Native Bee Diversity: Leafcutter Bees

If you’re looking for a light-hearted giggle, make a beeline for this hive of bee puns and bee jokes!

LIKE EVERYONE around this time of year, I get into a “looking back while looking ahead” combined mindset. Today I want to do just that, but with a sort of ecological filter, taking stock of how things in the garden fared in the bigger environmental picture and what opportunities lie ahead for me to read nature’s signals even more closely and be an ever better steward of the place.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly abbreviated as PFAS or “forever chemicals,” are ubiquitous. They have also been associated with debilitating health impacts, such as cancer, birth defects, liver disease, kidney disease and more. This can make it overwhelming to know what can be done to protect yourself from the far-reaching effects of these substances. Even though scientists estimate that PFAS are present in the blood of 97 percent of Americans, that doesn’t mean that people are helpless. We’ve assembled some proven ideas from experts and advocates for how to decrease your personal risk, look out for your community and create change. 

On the first day of August 2006, my botanizing companion and I were making only our third trip to a barrens on a farm owned by friends in Kentucky. We already knew that this spot never looked the same twice, so we had few expectations as to what we might see. Our delight on arrival can hardly be described. As far as the eye could see was a sea of shades of purple, pink, and white. My designer brain immediately kicked in—if only I could replicate this in someone’s garden!

This year, you may want to rethink the way you’ve been stringing your Christmas tree lights. If you’re tired of the hassle of walking in endless circles around your tree to string up your lights, why not try lighting your tree vertically instead? This easy Christmas tree hack will help you save time—and, more importantly, save you the struggle of running 800 mini-laps while your family watches). 

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Between my gardening practices, the plants I dig into my garden, and structures like my pollinator palace, I’m always looking for ways to support bees and other beneficial insects on my property. While bee houses have become quite popular, they don’t always come with the information on how to use one.

Growing beetroot is easy, giving you delicious, round, red roots that can be boiled, roasted and pickled – and even grated into salads. The colourful young leaves can be picked fresh and used in salads, and mature leaves can be wilted and used as spinach. There’s a wide variety of beetroot to grow, with orange, yellow and pink cultivars to choose from.

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is an herbaceous perennial plant in the mint family that’s easy to grow and care for. Its vibrant summer flowers and medicinal properties make it a valuable plant for humans and wildlife. It’s also commonly known as ‘bergamot plant’, not to be confused with the completely unrelated citrus fruit whose peel is used to flavour Earl Grey tea.

Today marks the 45th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing, which seems like a good time to take the next step on our space adventure. You choose the topic of bees in space, so here we go!

If there is one thing I am truly grateful for during this extraordinary time, it’s my garden. Not only is it producing harvests for us and reducing our reliance on our over-stressed food system, but it’s somewhere we can step outside and be surrounded by nature, without having to worry about social distancing. 

How will we pollinate plants in space? Join Emma the Space Gardener to discover why future space crops will need pollination, and how that might be achieved. And learn the history of bees in space, and whether our buzzy friends will be joining us on future space missions.