#spring pollinators

[whatnext10]

There are Lots of Other Beautiful Pollinators Beside Butterflies

Flower Hopper For the last week or so, I’ve been seeing and enjoying having an increased number of pollinators around. Spring is finally in full swing and our insects are returning to active lifestyles. It doesn’t hurt that there are plenty of flowers blossoming either, and among them are the blackberries and dewberries. Among the pollinators there are many old favorites, like this common…

[reasonsforhope]

"Next Monday [6/17/24] is the start of National Pollinator Awareness Week, and one Colorado advocacy group is hosting a flower planting drive to rewild Colorado’s meadows, gardens, and just maybe, its children too.

Created by constitutional amendment in 1992, Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) is a state-funded independent board that invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces.

This year, GOCO’s offshoot Generation Wild is distributing over 100,000 free packets of wildflower seeds to collection points at museums, Denver Parks and Rec. offices, and libraries all over the state to encourage kids and families to plant the seeds in their backyards.

The Save the Bees! initiative aims to make the state more beautiful, more ecologically diverse, and more friendly to pollinators.

According to a new report from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, 20% of Colorado’s bumblebees are now at risk of extinction. Even in a small area like a backyard, planting wildflowers can make a positive impact on the local ecosystem and provide native bees with a healthy place to live.

“The Western Bumblebee population has declined in Colorado by 72%, and we’re calling on kids across Colorado to ‘bee’ the change,” said GOCO Executive Director Jackie Miller.

Named after Generation Wild’s official mascot “Wilder,” the Wilderflower Seed Mix was developed in partnership with Applewood Seed Co. and packets are now available for pickup at designated partner sites including more than 80 Little Free Library boxes.

By distributing 100,000 Wilderflower packets, Generation Wild is providing more than 56 million seeds for planting in every nook and cranny of the state. All seeds are regionally-native to Colorado, which is important for sustaining the living landscape of bees, birds, and other animals.

Additionally, by using flower species adapted to the Mile High climate, landscapers and gardeners need to use less water than if they were tending non-native plants.

“Applewood Seed Co. was excited to jump in and help Generation Wild identify a seed mix that is native to the Colorado region and the American West, containing a diversity of flower species to attract and support Colorado’s pollinator populations,” stated Norm Poppe, CEO of Applewood Seed Co. “We hope efforts like this continue to educate the public on pollinator conservation and the need to protect our native bees and butterflies.”

Concluding her statement Miller firmly stated that children grow up better outside, and if you or a parent you know agree with her, all the information on how to participate in Save the Bees! can be found here on their website, including a map showing all the local pickup points for the Wilderflower Seed Packets."

-via Good News Network, June 13, 2024

[nichet-crochet]

Mini Bee Opossum! This little guy is only available through commission on NichetCrochet.com

Tap the link below to request it! Commission prices for mini possums and rats start at $35

[indigrassy]

Fur spring coat

[chasingrainbowsforever]

~ Black | White | Yellow ~

[vandaliatraveler]

Update from the beebalm garden . . . Those of you who follow this blog know I'm a native wildflower aficionado and have been working steadily to convert my beds to native plants. I don't have a lot of space to work with, but I do my best with what I've got. My beebalm garden is especially precious to me because it draws pollinators by the shitload, everything from bees and beetles to dueling hummingbirds. Well the garden is having a moment: the scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma), also popularly known as Oswego tea; foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis); fire pink (Silene virginica); downy skullcap (Scutellaria incana); and heartleaf skullcap (Scutellaria ovata) are all in bloom now. The wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is just starting to bloom. I also planted fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) and cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) by seed last fall, and while a few small plants are coming, I doubt they'll bloom this year. The skullcaps are particularly attractive and whimsical and wildly undervalued as landscape plants - in addition to their comical, hooded flowers, they produce gorgeous foliage on long, gracefully-arching stems.

[rensphotolens]

Some flowers from our garden 🧡

[nncastle]

Breakfast is served.

[futurebird]

"I was flying around, enjoying some nectar when I smell the most beautiful bee, then? I see her! Huge! Fuzzy! Lovely! I fly right over, try to embrace her and do you know what happens? It's not a bee! A flower! Then? Something bops me in the back! Humiliating!"

"Horrible! Is it still stuck to you?"

"Oh no. Listen, you won't believe it but right after that I smell *another* beautiful bee! I know? Right? I think you can guess where this is going... SHE was fake too!"

"unbeelievable!"

"Hey where are you going?"

"There's a really cute bee over there. Can't you smell her?"

"Don't you think you should be more cautious? Considering what keeps happening?"

"Hmm. That's a good idea. But. No. No, I gotta meet her! Look! She's a stunner! Don't fly off, Doll! I'm flying right over!

OUCH!

Not again!"

[julianplum]

🪻🌱🐝 💜 🌿 ✨ // violets & violet miner bees // part of my natives + pollinators series // gouache on paper

tiny violet miner bees (Andrena violae) are a specific pollinator: they pollinate wood & dog violets in the Northeast, and show a strong preference for blue violets. letting your grassy yard rewild itself and grow violets every spring not only lets you make violet syrup, it also gives violet miner bees their most important food source and increases local pollinator diversity.

[notjustbees]

Spring is here!!! 🌸🌷🌺

A bonus post to celebrate the first new photo of the year ~

The bugs have returned ~

[lemonade-balm]

[indigrassy]

So I creep

[billycore-lite]

not sure who these pollinators are, some kind of bee i’ve never seen before? but they were very docile when i got up close. // @billycore-lite

[shannonpurdyjones]

If you don't have spring flowers, here. Have some of mine before you go 💚

Took a break from working to step out into the garden. Twas too beautiful after yesterday's rain not to share.

Hang in there y'all. Keep sowing goodness into your corner of the world. Even if it all goes to shit, our seeds will still become flowers.

[ladyrambles]

"One Last Drop" (me, with the last crumb on the plate 🤣)