Within Indigenous worldviews, all relationships are reciprocal, meaning all participants give and take for the benefit of all. This talk explores a vibrant reciprocal relationship among Cucurbita crops (pumpkin, squash, gourd), humans, and a special wild pollinator known as the Hoary Squash Bee whose life is intimately entwined with them. We will follow the threads of this relationship from Oaxaca, Mexico, where Hoary Squash Bees and wild Cucurbita originated, to present-day Ontario, where Hoary Squash Bees thrive and Cucurbita crops are important food sources and cultural symbols for present day humans.
Facilitator:
Dr. Susan Chan has a background in agriculture, education, and environmental science. As a researcher, Susan seeks to understand and protect the pollination services provided by wild bees to crops. She has written many scientific articles about wild ground-nesting bees as well as technical guides for farmers on the topic of crop pollination and protecting pollinators. As a farmer herself, Susan is an advocate for sustainable farming practices that embrace ecological principles while recognizing the practical realities of farming. Susan lives with her family outside of Lakefield on Summer Roads Farm.
Thank you to Cambium Consulting and Engineering for sponsoring KLT’s 2025-26 Passport to Nature program and to OFAH Foundation for supporting events in our 2025-26 programming.
