Yes, pollinator week is a thing, and more popular than ever! Pollinator Partnership has more on activities and the critical need to promote the health of our pollinators. I’m in Colorado and have been seeing these really cool bumblebees with orange bands on our flowers. I finally got photos! I searched online and discovered the […]
Just a quick post to introduce you to another great plant for bees! Sorry it’s not a tree, but I couldn’t resist when I found honeybees on my neighbor’s Leatherleaf Mahonia, Mahonia japonica, in early March. This tough shrub for partial shade blooms in early spring and the blossoms will not freeze if temperatures reach […]
This is one of my favorite trees (or a large shrub) because it is native and blooms at whacky times of the year. Oh, and its flowers look like spiders! Depending on the species, witch hazel blooms either before winter or after. The native species, Hamamelis virginiana, is a late fall bloomer for bees to […]
I’m starting this set of brief posts between now and the release of my newest YA, Guardian of the Pines. Why? Because my hero, Cor, loves trees and also is a beekeeper. Red Maple trees have begun to bloom in my area, the suburbs of Washington, D.C. They aren’t a tree that folks go out […]