Help the Bees

Dear everyone,

We know the bee is in danger. And there is something we can do to help. We must help.  As gardening season is upon us this is a great start to attribute and to make decisions that help the cute little bees. So this time Natural Delight* is an ode to the bees!

I have made an overview of all kinds of plants that bees and bumble bees love. To find them I have searched the web for tips of organizations and beekeepers and selected those plants that have different looks and purposes. (For all the sources, see the bottom of this page. ) If you have a small strip to plant, or if you want to colour whole fields yellow; there’s plant on here for you.

I chose lavender because I always see loads of bumble bees around lavender. And it’s such a great and tough plant to have even in small strips of your garden. Buckwheat was new to me but I read that it really helps and it blooms in late summer, so I thought it would add a nice balance.

For spring we then have the wild poppy and the cornflower. They make you so happy too, not just bees. They look wonderful!

Heather then is one for late fall, and nice for people who want a more rustic looking garden. Heather wants poor dry soil so this is a good option if you have this type of garden. Thistle is also one for a different type of ground to grow in. The beauty of this plant out weighs the prickles I reckon.

A special mention for white mustard. This plant survives winter and is strong against pests. It produces a lot of honey for the honey bees and hardly needs tending. I think it would be perfect for large lots and fields. And wouldn’t it look amazing?

Last but not least a shrub. The snowberry. I read that this plant should not be forgotten in the search for plants that bees like. Apparently beekeepers like it. And if you have an empty bit at the side of your house, or just a very large garden that needs shrubbery (loved this word since Monty Python) this is your go-to plant.

To give you inspiration what you can do I added some tips on how you can start. Gather people to bring the whole neighbourhood alive! Share it as much as you can via our facebook page or instagram. If everyone fills their garden, boring terrace and empty lots with flowers to bring them to life, then life for the bees gets a little easier.

*What is Natural Delight?

Natural Delight is a series of pages that sprung from an idea for a book I’ve had for a while. And you and I can create it together. You love nature, I love nature. We all want to be connected to nature more, don’t we? So I am going to help you feel that connection more through my illustrations. The feeling you get from a fox or blackbird that you see close to you, from a walk in a forest, I call that Natuurgeluk, which translates in to happiness or delight. Natural Delight. This feeling we want more of!
If you follow me you’ll find book pages with a subject every month. Print the drawing at the top of this page for your own Natural Delight book! Other pages can be found on our blog.

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Love,

Myrte