It's Lurking in the Backyard

This plant is not as innocent as it looks.

Doesn't that look like a harmless little sedge? Just when you think you know your environment, you find an unsavory surprise. This invasive plant the park ranger shows you, which covers an entire forest floor, looks familiar. Wait-- is it?

Investigating on home turf, we find that yes, it is the invader, the little sneak. Oh, yeah. Oh, no!

Patches of Japanese Stilt Grass are in our yard and in others. We found it on the roadside and in the buffer of a creek. It is threatening to take over our nearby forest.

Now I'm familiar with the stealth of Japanese Stilt Grass, I am compelled to warn my neighbors. I mean, this little plant appears so tame, just a little bunch that barely spreads at all, staying in place without moving much for several years.

Unlike the monster-like kudzu announcing its presence by climbing over everything, the Japanese Stilt Grass has a "don't mind little ol' me" approach to world domination. While it seems quite harmless, it is actually establishing a seed bed in its first few years, from which will spring a million plants that overtake all other low-growing plants in an area.

It is invasive, very much so. The grass overtakes all the other plants, and removes the biodiversity. Animals won't eat it; not even goats would try it when offered. No consumers, and stealth plant domination? That adds up to bad news.

The good news: this plant has little short roots, making it very easy to pull up. So easy, in fact, your nearby five-year-old kid could probably make quite a dent in it. If the grass is not yet established over several acres, it is fairly easy to pull it, and trash it.

The problem is evident when you see its success: way, way, too much to search out and pull by hand.

This ground, and much more beyond, is covered almost entirely with Japanese Stilt Grass.

If we can pull the small patches, we can interrupt its dedicated progression through our area. Another help is that it seeds in mid-August, so weed-whacking it to the ground during the beginning of that month can help if a patch has already taken over a large space.

Don't leave the pulled plants on the ground, or in compost, just to be sure you are not spreading it. You can get more information and help identifying it at the National Invasive Information Species Center. Luckily, it is easy to recognize, once you know what it is. Here is another great field guide that can help you distinguish it from native plants. It has a link to report infestations.

We are working on grass-eradication parties, sending hordes of small people to attack it (low to the ground is an advantage), and rewarding them with prizes and treats such as certain small people adore.

Join our kid army, in your neighborhood and green spaces! Ninja plant, we are coming after you!

Low-Cost Winterizing, Improved: Converting a Porch to Passive Solar for the Season

The screened porch with frames attached for passive solar advantage.

The screened porch on this dear old 1890's home keeps bugs away in the summer. In the winter, we wrapped it in polyethylene sheeting to collect the warm rays of sun, in passive solar collection.

It made a wonderful green house and kept in some needed moisture. The south-facing porch warmed so well, we were able to open the house door and heat the house during the daytime.

This is the porch thermometer reading 72 degrees, while the air outside was 45 degrees on a cloudy day. Works great!


Enclosing the space creates an air pocket of insulation. The plastic sheeting holds in the heat from the house and blocks the chilling wind. This also collects the sun's rays; brings warmth inside, and keeps it. We used Blue Hawk 10 ft. x 25 ft. Consumer Sheeting, 250 square feet, 6 mil clear plastic for this project.

We had simply stapled the roll plastic whole to the exterior of the porch. One March, a big windstorm pulled the sheeting down too early. After one part had blown loose, the rest ripped free quickly.

It was too late in the spring to re-do the wrap, but the weather was still cold, exposing us to the chill. Then we really missed the porch wrap! So we made an alteration for the next winter that was far easier, much more successful, and more sustainable.

Our new, improved winterizing strategy was to build separate frames to hold the plastic sheeting. We used a drill, wood screws, staple gun, and staples. This project was accomplished in a day with three boys, who have varying degrees of helpfulness.

First, we built simple frames of 1 x 2 " wood and fastened by screws. The wood is soft, so it is easy to install the screws to connect the joints. A simple butt joint worked fine for this project. We did pre-drill the holes for the screws to prevent splitting the wood.

We stapled the plastic sheeting to
the frames with an electric staple gun.

The frames were easy to assemble with screws and a drill.

Because the house is old, and not truly square, measuring once to fit all the panels to the porch would not work well. We got a perfect fit by setting the boards in place and drawing a pencil line to mark the cut. Then we could mark and cut quickly without stopping to measure.

The picnic table in the yard made a great work surface, and we laid the frames on it to staple the roll plastic to each. Although building the frames made it take a bit longer to start the covering of the porch, it was actually much better to install, and easier to use again later.

A finished panel, with the plastic stapled to it.

Each panel was made to fit one space of the porch. That worked better than trying to find a middle fit that would work across all of the the spaces. It also gave a snug fit to the porch, which gave it a tighter seal, and better heat efficiency.

We cut the plastic to the size of each panel. It was easier attaching in segments instead of using the roll plastic whole.

The plastic is attached to the side of the frame closest to the house, holding the plastic with more securely than just with staples. The frames are sturdy enough to simply attach with a couple of screws. We don't have to keep stapling to the porch exterior each year.

Connecting a frame panel quickly with a portable drill--
the plastic is neatly secured under the frame.

Also, we can simply reverse and extract the screws, and reuse it all for the next winter. This method is much more durable too; since we stored the plastic frames in the barn loft, they are still in as good condition as when we built them.

It is easy to see through the plastic to get a view of the outside, but surprisingly snug inside. We started tomato plants from seed in November, that grew through the winter, and were the first to go into the garden in the spring.

View outside from interior, through
screen and plastic, on an overcast day

Short side of porch panelled

Since each panel was custom fit to each space, we marked them in order before removing them in the spring. It is simple to install the ready-made frames back into position.

This fall, we pulled the frames from the barn, where we had them tied together in a bundle; they are light weight. We brought them to the porch, and then I started a timer, to see how quickly we could put the frames back up. It only took 32 minutes, from untying the bundle of frames to installing the last screw.

Inside solar porch, when it is cold and sunny out

Outside completed solar porch on a cold and sunny day--
toasty and nice inside for the rest of the winter!

The payback is tremendous for the little effort and supplies we used. The initial cost of this was about $45, but because it was made to last longer, we are able to re-use the plastic instead of re-buy it, and it cost us nothing the following winters. The house is warmer all winter with no extra effort. No cold wind blasts us as we open the back door of the house. 

Reducing heat loss from the house and passively collecting the solar heat means we have lower heating costs, whether we are using gas or electric heat. Plus, we are lowering our carbon footprint with no maintenance; our favorite way.

Plants grow here and provide food, fresh oxygen and moisture in the air, and it's a welcoming space, even on cold days. Great spot for morning coffee! If you have a porch you love, and miss it in the winter, consider our game plan and see if it may work for your home. 

Locavores in the office

Tega Hills Lettuce!

Fresh From the Farms collects goods from local farms and delivers them to homes in Tega Cay and Fort Mill, SC.  These fresh-picked fruits and vegetables are produced and harvested within a thirty-mile radius of Fort Mill, SC.

Locavores—people enjoying locally grown food—can get this produce with free delivery at their homes. Some lucky ones have a local weekly market in Charlotte offices as well.

Once a week during the summer, Fresh From the Farms also brings their local picks to office buildings in the North Carolina/South Carolina border area.

The fresh-picked crops are absolutely wonderful. We had sweet Silver Queen corn for dinner after the group brought their farm market to our building's lobby. I could not resist the green beans and the Tega Hills lettuces. They had huge, beautiful blackberries and blueberries, too.

Pastor Glenn Rogers came to the lobby market looking for local honey, and found one jar left. "I want twenty of these!" he joked.

Fresh From the Farms also offers soft goat cheese and locally made fresh pasta at times. To get a delivery or arrange a market at your business place, contact Wendy and Beth at their website.

It is great to support local people practicing sustainable farming. Also, fresh-picked foods really do taste better than those shipped long distances. The best part is eating them in your delicious dinner.

Passive Heating and Cooling

Passive energy houses are attractive to those of us who enjoy things that work automatically. We have been reading an issue of E- The Environmental Magazine about passive energy homes.

The issue discusses passive homes that make heating and cooling almost unnecessary. Is that possible? I love the idea that homes and buildings can be designed so that they utilize heat recovery systems to deliver fresh air. A passive house is simply so airtight that it takes little more than the inhabitants' body heat to warm them up in cold climates. In warm climates, the design functions to keep the outside air from coming in.

They offer, "A passive house offers a different approach. Instead of reducing emissions by generating alternative power, these buildings simply don't require as much energy."

The article links to more information at Passive House US, and Prospect Architecture. We want to explore more about this.

Our Earth Hour Is Tonight!

In spring, our thoughts turn to our planet. We can't help it! with the new green, the flowering trees, the birds going crazy. So celebrate tonight and honor Earth Hour.

Show your appreciation and turn off your lights for an hour starting at 8:30 p.m. your time. Thanks!

Build a Kit to Recycle Fishing Line

Our clean up days inspired us to build and install a monofilament fishing line recycling station. We found so much tangled line around the lake!

So where do you recycle fishing line? It's tough and strong, and won't disintegrate. Instead, it will tangle us and any wildlife that might get near it. It can cause injuries and starvation to animals; it's a nuisance to boaters, and a danger to swimmers.

Blaik Pulley of South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources provided the answer. The South Carolina DNR has a program to recycle it through Berkley Conservation Institute, part of the fishing line manufacturer's commitment to our environment. They will send a prepaid box to fill, then ship to them at this address:

Berkley Recycling
1900 18th Street
Spirit Lake, Iowa 51360

She also sent us a couple of kits for for ongoing monofilament recycling to get us started. Here are the main pieces of a collection station.

A recycling kit includes four pieces and identifying stickers

It's very easy to assemble, as it only requires gluing the pieces together with PVC glue.

Applying the PVC glue to the pieces

The kit is the same as one shown on the NC BigSweep. Below is the bottom closure, although it is shown upside down.

Attaching the base, which
opens to collect the fishing line

Now we know how to make it, we can reproduce it to collect more line in other fishing spots. A local Girl Scout troop is helping us to install and maintain the recycling stations. We plan to record the data and send it to the SCDNR recycling program in Charleston.

We will post the locations and photos of our installed recycling stations soon. If you'd like to participate in the the program, check their website or call (843)953-6686 for more information.

Thanks, Y'all

We cleaned up in the NC Big Sweep! Tons of trash were collected and properly disposed. The Lake Wylie Covekeepers said there was a bit less than last year, and there were more volunteers. They hope that is because less refuse is being dumped in our wonderful waterways.

A cove in Lake Wylie on our cleaning day

Looking over the totals of stuff collected, I'm prompted to say thank you to Carolina folks for your efforts. It's awesome.

We want to give an extra-special thanks to those who collected in places where they did not have a team of helpers. Some of the places listed from the 2009 cleanup are staffed by lone volunteers.

How about in Bladen County, in the Cape Fear River basin, where one volunteer picked up 5 bags of trash and one tire, totaling 100 pounds.  Or in Burke County in the Catawba river basin, where a single volunteer picked up one bag of trash, weighing twenty pounds. Here are more places where one volunteer, or a handful of volunteers worked to clean up the joint: Halifax County; Yadkin County; Caswell and Camden Counties. It's difficult to do it all by yourself, and takes a certain fortitude to do alone.

To all of you who worked, with and without recognition, we raise a toast. Hurray! We do appreciate what you've done. Thanks, Y'all!!

Sweeping This Weekend

When we walk the roadways, we usually need a bag. We can't pass by litter without picking it up and disposing of it properly.

So we love events like this, bringing our communities together in concert to clean up our land and water.

On Saturday, October 2, volunteers from all over North Carolina will pick up litter from land and waterways. The NC Big Sweep stewardship project is part of an international coastal cleanup plan, but has expanded to include removing trash on the land.

The organizers say since they started the event twenty years ago, they have collected 9.8 million pounds of trash.

I'm sorry that we missed South Carolina's Big Sweep effort last week, on September 25th. Thank you for your part in taking care of the environment!

This weekend, the Big Sweep needs you in North Carolina. There is something going on in every county. We will play a part this weekend: can you join us?

To help, visit the web site and Volunteer Sign Up page. You can offer donations, or become a member as well. For more information, contact North Carolina Big Sweep, P.O. Box 126, Zebulon, NC 27597; Phone (919) 269-9380, or ncbigsweep@bellsouth.net.

Citizens Meet the EPA

Charlotte, NC hosted one of the hearings by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week. The hearing allowed citizens to comment on the EPA plans to regulate coal ash disposal.

An overflowing conference room at the Holiday Inn Airport spilled out into the hall (in photo at right), through the lobby, and into another room full of people listening to the speakers remotely over an audio system.

The EPA Press Release of May 4, 2010 states that the purpose of the regulation is to ensure the structural integrity of coal ash impoundments, to prevent accidents like the one that occurred in Kingston, TN. There, a dike failure spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash into adjacent sloughs and into the main Emory River channel, covering about 300 acres.

The Proposal is also intended to prevent groundwater contamination and threats to drinking water. You can get a copy of the Proposed Rule on the EPA Website.

Registration was high for speakers, so time was limited. Bonnie Crihfield of Roxboro, NC flashes a smile after she spoke at the Charlotte hearing (in photo at left). She is a machine operator at Separations Technology, and concerned about the EPA's regulations regarding coal ash.

Some coal ash is safely recycled into building products like cement blocks and wallboard. Crihfield wants to continue recycling the coal ash and keep producing in her job.

The proposed regulations state that the Environmental Protection Agency strongly supports these recycling efforts. The hearing issue is really about what citizens want them to do about the residual part of the coal ash, after the recyclable contents have been removed.

The Proposal offers two plans of action, with Key Differences Between Subtitle C and Subtitle D Options of Coal Combustion Residuals.

Coal ash impoundments are numerous across the Eastern United States. A map collated by the Sierra Club shows 17 in North Carolina and 11 in South Carolina.

Upcoming hearings will be September 21 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and September 28 in Louisville, Kentucky. Due to high response, they have announced an additional public hearing in Knoxville, Tennessee during the week of October 25, 2010.

Public comment is invited by the EPA online and through the mail. Written commentary on the proposal will be accepted until November 19, 2010.

Tour the Farms This Weekend

A Piedmont-area group is offering a special event this weekend: the Second Annual Charlotte Area Farm Tour, on September 18-19, 2010. On those afternoons, from 1:30-6:30 p.m., twenty-seven local farms will open their barn doors for touring.

Presented by Know Your Farms, a community-supported agriculture program, and the Carolina Farm Stewards Association, the tour will show us how local farms grow their produce. We can learn more about these local resources, participate in farm activities, and pick up some fresh food right where it is grown.

At right is Martha Robinson, with some of her family's produce. Tega Hills Farm has extensive greenhouses utilizing hydroponic techniques. They grow lettuces, microgreens, and herbs year-round; and grow other vegetables seasonally.

The Charlotte Area Farm Tour event includes participation by restaurants and culinary school students, nutritionists, and master gardeners. There are a wide range of farms to visit and things to do, even camping out at the Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch.

We hope to get inspired at a nearby farm that we'd like to know more about. It's also a great way to participate in the Farm-to-Fork 10% Campaign, supporting efforts for healthy food sustainability in North Carolina.

You can even volunteer for the event one day, and get a free pass. For more information, call 980-225-1020, or check out more at Know Your Farms.

Meet Surya Biofertilizers

Good for the Earth and the community-- a cleaner, greener fertilizer. Shootup is one of a new line of natural biofertilizers offered by Charleston-based Surya.

These biofertilizers are soil treatments that are probiotic, meaning they contain natural beneficial microbes that help plants to thrive. The microbes convert elements in the air and soil into forms that plants can easily utilize.

Surya makes the all-natural products beginning from worm castings and clean vegetative compost, then cultivates select populations of microbes in a laboratory. These provide the probiotic advantages for soil to gardens, without growers having to meet the demands of vermiculture.

They produce different blends for various applications. They offer Shootup for growth, foliage and blooming; Growmend for soil and root improvement; and Growsweet for better fruit and vegetable harvests.

In June, Surya's products were certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), approving them for use by USDA-certified organic growers.

We appreciate that the products are manufactured with organic methods. They are non-pathogenic, without infectious microbes, and are okay to use around people and animals. They also do not contribute any unsafe run-off in our waterways.

You can use these natural methods of soil preparation to have a better, healthier garden. Stronger plants in the garden require less water, and are less susceptible to plant pests, too.

We're glad to see this Carolina company growing. We'll be evaluating their products in our gardens, and reporting about them here. Check out their line at Surya Grow, or call (877) 465-2345 for more information.

Saving Energy and Money in NC

North Carolina is developing a plan—to reduce energy consumption and save money for our citizens. State Representatives Blue, Tolson, Glazier, and Harrison are the primary sponsors for House Bill 1050, designed to create an independent energy efficiency program.

The Bill is to establish a comprehensive, statewide program, NC SAVE$ ENERGY. This program will lower energy consumption, save energy costs, reduce pollution, and create thousands of 'green-collar' jobs for the State.

The plan to combine weatherization, incentives, and job training will provide healthier, more affordable homes for our citizens. Those thousands of jobs created are the kind that will continue to thrive after they are established. They will include home energy auditors, installers, and materials manufacturing jobs.

Jennie Renner-Yeomans, Harry Taylor, and Kelly Picarsic listen to discussion on the statewide plan at an informational meeting in Charlotte (in photo above).

Charlotte-area environmental group leaders talked about ways to let citizens know more about the benefits of NC SAVE$ ENERGY. As the program reduces home energy costs, it will help consumers decrease their housing expenses.

The bill provides for residents above the poverty line to fund the program for the first year, at two dollars per month for each household. That's about the cost of buying light bulbs, but with far greater results. It will also provide a public benefit fund to receive and use State and Federal grants to improve energy efficiency. Households would be assisted by weatherization of their homes—providing better living conditions, saving money, and saving wasted energy.

Contact your local State Representative and let them know you want them to support House Bill 1050. You can join the voices on NCSavesEnergy.org, or Facebook page. Let them know you want to lower energy bills, reduce the environmental cost of energy production, and create new green jobs for North Carolina.

Plant a tree for free!

You can plant a tree in a North or South Carolina State Park, if you vote for your state with a click.

Odwalla, a juice and snack company, has dedicated $200,000 in trees for this Plant a Tree campaign. You can cast a vote for your favorite state; each vote counts for a dollar to be used to plant a tree in one of the state's parks. At the Plant a Tree site, it is easy to choose your state, plant a tree, and check out information provided by your state's Park System. Afterward, watch the thank-you video. (I like the Barry White voice impersonator on NC's site.)

You need a different email address for each vote. So tell your neighbors, tell your friends - or find Odwalla on Facebook and learn how to start a virtual microforest!

Love Carolina beaches!

Thanks to all the Earth Month volunteers who helped clean up Carolina waterways! Here Coast Guardsmen are helping clean up Folly Beach, South Carolina. Petty Officer 2nd Class Drayton Parker and Petty Officer Gary Barnum remove sand fencing deposited by erosion, in this photo taken by Bob Orenstein.

We continue to care for Carolina waters. Last Saturday the Old Town Cleanup was held in Bluffton, SC, at the southern tip of the state. Volunteers were picking up trash before it could get into the pristine May River. They were especially concerned about fishing line and plastic six-pack holders; they are dangerous to birds like gulls, who get entangled and can't free themselves.

Today at North Topsail Beach, North Carolina, volunteers from the New River Foundation and Keep Onslow County Beautiful cleaned up the shoreline. They feel it's important for their economy, marine life and for their health and safety, according to Lisa Graham. Also today, SUP Cleanup performed its monthly cleanup at Wilmington, NC. Standup paddle boarders are good at locating trash along shores. The frame at the right was captured from NEWS 14 Carolina. Read about how SUP Cleanup was born in Wilmington in 2009, with the motto, "Stand Up for a Clean Ocean." It now has chapters in several states, including Virginia, Washington, and Hawaii. And in Portugal.

Lets keep it up - appreciating our beautiful coastline and making it as healthy as possible!

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Eyes For You

William snapped himself with this elephant. It is such a great shot, I'm sharing it for Earth Day.

The elephant is a resident of the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It's a lovely place to consider the beautiful creatures and plants that share the planet with us. We loved seeing so many of them.

The NC Zoo produces a poster each year about endangered species. Ask at the Education building, and they will share one with you.

They teach us, and care for the environment. Thanks to the North Carolina Zoo for a beautiful day!

Earth Day born in 1970!

Earth Day was born 40 years ago. Friends of the Earth published an Environmental Handbook for the occasion, and sold a million copies. The Clean Air Act of 1970 was passed, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established. Also that year, Mother Earth News was founded, supplying practical information for the thousands of people headed back to the land. The magazine was later based in Hendersonville, North Carolina, for around a dozen years.

This year Earth Day has its own network, where you can search events across the country. And it's presenting exhibitions and shows, with performance artists, musicians, multi-media productions and dancers, along with the Climate Rally, at the National Mall in Washington, DC, on April 17th through 25th.

Here in the Carolinas, after a long, long winter, we are happy to show appreciation for our Earth. Here are a few of the ways.

The third Charlotte Clean and Green festival will be held tomorrow, April 17th, from 10:00 a.m until 3:00 p.m., rain or shine. Clean Air Carolina will join in this year, and Appalachian Voices will be hosting a booth. Classes and exhibits will show how we can help save our natural resources, money and health. The event is held at the Central Piedmont Community College's central campus in Charlotte. For more information, please see Charlotte Clean and Green.

On Sunday, April 18th, Sierra Club North Carolina will meet at 8 a.m. to hike the Chestnut Knob Trail at South Mountains State Park. Please contact Steve Copulsky at scopulsky@mindspring.com, 704-543-7493, or 704-458-6651.

The North Carolina Energy Office will sponsor its 7th Annual Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh, NC, April 20th to 21st. Speakers and exhibitors will share information on the energy economy, and participants from energy-related fields will be able to network with business leaders and decision-makers. The event will be held in McKimmon Center. Check here for more information and registration.

Celebrating Earth Week, Wofford College in Glendale, South Carolina, will dedicate their new Goodall Environmental Studies Center on Tuesday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Other activities include an Earth Day Bike, Run & Thoreauvian Saunter to Glendale Shoals; an Earth Week Forum; and Water Monitoring Day at Lawson’s Fork.

On April 24, the Cane Creek Cleanup will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will clean the Catawba River into Cane Creek, from Hwy 9 Landing boat ramp near Lancaster, South Carolina. Volunteers are needed! Please contact canecreekcleanup@gmail.com.

Environmental and Conservation Organization (ECO) is celebrating on the Blue Ridge Community College campus. A film, "Earth Days," will be shown on April 22nd, or you can hike from Hendersonville to BRCC. See information about the Earth Day Festival on April 24th here.

Sustainable Spartanburg will meet at Thornblade Club in Spartanburg, SC, on April 22nd for lunch and a presentation, "A Case for Corporate Sustainability." And Citizen Spartanburg is sponsoring Earth Day Jam in the Park on Sunday, April 25th, from 1:00pm to 6:00 pm. Meet at Duncan Park Amphitheater to enjoy live local music and learn how you can make small changes to help the Earth.

Whatever you do for the Earth this month, get together with friends or family, but get outside!

Keeping It Beautiful

Even though we can't change the economy overnight, it does help our morale to improve our surroundings. A little effort, and contribution to the common good, is valuable to our land and our people. It also gives us a great feeling, to achieve something that is good.

So it is a pleasure to join in Keep America Beautiful's annual Great American Cleanup. The activity is going on through through May 31. The project's goals are litter prevention, waste reduction and recycling, and beautification of our country.

The Great America Cleanup is assisted by local affiliate groups. Here, we have 33 North Carolina and 24 South Carolina Affiliates that are part of the clean up. The Keep America Beautiful site says activities include "beautifying parks and recreation areas, cleaning seashores and waterways, handling recycling collections, picking up litter, planting trees and flowers, and conducting educational programs and litter-free events."

The Mecklenburg County team worked with the Carolina Panthers during the home games of the 2009/2010 football season. They helped tail-gating fans to recycle more than 30 tons of bottles and cans. Check to see what is going on in your area, and see what you can do to help. If you see something else that needs to be done, you can also start an affiliate group. Together, we can do a lot.

Lights out in North Carolina!

The lights at North Carolina's State Capitol will go off for an hour tomorrow night at 8:30. We're celebrating Earth Hour! The official site shows last year's lights going off as the world turned. Join in - it's easy: turn off your lights for an hour at 8:30 pm. You can have a cookout or singalong, look at the stars, or catch up on your sleep. See you in the dark!

Join the Hunt for Bees

This season, we are planting Lemon Queen sunflowers in the garden, and hunting for bees. The Great Sunflower Project asks that we use that variety because it is especially attractive to the bees. We can help them in a fun and easy way, with this citizen science study. How do we start the hunt?

Plant sunflowers, tell about the garden;
watch bees come to visit the flowers,
and report how many bees you spy.

The kids will love this as much as adults. Gazing at the garden, we are doing an important science project! Ah, Spring...

Similar to The Great Backyard Bird Count, the bee study seeks to collect data from around the country. It tells us, "Bees: Responsible for Every Third Bite of Food." The populations of wild bees are declining, and we need more information about them. What does the loss of pollinators mean for urban and rural gardens?

It is sometimes confusing to identify the insects. There are good resources on the study's Resources for Teachers, and a bee guide link is on the bottom of the page.

Our area is famous for hornets. If you see one of these, you know to look out for them. We discovered this nest in winter and learned that hornets are actually predators; they will eat bees for lunch. Now, we really want to help the bees.

We picked up Lemon Queen sunflower seeds from the local Lowe's Home Improvement for about $1.25. The Great Sunflower Project also uses certain other flowers to build their data. It's simple to sign up, and a great thing to add to your garden plan!