Happy International Pollinator Week! It was a busy week and we are SO grateful for the rain! The Pollinator Haven Garden does not receive any assisted irrigation, and the plants were starting to curl in (hey, it’s a demonstration garden! Plants are resilient!)! After almost two inches of rain, everything looks incredibly lush and refreshed. Besides it being Pollinator Week, it was also a busy week for the Extension staff!

Check it out in our weekly update slideshow on Facebook.

Pam - This was a fun week of summer activities. I took nine 4-Hers to the district public speaking competition in Rowan County. I attended the TEACH form sponsored by Alliance of Black Leaders. This was an opportunity to learn how local programs can better support our youth of color in Lee County. Pilgrim’s and 4-H’s Eggs to Legs Kickoff event was fun and I got to Zoom with the Lion’s Club Lee Regional Fair Committee. 

Bill- Great week as we wrapped up the 10th annual Lee County Young Commissioners 4-H summer program. Special shout out to Cindy Howenstein for her amazing leadership and a great group of young folks! Looking forward to a beautiful summer weekend at the Sanford Farmers Market manning the grill and cooking kabobs with local meat and produce from our amazing vendors!

Meredith- Meredith was busy preparing for the Backyard BBQ Samples and Safety event at the Sanford Farmers' Market this weekend as well as distributing local food to daycare centers in partnership with Farmer Foodshare and Partnership for Children and Families in Lee County. She has also been organizing volunteers for gleaning events to help pick blueberries to donate to local food pantries!

Ashley- Ashley had session four of Take Control at Daymark Recovery Services. they learned about reducing their sodium and made their own salt-free seasonings. The 4-H Flavor fighters did the best job at the Sanford Farmers’ Market assisting with food safety and grilling!

Amanda- It was Extension Master Gardener Botany Training this week and the students go a crash course in the diversity of plants, using plants in the Pollinator Haven Garden and from Amanda’s private collection. On top of that, there were lots of professional and homeowner client calls and site visits. The Extension Master Gardeners also had their monthly meeting this week!