Building Community & Insect Hotels: A Summer Gathering at the Heart Barn

Emerald Curtain Collective gathered at the Heart Barn for an evening dedicated to creativity, connection, and care for our local pollinators. What started as a simple idea to build insect hotels together turned into something much more meaningful: a celebration of hands-on making, shared meals, and the kind of unhurried conversation that only happens around a crackling fire with drums.

What Are Insect Hotels?

Before we dove into crafting, we talked about why these small structures matter so much. Insect hotels provide essential shelter for native pollinators and beneficial bugs like solitary bees, ladybugs, and lacewings (many of whom are losing habitat due to development and pesticide use). These handmade structures give insects a safe place to nest, overwinter, and lay eggs, helping restore balance in our local ecosystems.

Think of them as tiny apartment buildings for the creatures doing essential work in our gardens and wild spaces.

An Evening of Making Together

We started the gathering by assembling simple wooden frame kits, then filling them with an incredible variety of natural materials that community members brought to share: hollow bamboo stems, pinecones, dry grasses, bark, twigs, seed pods, and more. Some folks scavenged additional materials from the land around the barn, finding the perfect sized sticks or interesting seed heads.

The beauty of the activity was that it required no previous experience, just a willingness to play with materials and imagine what might make a cozy home for a bee or lacewing. Children and adults worked side-by-side, some creating orderly arrangements of bamboo tubes, others crafting wildly artistic assemblages of bark and pine cones.

Potluck & Fireside Chat

As the sun began to set, we shared a potluck dinner with dishes ranging from homemade sourdough, pasta salad, grilled local salmon, garden veggies, and so much more. The meal gave everyone a chance to take a break from building, share stories, and connect over food.

As darkness fell, we gathered around the fire for the evening’s final chapter: music, stories, and the kind of wandering conversation that feels possible only in firelight.

Why These Gatherings Matter

Events like this remind us that environmental action doesn’t have to be somber or sacrificial. Creating habitat for pollinators can be joyful, creative, and deeply social. By coming together to build something tangible, we’re not just helping insects, we’re weaving the human connections that make sustained community care possible.

The insect hotels that went home with participants that night are now scattered across the central Oregon coast, providing shelter and helping to rebuild what development has taken away. But just as importantly, the connections made that evening continue to ripple outward.

Looking Forward

Interested in joining us for future gatherings? Check out our Calendar of Events and register for an upcoming event today!