PACIFICA'S WILDFLOWER SUPERBLOOM

news story

Comments

[Jay Bird]

There are some 4,000 native bees in North America, and at least 81 species in the Bay Area (seems low!):
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-many-species-native-bees-are-united-states

Bees common to the San Francisco Bay Area are the Western Bumblebee, the Yellow-faced Bumblebee, the California Carpenter Bee, and the Green Metallic Bee:
https://www.sfbayws.org/sites/default/files/tideline%20summer12.pdf.

It's easy to find information online, but here are a couple of good sources:

Protect Our Local Pollinators (Birds, Bees, Butterflies & Bats):
https://sfenvironment.org/article/protect-our-local-pollinators-birds-bees-butterflies-bats

Plant native plants, and watch your bird populations soar:
https://www.homegrownnationalpark.org/

[Carl May]

Wildflowers are doing well in remaining mostly natural spots along the county's coast this year and will continue to do so into the summer. "Spots" is the operative word, as the extent of the blooming areas is limited. Native plant populations have been hammered along much of our coastal strand by residential, commercial, agricultural, and recreational development and by invasive species. One hopes more of the general public will be aroused to value and protect more natural places for their plant communities and the myriad factors, such as insect and other animal pollinators, that go into maintaining them.