Pollination And Bees

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Common eastern bumble bee worker on a white staminate (having stamens but no petals) plant
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Queen bumble bees survive in flooded nests. How do they do that?

April 4, 2026
By Keyt Fischer
Have you ever wondered how queen bumblebees survive winter? Many queen bumble bees living in temperate climates spend the winter in underground nests and remain buried in a hibernation-like state called diapause. During diapause, the quiescent queen’s metabolism slows; in common eastern bumblebee queens, it…
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Bee visiting flowers on manzanita Laura Kling
The Real Dirt: Article

Pollinator Plants in the Home Garden

March 3, 2026
When you add new flowering plants to your garden this year, be sure to keep pollinators in mind. Planting for pollinators is a colorful way to attract bees, butterflies, birds, and insects to your garden while increasing the productivity of many edible plants. 
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California wild rose in the Wildlife Habitat Garden at the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch. Brent McGhie
The Real Dirt: Article

Naturescaping

July 22, 2025
Imagine a garden designed to focus on creating natural wildlife habitat. Why not eliminate turf grass from your own garden and replace it with trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals that benefit wildlife? Welcome to Naturescaping, a method of landscaping that allows people and nature to coexist. By growing…
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Morrison’s Bumble bee in a Chico garden. Michelle Graydon

National Pollinator Week

June 17, 2025
In 2007, the United States Senate unanimously approved a resolution designating a week in June as "National Pollinator Week" (this year it is June 23-29, 2025). In response to the alarm raised by an annual increase in commercial honey bee deaths in the US, the government and researchers began addressing the…
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Rufous hummingbird. William Kees

The Hummingbird – A Gem of the Americas

June 3, 2025
A true treasure of the Americas, hummingbirds are a diverse family of more than 340 species, only 17 of which are found north of Mexico. They are also keystone mutualists, nectar feeders that have coevolved with the indigenous plants they pollinate.
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Wildlife

Learn how to manage animal pests and how to attract wildlife (birds, pollinators, and more).
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ceanothus
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Pruning Tips: Native Plants & Trees

Monthly Care | Plant Care | Fertilizing | Pruning | Propagating | Planting | Tools | Garden Sanitation | Health & Safety in the Garden     Browse through a list of pruning information for the most common California native plants and trees!
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UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County: Page

Soldiers in Our Gardens

Learn how to identify, manage and attract beneficial insects, including soldier beetles. Protect the good insects that feed on the pests and pollinate plants.
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