Did you know?

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Bees are one of the most important pollinators in North America, with more than 4,000 species across the continent. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small carpenter bees to large bumblebees. 

These fuzzy insects use their long tongues to feed on nectar and spread pollen as they move from flower to flower. In fact, bees are responsible for up to 80% of pollination in some areas!  You can see some of the photos I take in my bee-friendly garden right here

 What is Bumble Bee Watch?  Download the App on your phone

Bumble Bee Watch is a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s BumbleBees. 

This community science project allows individuals to:

• Upload photos of bumble bees to start a virtual bumble bee collection;
• Identify the bumble bees in your photos and have your identifications verified by experts;
• Help researchers determine the status and conservation needs of bumble bees;
• Help locate rare or endangered populations of bumble bees;
• Learn about bumble bees, their ecology, and ongoing conservation efforts; and
• Connect with community scientists.
• www.bumblebeewatch.org

Butterflies and moths also contribute greatly to North American pollination. While butterflies often get most of the attention due to their beauty and graceful flight patterns, moths play an equally important role in fertilizing plants. 

Most moths fly at night when flowers release their sweetest scents—to make sure that they don't miss a beat! The Monarch butterfly is perhaps the most iconic species found in North America; it migrates thousands of miles each year between Mexico and Canada so it can lay its eggs on milkweed plants.  

Bats are also important North American pollinators! Though they may not look like typical pollinating creatures due to their size and nocturnal habits, bats provide critical services by transferring pollen from one plant to another as they search for food at night. 

Bat houses can help keep bat populations out of your attic too.  In England, they incorporate bat houses into the exterior design plans for home remodels and new homes.  I was interviewed about this in 2018 for an article about Harry and Meghan's new home Beggar's Lodge a few hours outside of London.  You can read the article here:   https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/prince-harry-meghan-markle-beggars-lodge/

Bumble Bees conduct buzz pollination... around 8-10% of the plants on the planet benefit from buzz pollination.

And buzz pollination is simply, there are some species of flower whose pollen is fused inside the anthers or the male part of the flower and the only way to get that pollen out is to vibrate the anthers at a particular frequency.  Bumble bees are very good at this. 

Bumble bees vibrate their wings and the pollen literally comes shooting out of the tip of the anther of a flower.  Most species of bees just cannot do this.

But bumble bees are very good at it, and very efficient. And one of the main crops out there that this is useful for is for tomatoes and other members of the Solanaceae plant family. So they are incredibly important for tomato, squash, melon  & eggplant, blueberries & cranberries and a lot of flowers also benefit from buzz pollination.

Pollinator Penthouses are handcrafted pottery nesting houses for Bumble Bees.

Just place in a shady, low-traffic area of your city or urban garden.

The little bees love them because they sit on the ground (can be buried into the ground too) are made of natural porcelain clay made in the U.S.A.  that has a neutral or negative charge and they are waterproof.  If they tip over the bees can still get out of the nest.  That is why they are such a unique design.

They are easy to use and a safe place for a queen Bumble Bee to make her nest.

They are carefully handmade and bisque fired to about 1900 degrees F, then they are glazed and fired to about 2345 degrees F.  My glazes are dinnerware/food safe so our buzzy little friends have no toxic materials to worry about.