This contest made possible by:
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Artwork by Hannah Katz
As part of our 2021 Pollination Celebration, we're hosting our 2nd Pollinator Photo Contest! Between June 19th and 27th, residents and visitors to Asheville and Buncombe County are encouraged to keep their smartphones and cameras handy and be on high alert for Buncombe County's pollinators of all kinds—bees, butterflies, moths, flower flies, beetles and hummingbirds!
If you submit at least one photo of a pollinator on a flower or at their nest, and you answer each question on the entry form, you will be entered to win exciting prizes!
Photos from last year's contest can be found at bottom of the page.
Prizes donated by Reems Creek Nursery, Asheville Bee Charmer, Buchi, Black Bird Frame and Art, PatchWork Meadows, Betsy Savely, Florrie Funk, Mark Traub, and Marie Colton-Woodard.
Contest Rules: each photo must...
Capture some kind of pollinator
Be taken in Western North Carolina
Be taken between June 19th and June 27th
Capture some kind of pollinator
Be taken in Western North Carolina
Be taken between June 19th and June 27th
Should you be afraid of getting stung?
Be careful of yellow jacket wasps; they are not pollinators and they are aggressive. The only pollinators that occasionally sting are female colonists defending their colony--honey bees, bumble bees, and some social wasp species--not while collecting nectar or pollen. The other insect pollinators don’t live as colonies and don’t sting.
Be careful of yellow jacket wasps; they are not pollinators and they are aggressive. The only pollinators that occasionally sting are female colonists defending their colony--honey bees, bumble bees, and some social wasp species--not while collecting nectar or pollen. The other insect pollinators don’t live as colonies and don’t sting.
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Winning Tips
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How to Snap a Pollinator Picture
- Patiently wait by a sunny flower for 5 minutes to see who visits. (You may even want to park your chair there.)
- Get up early to photograph bumble bees. With their furry vests, they are able to stay warmer when it's cool than many other pollinators.
- Try lots of different angles.
- If you see a pollinator, move slowly to avoid scaring it away.
- When taking pictures, just snap a lot and delete the bad ones later.
- If you're using a conventional camera, you can scoop a bee into a clear jar, cover it with a lid for a few moments (not too long or it will suffocate) until it settles down, and then remove the cover and replace it with your lens to get a close up.
While you're out snapping pictures, you can log them in iNaturalist as part of our BioBlitz!
