Help Pages
How do I request seeds if I've already joined? Click here Be sure to add a name for mailing and double check your address. Last year, we had a lot of envelopes returned.
What do I do if my account still says seeds not requested? Click here to request seeds
How do I re-set my password? Please use the password reset page. Enter your username or email address on that page and you will be emailed instructions how to give yourself a new password. Type your email very carefully when you first register. Any misspelling and you will not receive important information, including your password. Once you enter your name or email, the system will send you an email with a temporary password and instructions. Typically this email is sent within minutes. You should have to wait no longer than half an hour to receive it. If you don't get it, first check your spam inbox - sometimes your email program sorts it into spam!
Privacy. Our statement on privacy can be found at privacy.
Can I grow any sunflower and participate? No. Please use the annual variety called Lemon Queen. Each sunflower has it's own characteristics. There are actually quite a few sunflowers out there that don't even produce pollen (the main reason bees visit). To make sure that we are always comparing the same things, please use the variety that we have chosen, the annual Lemon Queen sunflower. We'll send you seeds or you can buy them at Renee's Garden or other places that have Lemon Queen!
Answers to some frequently asked biology questions are here.
If you still have questions, be sure to try our forums.
Comments
This was very informative.
This was very informative. Though I have a question: is there a species of bees that is orange and has black wings, or is that some other kind of insect? I have seen a few of these flying around my house. Thank you in advance. By the way, don't you think that bees are very much like people who are coming out of addiction treatment centers? I think so because they are so lively and productive. I really like bees.
This page is very helpful to
This page is very helpful to find anything . Thank you very much for creating this great help page. fetal doppler
planting schedule
Suzanne Engelder
I just joined! I live in Southern California. If I can locate Lemon Queen seeds can I plant now or do I need to wait until 2010?
When to plant with a class
I want to start the Great Sunflower project with my elementary school students in the Central Coast of California. Can we plant the sunflowers now at the beginning of the school year and get any results? We have been able to plant sunflower seeds that have bloomed and in February and March. Would this be worth it for the data? Are the bees around then? How do other teachers do this with the school year schedule? Thanks.
While during my observations
While during my observations there were a few bees (mostly 'sweat bees' less than 1 cm in size) visiting the flowers, the sunflowers were not nearly as popular with honey bees and bumble bees as the neighboring cluster of spire anise.Buy Thesis | Buy Essay
Where are they? Some are
Where are they? Some are here, however not very many. Flowers are still growing in the garden, I do see some bees getting pollen, but not very many.Dissertations | GCSE Coursework | Assignments
I summited data but it doesn't seem to have recorded
I have summited data twice and it doesn't appear on my account. Is it suppose to show on my account or is this just something that goes to a record. I have enjoyed this project and the bees are still buzzing but the goldfinch have had one too many lunches and the seed is nearly gone.
forms for observations
I joined last year and seeds never sprouted , I got new seeds this year and seemed late but I planted them, they are blooming now & I cannot remember instructions on how to gather data on them. My email address has changed since I joined so I may have just missed these. Thanks for any help .I have corrected my email address.
End of project
On returning from an absence the last 2 weeks of July, I found my 7 blooming plants were bent over double and the flowers were rotting rather than seeding. I tore them out of the ground about Aug. 3 or 4. I suspect that this variety should be planted in Florida in late February rather than late April as it succumbed to the high heat and rain of our summers. While during my observations there were a few bees (mostly 'sweat bees' less than 1 cm in size) visiting the flowers, the sunflowers were not nearly as popular with honey bees and bumble bees as the neighboring cluster of spire anise.
Saarinen, Gainesville, Florida
Not Able to Complete Project
I am not able to complete the project; we are moving tomorrow and the flowers are just beginning to bloom.
Lots of bees, no butterflies!!!
I always have lots of bees in my garden and this year is no exception. But where are all the butterflies? I've only seen one so far!
Butterflies
They are probably all at my house! I live in Northern Utah and I have seen more butterflies in my backyard than I have ever seen since moving in which was 5 years ago. I have a couple Swallow Tails and lots of cabbage butterflies. That is sad that you haven't seen any in your area this year!
Not many bees around here
In the past years, their have been many many bees, these last years I have noticed a rapid decline in our bees. Where are they? Some are here, however not very many. Flowers are still growing in the garden, I do see some bees getting pollen, but not very many.
Saving Seed
If I have no other sunflowers in my garden can I save the seed and use it for next year? There are also no sunflowers in the immediate area.
seeds
I have the same question, but there are other varieties of sunflowers in my garden. Can I use the seeds from the project sunflowers next year?
Observations on Multiple Flowers
I am having similar problems to Pamela's re: the logic the program uses on observations of multiple bees on multiple flowers. They (the bees) don't follow a strict chronological progression. I've tried tricking the system out to accept my observations, but it won't, so I'll just simplify my observations. But if we're looking for an accurate picture of bee activities, I can't provide it. Thanks.
didn't get sunflower seeds in ground at all but...
I didn't get the sunflower seeds in the ground in time. I have sage, thyme and oregano. The bees are nuts about them, passing up roses for them. These herbs are said to have medicinal value to humans... could they be helping the bees? I just took photos, (at between 1:15 and 1:23 pm est), showing how many bees are on the sage and oregano, (the thyme has stopped blooming). Since this surrounds my front door, my daughter & her boyfriend have just learned to live with walking through the swarm.
the rhythm of the waves is her pulse the wind her breath
Rescue bees on the ground with honey
Has anyone else tried to rescue a "walking" bee?? We see some on the ground that seem to be out of energy to fly. We then get a drop of honey on a toothpick and give it to them. They like it..!! They eat it and then fly away! We call it our "Bee Rescue" !! This is what got me really interested in the bees about a year ago....I'd see dead ones on the ground and wanted to know what was happening to them. I LOVE these SUNFLOWERS !!!!
hives
We live in Park City, UT. 7000 ft. Long, cold winters. Could I have a small hive in our backyard in a neighborhood with houses on one side and back. We each have about 1/3 acre lots? I will be looking forward to my seeds in the spring.
Thanks, Dixie
One plant or one flower?
During the 15 minutes that I am observing, do I record the bees that visit one particular blossom or do I observe the entire plant and record any bee that visits any flower on the plant?
Birds eating the heck out the Sunflower leaves
I have a small plot with 13 sunflower plants that the bees love but so do these little yellow birds (finches?). They are dessimating the plants eating (or just tearing) the leaves! I didn't know birds ate leaves? Or perhaps they're making a nest with the shredded leaves.
Love birds but the plants won't survive if they keep going at this rate! HELP!
re:birds eating seeds
Those birds are goldfinch and they love the little seeds. They will have it cleaned in one setting if you don't scare them. I usually let them eat all they want because I love the sound these bright birds make. Not sure how to keep the birds off and let the bees work.
Bird food
I also have little goldfinches that eat the leaves. I'm hoping they don't harm the plants; there are tons of blossoms and I enjoy watching the birds, too. They can sit on the leaves and the stems don't even bend. These and other birds are eating ripe seeds from sunflowers that bloomed earlier.
planting
It is too late in the season for me to plant sunflowers this year, but I look forward to starting next year!
Leap and the net will appear
plant identification
I have a great many volunteer sunflower plants in my yard and even though I know where I planted this years seeds I am not certain of the plants now in flower since some of those in flower are in the location of last years plantings.
What are some of the identifying characteristics?
"Our" sunflower Lemon queen ANNUAL
bpolt
"Our" flowers have a dark center; the perennial variety has a lighter center.
Each plant has many flowers on stems that branch out from the main stem. The stems are rough and the leaves are coarse, but this may be true of many or all varieties.
I found some Helianthus Annuus photos at these sites:
http://www.outsidepride.com/catalog/Sunflower-Lemon-Queen-Flower-Seed-p-...
“Our” flowers at top of page; some other sunflowers at bottom. Click on “wild” sunflower to enlarge the small picture and you will see that it is the same as “ours”---Helianthus Annuus
http://www.yankeegardener.com/seeds/hartseed21.html
Scroll down for pictures of many types of sunflowers, including “Lemon Queen”. (Click for larger image.)
Linked from Great Sunflower Project site:
http://see.tzo.com:81/2009/2009-07-03%20Yard/100_5677.jpg.htm
dificulty entering multple flower data
I too could not enter data on multiple flowers w/out getting error message. It seems that the computer does comprehend that the second flower times might be iontermediate to some of the first flower times so it reads them as out of order.
multiple flower
bpolt
See reply to Gretchen, 7/24, below
Data Entry Problem for Second Flower
There seems to be a problem when I try to enter data for a second flower. I'm getting an error message: "Double check the times for each bee and make sure they are in order. For example, if a bee was seen at 1 minutes you should list it before the bee at 8 minutes." I started observing at 12:00. For the first flower, the 5th bee arrived at 12:08. For the second flower (that I also started observing at 12:00), the first bee arrived at 12:01. The system doesn't appear willing to accept any data for the second flower that is earlier than data for the first.
I'll delete the second set of data, so I can submit the first, but wanted to see if you could fix this error.
let me check in with Dave - our guru
Pamela,
I'm going to have Dave Cohen, our website manager get in touch.
Gretchen
multiple flowers
bpolt
Were not the instructions to observe one PLANT, not one FLOWER, until 5 bees had come??
Photos of bees
I took pictures of bees in my flowers. How do we send them to you?
email is easiest
We're having a bit of trouble programming the uploading feature. So, feel free to email them to me at sfbee@sfsu.edu or I've set up a group on flickr. If you do put them on flickr, be sure tag them with your user name so, I can relate them to your data!
which ones are the right ones
I have lots of sunflowers that came up and my problem is, I've forgotten where I planted the ones for this study. Are there any photos of them, so I can start recording?
Iding the flowers we plant.....
After reading these helpful posts I am going to be sure I put an ID tag and little stake on each Lemon Queen that I plant! I never would have thought of other sunflowers coming up around there too! So, Thanks for posting your "hitches", it sure helps the rest of us who are new to this!
cattledogcabin
?
Does anyone ever get a reply?
Yep.
I'm trying my best to keep up.
Gretchen
Photos
In an early mailing, you said you would be sending instructions for photographing the bees, but I haven't received anything, nor can I find any info on the website. Can you help?
Self seeded sunflowers
I would just like to thank you and let you know that the sunflowers from last year unexpectedly self-seeded and came up beautifully this year. About 8 plants sprouted nice and early before the groundhogs got to them. Thanks so much, my data is on its way! I just posted pics on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2593733&id=683821719#/photo.php?pi...
Maybe someone can tell me if these are bees & if so, what kind?
Thanks!
Theresa Lam
Flower flies
Hi Theresa,
Those are some gorgeous flower flies. They mimic bumble bees and can be hard to tell apart. You can see in your pictures that their wings are held spread rather than over their back and they have huge eyes. It's harder to tell but, they each only have one wing on a side.
neat!
Update
Our spring here in central Minnesota has been very cool to say the least. On 5/11 I finally planted the 11 seeds I received, thank you. On 5/30 eight of the eleven seeds sprouted. Not only has it been cold, but also the month of May was very dry, so I have watered the garden. I also have a rabbit problem and they unfortunately like sunflowers. Out of the eight sprouts, I ended up with six plants and it looks promising that they will grow to maturity. I am still having to supplement water. I have been noticing several bees in the yard, so I am looking forward to the sunflowers blooming and getting started with sampling. I do have coneflowers and rosemary in my herb/flower bed.
Cool Project
I have never grown sunflowers before. I am amazed at how fast they grow and how tall they are. My children think they are "giant plants". I just wanted everyone to know that I think this is a great project and I look forward to planting next year. I would love to plant 12-15 flowers next year. Our flowers are planted in pots. They are sort of "spindly". I'm wondering if this is normal and if not, any suggestions on how to stake up a 8' plant? Thanks again. We're having a great time. Leslie
Bunnies
My plants grew and each had 2-4 leaves on them. Then the bunnies found them and made them a tasty snack. They chewed them to about an inch tall. Any suggestions on how to protect the plants the natural way? I may buy and plant more seeds in hopes of still participating in the study. If not I will choose higher ground next year.
bunnies eating plants
I have just joined the group......I have a number of ground squirrels, & they love my plants. I used chicken wire, made rounds & put over plant, either on ground or in a pot......works. Maybe it will help with the sunflowers........hear with your heart, see with your mind. Have a GREAT DAY..... linnie
Crushed Seeds
My seeds arrived crushed but I planted them anyway, hoping something would come up but nothing has. I'll look forward to trying again next year.
crushed seed
I also received mostly crushed seeds-had five that sprouted.
Is it too late to plant seeds?
It took 10 (ten) weeks to receive our seeds.
Is it too late to plant the seeds, considering we live in Southeast Texas?
getting answers to questions
bpolt
I have had trouble navigating the site, but I find we may get more help going to FORUMS, and from there to the "I need some help" subject, where there are sometimes some answers from Gretchen Lebuhn.
I, too, have just received seeds. I hope it's not too late; am going to give them a try. (I do see that no more are being distributed this year, so either planting time is running out or the researcher has reached maximum funding, mailing, counting or other limits.)
Beverley in Oakland, CA
a little bit of both
Since it takes about 8 weeks for the sunflowers to flower, planting in July means that you miss most of the bee fauna. So, between that and running out of money, we stop sending seeds out June 15
bees
There is a tree in my neigbors yard looks like a giant fern with pink flowers every spring and summer it is covered with what looks like bees I mean hundreds of them. Tried to take a picture of them but you couldn't see the bees. Could you give some sugestions on how to get a good clear picture so could identify the subject?