How You Can Help Alberta's Beautiful Bumblebees

Bumblebee Species of Alberta:  21 species plus 4 cuckoo bumblebee spp.

Hey Alberta, you have an abundance of bumblebee species to celebrate! These are the bees that give you big fat tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, blueberries and pollinate many beautiful native and cultivated flowers and berries. I've listed the species below so you can research any one or more in detail and I've added some tips on how you can help these sweet and vulnerable species.

1) White-shouldered Bumblebee (Bombus appositus) long-tongued

2) High Country Bumblebee (Bombus kirbiellus , formerly B. balteatus) long-tongued, rare

3) Black-notched Bumblebee (Bombus bifarius) medium-tongued

4) Cryptic Bumblebee  (Bombus cryptarum) (formerly B. moderatus) medium-tongued

5) Great Basin Bumblebee aka Central BB (Bombus centralis) long-tongued

6) California Bumblebee (Bombus californicus aka B. fervidus ssp. Californicus) and Golden Northern Bumblebee (Bombus fervidus) long-tongued

7) Yellow-fronted Bumblebee (Bombus flavifrons) medium-tongued

8) Frigid Bumblebee (Bombus frigidus) rare, medium-tongued

9) Brown-belted Bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis) medium-tongued

10) Hunt’s Bumblebee (Bombus huntii) medium-tongued

11) White Tail Bumblebee (Bombus jonellus) medium-tongued, Northern

12) Black-tailed Bumblebee aka Orange-rumped Bumblebee (Bombus melanopygus) medium-tongued

13) Mixed Bumblebee aka Fuzzy-horned Bumblebee (Bombus mixtus) medium-tongued

14) Nevada Bumblebee (Bombus nevadensis) long-tongued

15) Western Bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis) short tongued, rare

16) Perplexing Bumblebee (Bombus perplexus) short-tongued, rare

17) Red-belted Bumblebee (Bombus rufocinctus) short-tongued

18) Forest Bumblebee (Bombus sylvicola) uncommon, medium-tongued

19) Tri-coloured Bumblebee (Bombus ternarius) medium-tongued rare in west, more common in east

20) Yellow-banded Bumblebee (Bombus terricola) short-tongued, rare

21) Half-black Bumblebee (Bombus vagans) medium long-tongued

Cuckoo:

1) Ashton Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus bohemicus)

2) Fernald Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus flavidus, formerly B. fernaldae)

3) Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus insularis) long-tongued

4) Suckley Cuckoo Bumblebee (Bombus suckleyi) uncommon (ICUN red list)

Sources: 

 Special thanks to Lincoln R. Best for help compiling the list above.

Bumblebees of the Western United States by Koch, Strange,and Williams.

Conserving Bumble Bees: Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for America’s Declining Pollinators by the Xerces Society forInvertebrate Conservation.

Bumblebees of North America: An Identification Guide byWilliams, Thorp, Richardson and Colla, Princeton University Press, 2014.

The changing identity and distribution of a bumble beespecies known from Alberta for one hundred years by Robin E. Owen, CentennialReader Archive, Mount Royal University.

What Makes a Good Bumblebee Garden?

•A biodiverse selection of organic bumblebee flowers that bloom in each season (Spring, Summer, Fall) with no forage gaps: for an Alberta Bumblebee plant list see the post below.

Flowers with a variety of corolla lengths to suit small, medium and long-tongued bumblebee species

•Local organic native bumblebee plants that are high quality source of nectar and pollen

•Nesting and hibernation sites

•The inclusion of plants that exclude other bee species to ameliorate competition, esp. plants that exclude honeybees, including buzz-pollinated flowers

•Long-blooming drought tolerant plants

•Medicinal plants for bumblebees to help them fight diseases and pests

•Interconnected hotspots of forage: use hedgerow model, ditches, boulevards to provide corridors for bumblebees to date, mate and procreate

•A critical mass of interconnected forage with groupings at least 1 m square, herbaceaous plants, shrubs and trees with high blossom and high reward density (esp. in areas with a high honeybee population

•Areas with forage spots that are protected from wind

Steps you can take to protect bumblebees:

•Do not load your neighborhood with honeybees that compete directly with native bees

•Do not support greenhouses that use farmed bumblebees, which have been advocated in the spread of disease and steep decline in native bumblebee species.

•If you see a stranded bumblebee, give her some sugar water (50/50) or just water and put her safely in the sun near some flowers.

•Educate other people about the importance of bumblebees.

•Take part in the citizen scientist studies of bees such as The Great Canadian Bumblebee Count. Record your sightings. Take photos of the bee from as many angles as possible: Think head, thorax, abdomen—get all the parts documented.

Build a bumblebee box for families of bees to move into your garden!: Advice for deploying bumble bee nest boxes (domiciles), January 2016, Luc Pelletier & Ralph Cartar*

http://blogs.ubc.ca/theecoartincubator/files/2016/05/Pelletier-Cartar-Domicile-Instructions.pdf

Resources:

 Local native plants and seeds: http://www.wildaboutflowers.ca/

Native Plants for the Short Season Yard by Lyndon Penner. (This is a must-have book for the Albertan bumblebee gardener!!!!)
My book is now available through West Coast Seeds! Add a copy to your seed order! Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees

Resources for Alberta Bumblebee Gardeners

Bumblebee Plants for Alberta 

This list is a work of progress: check back for updates as I re-organize it to make this easier to read.

* Denotes a medicinal plant for bees

BOLD denotes special interest for bumblebee plants (buzz pollinated, longer corollas or special relationships, ie trip pollination)

Native and Near Native Shrubs:

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Oregon Grape (Berberis spp.), Willow (Salix spp.), Sumac (Rhus spp.), Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), Blue Elderberry (Sambucus cerulea), Wax Currant (Ribes cereum), Clove Currant and other ribes spp., Wild Raspberry, Kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), High Bush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum), Wood’s Rose (Rosa Woodsii), Prickly Rose (R. acicularis), Blueberry—low bush vaccinium myrtilloides and cultivars, Potentilla spp., Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum), Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)

June Gap: Ninebark (Physocarpus spp.), Spirea spp., Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), hardy roses

Later Shrubs: Buck Brush (Symphoricarpos occidentalis), Rabbit Brush (Chrysothamnus naseosus)

Native Trees Chokecherry, Crabapple, Pincherry, Saskatoon (and many other native fruit trees), Western Mountain Ash (Sorbus scopulina)

Native Vines: Purple Clematis (Clematis occidentalis) Virgin’s Bower Clematis (Clematis ligustifolium) beware of invasive look-alikes

Exotic Trees: Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), Linden (Tilia spp.) avoid silver linden (Tilia tomentosa); Stone Fruit Trees: apple, cherry, peach, apricot, pear, quince, plum; Redbuds (Cercis spp.);

Exotic Shrubs: Spirea spp., Climbing roses

Native and Near Native Perennials: Native violets, Prairie Crocus (Pulsatilla patens), Bleeding heart (Dicentra spp.), Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum spp.) Heartleaf Golden Alexanders (Zizea aptera)

 Nodding onion (Allium cernuum) and other native alliums, Canadian Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and other Aquilegia spp., Arrowleaf Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), Prairie Smoke (Geum trifolium), Few-Flowered Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)

Milk Vetch (Astragalus spp.) toxic, Locoweed (Oxytropis spp.) toxic, Native Silvery Lupin (Lupinus argenteus) and other Lupinus spp. toxic, Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia spp.), Broomrape (Orobanche spp.)

Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium), Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor), Potentilla spp. native species and cultivars are great

Common Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia and other native and exotic spp.), Native Larkspurs Delphium bicolour, D. glaucum or Nuttall’s Larkspur (D. nuttallianum) HIGH toxicity warning, Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata), Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

Penstemon spp., Canadian Milk Vetch (Astragalus Canadensis and other native spp.), Scarlet Globe Mallow  (Sphaeralcea coccinea) (red-listed grassland species), Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha), Gumweed (Grindelia spp.)

Erigeron spp., Lilies (Erythronium spp.), Blue Gentian (Gentiana spp.), Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium spp.), Cranesbill Geranium (Geranium spp.)

Monkey Flower (Mimulus sp.), Summer Paintbrush (Castilleja spp.)

Native Annual: Bienenfreunde aka Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)

Late-Blooming Native Asteraceae: Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum) Blanket Flower (Gaillardia spp.), Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.), Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritaceae), Asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), Goldenrod (Solidago spp.), Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), Coneflowers (Ratibida spp.), Black-eyed Susan the Alberta native is Rudbeckia serotina

Exotic Perennials: *Turtlehead: (Chelone glabra), Catmint (Nepeta cultivars) N. cataria can be invasive, *Sage (Salvia spp.) *Meadow Sage (Salvia pratensis), *Oregano, *Thyme, *Dragonhead (Dracocephalum spp.), California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), Verbena spp.

Lavender (Lavandula spp.), Liatris spp., Comfrey (Symphytum spp.), Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), Hollyhocks (and other malva spp.), Wine Cup (Callirhoe involucrata), Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), Sea Holly (Eringeum spp.), Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro), Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) comes with an invasive warning, Caterpillar Flower (Phacelia bolerandi), Masterwort (Astrantia major), Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)

Exotic Annuals: Borage (Borago officinalis), *Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), *Tobacco (Nicotiana rustica), Calendula (Calendula officinalis), Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) weedy warning, Blue Shrimp Plant (Cerinthe major), Moroccan Toadflax (Linaria maroccana)

Scarlet Runner Beans, *Nightshades (Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Potato), squash (Cucurbitae)

Globe Gilia (Gilia capitata), Zinnias (choose the large ones), Dahlias (Avoid doubles)

Let some of your veggies bloom for bees: radishes, kale, leeks, carrots, parsnips

Extra bee-friendly herbage: cilantro, fennel, dill, rosemary, mints, winter and summer savoury

Warning: Don’t plant Sainfoin (Onobrychis spp.)—I have recently found out that it is invasive in Alberta.

Sources and Recommended Reading:

Local native plants and seeds: http://www.wildaboutflowers.ca/

Native Plants for the Short Season Yard by Lyndon Penner. (This is a must-have book for the Albertan bumblebee gardener!!!!)

Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees by Lori Weidenhammer

Bees: An Identification and Native Plant Foraging Guide by Heather Holm. (Best for Eastern US, but some good info on more widespread native plants for bees.)

(You can buy these on Amazon, or support your local bookstore!)

Conserving Bumble Bees: Guidelines for Creating and Managing Habitat for America’s Declining Pollinators by the Xerces Society forInvertebrate Conservation. (This is available online for free.)

A Cure for Stage Fright: Facing the New Year with Courage and Equanimity

 

Night for All Souls, Mountainview Cemetery

It’s the second day of 2017, and I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the work I’ve got on my plate this year. I’m checking out all my friends’ and colleagues’ positive gung ho messages on social media and thinking “Why don’t I share that positive ‘can do’ attitude?” Truth is, I’m feeling fear and anxiety. I’m more Grumpy Cat than Kimmy Schmidt. These negative vibes came home to me as I chatted to my friend Catherine. She had taken her granddaughter to a live theatre production of Mary Poppins. Audrey got dressed in her new vest that Catherine made for her, and one of her best dresses.  The night before the show Audrey whispered, “Grandma, I have stage fright.” Catherine explained that they weren’t going on the stage so there was really nothing to be afraid of. Nonetheless, the little girl was feeling nervous, so she brought along her favorite stuffy cat.

They arrived at the theatre. When Audrey saw a load of other kids in their best clothes toting stuffies alongside their grandmas, she was calmed. She absolutely loved the production, spending it on the edge of her seat clutching her kitty. “How do they fly grandma?” she asked. “Well, you can ask the stage manager after the show,” Catherine whispered. Catherine’s friend Caren is the stage manager of the show. Not only did Audrey get to go back stage to see all the rigging and see the mechanics of the production, she got to meet Mary Poppins herself and try on her hat. It was a little girl’s dream come true.

Tidy Tips and Coreopsis

I found this story deeply touching. And it helped me to realize that I have been suffering from a kind of stage fright myself. Last year was a very public time for me, having launched my book and doing lots of traveling and teaching.  It was very satisfying for the extrovert part of myself, but very tiring for my introverted self. Then I was hit by a big whammy: one of my very best friends died suddenly on August 24, 2016. The next three months passed in a blur as I finished my teaching and speaking engagements for the rest of the year while in tremendous distress. I was able to take some time to grieve in between gigs, but it was difficult. My heart was raw. I felt so lost and bereft. She was one of those people that really knew me-- all my dark and vulnerable corners. I went to the local cemetery and spent time with the wildflowers and bees. I donated some wildflower seeds, which one of the gardeners has generously planted in Donna’s honor.

It still seems like a short time since I lost Donna, and I still wake to the wonder that she is no longer here in body, even though I still feel her spirit every day. As the time comes for me to do my first speaking engagement of the year, I feel I do have stage fright. I really want to keep quietly hibernating, researching and grieving.  But as my dad is fond of saying, “There’s no rest for the wicked.” So I’ve got to get back on that stage and smile and sing and raise hell for the bees. I’ve got to get that fire burning in my belly, so the cold fear burns away. I’m going to need your help too, because some of the things I’m going to tackle this year are going to piss people off. There’s going to be more fire and brimstone in my personal brand of “beevangelism”. No more Mrs. Nice Bee!

So Audrey dear, I’m gonna take a big breath, dress in my finest clothes and I’m really going to try to make my words fly. I might need to bring my stuffy along with me. I hope there’s some kind and supportive people in the audience. I hope to see you there. And I hope some of you can join me at my first gig, which is at Saanich Seedy Saturday at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific on January 14. I’m so excited!!!!

Tips for Melting New Year’s Stage Fright.

Take your vitamin D. It’s winter, DUH.

Start the day with morning pages and intentions and end the day with a warm gratitude list of things you accomplished.

Reach out to friends with simple e-mail check-ins, dates, and just taking the time to think nice warm thoughts about them.

Make a Plan B if things don’t work out—make several plans and back those up with backup plans.

Plan ahead. Be prepared. Nuff said.

Make a list of your happy places and go there in your mind or real time.

Slow down. Embrace the inner tortoise. She is beautiful and wise.

Embrace the people, thought patterns, and situations that give you the buzz of their intrinsic (solar) energy.

Jettison any thought patterns, people, and situations that are your personal kryptonite. Let go of that sh_t.

Marusya Bociurkiw's Book Launch and Seedy Sat.

Wow, I can hardly believe that Seedy Saturday is NEXT WEEKEND! Have you been sorting seeds these days? I've started to make some labels inspired by the full colored stickers you see above designed by Mary Woodin.

Also, next week:

"Feeling Canadian: Television, Nationalism and Affect"

"How did a beer ad become a national anthem? When did the Olympic
opening ceremonies become an advertisement for national superiority?'

Come and hear author Marusya Bociurkiw read from from her new book and
join in the discussion.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012
7:30 PM (come for dinner first)
RHIZOME CAFE, 317 E Broadway, Vancouver (across from Kingsgate Mall)

Free admission; books for sale

Snowy Seedy Saturday

Happy Seedy Saturday! Did you go? What did you buy? I bought pussywillows and just a few seeds from Seeds of Victoria: A "Sooty Black" Dianthus, Vervain, Sweet Cicely, Malva Sylvestris "Magic Hollyhocks", and Caucasian Germander. The flower seeds were on for half price, so I was filled with double happiness.

I admired the fruit trees and bought a bunch of excellent second hand gardening books. Woot! It was bloody cold and the snowflakes were falling, but the garden chat was good. Too bad it's so crowded in there. I'm curious to see what it will be like next year in the new building.

Brian Campbell was saying that crap apple trees are excellent for bees because they contain more pollen than other trees and that pollen has more protein than other tree blossoms. Plant more crap apples, people! I love them. I bought some stewed crab apples at the winter market last week and I'll tell you what's good: drink the juice with a slug of vodka. Oh ya. I eat the crab apples sans spirits on my yogurt in the morning.

Brian will be out looking for bumble bee queens soon for a new EYA project with wild pollinators. Stay tuned for more details. Believe it or not, the queens will be emerging soon and before you know it the mason bees will be out there searching for crap apple blossoms.

Lucky Seedy

You know it's going to be a good event when notre petit chien steals the show comme d'habitude. Seedy Saturday was very busy this year. I came, I shopped, I chatted and I left before I was crushed by the crowds. They really need to hold it in a larger venue.

I ended up buying lots of seeds from Brother Nature, including edible Chrysanthemums, which is what Chinese Chrysanthemum tea is made from. It's a good tea to drink with dim sum. You can stir-fry the greens of edible Chrysanthemum too. According to goldenteahouse.com:

"This tea is slightly sweet and refreshing, with a cooling effect on the body. Chrysanthemum Tea is believed to improve cloudy vision and gradually reduces liver inflammation. It is frequently included in formulas for sinus congestion, fever, complexion problems, and high blood pressure. The infusion is a nearly fluoresent yellow with a fantastically light taste. Chrysanthemum teas are often served with meals and complement many main dishes."

The most gorgeous pussywillows ever. Don't you just want to own a coat made of these!

Viburnum blossoms.

You can buy fruit trees and mushrooms at Seedy Saturday too. The mushroom man had a linuep of people wanting to purchase his shroom kits. I ended up buying the Cerinthe major in the gift shop (Renee's Garden) because the Van Dusen honeywort seeds weren't available during Seedy Saturday. No comment on that one.

You know you want some!

(BTW, I see Brother Nature also has a bee garden mix you can buy on his website.)

I Dream of Honeywort

Yes, I did really have a dream about Seedy Saturday. I dreamt I arrived and almost all the seeds were sold out. I was gutted! But there were two honeywort plants left and they were these big nobby pineapple-sized roots attached to succulent plants. I said, "Oh, it's honeywort, just what I was looking for..."and a man said "Use the Latin name, woman!" So I said "Cerinthe major or minor-- or whatever it is," and laughed. Then I tasted the plant and found it had a licorice flavor. C'est tres bizarre. I also dreamt the ponds at the gardens were polluted and brackish and saw a sole swimming in one of them. It was David Cronenburg directing, I tell you. Vivid.

Anyway, it's a plant in the borage family and I must have it for the bee garden. It was nicknamed the wax plant because people thought bees gathered wax from it. It's also waxy in appearance. I think it would be good to plant in the corners because of its protective attributes. I feel a deep connection to this plant which is odd, because I don't think I've ever seen one in my life.

"Because it is so favored by bees, a martial insect, it would be a good herb to use in works where you want to win over a hostile force or attract defensive hosts."
www.alchemy-works.com/cerinthe_major.html

Essentially, what we are creating is a "bee refuge" here. We're focusing our energy and attention on providing a safe space for bees, both physically and metaphorically. As we save the seeds from this garden in the fall we can distribute them to people in Vancouver to create their own bee gardens, refuges, and sanctuaries in their neighborhoods.

Don't forget Seedy Saturday is this weekend at Van Dusen Gardens from 10 am to 4 pm and Brian Campbell is giving a talk on bee gardens.