Date: June 20th, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Fletcher Wildlife Garden
We’ll be celebrating PAD again at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden, and this year’s theme is START WITH A TREE. Meet people who have created a pollinator garden, talk with scientists who study pollinators, connect with organizations that support pollinator projects, learn from tree experts, buy a tree for your yard or win one in our free lottery.
Bring the whole family. Walks and talks. Activities for kids. Lots to do and see.
PLEASE WATCH THIS PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION. Meanwhile, find out how important native trees are to pollinators and how both make our environment healthy: Pollinators and trees.
Wild Pollinator Partners is all about appreciating pollinators. We love how they make sure we have fruit and vegetables to eat and beautiful flowers in our gardens. They are also part of our local ecosystems – the web of life.
Exhibitors
Members of the WPP network, will show you how they are helping pollinators and how you can too
A variety of experts representing organizations or themselves will be on hand to share information, answer questions, tell you everything you need to know about helping pollinators.
- Wild Pollinator Partners – how to start a pollinator garden. How to use the 3 x 3 x 3 garden design plan to ensure flowers and a colourful garden all season long.
- Master Gardeners – garden advice from the experts, including members certified in pollinator gardening.
- Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library – free native perennial plants, activities for kids.
- Canadian Wildlife Federation – posters and other information on pollinators and how to support them in your outdoor space. How to certify your garden as Wildlife Friendly Habitat. Win a backpack full of handy outdoor gear. Activities for all ages.
- Canadensis Native Tree Nursery – volunteers growing native trees to increase biodiversity of Ottawa’s tree canopy.
- City of Ottawa – find out about the new Community Gardens and Greening Initiatives program, rules for gardening in the right of way, the Rain Ready program, and how the City supports pollinators. We will also provide information about various tree planting programs, including Trees in Trust and Plant Your Place. We will have a copy of the Pollinator Appreciation Day proclamation, various handouts and small giveaway items, and some gardening kits.
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS Ottawa Valley) will showcase youth-led pollinator garden projects, and share information about their ongoing campaigns.
- Ecology Ottawa’s Tree Campaign aims to “protect, plant, and promote Ottawa’s tree canopy.” Find out how you can help by planting a tree tomorrow.
- Ottawa Stewardship Council – provides expertise and advice to organizations who want to carry out stewardship projects, but lack the knowledge, network, and funding raising skills needed to be successful. At PAD 2026, they will have brochures and information about native trees.
- CAFES (Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability) – Link with other communities through this active network that supports pollinator gardening, waste reduction, climate action, and more.
- University of Ottawa entomologists and bee researchers will show you the diversity and importance of wild bees. An opportunity to see bees close up. Take away informative pamphlets, browse books about bees and pollinators, look at pollen samples. Tovah Kashetski will also lead a bee-centred walk to the FWG’s butterfly meadow. Last year she shoed us a carpenter bee using a plant stem to make a nest for its offspring.
- Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club – the oldest natural history club in Canada. Become a member and enjoy free newsletter, monthly meeting and presentation, guided excursions, and find out about its nature club for young people.
- Ontario Invasive Plant Council – learn to recognize and control the invasive species that destroy our natural ecosystems.
- Ottawa Valley Buckthorn Network – join this group of volunteers who research and use best practices to control invasive European Buckthorn. Learn to recognize European and Glossy Buckthorn and find out how they affect pollinators and other trees.
- Pinhey Sand Dunes restoration project – find out how volunteers are creating a butterfly sanctuary in this unique ecosystem.
- People who have created and now manage pollinator gardens: Friends of Carlington and Hampton Park, OSEAN, Clyde Bee and Butterfly Patch. These enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers can provide advice on invasives, grants/funding, and species selection related to pollinators and/or invasive species.
- Heng Sun – 3D printed bee boxes
- Bird Friendly Ottawa/Safe Wings – will give a tour that shows how birds pollinate by spreading seeds from fruit trees and pine trees (as well as squirrels and chipmunks) – for adults and children.
- A board-certified Master Arborist who is with the International Society of Arboriculture will be on hand to answer tree questions. Ryan Coulas is with Bartlett Tree Experts.
Native plant nurseries will be on hand with a representative selection of their stock
- Echo Native Plants – will have a selection of native plants for sale and information boards summarizing the needs of each plant and what types of pollinators they support. Garden advice offered.
- Solidago Farm – a native plant nursery dedicated to protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of the National Capital Region through the production of locally sourced native plants. Producing plugs, potted stock, and bare root; limited seed sales.
- Naturaide – will have a selection of native plants and provide information on pollinator and bird relationships with native plants
- Ontario Native Plants
- Jewel Wing Garden (formerly Beaux Arbres) – specializing in plants native to the Ottawa Valley and garden-worthy wildflowers from eastern North America.
- A Cultivated Art – wide selection of locally native plants. If you are planning a new garden, or are new to working with native plants, see videos and the search and filter tools in the plant store.
- Ferguson Tree Nursery – high-quality ecologically suitable trees, shrubs, and perennials from known seed sources.
- Hardy Sprouts – native tree seedlings to sell.
Scheduled events
10:15 Ceremonial tree planting with Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy.
Explore pollinator habitat and get advice on how to “start with a tree” at the following walks and talks.
Presentations in the FWG interpretive centre (meet inside building 138)
- 10:30 Chrissy May, City of Ottawa Community Gardens and Greening Initiatives
- 11:30 Christina Earnshaw, Tree Fest & Tree Canada
- 12:30 Sharon Boddy, Friends of Carlington and Hampton Park
- 1:30 Autumn Jordan, Bird Friendly Ottawa
Guided walks (meet in the Backyard Garden, behind building 138)
- 10:30 Backyard Garden: shade, leaves, and birds – Deb Doherty and Sandy Garland
- 11:30 Butterfly Meadow – Tovah Kashetsky, a researcher from Ottawa U who knows everything about butterflies
- 12:30 Indigenous trees and plants – Marlene Souliere, FWG volunteer who has created a medicine garden to illustrate the connection between Indigenous people and nature
- 1:30 Butterfly Meadow and Old Woods, interconnections – Owen Clarkin, popular leader of tree walks all over Ottawa
Family craft area
In the centre of the exhibit area, we’ll be setting up murals that kids can add to, colour on, starting with a tree. Kids can also pick up a “passport” that encourages them to find the answers to pollinator-related questions by asking specific exhibitors.
Photo exhibit
Some of the amazing and beautiful photos taken at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden will be on display next to the craft area. A group of talented photographers regularly post their work on the FWG Facebook page. Because of their dedication and patience, they have captured images that most of us never see – birds in flight, mammals peering out between tree branches, pollinators hovering over flowers. With their permission, we are featuring some of them for all to see. Thanks to (in alphabetical order) Ron Bird, Ellen Chasse, Erin Durant, Nadine Fournier, Jules Gagnon, Christian Hurlow, Patrick Lacasse, Agus Liang, Lloyd Mayeda, Virginia McEwen, Cuong Nguyen, Linda Noble, Tony Peterson, Catherine Shearer, Janet Stephens, Luminita Suse, Khang Tran, Karen Vallevand, Pamela Wolff, Gillian Wright.
