Bumblebee on Partridge pea

Celebrate native bees and other pollinators

Do you enjoy juicy watermelons, local blueberries and strawberries and fresh Florida orange juice? How about carrots, broccoli, almonds and apples? If you do, please thank an insect.

Spring — a time of renewal, planting and planning

Who doesn’t love spring? It puts us in a happy place to see plants bursting forth with new green leaves and a promise of growth. For gardeners, it’s a very busy time as we plan, pull weeds and plant.

Common eastern bumble bee on Thistle flower

Bumble bees

Bumble bees are very efficient pollinators because they “buzz pollinate.” The bee grabs onto a flower and vibrates its flight muscles but not its wings. This causes the flower to release its pollen.

Megachile on flower with pollen on abdomen

Leafcutter bees

Megachilidae (commonly referred to as leafcutter, mason, orchard or cuckoo bees) are a large family of solitary nesters with distinctive and fascinating behaviors.

Hibiscus bee, Ptilothrix bombiformis

Chimney bees

Chimney bees like the Mustached mud and Hibiscus bees are solitary ground nesters that have serious architectural talent! Both bees superficially resemble bumblebees in appearance.

Eastern carpenter bee on Spotted beebalm flower

Carpenter bees

Many Floridians become familiar with carpenter bees by accident. They may notice a hole that appears to have been drilled into unpainted wood around their homes with a sawdust pile beneath it.

David Price

Meet board member David Price

As a Florida Wildflower Foundation board member, David Price brings deep knowledge accumulated over a diverse horticultural career.