Some of the best plants for attracting birds to your yard. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Many types of birds are attracted to plants that produce plenty of seeds. By growing seedy annuals and perennials in your yard, you’ll save money on birdseed and have beautiful flowers that you’ll enjoy, too. Attract more birds to your garden …
Essentials You Will Need to Attract Pollinators
The essentials you’ll need attract pollinators to your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Rather than dyed sugar water in feeders, give hummingbirds the real stuff: nectar. They do love red, so move more towards the pink-purple palette, including tubular flowers that are well-suited for their long beaks and tongues. Try cardinal flowers, fuchsia, lantana, petunia, and …
Are There Benefits of Starting a Pollinator Garden
What is a pollinator garden, and why you should start your own. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Pollinator gardens are great way to attract all sorts of insects and even birds, a few of which are pollinators as well. All bees and several other insects such as wasps, flies, moths, and butterflies—love a good selection of fresh flowers …
Data Dashboards Bringing Together Pollinator Data
Efforts are ongoing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to build a data dashboard for those involved in pollinator health improvement efforts. USDA Honey Bee and Pollinator Research Coordinator, Elizabeth Hill, explains the concept of data dashboards and how one developed specifically for pollinators can aid researchers and stakeholders in pollinator health efforts. Hill discusses how a developing data …
Four Nutrients in Flower Pollens Improve Honey Bee Gut Health
For the first time, four nutritional compounds found in different flowers have been directly proven to enhance gut health of honey bees, boosting their immune system and increasing lifespan, based on a study by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service scientists. “We found that feeding caffeine, kaempferol, p-coumaric acid or gallic acid—all nutritional compounds found in the nectar and …
Agriculture Sec. Vilsack Issues Proclamation Recognizing National Pollinator Week
(WASHINGTON, June 21, 2021) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proclamation to recognize the designation of the week of June 21 – 27, 2021 as National Pollinator Week. Pollinator species, such as birds, bats, bees, and other insects, play an important role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey …
Plant Things That Keep Bees Coming Back for More
How to plant things that will keep bees coming back for more. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Bees are one of our most valuable pollinators, responsible for pollinating 80 percent of the world’s plants! That means 1 out of every 4 bites of food we eat is due to the hard work of bees. Its up to us …
Growing Matters: Protect Bees, Environment and the Applicators Themselves
Companies spend a lot of time developing product labels. “The companies that make the crop protection products work very hard to make them right,” Valent USA’s Senior Field R&D Scientist Craig Campbell said. “I work on labels, they are there as the most important guide for a grower, an applicator or anyone using a pesticide.” In the latest episode of …
Growing Matters: ‘Four Rs’ Protects Bees, Keeps Efficacy and Saves Money
Industry leaders recommend the ‘Four Rs’ as a guide for applicators and producers. The guidelines are critical for protecting pollinators, retaining product efficacy and ultimately saving the producer money. In the latest episode of the BeSure! campaign from the Growing Matters Coalition, Syngenta’s Agronomic Service Representative Garrett Gilcrease said the ‘Four R’s’ include the right place, right time, right rate and …
Wildflowers to Consider Planting in Your Garden for Pollinators
What you need to know about planting wildflowers in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The standard definition for “wildflower” is a type of flowering plant that grows without human intervention. Wildflowers such as daisies, poppies, marigolds, and cornflowers (aka bachelor’s buttons) are considered “common.” These flowers have been around for about 49 million years. As …