Accent on Natural Landscaping

Donna VanBuecken

Minnesota Homeowners will Bee-Friendly Yards

Introduction

On 11/28/2019 I had a stroke. I have had a significant recovery, but I have a little more to do regarding to impairment of the Aphasia and Apraxia. I can understand everything, but it is difficult to talk, because I cannot put the right words together to be understood. (American Stroke Association)

Aphasia – Aphasia is impairment in the ability to use or comprehend words. It may cause difficulty:
• Understanding words.
• Finding the word to express a thought.
• Understanding grammatical sentences.
• Reading or writing words or sentences.

Apraxia – Apraxia of speech (verbal apraxia) is difficulty initiating and executing voluntary movement patterns necessary to produce speech when there is no paralysis or weakness of speech muscles. It may cause difficulty:
• Producing the desired speech sound.
• Using the correct rhythm and rate of speaking.

It is hard work to come back from this. But, I want to speak and start blogging. With my friends to rely on, I will begin to blog again at least once in awhile. I have a first blog complete and I will share it with you. When I have another one done, I will share it with you also. With friends, I can do it.

The Blog

Minnesota Homeowners will Bee-Friendly Yards

This will happen the bee habitat if fertilizers and pesticides allowed to be present. Slide from Wild Ones Wild for Monarchs PPT. Photo courtesy of Monika Maekle’s “Texas Butterfly Ranch” blog.

Reference my story in “Minnesota Homeowners will get paid to save Pollinators.” The State’s Board of Water and Soil Resources had 6,000 applicants for the first round of people who wanted to participate in the bee-friendly habitat program. They will pay up to $350 to plant pollinator gardens or to convert homeowners’ more traditional short-cut grass to promote a bee-friendly environment. Things are off to a very good start. (StarTribune)

Not mentioned in the StarTribune article is an anticipated concern of harming a bee-friendly habitat, through the use of fertilizers and pesticides starting in spring time and continuing through the fall. There would be a disastrous effect on the habitat for the pollinators, if there is continued use of fertilizer and pesticides. It is important to reinforce to homeowners to not use fertilizer or pesticides in their yards.

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Queen Quest Blitz — Black Friday

If you’re not into Black Friday shopping, you might like to join fellow naturalists in the Queen Quest Blitz. Hosted by the Queen Quest Project, which is a joint effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Boosters Team and University of Minnesota’s Bee Squad, citizen scientists will search for bumble bee queens on Black Friday. So gather your friends and family and get your team together so you can participate in this fun, yet worthwhile project. Sign up to join Queen Quest!

Protocol — once you’ve registered, get your step-by-step instructions on how to search for the queen bees.

INaturalist — a place to post your observations using an app

Thank goodness for Virginia Waterfleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum), one of the first flowering plants to bloom in the spring.

Queen Bee Habitat

Bumble bee queens are found in both rural and urban landscapes. According to a recent study by Neal M Williams etal entitled Fantastic bees and where to find them: locating the cryptic overwintering queens of a western bumble bee. “Our data suggest that overwintering and foraging habitats are likely distinct, and queens’ selection of overwintering sites may be shaped by environmental stressors of the year. In our study area, queens overwintered in litter beneath cypress trees, where no floral resources exist.”

Although they studied other areas, they found the most queens under cypress and pine trees. Queen hibernacula* were found short distances from the trunks and shaded from the direct sun. The researchers concluded that the needle litter beneath pines likely buffers against both hot, dry summers and cold, wet winters. That, along with the overhead branches, likely moderates temperature and moisture fluctuations.

Another reason bumble bee queens may seek out nest sites under pines is the rodent population. I was surprised to learn that rodents prey on bumble bees. Rodents do not construct their burrows under pines, preferring grassy meadows and shrubby locations.

Although this study took place in California, because we here in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest have such an abundance and variety of pine trees, I suspect this is where we might find bumblebees overwintering as well.

*hibernacula are chambers or pockets within soil where animals overwinter.

Thank you Heather Holm for making me aware of this Black Friday event.

 

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2020 Pollinator Partnership Poster

The following announcement is taken in part from the P2 newsletter dated 11/18/2019:

2020 “Pollinators, Plants, People, Planet” Poster Job Advertisement

Pollinator Partnership (P2) is seeking an artist to render the 2020 Pollinator Poster, this year focusing on “Pollinators, Plants, People, Planet.” To apply, send a one-page narrative concept idea with a draft sketch to Kelly Rourke at kr@pollinator.org by Friday, December 13, 2019.

A bumblebee making his livelihood on Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum). Recent declines in pollinators have alarmed scientists and naturalists alike. Pollinators include not only bees, but also birds, butterflies, bats, beetles and more.

Purpose
Each year, P2, along with a wide range of partners (including federal agencies, non-profits, for-profits, individuals, etc.) design and distribute an educational pollinator poster. About 100,000 posters are distributed throughout the United States each year. They are one of the most popular outreach material items offered and are distributed for the cost of shipping and handling.

Use
Each year’s poster is unique in size and content, and the posters are enjoyed and used in a wide variety of venues from classrooms, fairs, conferences, and offices, to homes and educational trainings.

Poster Image – Vision
The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), managed by Pollinator Partnership, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020 and P2 is embarking on a coordinated climate action initiative. Working for healthy pollinators has a direct impact on the health of humans, plants and the planet. Actions for pollinators, like the planting of habitat such as buffers, pollinator gardens, hedgerows, cover crops, and green roofs, feed the health of our air, water, biodiversity, and sustainable agriculture. Pollinators and pollinator habitat provide ecosystem services, including but not limited to:

  • Pollination
  • Biodiversity support
  • Carbon sequestration
  • Erosion control
  • Food and nests for wildlife
  • Nutrient cycling
  • Food security
  • Raw material production
  • Recreation and hunting
  • Soil health
  • Resilient ecosystems
  • Water filtration

We envision this poster being an artistic depiction of the ecosystem services that pollinators provide through the lens of planetary health and climate action. Use of past poster themes or elements may be a way to tie in and celebrate the 20 years that NAPPC has worked collaborative to promote pollinators and protect the planet. Let this spark creativity, but do not feel limited to these visions. The most important part of creating any poster is to make it a beautiful work of art that also communicates an idea or behavior that supports pollinator heath. A scientific/naturalistic style is preferred. P2 staff will work with the artist on scientific accuracy and detail. To view past pollinator posters, please visit http://pollinator.org/posters.htm.

Submittal Details
If interested in submitting a poster concept idea for consideration to render the 2020 “Pollinators, Plants, People, Planet” poster, please submit the below information as one PDF kr@pollinator.org:

  • Contact information (name, email, physical mailing address)
  • Background
    • Resume, CV, past projects, etc.
    • 2 pages maximum
  • Narrative about the poster concept
    • Method used (digital, traditional, etc.)
    • 1 page maximum
  • Sketch of the proposed poster as digital art submitted as a pdf, .eps., or .jpg. (300 ppi at 8.5 x11)

Timeline
A one-page narrative concept idea with a draft sketch is due to Kelly Rourke at kr@pollinator.org by Friday, December 13, 2019. The final illustration is due by Friday, February 28, 2020.

Poster Size
There is flexibility with the size of the poster, but past posters have ranged from 30 in x 12 in to 30 in x 32 in (including a galley at the bottom of the poster for partner logos). We suggest using a standard poster size so that the poster may easily be framed.

Compensation
Pollinator Partnership does not make any profit off of the poster and distributes them for free (not including shipping and handling). P2 works to create the poster each year to help educate the public about the importance of pollinators. The chosen artist will receive $1,000 upon completion of the agreement and delivery of the product of contracted work for the 2020 poster.

Legal
Pollinator Partnership will own the rights to the final submitted digital artwork.

Questions? Contact Kelly Rourke at kr@pollinator.org or 415.362.1137

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GCA Graduate Scholarships 2020

The Garden Club of America (GCA) has opened their 2020 grant cycle for their Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowships.

Bumble bee and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) gathering nourishment from New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae).

According to the recent news release, the fellowships provide “funding to a current graduate student to study the causes of pollinator decline, in particular bees, bats, butterflies and moths, which could lead to potential solutions for their conservation and sustainability. The selection criteria are based on the technical merit of the proposed work and the degree to which the work is relevant to this objective. The GCA Board of Associates Centennial Pollinator Fellowship was established in spring 2013 to facilitate independent research in this field.”

To apply, go to Pollinator Partnership.

Deadline is January 17, 2020.

Provisions

The fellowships annually fund “one or more graduate students enrolled in U.S. institutions. Funding may vary in amount, but normally will be in the range of $4,000 for study and research that will advance the knowledge of pollinator science and increase the number of scientists in the field. A recipient may reapply for an additional year of funding.”

“Research Categories

The categories under which applicants may apply are:

  1. Effects of nutrition, genetics, pesticides, pathogens, parasites and disease on pollinators
  2. Pollinator habitat development, assessment or monitoring
  3. Plant-pollinator interactions and pollination biology
  4. Research that examines other aspects of pollinator health, including cutting-edge, original concepts

Terms

  1. Only one GCA scholarship may be applied for annually.
  2. GCA fellow will provide an interim 250-word report, two high quality photos, and an expense summary to GCA and P2 by September 1, 2020.
  3. A final report and final expense summary will be due February 1, 2021.
  4.  Research excerpts (text and photos) may be published in GCA’s and P2’s publications and websites.
  5. GCA fellow agrees to share research with members of the Garden Club of America.”

To apply, go to Pollinator Partnership. Deadline is January 17, 2020.

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