Birds, Bees, & Bugs
The week of June 23, 2019 - We explore the solutions helping our environment's most productive and important little creatures.
Want to help bees? Consider adding these plants to your garden
Bees are critical members of our food chain. These buzzing backyard insects pollinate three-quarters of all fruits, nuts, and vegetables, but they are on the decline. Fortunately, of the 20,000 known bee species in the world, 4,000 are native to the US and there are many flowers you can plant in Read More...
Optimist View - Movie Review: Honeyland
How an Oscar-nominated documentary illustrates the power of resilience BY AMELIA BUCKLEY Wild honey smells of freedom. The dust - of sunlight. The mouth of a young girl, like a violet. But gold - smells of nothing. -Anna Akhmatova Our first introduction to Hatidze Muratova is watching her Read More...
There's a lot of buzz surrounding Internet of Things technology
Using Internet of Things (IoT) technology can help us better understand the health of bee hives in order to cater to the needs of bees more effectively. These days, IoT technology can allow us to monitor beehives with remote sensors as a way of keeping beekeepers updated on the status of the bees. Read More...
UK families to plant millions of wildflowers to help boost bee populations
Since bees pollinate almost a third of our world’s crops, the alarming trend of bee populations in decline over the past few decades indicates ecological disaster in the works. In order to prevent such a devastating scenario, campaigners in the UK came up with an ingenious idea of giving away Read More...
All about spiders and their silk, one of the most versatile substances on earth
In the latest issue of National Geographic, environmental writer Jason Bittel spins a wonderful article exploring spiderwebs, spiders, and all things arachnid. The intricate webs they build are items of wonder and beauty, but by using this wonderful silky, sticky, sometimes stinky substance, Read More...
Apparently, honey can serve as a sensitive indicator of air quality
While honey is perfect for making anything a little bit sweeter, that’s not the only thing honey is good for. According to a recent study, honey can serve as a sensitive pollution detector. As it turns out, bees pick up on trace amounts of metals as they forage for pollen, which settles on Read More...
In Minnesota, solar farms are commonly surrounded by bee-friendly flowers
Solar farms? Good. Solar farms surrounded by prairie grasses and budding flowers? Excellent. In Minnesota, it’s becoming common for large solar energy sites to have pollinator-friendly plantings around them. Not only do they provide habitat for the bee and butterfly populations people have been Read More...
Game designers have created a simulator that let’s you live the life of a bee
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a bee? Well if you are curious, there’s a new simulation game that gives you an inside look at the real lives and struggles of the American wild bee. Both educational and entertaining, Bee Simulator allows you to fly around our colorful world Read More...
To save the Monarch butterfly, grow this plant in your garden
Monarch butterflies need all the help they can get. Eastern Monarch populations have plummeted 90 percent in just the last two decades, and their Western comrades aren’t fairing all too much better. This is partially to blame on the loss of milkweed in America, a perennial flower that serves Read More...
Why beekeeping is big business these days
How do beekeepers make most of their money? While honey may seem like the obvious answer, the real answer is that beekeepers make most of their money from pollination services where they provide hives to farmers. Just look to California where nearly 80 percent of the world’s almonds are grown. Read More...