Autumn’s Greetings Everyone!
I am catching my breath after a long and busy spring and summer bee season. Now I see that I never got to share about my keynote I gave this past May at the 15th Annual Down to Earth Women’s Luncheon.
It is a lovely event in which women in the Agricultural industry in Santa Cruz County come together to network and fundraise to create/maintain a scholarship fund. This helps young, emerging horticulturists attend college programs specific to furthering their careers in sustainable agriculture.
Needless to say I was thrilled when I heard they were doing a pollinator theme and I was nominated to speak. It was a short keynote, and I focused on general pollinator support tactics for your own back yard.
Many people think the way to “save the bees” is by keeping honey bees, and this is not necessarily true. While keeping bees can be supportive to pollinator populations when done responsibly, it is not in and of itself an act of conservation.
If you want to help pollinators, leave the leaves under your tree! Don’t have a fully mulched and manicured yard. Buy organic seeds and starts, and refrain from using unnecessary agrochemicals in your yard. Maintain a brush pile and some fallow area for wood burrowing and ground nesting pollinator species. Try to keep it wild!
Thanks again to Driscoll’s berries and the other event sponsors for having me speak. It was an honor to get to speak to so many accomplished and strong women in the Ag. Sector.
And thank YOU for reading this far! If you are interested in having me speak to your group about the power of pollinators and the vast intelligence of bees, reach out!
Bee well and live light,
~Emily~
