National Pollinator Week is an annual celebration since 2010 in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership. This year National Pollinator Week festivities will take place across the country June 19 – 25, 2023 and in celebration, this week on Cultivating Place we look closely at one particular group of our native pollinators the charismatic bumble bees, the more than 250 species in the genus Bombus.
Our guest this week, Leif Richardson, is an Endangered Species Conservation Biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, coordinating the community science efforts behind the newest of the society’s north American Bumble Bee Atlases - this time in California. There are currently 8 Bumble Bee Atlas Projects with 3 more underway and overseen by a variety of scientific organization across North America.
Among other things, During our conversation, Leif shares more of the dangers involves and some small progress in more research being done as to combinations of pesticides on our bumble bee populations. But forewarning, these are painful truths in our world – truths we as gardeners can have a say in. All together, the work of these projects and their organizing groups help us all to better understand the status of the close to 50 North American bumble bees in order to make better land management and environmental regulation decisions for the ensured well-being of these critically important keystone species pollinators into the future.
If you’re in the Northern California listening region, mark your calendars for the mid-July opening of an in-depth and beautiful exhibit entitled Bombus: The Natural History of Bumble Bees. At Gateway Science Museum on the campus of California State University, Chico, this new exhibition interweaves current scientific research on the North American population of bumble bees, as well as over a decade of study, observations and spectacular photography by plantsman and California Bumble Bee Atlas participant John Whittlesey. Through his deeply studied lens, you will never see a bumble bee again without a deepened love and appreciation.
Listen in this week and join us in person this summer!
Photos as noted by Jennifer Jewell, Atlas training equipment and bumble bee on phacelia courtesy of Leif Richardson, and queen native bumble bee on lupine courtesy of John Whittlesey. All rights reserved.
HERE IS THIS WEEK'S TRANSCRIPT by Doulos Transcription Service:
You can follow the Bumble Bee Atlas projects, the California Bumble Bee Atlas:
specifically, and the Xerces Society work on-line:
And on Instagram:
Photos as noted by Jennifer Jewell at a California Bumble Bee Atlas Training held at John Whittlesey's Canyon Creek gardens earlier this year; equipment and bumble bee on phacelia courtesy of Leif Richardson, and native bumble bees courtesy of John Whittlesey. All rights reserved.
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JOIN US again next week, when we prepare for the fullness of the Summer Solstice in conversation once again with Day Schildkret the human behind Morning Altars, impermanent earth art bringing together nature, art, and ritual. Sounds like gardening to me. Listen in!
Speaking of Plants and Place back next week!
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Recently, the Conservancy announced its generous gift of $93,000 to Bard College for construction drawings that will be used for the vital rehabilitation of Blithewood Garden, an extraordinary early 20th-century formal Italianate walled garden looking over the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.
The project aims to repair and enhance the garden's historic features, which have been hard hit by the passage of time and continue the historic use of this site as an architectural pleasure garden. Learn more about the Garden Conservancy’s preservation efforts at garden conservancy dot org slash preservation.
Thinking out loud this week:
I want to share a story of great happiness to me – a story of the power of just one gardener’s voice and the connections across time and space that we garden folk weave and grow – just last week Dr. Emily Bretl of the Marram Collaborative a Michigan-based ecological landscape group working with schools, organizations, and families to co-create transformative educational experiences at the intersection of artistry, ecology, and sustainability. They nuture open-hearted connection, meaningful communication, and artful collaboration as a means to make real change happen in our schools, businesses, and communities. Dr. Bretl wrote to me saying this: Had to let you know that I just had an initial conversation with Pat Reynolds of Heritage Growers Native seed in Northern California about starting a seed amplification project at the Ecological Field Station that I run. I only heard of his work through your show, so thank you. He was so kind, and generous with sharing his expertise – not time to get my head to sort through and organize the details to put a plan in place.” Now that is good seeding, great amplifying, and my deepest greatest hope of this work of Cultivating Place. Because together we really do grow the world and ourselves better.
On another note of togetherness, which often requires an invitation, last week we talked about who is invited to visit our gardens and this week – I am so happy to say John and I have seen three of our regional bumble bees in my town garden, and all five of the species that nest in and near his canyon garden. You can hear them before you see them, and you can spend a good part of any morning just listening and watching as they gather – they are so intent, so methodical, so diligent – so magical.
May all of our gardens be habitats that welcome and support these magnificent creatures co-evolved with the miraculous plants of our places.
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Cultivating Place is a co-production of North State Public Radio, a service of Cap Radio, licensed to Chico State Enterprises. Cultivating place is made possible in part listeners just like you through the support button at the top right-hand corner of every page at Cultivating Place.com.
The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, and this summer we're joined by communications intern Sheila Stern. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse, accompanied by Joe Craven and Sam Bevan.
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