HI Everyone!
Here in California, Spring is well on its way! I know many of you in the Northeast and Southeast have had tough winters. I hope you'll recuperate by joining us again and helping conserve pollinators like this lovely Andrena cerasifolia photographed by Hartmut Wisch.
We have three great programs this year. Join one or all! 
- Our newest program, the Great Pollinator Habitat Challenge. This will help you get your garden started for spring.
- Our Safe Gardens for Pollinators program . This program is designed to help identify the effects of pesticides on pollinators. This is our classic Great Sunflower Project
- Our Pollinator Friendly Plants program. Here is where you can help to identify the critical plants that support pollinators and regions where they thrive. You can get started now by doing short counts at any of the plants you encounter which will let you (and us) know which of the plants in your yard or favorite garden or park attract the most pollinators.
We also want to give a shout out to our friends who developed the Wild Bee Gardens app and friends at the Center for Food Safety who are sponsoring a national photography contest.
The contest is designed to raise awareness about the dazzling diversity of North America's native bees, and to engage residents from coast to coast in the vital and rewarding business of creating a continental tapestry of wild bee gardens. The winning photographs will be featured in the Wild Bee Gardens app, be promoted on the Center for Food Safety’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages and get both a free copy of the app and some pollinator swag. The deadline to submit photos is April 17th – so get bee-zy, and send them your best native bee photos! To upload your photos and to learn more about the contest, including submission guidelines and selection criteria, visit: http://centerforfoodsafety-wildbees.tumblr.com
As always, thanks for participating!