Thursday, June 10, 2010

For the bees and other pollinators!

Butterflies are easy to love, they make people happy, they make you smile and admittedly they are beautiful!
Fritillary on marigold
There isn’t much not to love about them, they don’t sting or buzz around your head and as guests in the garden they are some of the most polite ones around.  Butterflies also have loads of written material, there are volumes of books, magazine articles and websites dedicated to attracting, feeding and housing these winged beauties.  I’ve planted many plants based on butterflies and luring them into my gardens and it has paid off in having a wide variety of these wonderful creatures around.
monarch on butterfly bush  swallowtail on cardinal flowe
 Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
What about the bees though?  What about those hardworking little pollinators that without, we would have fewer blooms, fewer fruits, fewer vegetables?  Where are the books written in favor of them?  Where are the websites dedicated to helping you plant flowers that will help to feed them or magazine articles telling you about the solitary ones that need a patch of dirt to make their home in?  Even when digging on the web looking for such information I can tell you it isn’t easy to find!
bees
bee
Bees are the silent hero’s of the gardeners world, without them our gardens would not be the same.  Bees are afterthoughts to a lot of people, or they are feared because they are believed to be aggressive.  Sadly lots of people mistake honeybees for yellow jackets (which are wasp) and kill them!  As gardeners that like to eat produce and stop to smell the flowers we need the bees, it is time they got a little more love, a little more respect and a lot more attention.  Take some time to watch the bees and be thankful for all they do for us!

2 comments:

  1. Those are amazing shots, and you made your point beautifully. Another Marylander, and beekeeper to be in 2011. :) I 'met' you on the Beemasters forum.

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  2. Finally had a chance to view your blog. Great pics of the butterflies and flowers - maybe Windy Hill will look like that one day! Now I want a new camera. Glad you were able to save the bees too! Lisa

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