Bee Buzz - Plantings for a Healthy Home
When I attended a webinar on solar panels I got excited about the possibilities for people in cities, and me here in San Francisco. Those of us living in the city can learn from the example set by solar panel sites to create habitat for pollinator friendly native plants. We are part of the eco-system and we can make positive contributions to it, even in the city, especially in the city.
Solar panel sites are creating pollinator friendly habitat
Honey bees are mostly domesticated and are in peril. However, there are things we can do. Wild bees and other friendly pollinators can be encouraged to provide pollination to supplement the work of honey bees. Today solar panel sites are being converted from dead cement to turf grass by planting habitat for pollinator friendly native plants with surprising benefits.
Businesses help local farms and lakes, streams and estuaries by encouraging solar site designs planted with native flowering plants. The development of new "pollinator-friendly" solar approaches bring with them potential agricultural, economic and environmental benefits. GreenBiz: The Business Case for Pollinator-Friendly Solar Sites.
Why would we want to plant pollinators?
Pollinators are responsible for one out of three bites of food we eat! Pollinators—butterflies, bees, and moths—also help repopulate plants and add diversity to the environment, making an ecosystem more resilient. Unfortunately, pollinators are in decline. Gardeners are crucial to helping reverse this trend. The simple action of sowing seeds is powerful. Sowing the right seeds can create habitats to protect and feed pollinators, strengthening their population.
What we can do living in the city - plant plants and shop local
Plant wild flowers in our decks, back yard gardens and sidewalk areas
Grow flowers, herbs and vegetables
As much as possible, purchase fruits and vegetables grown locally and organically
Plant trees to create habitat. This article "4 Important Things to Consider When Designing Streets For People, Not Just Cars.” tells us that beautiful streets mostly have one thing in common: beautiful trees. Large, healthy, mature trees can make for amazingly lovable streets
Additional benefit - the joy of plants!
I planted seeds from mixed wildflowers envelope last summer on my deck and I’ve been enjoying them ever since. First of all, I got to watch them sprout, checking the pot every day, making sure it was moist. And then after a week or so little itty-bitty tiny green sprouts appeared. So exciting! Several plants grew to maturity and flowered — a total delight. Now, in the winter, one survived - Bachelor’s Button with little blue flowers and still more are blooming even now when it’s so cold out.
Additional resources
Why bees are disappearing? - 15-minute TED Talk