Did you know that bees are responsible for every third bite of food that we eat?
Bees are fascinating little creatures and they are in trouble.
Sunflowers at Big Mill B&B
The Great Sunflower Project was begun in 2008 by the biology department at San Francisco State University to study the wild bee population. In 2009, lots of us were given free lemon sunflower seeds to plant in our gardens. We were to monitor the bee activity for a certain amount of time each day. There were 50,000 participants!
Bees love our Bee Balm
Well, something ate my lemon sunflowers … bummer … so I couldn’t participate. But this year, they have expanded the flower list to include bee balm, tickseed, cosmos, purple coneflower and rosemary. So I am fired up and ready to go!
Coreopsis (tickseed) in the Big Mill Garden
Why don’t you join in this Hunt for Bees? All you have to do is plant one of the flowers listed, get comfortable in your garden, watch the bee activity and record it. Any size garden will work – even container gardens! The bonus, of course, by planting these flowers, you increase the odds of attracting hummingbirds and butterflies too.
Learn more about the project at Great Sunflower Project.
PS — Share your Great Sunflower Project photos over on Big Mill’s Facebook Page!
Let’s create a buzz! 
Bzzzzzzz … I used to keep bees, but that is next year’s project. Innkeeper at Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-792-8787
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