Winter aconite, a tuber-producing plant in the buttercup family, is cherished by pollinators because it is one of the first flowers of spring. It will often pop through the snow ahead of the crocus and the cheery yellow blooms are a welcome addition to the dormant landscape. Native to Europe and Asia, winter aconite (Eranthis […] Read more
I haven’t planted sunflowers in many years, but one of my goals this year is to plant a row of Lemon Queens. Lemon Queen is an open-pollinated heirloom variety that provides ample nectar and pollen. It is widely known to attract an amazing variety of pollinators, including many types of bees and butterflies. Lemon Queen […] Read more
In the attached .pdf files, you will find the results of the Honey Bee Suite Bee Plant Survey that you answered at the end of November 2014. In that survey, I asked where you lived and which plants you actually saw bees foraging on—both honey bees and native bees. The list is unique because it […] Read more
I will soon publish the results of the Bee Plant Survey that you answered back in November. Miriam Valere, a new beekeeper in Salt Lake City has been doing all the work, and I owe her a huge public thank you. For each plant Miriam has verified the scientific name, added the USDA hardiness zones […] Read more
Last fall, after reading my post about planting spring crocuses for bees, David Robertson of western Georgia nearly bought out the local feed store. He took the corms home and, judging from the photos, made his wife and son-in-law do the work while he took pictures. Makes sense. Now, in mid-January, the crocuses are already […] Read more
One of the best honey bee plants in the world is Echium vulgare, also known as viper’s bugloss, blueweed, blue thistle, blue devil, and snake flower. It produces copious amounts of both nectar and pollen for several months, May through September. The late flowering can provide plentiful nectar for much-needed winter stores. The plant, in […] Read more
Have the gangs settled down long enough to break bread? Well, it’s not the Jets and the Sharks, or the Crips and the Bloods, but close enough: it’s the Honeys and the Jackets sharing a pear. This interesting photo was sent to me by Manuel, a beekeeper in a drought-stricken area of California. He says […] Read more