The Great Sunflower Project

My friend Emily got me some Lemon Queen Sunflower seeds so that we can participate in The Great Sunflower Project.  www.greatsunflower.org  We know the value that domesticated bees provide as pollinators. But the value of  wild bees is often overlooked, and not just in rural areas. People from all over the country plant Lemon Queen Sunflower seeds and then count the bees that are attracted to their backyards, gardens, or patios. They send the numbers and descriptions into The Great Sunflower Project.

Last year was the first year that I had planted sunflowers that did well. I planted them right in the middle of the garden, and they liked it.  The bees did too. I would go out in the mornings and there would be all kinds of bees that had spent the night on the big sunflowers. 

I think this would be a great project for kids, daycare centers, after school sites, etc.

From the Great Sun Flower Project web site.....
To maintain biodiversity and to meet the increasing demands for ecosystem services, we must move conservation science into cities (Rosenzweig 2003). Cities are important for conservation for two reasons. First, 80% of the United States population already lives in urban areas (United States Census Bureau 2003). Second, cities encompass about 3% of land (59.6 million acres) in the United States and 230,000 additional acres become urban each year. Because of their large human populations, cities are the places where many ecosystem services, such as environmental quality of life, are delivered (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Given the growth of the urban population, it is clear that we need to develop the knowledge necessary for maintaining natural habitats in the urban setting and find a way to give urban dwellers access to nature. 

We know that pollinators are declining in certain wild and many agricultural landscapes. However, little is known about urban pollinators. Our recent data on bumble bees in an urban setting suggests that urban bees may also be declining (McFrederick & LeBuhn 2006, Fenter and LeBuhn submitted). While the loss of these pollinators is important, it is more important to understand what effect these losses have had on pollinator services"

Last year the sunflowers were a haven for all kinds of wild bees, so it will be fun to document it this year.