Leaf of Life

04/10/2025

03/10/2025

At age 91, Jane Goodall passed away, a pioneer of ground breaking discoveries, renowed conservationalist and activist, still working tirelessly to her last day, she was scheduled to attend an event in California meeting with students and teachers to launch the planting of 5,000 trees around wildfire burn zones. Her work came from compassion, she spread seeds of knowledge and hope, that continues to live on. An inspiration to many, especially paving the way for a rise in women pursuing careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) over the years.

29/09/2025

Bumblebees need your help now!

29/09/2025

ACTION REQUIRED NOW!!! Its time to start planting early Spring Flowers 🪷 this Fall 🍂for Bumble Bees🐝 Survival by Ensuring Food for Spring's First Bees.

ATTENTION GARDENERS! The Bumble Bee Emergency Starts in Fall planting Early Spring FLOWERS

The first few weeks of spring are the most critical time in a queen bumble bee's life. The food she finds immediately after hibernation determines the success of her entire colony. If she starves, hundreds of future worker bees are lost!

You can be her hero by planting the right food this fall!

WHAT & WHEN TO PLANT THIS AUTUMN
Planting bulbs and certain perennials now ensures that food is ready the moment the queen emerges from the ground, often while snow is still melting.

1. Early Spring-Flowering Bulbs (Plant Sept-Nov)
These are the absolute earliest food sources, perfect for a queen breaking hibernation. Plant them after the first hard frost but before the ground freezes solid!

💜 Crocus: Open, cup-shaped flowers that are easy to land on. Purple and yellow varieties are favorites.

🤍 Snowdrops (Galanthus): Often the very first to bloom in late winter/early spring.

💙 Siberian Squill (Scilla): Forms a beautiful carpet of blue and naturalizes easily.

💛 Winter Aconite (Eranthis): Bright yellow flowers that can emerge right through the snow.

🍇 Grape Hyacinth (Muscari): Tightly packed clusters of small, nectar-rich flowers.

✨ Dwarf Iris (Iris reticulata): Small, vibrant iris that bloom weeks ahead of larger varieties.

2. Perennials, Shrubs, & Trees (Plant Early-to-Mid Fall)
These provide high-volume food for the busy queen as she searches for a nesting site.

🌸 Hellebore / Lenten Rose: Blooms late winter/early spring and is often ignored by deer.

💙 Lungwort (Pulmonaria): Valuable blue/purple tubular flowers loved by long-tongued bees.

🌿 Virginia Bluebells: Native wildflowers that are an important early nectar source.

🌳 P***y Willow (Salix): Their fuzzy catkins are an enormous source of pollen and nectar as soon as they open!

🍎 Fruiting Trees/Shrubs (like Plum & Cherry): The abundance of blossoms provides a critical feast.

📍 WHEN TO PLANT BULBS (General Guidance):

Colder Climates: Late September to late October.

Temperate Climates: Mid-October to mid-November.

Milder South: November through December (may require chilled bulbs).

Go plant some life-saving food this fall!

29/09/2025

27/09/2025

Fallen autumn leaves provide essential winter survival habitat for a vast array of species including firefly larvae, salamanders, frogs, snakes, shrews, toads, box turtles, earthworms, millipedes, pill bugs, springtails, mites, lacewing larvae, soldier beetle larvae, caterpillars and pupae of countless moths and butterflies, overwintering queen bumblebees, and birds like towhees and sparrows that forage for insects within the leaf litter.
Leaves are life, leave the leaves this autumn!

26/09/2025

Even forgotten places have life!

26/09/2025

Meet the Red Andean Bumblebee a species found in the high Andes mountains of South America. These bees are vital pollinators for the region's plants but face threats from habitat loss and competition from invasive non-native species. A problem that's happening to all bumblebees across the world! Bumblebees are often better and more reliable pollinators than honeybees because they are larger, fuzzier, and can perform "buzz pollination," which dislodges pollen from certain flowers. Their ability to withstand cold and work in poor weather conditions, visit more flowers per minute, and transfer larger quantities of pollen makes them especially efficient for crops like blueberries, tomatoes, and peppers.

So let's do what we can to save them!