#Pollinators
a separate study from the one posted below shows that bees can't taste pesticides even when they're at lethal levels:
https://www.earth.com/news/hidden-danger-bees-cant-taste-lethal-pesticides-in-nectar/
From: @proseandpassion
https://mastodon.social/@proseandpassion/111505930689009707
30-Nov-2023
Commonly used #pesticides are still harming #bees
A new study has confirmed that pesticides, commonly used in farmland, significantly harm #bumblebees. Data from 106 sites across 8 European countries show that despite tightened pesticide regulations, more needs to be done
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1009652 #science #ecology #environment #pollinators
paper is on open access: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06773-3
If you don't know about neonic-treated crop seeds, I recommend this book, Restoring Eden by my friend Elizabeth Hilborn, whose farm and its wildlife, from insects to tadpoles, were poisoned by accidental contamination from a neighbor's pesticide-treated corn seed.
#bookstodon #books #conservation #neonics #farming #crops #pesticides #wildlife #insects #amphibians #birds #pollinators
EPA is seeking comments on whether to regulate neonic-treated seeds as pesticides. Please comment! This is an extremely important issue. Most crop seeds, especially corn, are treated with these pesticides, harmful to wildlife and humans.
#neonics #epa #pesticides #crops #Environment #ecosystems #birds #amphibians #pollinators #insects
https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0420-0001
Before rushing off for a very busy fun time last weekend, we managed to plant out a few more Australian natives.
#NativePlants #Wildlife #Pollinators #BloomScrolling #Gardening #NSW #Australia
![Lemon Myrtle [Backhousia citriodora]
One of the most popular Australian native herbs, Lemon Myrtle’s tangy leaves can be used in teas, syrups, glazes, cakes, biscuits, dressings, sauces, ice creams, dips and any protein dish. As a dried and crushed herb, it takes fresh seafood to the next level. This subtropical rainforest tree also attracts bees & insects. The essential oil distilled from its refreshing lemony scented leaves has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
From the centre of a clump of elongated glossy green oval leaves, a cluster of white fluffy flowers with pale yellow centres presents itself like a bouquet.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/669/394/820/small/e023732a8b95f4c2.jpg)
![Native Daisy [Brachyscome multifida ‘Mauve Mystery’]
This easy-care Australian native daisy is grown for its dainty green foliage and masses of mauve and white flowers produced throughout the year. It’s also tough enough to withstand children’s play areas. Whether grown as a clumping perennial or ground cover, its flowers attract pollinators, especially butterflies.
A pale golden butterfly rests on the petals of a pastel mauve daisy, seen in a group of other mauve and white daisies with bright yellow centres amongst soft green foliage.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/770/161/645/small/06866abc4d3c06c4.jpg)
![Bower Vine [Bignoniaceae - Pandorea jasminoides]
A subtropical Australian native evergreen climbing shrub (a distant relation to Jacaranda) with beautiful bell-shaped blossoms gathered in bunches. They range in colour from white (‘Lady Di’) to pale rosy pink with a flower throat in deep cerise pink. A hardy, vigorous growing perennial vine in coastal environments, but avoid planting above pipes due to its penetrating root system. We are growing it in a large tub.
This plant attracts bees and other pollinators, while its fruits open to release many seeds. Thus, it’s named after ‘Pandora’, which for us means seeds of hope, rather than the conventional connotations of Ancient History.
A cluster of soft white trumpet-shaped flowers with deep pink throats seen against a leafy green background.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/907/722/293/small/e964c0654d5b5c29.jpeg)
![Scented Gum [Eucalyptus olivacea - Summer Scentsation]
A hardy compact flowering gum tree with silver-grey foliage and fluffy yellow flowers, which produces a spectacular summer display from Christmas to early autumn. Their blossoms are rich in nectar and together with their alluring fragrance, attract native wildlife, including wild birds and pollinators. The flowers are also useful as a long-lasting cut flower for the home.
Large frothy yellow flowers peak out from between grey-green eucalyptus leaves like pom-poms.](https://assets.toot.cafe/cache/media_attachments/files/111/524/727/991/205/561/small/7512a97d51d59ae2.jpg)
You won! 👍 I just invited my interview guests: a Cactus from the Ecuadorian Andes and Geoffrey's tailless bat. It's still not sure if a certain pitcher plant from Borneo will join us. The technical setup will be incredibly complex, but no effort is too much for me. You will be able to follow the conversation thanks to my micro macro amplifier. I have certain tricks to make the conversation between Cactus and Bat audible. Secret: We'll have bat tequila.🤫 #NatureMatchCuts #podcast #pollinators
RT by @EU_ENV: #DYK who are pollinators? 🐝
Pollinators are an important part of the ecosystem, they move pollen within them or carry it from one flower to another. 🌱🌸
To learn more ⬇️ #Biodiversity #Pollinators #ForNature @EU_ENV @eu @un
🐦🔗: https://nitter.cz/UNBiodiversity/status/1728911517121433968#m
[2023-11-26 23:00 UTC]
Last week I encountered a honeybee in this big red mallow flower.
They still thought it was summer because there hadn’t been much frost up until the last couple of days.
#flower #blooms #blossoms #BloomScrollin #Napa #California.#pollinators #honeybees #bees #SilentSunday
1/N GIDDY TO SHARE THAT - THANKS TO ARDENT INATURALIST IDENTIFIERS - I AM NOW UP TO 65 - SIXTY-FIVE! - BEE SPECIES IN MY GARDEN. THIS, IN THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF BROOKLYN, NYC, ON LESS THAN 2,500 FT² / 232 M² / .057 ACRES.HTTPS://WWW.INATURALIST.ORG/OBSERVATIONS?PLACE_ID=125348&TAXON_ID=630955&USER_ID=XRIS&VERIFIABLE=ANY&VIEW=SPECIESCC: #BEES #INATURALIST #NATURALIST #URBANNATURE #URBANNATURALIST #URBANGARDENING #HABITATGARDENING #GARDENECOLOGY #ECOLOGY #INSECTS #POLLINATORS @xris
2/N THIS SCREENSHOT LISTS ALL 65 SPECIES. SOME SUMMARY MEASURES AND METRICS:* 65 IS 30% OF THE ESTIMATED 217 BEE SPECIES BELIEVED TO BE PRESENT IN NYC.* 24 ARE KNOWN FROM ONLY A SINGLE OBSERVATION.* 37 HAVE FEWER THAN 5 OBSERVATIONS.* 9 ARE KLEPTOPARASITES, AKA BROOD PARASITES OR CUCKOO SPECIES.* 8 ARE INTRODUCED SPECIES.CC: #BEES #INATURALIST #NATURALIST #URBANNATURE #URBANNATURALIST #URBANGARDENING #HABITATGARDENING #GARDENECOLOGY #ECOLOGY #INSECTS #POLLINATORS @xris
2/n This screenshot lists all 65 species. Some summary measures and metrics:
* 65 is 30% of the estimated 217 bee species believed to be present in NYC.
* 24 are known from only a single observation.
* 37 have fewer than 5 observations.
* 9 are kleptoparasites, aka brood parasites or cuckoo species.
* 8 are introduced species.
cc: @darwin
#Bees #iNaturalist #Naturalist #UrbanNature #UrbanNaturalist #UrbanGardening #HabitatGardening #GardenEcology #Ecology #Insects #Pollinators
1/n Giddy to share that - thanks to ardent iNaturalist identifiers - I am now up to 65 - SIXTY-FIVE! - bee species in my garden. This, in the geographic center of Brooklyn, NYC, on less than 2,500 ft² / 232 m² / .057 acres.
cc: @darwin
#Bees #iNaturalist #Naturalist #UrbanNature #UrbanNaturalist #UrbanGardening #HabitatGardening #GardenEcology #Ecology #Insects #Pollinators
"#Insect-pollinated plants react more strongly to a warming climate than self-pollinating plants, and flowers with earlier bloom times are more sensitive than species that bloom later in the season.
In some cases, co-dependent species both emerge earlier and continue the relationship needed for their mutual survival — a process scientists refer to as a “linear advancement.” While some studies suggest that #pollinators might be robust enough to withstand climate disruptions, a growing body of research illustrates just the opposite. Scientists cite global warming as “one of the biggest anthropogenic disturbance factors imposed on #ecosystems." #climate https://therevelator.org/climate-change-protecting-pollinators/
Tell Kroger to stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides and help save pollinators! #environment #food #pollinators #pesticides https://action.foe.org/page/59935/action/1
The Front Garden last week.
https://flic.kr/p/2pg3mHM
#Gardening #NativePlants #HabitatGardening #HabitatGardens #UrbanGardening #UrbanGardens #Pollinators
A bumblebee happily gorging on nectar on a red-flowered echium in a nearby garden. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out...
Vertical pic
#MacroPhotography #Bumblebee #Bee #Nature #NaturePhotography #Insects #Pollinators
Since Stormbird and others (Maestro Tree Frog and progeny) have been calling out for rain in the evenings, we took the opportunity to plant out some buddleia plants (butterfly bush), two different types of ginger (native and edible), and some palm trees - to help fill in a pocket of rainforest canopy and provide food for insects and birds.
During late winter, masses of bees and native parrots feed on local palm blossoms (and later fruit) when little else is in flower. And in the long term, cool shade will be at a premium for all living things during the hot summers ahead.
#Pollinators #Parrots #ForestGardening #NSW #Shade #Bees #Gardening #Climate #Australia
16-Nov-2023
New study reveals that bees cannot taste even lethal levels of pesticides
New research from the University of #Oxford has revealed that #bumblebees cannot taste #pesticides present in nectar, even at lethal concentrations. This means bumblebees are not able to avoid contaminated nectar, putting them at high risk of pesticide expos
Some of you may be aware that Dr. Sheila Colla, of York University, one of the foremost bumble bee researchers in Canada and North America, has recently been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of thoracic cancer. She is already feeling ill as she awaits treatment.
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help her: https://www.gofundme.com/.../support-sheila-colla-through....
Please direct questions to:
Victoria MacPhail, PhD (she/her)
Pollination Biologist and Ecologist
vmacphail@gmail.com
Today I'm checking the second proofs of my new book "Birds & Flowers: An Intimate 50 Million Year Relationship" and I thought I'd share this short piece from Chapter 3.
It's a point worth remembering, even if you're a scientist with no interest in #birds or #botany or #pollinators or #biodiversity or #ecology - we've all been here!
A very interesting morning at the event to mark the ending of the EIP protecting farmland pollinators project. For a small project, only 40 farms, we had a good turn out with 2 junior ministers from DAFM and several dept officials present ( one minister was a participant in the project on his own home farm). It was a good project, while the knowledge gained will undoubtedly be used on the official side its a pity there is no pathway to continue the farm side. #bee #entomology #pollinators
There’s so much good science and so many great talks coming out of the (broad) field of pollinator and pollination research at the moment! Here’s a few things that have come up on my radar. Feel free to comment and add your own examples of things I may have missed: https://jeffollerton.co.uk/2023/11/13/recent-research-and-seminars-on-pollinators-and-pollination-that-have-caught-my-eye/
Bees on Milkweed
These cold and bleak fall days our wild and honey bees are nowhere to be seen, so it’s lovely to look back on the halcyon summer days when this scene was so common. Who would have thought milkweed flowers were so lovely? Have a lovely day, friends. This was taken with my 180mm macro lens. Have a good day, friends.
See the post here:
https://stevenkennard.com/blog/archives/9253
#bees #Bloomscrolling #floralfriday #Flower #Flowers #Insects #macro #Pollinators #SilentSunday #StevenKPosts
Coreopsis and a pollinator.
This bush is still blooming near downtown Napa. On one of the flowers is a pollinating fly that is disguised as a honeybee.
#fall #autumn #flowers #blooms #blossoms #pollinators #Napa #California
"The latest study estimates that 24% of #invertebrates are at risk of #extinction – they are the ones that do the most #pollination.
Crops that provide most of our vitamins and minerals, such as #fruits, vegetables & nuts, depend on #pollinators and organisms in the #soil that keep it fertile. An estimated 75% of #food crops rely on pollinators to some degree."
#insects #permaculture
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/nov/10/food-soil-water-how-the-extinction-of-insects-would-transform-our-planet?CMP=share_btn_tw
Planting for #pollinators under solar panels is a great idea. Just remember to keep maintenance in the plan. #bees
https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/11/06/pollinator-friendly-solar-massachusetts
Bee nice to Pollinators!
#Bees #Pollinators #Flowers #RoadsideFlowers #NaturePhotography #Iowa
"#Trees are an important, stable source of food for #bees and other #pollinators providing thousands of flower heads all in one place. Love trees and bees? Here you'll find five lists of trees for bees 1. Trees for Bees that also provide fruit or nuts 2. Nitrogen Fixing Trees for Bees 3. Ornamental Trees for Bees 4. Master list including all of the above in alphabetical order (including USDA hardiness for each species) 5. Master list including all of the above in order that trees flower." https://balkanecologyproject.blogspot.com/2017/02/trees-for-bees.html #permaculture
Who goes to the zoo and takes pictures of flowers? 🙋♂️ Only after getting home and sorting the pictures did I notice the pollinators buzzily working these blooms were mostly wasps, not bees. Searching online revealed wasps are as critical pollinators as bees are. TIL.
🌸 🐝 Our newest team member is Henning Nottebrock, a plant ecologist fascinated by pollination @unifreiburg #NatureScientistsUFR. His research focuses on demographic processes of #plant communities mediated by #pollinators in natural & agricultural ecosystems🌽 🌳 🚜
https://www.nature.uni-freiburg.de/team/Henning%20Nottebrock
Very few insects left this time of year around these parts but I've seen several clouded sulphurs like this one I came across across last Thursday (one of two that day).
(11/02/23)
#butterfly #butterflies #pollinators #flowers #FlowerPhotography #insects #InsectPhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #macro #MacroPhotography #MastoArt #photography #AltText
"...a product of my life's work, from day one in 1977 until today."
The rich history and semantics of _Afrotropical Bees_ from Connal Eardley, Willem Coetzer, Joseph Monks and collaborators is now in @TaxonWorks, may it see another half decade of curation! More news as the project settles in.
Do you have a life's work in a taxonomy-based knowledge-base, and collaborators looking to extend it? The Species File Group (https://speciesfilegroup.org) is interested.
A bit late for #FlyDay. Anyway, please enjoy this lovely syrphid fly, a striking dark brown/black with bright yellow stripes nectaring on a bright purple/blue aster with a yellow center.
#Flies #Diptera #Syrphidae #Syrphus #NativePlants #Pollinators #HabitatGardening #UrbanHabitat #UrbanNature #MacroPhotography
Salvia greggii is my best #pollinators (insects and hummingbirds) plant.
1. Everblooming. 2. The F'ing Deer hate it.
Today, having in mind the American Ornithological Union's new decision to change the common names of birds named for people, I looked up Josiah Gregg the botanist. Hoping he wasn't the a-hole.
Did that guy live an interesting life. Explorer, botanist, physician (whole 2 semesters med school), war correspondent & interpreter, mapmaker, and '49er. Interesting death, too.
His anger at being left behind by his explorer pals near Trinidad, Calif., reportedly gave the Mad River its name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josiah_Gregg
[Public domain photo of Josiah Gregg from Wikipedia] #botany
I hung out at the 'Hot Lips' salvia for a while today, hoping to catch an interesting native species or event among the pollinators. With 1,600 species of native bees (that's just bees, not even including flies or wasps) found in California... ya think? But the bush was swarming with only (sorry, Ben) European honey bees. I did catch this nice moment when one sunlit bee was brushing against the anthers while nectaring.
#gardening #bees #pollinators #CAinsects #NevadaCountyCA @ai6yr
It's the way the wings shimmer & sparkle in the sunlight.
I think that's one of my fav things about photographing bees. I mean, they're beautiful, fascinating creatures for so many reasons.
But the wings are just mesmerizing.
A gallery of pollination:
Early?
For you maybe…but I’m still on summer time!
I think.
How bright are your evenings now?
🙄
#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
#10.
Some bee species carry #pollen collected from #flowers back to their nest or hive in pollen baskets - #corbiculae - located on their hind legs.
‘Everything in excess is opposed to nature.’
- Hippocrates
#bees #bumblebees
#beesanctuaryireland #pollinators #nature #naturephotography
#insects #beesanctuary #dandelion
#wildflowers #wildlife
84F/29C, climate zone 8, East Coast, NA. Wild blackberries blooming, Oct.28th.
Pure golden green sweat bee on Allegheny blackberry. (Augochlora pura, Rubus allegheniensis)
#bloomscrolling #florespondence #fleuristonfil #hiking #NativePlants #InsektenSamstag #insects #insectos #plants #plantas @plants #bees #pollinators
A bristle fly, Prosenoides assimilis, taking nectar from an aster. Texas.
A #Bumblebee at #ConvictLake, CA in the eastern Sierras. It has a red belt, and is very beautiful.
#Pollinators
Only 1 described species of Bee Guy though!🙄😂
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
#2.
There are around 20,000 described species of bee throughout the world.
“It seems to me that at this time we need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
#bees
#bumblebees #nature #beesanctuaryireland
#naturebasedsolutions
#beesanctuary #pollinators
#insects #entomology
It's a beautiful October day, and I feel reflective. I miss the summer hustle-bustle of insects, frogs, birds, and reptiles. Many are still present, but I know they are finding a place to hibernate or be out of the cold. Some have died or will die soon. But they have fulfilled they purpose. The spark of life that created me is the same spark of life that they carried. We have met, and now we part. Thank you for being part of my world. #wildlife #pollinators #Insects #gardening
Our West Country Buzz project has been busy sowing seed to create a new meadow 🌸🐝
Yesterday the project sowed #wildflower seed at Tapeley Park to create a flowery meadow to benefit #pollinators and other wildlife! Creating bare ground is important as is rolling after sowing to ensure the seed can germinate well 🚜🌻
Coffee and Cocoa Plants Especially at Risk From Pollinator Losses #coffee #cocoa #environment #pollinators https://www.ecowatch.com/pollinator-losses-crop-impacts-cocoa-coffee.html
The goldenrod flowers are gone now, so are the bees.
I think this is a Cellophane Bee (Colletes simulans). They are solitary and build their nests in the sandy ground in the garden.
Still busy collecting, not too cold yet.
We are in October but the hard cold hasn't hit yet and on sunny days like this one was, the bees are frantically busy, lining up for a feed, like Grand Central Station at the ticket counter.
Have a great Friday, Fedi Friends.
#pollinators #Bees #honeybees #BeesScrolling #pollinator #bee #Dahlia #BloomScrolling #Flower #Collarette #StevenKPosts #FlowerPhotography #Flowers #FloraFriday
Aaaaargh - NOOOOO!
12-OCT-2023
#Coffee and #cocoa plants at risk from pollinator loss
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1004421 #science #ecology #pollinators #chocolate
Bumble plumbing the last of the fading stonecrop.
(09/21/23)
#bees #bumblebees #pollinators #flowers #FlowerPhotography #insects #InsectPhotography #nature #NaturePhotography #macro #MacroPhotography #MastoArt #photography #AltText
A new study has found that it's key tropical crops like #coffee, #cocoa and #mango, that support millions of farmers in the Global South, that are most at risk from loss of #pollinators due to #climatechange and land use – read about it here:
It's late in the season in my garden, but there is still something to celebrate - something new worked!
It all started when someone from Mastodon recommended to me to put out some Anise Hyssop for late season #pollinators. I ordered a few and put them out. Later, I found a #Beautyberry shrub growing in the wrong place. I moved it next to the Hyssop thinking the colors might be complementary. Got a pic just in time.
Who recommended the Hyssop? I forgot!
Open to see both together.
This towering flowering fence is buzzing!
Another sunny #bee day is coming. Did you know that the interieur of a #sunflower shows a beautiful #violet circle for #bees and other #pollinators? Human sight sense is too restricted to see it. Our eyes only needed the ability to see the ultraviolet spectrum: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_coloration_in_flowers