How to celebrate bees and other pollinators in Lexington next week | Opinion

Purple coneflowers are the backbone of a thriving pollinator garden. For new gardeners, they are about as easygoing as it gets, an ideal entry point into what often becomes a lifelong passion. These resilient plants handle poor soil, drought, and even compacted ground with ease. In fact, it is hard to find a condition they cannot tolerate.

The Urban County Council adopted the purple coneflower as Lexington’s official flower on Sept. 26, 2019. That vote came after Celebrate Lexington identified several local flowers and surveyed the public.

During Pollinator Week, June 22-28, 2026, gardeners, beekeepers, and ecologists across the region are encouraged to join the celebration by planting coneflowers. Doing so will raise awareness of the vital roles bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators play in our ecosystems and food production. The payoff is significant: vivid blooms, a lively mix of pollinators drawn to their nectar and pollen, and lasting benefits as the season progresses. Coneflowers continue to give by offering seeds that sustain wildlife and birds into the fall and winter, while their hollow stems provide homes for insects.

A number of local events will mark Pollinator Week. As a prelude, Kentucky State University will celebrate its Bee Campus affiliation on June 18 from 1 to 3 p.m. Mayor Linda Gorton will read the Pollinator Proclamation at the Farish Theatre at the Lexington Public Library at 6:30 p.m. on June 22, and immediately after, there will be a free showing of “The Extraordinary Caterpillar” at the Farish Theatre. Raven Run Nature Sanctuary will host an all-day Pollinator Day focused on bee pollinators on June 25. RSVPs are recommended for the Raven Run event. For more information about Pollinator Week events in Lexington, please visit pollinatorlex.com.

Tamara Potter is a beginner beekeeper grant coordinator at Kentucky State University. Judy Pelfrey is president of Celebrate Lexington.