beespeaker
@loriweidenhammer
Writer, artist, and advocate for native bees in British Columbia. Author of the revised edition of Victory Gardens for Bees: A DIY Guide for Saving the Bees.
Questions asked by a small boy at the Uplands Bioblitz . . . q: Who owns the grasshoppers here? a: No one owns them. q: Can I take this grasshopper home? a: No, it lives here. q: Can I catch this grasshopper? a: No, we've already caught it once and now we're just admiring it here. #bornfree
Another great moment at the Uplands Park Bioblitz bee walk was when a female Colletes I had on my hand starting blowing bubbles to concentrate nectar after I had just talked about that process! Some folks got good photos of it! I really did feel like the bee whisperer! Haha! #bees
No idea who this little fledgeling is in Uplands Park, Victoria BC. It had no fear of humans.
This venerable lady leafcutter perched on my hand and let many people photograph her for the Uplands Bioblitz bee walk. So grateful. She is worn and tattered and still working the gumweed. #victoriabc
There will be folks at the bioblitz with much better photos of these, but I am so happy to see a bucket list insect: garry oak leafhoppers!!! #uplandspark
My heart goes out to all those displaced by wildfires and affected by the smoke in the air. Bee well. #bees
Posting bee observations on iNaturalist means you are contributing to scientific research that can help conserve native bees. Plus, you are more likely to get multiple people looking at your observations and getting the best possible identification from your photos. #bees
Little vozzie sleeping in calendula. #rileyparkcommunitygarden #bees
Little Melissodes microsticta drying out before she starts work for the day. Ants were farming aphids on the elecampane, so of course I got covered in them! #rileyparkcommunitygarden #bees
It's raining today in Vancouver. Bees will be hunkering down for the time being. And when the sun returns, it will be back to beezness. #bees
Please join us on August 2nd! Let's use art to imagine "thinking like a bee" in the Riley Park Community Garden in Vancouver, BC.
A little leafcutter bee casts a shadow on a mallow leaf as she forages in nodding onion. #bees #rileyparkcommunitygarden
The big ladies have moved into the perennial border at the Riley Park Community Garden, feeding on bee balm and sage. This one stopped on yarrow to give herself a good grooming. #rileyparkcommunitygarden #bees
Saw another one of these crazy bumble bee mimic flies. This one's got a bit extra on the back end! (?) #rileyparkcommunitygarden #wannabees #bees
Halictus rubicundus is a ground-nesting bee that seems to do well in urban settings. That doesn't mean we should take her for granted. Every time green space is paved over, we lose potential habitat for this lovely gentle bee. #victorygardensforbees #bees
Agapostemon on cosmos. #rileyparklearninggarden I really love seeing gardens in Vancouver that have been created and tended with care with grassroots community support. Thank you to the gardeners. #bees
I love to see Colletes in the nodding onions! #mountainviewcemetery #bees
Saw a quartet of nice large Bombus nevadensis workers in Riley Park today. Such beautiful ladies! #bees
One day you will realize how beautiful you are, how lucky, and how much the world depends on you to be who you are in this moment. #deepthoughtsforasmallcritter
Super stoked to see Anthophora terminalis at the Strathcona Community Garden today!!! The gardens are really looking lovely. Kudos to all the folks who tend that special place. And hey, plant those nodding onions for native bees!!!!! #bees
It was a lovely day to go to the UBC Farm Market. Saw this sweet hummer at the nearby Nobel Community Garden. I love the way she's conserving energy by perching on the stem of the crocosmia to feed from the blossoms.
It's my final morning at the cottage and I am filled with gratitude for my time here with the human and more than human critters. My heart is full. #mcloughlinggardens