including Griffy Lake, Park Ridge East, Miller-Showers, and Rogers Family Park. 
  
• Monroe County Master Gardener BioBlitz June 22 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse, 100 W. Kirkwood Ave.
  
• Green Drinks Bloomington: The cypress firefly with Sycamore Land Trust land stewardship manager Chris Fox, June 24 from 6 to 7 p.m. at Upland Brewing, 350 W. 11th St. 
  
• Monroe County Master Gardener BioBlitz, June 25 from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., Hilltop Garden and Nature Center at Indiana University, 2367 E. 10th St.