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pollinators

Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

May 20, 2023 by Guest Contributor 3 Comments

Red-tailed bumblebee courtesy Wikimedia Ivar Leidus Hear ye, hear ye! The queens have emerged! We’re talking about bumble bees (genus Bombus). For several weeks each spring, any bumble bee you see is a queen – and very hard at work. She must construct her kingdom. [Read more…] about Bumble Bee Queens Are Hard At Work

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, pollinators, Spring, Wildlife

Green Your Spring Lawn and Garden Care

April 30, 2023 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

bee courtesy Stephen Diehl and Vici ZarembaAs of January 1st, 2023, DEC reclassified certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “restricted use.” Products containing imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiamethoxam that are labeled for foliar, widespread outdoor use, and/or seed treatment are no longer permitted to be applied by homeowners. [Read more…] about Green Your Spring Lawn and Garden Care

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: gardening, pesticides, pollinators

Clover: A Widely Naturalized Non-Native

April 29, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

four-leaf clover courtesy Wikimedia user Joe Papp Call it a flower or call it a weed – clover is a plant everyone knows. Who hasn’t idled away an hour hunting for a four-leaf clover, hoping for good luck? [Read more…] about Clover: A Widely Naturalized Non-Native

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: gardening, Irish History, local farms, pollinators, wildflowers

Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

September 4, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

grass courtesy Wikimedia user J.M.Garg This spring, we went the no-mow route on about a quarter-acre of our lawn, the last remaining groomed piece we hadn’t turned into vegetable garden or permanent meadow. What a relief! During the hottest, driest spells over the summer, the grass wasn’t growing anyway. The lawn we did mow during the drought – mostly pathways – turned unhappily brown. [Read more…] about Rethinking the Lawn: Cutting the Grass

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, butterflies, drought, gardening, insects, nature, pollinators, Summer, Wildlife

Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey

August 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

honey bee forager collecting pollen courtesy Jon SullivanNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a multi-year survey of hundreds of pollinator species in New York State.

It’s hoped the Empire State Native Pollinator Survey 2017-2021 will provide the foundation for future pollinator research and conservation efforts. [Read more…] about Dire News In New York’s First-Ever Pollinator Distribution Survey

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: agriculture, bees, DEC, insects, local farms, nature, pollinators, wildflowers, Wildlife

Ephemeral Wildflowers: Brief Beauties of the Forest Floor

May 15, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

mixed patch of spring ephemeralsHave you spotted some of spring’s first wildflowers in the forest? This is the time when the famously fleeting flowers called spring ephemerals bloom – but only for a brief period of time. [Read more…] about Ephemeral Wildflowers: Brief Beauties of the Forest Floor

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: nature, pollinators, Spring, wildflowers, Wildlife

DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

February 12, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

honeybee courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced plans to reclassify certain neonicotinoid (neonic) pesticide products as “Restricted Use” effective January 1st, 2023. [Read more…] about DEC’s Intent to Restrict Certain Neonicotinoid Pesticide Products

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, birds, butterflies, DEC, gardening, insects, Landscape Architecture, nature, pollinators, pollution, Wildlife

Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm

August 12, 2021 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

honey bee forager collecting pollen courtesy Jon SullivanWith their marvelous interpretive-dance routines, complex social life, and delicious honey, honeybees are widely respected, but they’re anything but sweet to wild pollinators. In fact, a surfeit of honeybees is a big threat to our native bees and butterflies. [Read more…] about Honey Bee Keepers, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: bees, butterflies, gardening, hummingbirds, insects, local farms, nature, pollinators, wildflowers, Wildlife

Digger Wasps: Diverse and Showy Insects

August 7, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Digger WaspsLast summer while working in the garden, I was startled when a fast-flying wasp dropped a plump pumpkin spider on the soil in front of me. The wasp landed, grabbed the spider, and wiggled backwards into a small hole I hadn’t noticed, quickly covering the entrance as if to say, “nothing to see here.” It was the first time I’d seen a digger wasp provisioning an underground nest. [Read more…] about Digger Wasps: Diverse and Showy Insects

Filed Under: History, Nature Tagged With: bees, insects, nature, pollinators, wasps, Wildlife

Flower Color: A Science Primer

July 18, 2021 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

TOS_FlowerColor_ButtercupTo quote the French dramatist Jean Giradoux, “The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” Flowering plants fill our summer fields and gardens, bring bright spots of color to our woods, and – since their arrival on the scene some 130 million years ago – have evolved along with animal life to become an essential part of the food web. [Read more…] about Flower Color: A Science Primer

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: bees, Native Plants, nature, pollinators, wildflowers, Wildlife

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