pollinators

If you could save a species and help other pollinators by planting just one type of flower, would you do it? By planting milkweed this spring you could help save the…

Rusty patched bumble bees were once a common sight from Maine to Minnesota, through the South, including the Appalachians. Yet today, total numbers are down by almost 90%, with existing populations being very…

My vacations are always better when I combine it with a trip to a botanical garden. So during a recent vacation in mid-coast Maine, I was lucky enough to…

Looking for some pollinator friendly plants to add to your yard? Be sure to add some salvias. The salvia plant family is a magnet for all pollinators–including bees, butterflies, and…

It is definitely dandelion season here, the bright yellow blossoms bursting forth everywhere they are allowed to grow. Where I grew up, dandelions were non-existent. My family home had no…

Happy Earth Day! Beautiful isn’t it? Even if you are super busy today, I hope you can find a moment to give thanks for our blue-green globe. Then resolve to…

Watch a bee on the gorgeous annual sunflower (Helianthus annuus), and the phrase “busy as a bee” comes to mind. A sunflower’s head is actually composed of hundreds of…

While honey bee losses have gotten lots of attention, native bees have been largely ignored. But they are in trouble too. Scientists have seen a dramatic drop in the number of…

The right annual flowers can be a powerhouse for your yard. They will give food, in the form of pollen and nectar, for bees, other pollinators, and beneficial insects all summer…

It starts out innocently enough. You go into one of the big box stores to buy something, let’s say lightbulbs. While you are there, you wander through the nursery department…