Yesterday we surveyed the different pollinators that visited our lovely dandelion yard. Dandelions are a great source of nectar to many different kinds of pollinators. The girls made big bumblebees out of construction paper to write down their discoveries on.
The ladies wrote down the different pollinators as we spotted them; then kept a running tally of them.
We were surprised to see this little leaf jumper.
We found all kinds of different little critters. Hello ladybug............
We were surprised to see this little leaf jumper.
Then the bees, many different types of bees. I soooooo love bees, it breaks my heart that so many people don't appreciate these beautiful insects because they think they will be stung. I don't know what these people are doing to get stung....going barefoot in a yard full of dandelions will get you stung and of course swatting at a yellow jacket will get you stung. Yellow jacket wasps are the aggressive yellow and black critters that visit your picnics and buzz you when you are eating an ice cream cone, these are NOT bees. They give bees a bad rep, so not fair!! Bees are not aggressive and don't want to sting you, they will die themselves if they sting you! Sorry about the dramatic passion here, but I feel compelled to speak for the bees! This is a yellow jacket wasp, looks like a bee but most definitely is not a bee.
On with the gorgeous and wonderful bees that we found busily collecting nectar. This honeybee was the cutest, she had pollen all over her little bee body! She was working so hard and never realized I was right there taking her picture. No aggression here!
This little gal stood on her rear and looked right at me!! Isn't she cute?
This was a little tiny bee gal.
Visit the Honeybee pollination crisis site to learn about the devastating crisis of bees today. Visit the Urban Bee Garden to learn more about different types of bees and the good they bring to the world. Visit Dandelion Octopus and Save the Dandelions for more dandelion activities.
She had to take a nose dive deep into the petals to get a sip of nectar!
This carpenter bee was also a busy girl.....
Visit the Honeybee pollination crisis site to learn about the devastating crisis of bees today. Visit the Urban Bee Garden to learn more about different types of bees and the good they bring to the world. Visit Dandelion Octopus and Save the Dandelions for more dandelion activities.
18 comments:
I ♥ bees, too. But wasps? Vile, aggressive creatures. Such a lovely day. :-)
I agree jumbles wasps can be quite aggressive....
Although I find this bee study fascinating from the safely of my computer.. I am deathly allergic to them and completely freak out when one gets even remotely close to me. I'll just learn from you if that's okay? :)
Erin, my hubby is also very allergic to bees (he's allergic to everything)...we grow a lot of catmint and lavender which is covered with bees in the spring and summer, he's NEVER been stung by "our" bees. I just get upset when people run from a yellow jacket and think it's a bee.
I love, love, love bumblebees.
I hate, hate, hate wasps.
And you are right, wasps have given bees a bad rap unfortunately.
Lisa, I was sharing a story with my little guy today and reading your post reminded me of it. Its in the spring addition of Living Craft and its a story about the sun and his friendship with a golden girl which turn out to be a dandelion. It was really sweet and goes so well with saving the Dandelions! I really like the bee to they are just so industerious : ) Have a great Day!
we have lots of wasps around here. In fact, we have a couple nests. But I try not to get freaked out when they are near by and just hope they'll leave me alone as I leave them alone. I did get bitten by one, not sure why or really by what, but most likely a wasp. Then there was another time that I was bringing a table in and my hand squeezed right on a wasp (I think) under the table accidentally and of course, it stung me and I think it died too.
I'm not sure I have ever seen a bee, I'm just nervous when I see something that looks like a wasp buzz around me. But its really sweet your girls get to observe them close and study them. I think education is very important and its so great to learn about bees. I sure like honey and know we need bees. :)
We have these BIG FAT bumbles around right now - we crack up every time we see them lumber past our kitchen window. We learned today that one way to tell the difference between a bee and a wasp is that bees are fuzzy and wasps are smooth (if you're close enough to take notice, that is!).
debbie
Oh, we love bees here, too!! What a great idea just to sit down and watch them for a while. That's the sort of thing my oldest would do. I call him The Bee Whisperer.
Hey Lisa- I have friends who have a bunch of bees cross their garden every day because they are going to the river to drink water. I had no idea bees did that. Pretty cool.
my mother has a receipt for dandelion wine, are you interested ? if yes you can write to me on touyarou@yahoo.co.in and I will make
the translation for you. Hurrah for the dandelions !!
Two of our most favorite things in the summer: Dandelions and Insects. Booh LOVES insects ... and I love dandelions. Ever try to make dandelion wine? We like to eat the young leaves in the spring. - And did you know that that white sap that comes from the stem is a wart remedy? Never tried it myself, but that's what the folklore tells.
Thank you for this post- very imformative and it may help ease some of Owen's anxiety around getting stung.
He is so afraid when he hears buzzing of any kind he doesn't stop to see if it is a yellow jacket or a bumblebee!!
We're working on it :0)
What a wonderful post! I was raised to be scared of bees and I'll never forget the day when I realized, I don't know quite how, that bees don't want to hurt me if they don't have a reason to. My relationship with bees changed instantly and I've been quite comfortable with them ever since. Wasps don't even bother me now. It has a lot to do with fear, I think. Animals can sense our emotions so why not insects. I've walked around swarms of wasps and not gotten stung. I feel it has to do with the feelings of respect I have for them.
I love teaching our children to see insects like bees and wasps for the gifts they have and not as threats. It's a perspective I had to find on my own.
Oh, and if you do get stung (by a wasp or bee), grab some plantain. Unless you are allergic, it will take away the pain within minutes. Just chew it up and stick it on.
Fantastic dandelion and bee pictures! We've just planted some free seeds we were sent by a campaign here in the UK called 'be good to bees'.
One time I was calling my Matt at work--just as he picks up the phone I sit down on the couch and get stung on the back of the leg by a wasp. I start screaming "Ow, Ow, Ow!!" and then I remembered that I was on the phone, so I say, "Hello, Matt?", but he's not there for some reason.
Ten minutes later, tires squealing, Matt drives up halfway into our yard and bursts into the house, shouting, "Julie?!! Girls!!!" I'm all, "Dude. What?"
Oh, nettle that reminds me.....you can relieve a sting with dandelion leaves too, just like you said, chew up the leaves into a pulp and then put on the sting.
Julie, poor Matt! ;)
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