- Author: Christine Casey
Here at the Haven we want people to pay attention to bees. One way to capture the attention of folks who might never have given them much thought is through public art; garden visitors are aware of our many projects created by the student artists of ENT001: Art, Science, and the World of Insects. These help to catch visitors' attention and brighten the garden in winter.
I live in Woodland, an agricultural community and Yolo County seat just north of Davis. Our agricultural heritage is celebrated in two local art projects that include bees.
The first, by artist Colleen Gnos, shows a farmer checking a field. Most artists might have stopped with at that; I love the fact that the all-important bee was included.
The second is a utility box at a busy intersection. Anthony Padilla, the artist for this project that was funded by the Yolo Arts Council, works with spray paint, so I can forgive that some of the bee's details are not as precise as an entomologist might like. These boxes are often tagged with graffiti but the painted ones in town have so far been left alone.
- Author: Christine Casey
It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts for your favorite bee gardener (or yourself!) Beyond the obvious choice of a gift card to the local garden center, here are some suggestions from the Haven.
Books
2014 has been a good year for bee and gardening books; along with the classics California Native Plants for the Garden and the Sunset Western Garden Book consider gifting one or more of these to round out a bee gardener's library.
The Bee: A Natural History, written by Noah Wilson-Rich with Kelly Allin, Norman Carreck, and Andrea Quigley, was published earlier this year by Princeton University Press. Full of beautiful photographs and drawings, this book is an attractive, thorough introduction to the world of honey bees. The authors go into enough detail to make it interesting, but not so much as to lose the interest of a reader who is not a bee biologist. The single chapter on bees other than honey bees covers an assortment of species from various regions of the world.
California Bees and Blooms: A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists was written by Gordon Frankie, Robbin Thorp, Rollin Coville, and Barbara Ertter. This definitive guide is a must-have for anyone interested in knowing more about native bees in California urban gardens. I only wish they had recommended other ceanothus varieties, such as 'Valley Violet' and 'Concha' that do well here in the Central Valley!
The California Native Landscape by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren came out late in 2013; I'm including it for anyone who might have missed it for gifting last year. Although it might better be called The Southern California Native Landscape, it still has much to recommend it for northern California gardeners. Good information about soil and garden design is very helpful, as is the pest section.
Apps
Bee observation tools
Bee housing
Building bee condos for your own garden is an easy project; a gift card to the local hardware store or home center is a great way to help make this happen. A bee condo to hold individual bee blocks or nest tubes can be built from redwood fencing; this requires basic carpentry skills.
Hap"bee" Holidays!
- Author: Christine Casey
On Veteran's Day we honor our military veterans. Like our bees, they work hard and make contributions that many of us take for granted. In recognition of their service, some agricultural and beekeeping organizations provide financial support and training to veterans who would like to make beekeeping their profession.
Our central California weather is conducive to year-round honey bee activity, so including plants that are blooming on Veteran's Day in your bee garden will support honey bees and the occasional native bee that may still be active. On any sunny day with temperatures over 55 degrees Haven visitors will see bees in the garden. Here are some of the red, white, and blue flowers you'll see them foraging on this time of year:
Red (bees do not see red but will use these flowers):
Autumn sage (Salvia greggii) cultivars ‘Hot Lips' and ‘Lipstick'
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
White:
Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)
Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
Early-blooming manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp.). The cultivars ‘White Lanterns' and ‘Howard McMinn' are the two earliest bloomers at the Haven.
Blue (shades of blue to purple):
Bush germander (Teucrium fruticans)
Rosemary ‘Mozart' (Rosmarinus officinalis ‘Mozart'); this rosemary cultivar has outstanding deep purple flowers
Mexican sage (Salvia leucantha); give it space, as it can reach up to eight feed wide in bloom
Aster (New World species are now in the genus Symphyotrichum, while Old World species remain in the genus Aster). All of the Haven's asters are New World species.
Click here see a complete list of plants in the Honey Bee Haven.
- Author: Christine Casey
We held a volunteer work day at the Haven this past Saturday, November 1; the much-needed rain cleared out in time to leave us with a beautiful day. Tremendous thanks go to Mohammad-Amir Aghaee, Danny Klittich, Eric Mussen, and Robbin Thorp from the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology and to Honey Bee Haven volunteers Kataksha Kinra, Emily Kultgen, Lynda Ives, Tobias Mueller, Kirsten Pearsons, Erik Sandberg, and Linda Watson-McMurdie. New volunteers are always welcome; see our web site for more information.
New plants were added and mulched, less productive plants were cleared out, and irrigation repairs were made. Thanks to everyone who helped out to keep the Haven a special place!
- Author: Christine Casey
Ask most folks about "fall color" and they'll picture trees turning shades of red, orange, and yellow. Here at the Haven, on the other hand, we think about all the plants that will bloom until frost. These provide honey bees with critical late-season honey-making resources; other bees and butterflies use these late bloomers as well.
I wrote about fall planting a few weeks ago. Here are some recent photos from the garden showing our version of "fall color."
Asters
Although they still go by the common name of aster, the New World plants in this group are now in the genus Symphyotrichum. Here's one of the largest, Symphyotrichum 'Bill's Big Blue' with many honey bees working its flowers. 'Bill' is a big guy, so be sure to give him plenty of room to spread and sprawl.
Ceanothus
Sunflowers
Zinnias
Pretty, easy-to-grow, and great for bees. What more could you want in a flower? We sow zinnia seeds directly into the garden. Do this in May for summer bloom and again in August for blooms that will go until frost.