Dear All,
I've started counting here in California and I am getting low counts in my gardens.. I see bees, especially honeybees, in the bee gardens on campus where there are hives, but out in my yard which relies primarily on wild bees, nada! It's made me wonder whether the past 4 years of drought have had an effect. Even my lovely blanket flowers (GaillardIa) and Ceanothus are not hopping. With the 4th year of drought in the west and the crazy winter in the rest of the country, data from this year is really important.
I also wanted to let you know that we have set up a pinterest board for our Great Habitat Challenge. If you've already surveyed your garden and are starting to add some bee-friendly features, Share photos of what you've done there. If any of you are Pinterest experts, we'd love some help. This is my first foray (and I must say it is too much fun)!!
Bee well,
Gretchen