Garden
Buzz Polinator Endanged: Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Could Be Lost Due to Habitat Loss and Degradation
Rusty patched bumble bees once occupied grasslands and tallgrass prairies of the Upper Midwest and Northeast, but most grasslands and prairies have been lost, degraded, or fragmented by conversion to other uses. Bumble bees are keystone species in most ecosystems, necessary not only for native wildflower reproduction, but also for creating seeds and fruits that feed wildlife as diverse as songbirds and grizzly bears. more »
Ferida Wolff's Backyard: The Supermoon, a Skunk Scare and Groundhog Haven (and Groundhog Day Movie Trivia)
Whatever interpretations we apply to the full moon, it is good to just allow its glow to wash over us, to be awed by its beautiful presence. Our November 2016 may be a special one but it doesn’t negate all the others. Let’s allow ourselves to take a moment to feel the wholeness of the universe and the oneness of humanity.I guess we all need the comfort of connection when we want it and the space to be on our own when we need it. more »
Wild Bees, a Critical Piece of the Pollination Puzzle
Quinn McFrederick and co-authors collected bees and flowers at two sites in Texas and one on the UC Riverside campus. He simulated bee nests by drilling holes into wood and placing these nests in fields with wildflowers. The wild bees naturally nest in abandoned holes in trees created by beetles. McFrederick believes that the bacteria might help preserve the nectar and pollen the wild bee stores in her nest as a food source for her soon-to-be born larvae. more »
Ferida's Wolff's Backyard: Home Farm Produce; Hibiscus Beauty and Wouldn't That Be Peachy?
I know I complain about the squirrels eating everything we plant, the reason we constructed a screened-in vegetable garden, but in truth, I like them. They are inventive and extremely smart. They help me remember that 'different' is only an adjective, it does not mean inferior. And different is how we all are, from other life forms and from each other. If only we can learn to appreciate the value of differences within all of life, perhaps we would not be so quick to do harmful things to each other. more »