Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time: 3:00PM – 6:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Champaign Farmer’s Market (Champaign, IL)
Description: Join The Idea Store at the Champaign Farmers Market for a FREE craft event: build your own pollinator! They bring the materials, you build the pollinator to take home.
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time: 2:00PM – 3:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Champaign Farmer’s Market (Champaign, IL)
Description: Connect with your community and nature with Illinois Extension’s Walk & Talks series. Each session features a short interactive lesson or activity, followed by a refreshing walk on paved paths. This session will take place from 2 PM – 3 PM at the Champaign Farmer Market. We’ll stroll the downtown area to take in all the beautiful blooms while discussing pollinators and their importance to our plants and the planet.
This program is free, but registration is required so participants can be made aware of meeting details. Please click here for registration.
For reasonable accommodation to participate or to register over the phone, please call 217-333-7672 or contact Rachel Mannen at rmannen@illinois.edu or Emily Harmon at ebaine@illinois.edu.
Date: Sunday June 28, 2026
Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM CT
Audience: Public (Adults)
Location: Urbana Free Library (Urbana, IL)
Description: Learn how to attract and support pollinators using native plants. 🦋 “Gardening for Butterflies” is a presentation by Diane Wilhite and Gary Russell on the value of native plants and what you can do in your home garden to attract and support pollinators. There will be time for questions at the end!
Diane Wilhite is a Master Naturalist and long-time volunteer with Grand Prairie Friends and Champaign County Forest Preserve. She chairs the annual native plant sale held every year by Grand Prairie Friends in April – May.
Gary Russell is a Master Naturalist and long-time volunteer with Grand Prairie Friends and Urbana Park District. He is a birder and butterfly lover, applying many techniques to attract both in his home garden full of native plants. He also helps with the annual native plant sale held by Grand Prairie Friends, watering the plants as they grow in the greenhouse.
Learn more about this event on the Urbana Free Library website.
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
Time: 9:00AM – 4:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Idea Garden (Urbana, IL)
Description: All day event touring local gardens, typically 6 private gardens and 2 public planned and implemented by the Champaign County Master Gardeners. The event centers on the Idea Garden in Urbana, IL. We have a large vendor fair, tabling and outreach opportunities or demonstrations!
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Time: 3:00PM – 6:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Champaign Farmer’s Market (Champaign, IL)
Description: The Land Connection gives away 100 Kids Kits at the last farmers market of each month. These kid-friendly meal and snack kits use local ingredients from your favorite market vendors. This month, in honor of pollinator week, the kit is Summer Berry Jam-sicles featuring jam made from locally grown and foraged fruits from Berries and Flour. Visit the Kids Kit booth on 6/30 to secure your kit!
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time: 5:00PM – 6:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Champaign Farmer’s Market (Champaign, IL)
Description: Check out the Champaign Farmer’s market from 3-6 pm in downtown Champaign for some local food.
At 5 pm, there will be a live cooking demonstration from Illinois Extension using pollinator- inspired ingredients. We will have resources available about pollinator connections to our recipe ingredients, as well as Illinois Extension resources and programs focused on pollinators. Big Grove Tavern will have samples available to try!
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2026
Time: 1:00 – 2:00 PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Rigg’s Brewery (Urbana, IL)
Description: Join us at Rigg’s Brewery for a family-friendly kickoff to pollinator week! Hear from two scientists from the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology as they describe their research on bees to support vitally important insect pollinators. During the talk, children can enjoy some pollinator-themed games and activities with our outreach team.
Date: Saturday, June 20, 2026
Time: 7:00AM – 12:00 PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Lincoln Square Mall (Urbana, IL)
Description: Stop by the Science at the Market Booth at the Urbana Farmers Market on June 20 to learn more about the pollinators that help support the delicious foods you can find around the market. While you’re there, be sure to grab a schedule of events for Pollinator week so you can join us at our many other events throughout the week!
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time: 7:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: Meadowbrook Park Windsor Road entrance (Urbana, IL)
Description: Join entomologist Sreelakshmi Suresh and Illinois Extension Educator Karla Griesbaum for an evening stroll to learn about nocturnal pollinators and conservation.
This is free and no registration is needed. Meet at Meadowbrook Park’s Windsor Road entrance.
Call (217) 384-4062 for more information. Hope to see you there!
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Time: 6:00PM-8:00PM CT
Audience: Public (All Ages)
Location: The Scratching Post (Champaign, IL)
Description: Stop in to celebrate Pollinator Week at The Scratching Post! Learn about pollinators, pick up a seed packet, and play a pollinator-themed board game!
Did you know that catmint and catnip are pollinator-friendly plants? While supplies last, The Scratching Post will be giving away catmint seed packets. Plant them to attract pollinators to your garden and to help support pollinator communities!
The Scratching Post has a number of pollinator-themed board games which will be available to play (on the café side, where there are no cats). Game passes are $5/person – stop in to play a game or email info@scratchingpostcafe.com if you’d like to reserve a table!